Jason,
It's a constantly moving target.
Day 1
arrive Manchester
play North Wales
Stay -Bull Bay
Day 2
Bull Bay
Nefyn
Stay -Harlech
Day 3
Royal St. David's
Aberdovey
Stay- Aberdovey (Aberystwyth)
Day 4
drive to Tenby
play Tenby
drive to The Mumbles
Stay -The Mumbles (Tenby)
With all the driving that day(4 hours) the boys get an 18 hole day (I really wanted to throw in Cardigan in which case I'd stay at the places in parenthesese (and flip day 5 and 6 to catch Asburnham on the way in), but it's too much.
Day 5
Royal Portcawl
Southerndown
Stay -The Mumbles
Day 6
Ashburnham
Pennard
Stay-The Mumbles
Day 7 -fly out Bristol
10 rounds, 6 days, I'm slipping
killing me to miss Cardigan, but 3 nights in the same hotel + an 18 hole day in the middle will help morale
Bl**dy hell Jeff - you're a braver man than me. I have a few suggestions to cut down on driving.
Day 3 - Aberdovey (or Aberdyfi if you want to be pedantic) to Aberystwyth is abouth a 45 minute drive, slightly less than the drive from Tenby to Mumbles (Swansea). If you stay in Aberdyfi (both The Dovey Inn and Penhelig Arms are excellent and Aberdyfi is a lovely spot) then you will save some driving that day.
Day 4 - this adds 45 minutes onto your drive to Tenby on day 4. However, if you stay in Tenby this will save an hour drive to Mumbles (Tenby House Hotel is good, Bay of Bengal Indian restaurant is excellent).
Day 5 - Switch days 5 & 6. Ashburnham is about 35 minutes from Tenby, Pennard 20 minutes further on and only 10 minutes or so from Mumbles.
Day 6 - Porthcawl and Southerndown. These are 35-40 minutes east of Mumbles, i.e. on the way to Bristol. To drive back to Mumbles seems a waste of time. I don't know what time your flight is on Day 7 but if you have time I would suggest you drive on from Southerndown to Burnham (about 35 minutes (i.e. the same as the drive back to Mumbles)
Day 7 - play Burnham and Berrow (less than 30 minutes from Bristol airport). Fly home.
Sean, Ed,
Thanks for all your consideration.
Believe it or not, all of this has been thought out at length.
MULTIPLE factors exist, not the least of which is a group of 6 golfers that enjoy a good time in the evenings (enter -The Mumbles) and I'm trying to not change beds every night.
I think there may be some confusion. The towns in parentheses indicate where we would stay if I try to throw in Cardigan (which I don't think we will for reasons listed above)
So I will be staying in Aberdovey if I nix Cardigan.
I am consider staying in Tenby and somewhere east of the airport (by switching day 5 and 6-which were originally that way)
Switching day 5 and 6 would mean 6 different hotels in 6 nights which although cuts down on driving time, I've found it INCREASES actual time and STRESS by packing and unpacking
checking in,checking out, figuring out where to eat, drink etc.
Ed's ADJUSTED driving times (which are even greater if you measure to the ACTUAL course -not the town-using UKGOLF website) indicate the time saved is not always what it seems.
Also, and probably most importantly, we will be in a 12 passenger coach with a driver so a 45 drive or so is a mobile party, email check, sleep, stretch,whatever.
I've done 2 of these trips annually for 10+ years and used to do 6-7 one night stands with a rental car and while it saves driving time, there can be logistical issues every time you check in, go to eat etc. Also, if you have a base and a guy has a particularly BIG night,or is just plain worn out, he can miss a round (COSTLY-but could happen) and not be left a town behind .
Can't play last day at Burnham and Barrrow (10:30 flight all there is) besides I played it last fall the day before we left from Devon and Cornwall.
The reason we probably won't stay in Tenby is Tenby is going to fall on a day where we drive from Aberdovey (2 1/2 hours) and then drive to The Mumbles. I'd be twiddling my thumbs in Tenby from 4 o'clock on and could setting up base in The Mumbles. (The logic being it's a moving day anyway) It's a little closer from The Mumbles to Ashburnham than it is from Tenby -making an easy 36 hole day with Pennard the next day if I switch Day 5 and 6)
It looks like Friday will be day 6 so I was trying to stay in The Mumbles to give the boys a good pub crawl (hence the backtracking from Porthcawl and Southerndown)
I switched day 5 and 6 so it wouldn't be so obvious to them
that we were backtracking to Ashburnham and then after Porthcawl, but can always switch it back
Originally we were to be in The Mumbles over the weekend but tee time logistics (believe it or not up north during the week -not weekend times-shifted everything up-which is great for golf, not so good for the pubs)
It is a full service operation
