My self declared mission on here is to warn people off The Vale. I was there with a society and shell shocked from round 1 I somehow endured a second 5 1/2 hours of hell the second day.
I've listed things before and even 10 years later and with the memories are getting a little hazier the pain is still felt as keenly.
- NO apparent effective drainage in one of the wettest parts of the UK - so push carts were restricted to the cart path.
- Championship length, with all the cart paths on the outside of doglegs. Hence to play one par 4 might mean meant 800 yards of walking. And that was just the stuff ON the course.
- blatant poor copies of such templates as the 10th at the Belfry, but this time "improved" by playing straight at the lake!
- features like the 85 yard WIDE green with the rockery from a 70's gardening programme behind it.
I could go on but I've said it all before, in much stronger terms.
(Thomas I understand the Welsh Rugby team train here - to me that perfectly explains their current listlessness and lack of joy
)
The sad thing is that after this experience I tended to avoid all new courses for the next 5 or so years. Therefore I wasn't to know that it is a class of it's own for ineptitude.
Just checked the Top 100 website
http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=372So it's already changed it's name and despite the lack of enthusisam from the posters it has risen to no 30 in Wales.
I wonder what the boards reviewer was comped?