During my visit to Wales I had the pleasure in staying at The Resort at Celtic Manor -- which will serve as host to the 2010 Ryder Cup -- the first ever played in Wales.
The facility has a few courses and the Wentwood Hills layout will be the layout that will host the Ryder Cup. How good is the layout? Well, the existing course (7,400 yards / course rating 77.0) is a Trent Jones design and it features all of the usual aspects one would associate with his designs. The greens are huge and there is a wide assortment of flanking bunkers -- many of which don't come into play but are simply artistic creations meant to draw the eye. The course is standard fare but really lacks the kind of imagination that far too often occurs with his designs that I have played.
The issue with Celtic Manor is that it somewhat mirrors what one saw with The Belfry. The "soul" of the course is directed more towards what Americans might find in the rolling land of Pennsylvania, Maryland or even West Virginia.
To be totally fair the facility will be making some sweeping changes to the course. The existing configuration is quite hilly at the start and at the end starting with the 13th hole right through to the end. Climbing those hills and getting gallery access and movement would likely prove to be quite vexing and as a result there will be major changes to the course.
I have been told that European Design Associates (?) will be involved with the work and there will be new holes at the start (#1 and #2). The existing 3rd -- a long downhill par-4 of 440 yards will be kept but a new tee box will be added and shifted from where it is now. The hole will also be changed from its present location to be the new 16th hole. The existing 13th -- a superb uphill par-4 that dog-legs right and then features a well-protected green will be kept but it too will be pushed further back and be played as the 15th.
Clearly, the ending holes 17th and 18th will be a major part of the conclusion of a round at Wentwood Hills and from what I was told they will be added along a hillside so that large galleries can be accomodated to watching any match that goes the distance.
The time frame for the changes will start later this year and should be concluded by 2005 so that visiting media and guests can play the course by time the '06 event is held at The K Club in Ireland.
It's unfortunate that big money is what really drives Ryder Cup selection. How nice it would have been if the event were at a more traditional course like Royal Porthcawl but that's more of a dream than a reality no matter where the Ryder Cup and many other world events are played.