Southerndown photo tour - final three holes posted

[John Mayhugh]

During last year’s Buda, I was able to see a really nice variety of courses.  Thanks to Tony Muldoon’s organizational efforts, the last one that we played in Wales was Southerndown.  Southerndown has a really interesting architectural heritage.  Designed by Willie Fernie in 1905, the course was modified over the years by the likes of Willie Park, Herbert Fowler, and Harry Colt, and most recently Donald Steel.  While I don’t know the specific work done by each of these, the current course is a treat.

Southerndown doesn’t really fit the hidden gem category as it’s known as one of the top courses in Wales, yet it’s not been discussed very much here.  

The course is on an interesting piece of land. It’s called a “downland” course and is built on a layer of soil atop a large limestone hill.   It plays much like a links, and also has all sorts of heather, bracken, & gorse.  The course’s website has a description of the unique land.
http://www.southerndowngolfclub.com/course_history.php


The scenery in Wales continued to impress.



 
A member of the grounds staff hanging out by the practice putting green.




Hole 1  360 yards, par 4  
Southerndown opens in a demanding way.  The course was 6900 yards when it opened in 1905, and this hole made it feel like it still was.  Instead, from the yellow tees, it’s about 6100.  The first hole feels like it’s straight uphill and photos don’t do the climb justice.  The expanse of gorse & bracken makes the first drive all the more intimidating.


You won’t be getting a level lie in this fairway.  I didn’t hit it far enough to even get a glimpse of the green.


With the climb of the hole, the green doesn’t require much protection.  There is a solitary bunker on the front left, and you can see how a slightly short approach will roll back down.


From behind, looking back towards the tee and clubhouse.



Hole 2     408 yards, par 4
No rest on the second hole’s tee shot.  The fairway slopes from left to right, and the better play is to the left side of the fairway.



The green is on the left side of the photo, but I was a little more interested in the view.  Too interested, I’m afraid, to take good photos of the bunkers that are scattered in the fairway.  The ones in the second photo are actually well short of the green.  The green also slopes from left to right, and missing the green right is where most of the trouble is.






Hole 3     400 yards, par 4
An uphill, blind tee shot.  Fortunately there are aiming poles on these holes.  Plenty of room off the tee.



If you like skyline greens, you’ll love Southerndown.



Note the steep slope in front of the green, making playing extra club essential.  The bracken on the left side is a farther from the green’s surface that the photo makes it seem.  

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Good stuff John. Although not links, it looks to have a links feel to it.

Regarding that much photographed linksland in the distance across the estuary; was there ever a course there?

[Ed Oden]

John, thanks for the photos and commentary.  I look forward to the rest of the tour since the course fits my eye based on what you have posted so far.

Interesting that Southerndown starts off with a substantially uphill hole.  According to Google Earth, the rise from tee to green is about 90 feet.  I never thought of it before, but you don't see that very often.  I assume that's attributable to a philosophy of opening on the gentle side.

I also noticed on Google Earth that there are several spots where two greens are very close together.  Looks like they could have been double greens at one time.  What do you think?

[Noel Freeman]

Paul Turner and I did a review of Southerndown in Neil Crafter's Golf Architecture Volume 8.. Paul of course is the Harry Colt scholar and when you go thru the history and see who's holes are whose it make for interesting reading.. Im not sure how much Neil lurks here anymore but if he has a pdf that would be interesting.. Man, that was a great magazine!

[Tommy Williamsen]

I spent a very enjoyable afternoon at Southerndown. It was a wonderful course but a brute to walk. I had played Porthcawl in the morning and by the time i finished Southerndown my legs were very unhappy with me.

[Gareth Williams]

A friend of mine has just joined there...I sense another trip to Wales to be planned!

[Jason Topp]

That 2nd hole was one of my favorites.  I cannot remember much about the specific nature of the hole but I vividly remember feeling like I was at a special location.

[John Mayhugh]

Donal,
I don't think there was ever a course there.

Ed,
On the course, nowhere appeared to have had double greens.

Noel,
Find that pdf!


Hole 4     384 yards, par 4
A level hole at last, but maybe the most intimidating tee shot so far.  Gorse runs all the way up the left side, but on the right actually ends around 150 yards from the tee – you just cannot easily tell that.  The right side is a much safer play, but there is a bunker on that side about 190 yards from the tee to avoid.



A couple of bunkers greenside to keep the approach interesting.  Due to the slope of the green, the left side is an easier approach angle.





Hole 5     141 yards, par 3
Several holes at Southerndown have the same type of bumpy mounds shown here.  You can see the two bunkers short left and right, but the back side of the green is also lined by bunkers. 



There is a pretty good climb up to the green’s surface.  A little short with the tee shot will soon become a lot short.



Hole 6     455 yards, par 5
The first three holes all play really long, while the next three are short.  Loads of room off the tee here.


These fairway bunkers are angled across the fairway.  It’s about 250 yards to carry the last one from the tee.


As you can see from this photo, approaching from the left side is more appealing.

[Mark Pearce]

John,

I think there is a double green.  Doesn't the short par 3 towards the end of the front 9 (edit: actually the 10th) have a green which runs into one of the back 9 par 4s (edit: 16, I think)?

[Robert Thompson]

The fifth hole at Southerdown was exceptional -- a par 3 many could learn from. The steep slope gives way to a table-top green, and that little bunker short and right is downright nefarious. I thought it was a delightful course -- one that was great fun to play.

[Ian Andrew]

Southerndown is a gem. The second hole is one of the best par fours I saw while travelling Wales. I’m with Robert on the 5th hole being as good a par three as I’ve encountered in a long time. I just loved the place all the way through. I found the ground was in play all day, each of the holes was interesting and it had its share of super-cool quirky holes to revel in. The par threes are all outstanding and the final green is quite over-the-top in a good way.

I found I had quite a few ideas to take from the course including the two tiered fairway on the 18th which provided me with an answer for an unusual situation that I know I will face at some point.

I played all sorts of shots that day, high cut shots, fed the ball in from 40 yards short, played knock downs into the wind and even hit well right of a green to let the natural tight slope feed it all the way back into 15 feet. Each hole offered options depending on wind, confidence and the distance remaining. I found I occasionally tried an unusual shot because it just seemed to make the most sense. The best part about the course was the absence of rough everywhere. I chipped and putted from well off the green and just about anywhere where I had options because everything was kept so very tight.

The playing experience was fantastic and the architecture was well worth seeing. This is a course that I would return to play. I don’t think there have been many rounds where I was so disappointed to finish.

[Lou_Duran]

John M,

Thanks for the thread.  Southerndown was my second favorite course of the seven I played in England and Wales during the Buda week.  I had an incredible day of wind, sun, clouds, and a touch of rain.  The vistas were fantastic, emoting a feeling of well-being similar to the one I last experienced a couple years earlier on a perfect afternoon at Chambers Bay.

At 6400 yards from the back tees, the course is not particularly long or difficult, but for the wind, the steep slopes, uneven lies, some blindness, gorse, difficult greens, etc.  Lots of drama: 4-7-3-6-4-4-3-5-5, and that was my good 9.  The second included several pars, a gorse-induced quadruple on 12, and 21 putts.  The only hole I didn't care for visually was #18 with the tiered split fairway (I got stuck at the base of the upper tier in the rough- DB from there).  As I recall, the club's CEO thinks it was a Colt feature, though he attributes much of what makes Southerndown special to Parks.

Just like at Royal Porthcawl, my favorite course of the Buda week, the staff and folks at Southerndown were uncommonly welcoming.  And of all the livestock we witnessed during the trip, by far the most attractive and well-behaved was at Southerndown.  Only once did I observe a sheep taking a short cut through the green.  

    

[Jeff_Mingay]

I haven't visited Southerndown yet, but these photos make the course seem to be everything Ian's just described it to be.

The first thing that jumped out at me in these photos is the abundance of short grass. This is extremely attractive, and seemingly very effective with regard to pure enjoyment. I'm still waiting for that project where it's going to be possible to mow the entire course, aside from the greens, the same length. A la Augusta National, prior to the introduction of the "second cut", or whatever they call it.

Beautiful.

[Jim Eder]

I haven't had the pleasure of playing this course yet but after this I must. Wales is such a special place. I can't wait to see the next 12 holes............ Wonderful, thanks.

[John Mayhugh]

Mark,
I don't remember a double green anywhere, and my photos don't suggest one. 

Time to resume the tour.

Hole 7    193 yards, par 3
Nestled in a little low area, the green looks really small from the tee.  Another wonderfully sited green.


It should be possible to play a run-up approach, but that route is pinched in by bunkers fronting each side of the green.  The green slopes from back to front.



Hole 8     403 yards, par 4
I failed to get a photo of the tee shot, but uphill again.  There is gorse up much of the left side, and right is a safer play. 



Hole 9     341 yards, par 4
No easy decision off the tee on this short par 4.  Bunkers and gorse make any tee shot over about 200 yards an adventure.



This large bunker is about 35 yards short of the green.  Gorse in the back eliminates some of the skyline effect here.  This green is pretty steep from back to front.

[Tom_Doak]

John:

I remember thinking that the 7th hole was an exceptional long par-3, so your listing of 193 yards surprised me.  Just double-checked my scorecard file and sure enough, when I played there in December 1982, the hole was a very stout 231 yards!  I wonder what happened to the back tee?

Thanks for the pics, I have not been back there in 28+ years and wish I could find the time.

[Noel Freeman]

Donal,
I don't think there was ever a course there.

Ed,
On the course, nowhere appeared to have had double greens.

Noel,
Find that pdf!

John--I dont have the PDF but found this...

[Noel Freeman]

Southerndown Golf Club GA Review
By Noel Freeman and Paul Turner

High above the estuary where the Ogmore River flows into the Welsh countryside is one of the distinctive courses of the British Isles.  The journey to Southerndown Golf Club begins with a winding Roman road past Ogmore Castle to a landscape perched 300 feet above—sea views of Bristol Channel, the Gower Peninsula and Porthcawl all beckon.  On this promontory lies a course containing a distinguished pedigree in its design and furthermore a distinct topography.

The original course at Southerndown was laid out by Scotsman Willie Fernie of Troon fame who constructed a design out of this wild and windswept terrain deemed “downland”.  Fernie solicited the input of two all time golfing greats- Harry Vardon and James Braid in his plan and all agreed that the course would become one of the finest in the British Isles.  At its birth, Southerndown stretched to 6900 yards!  The yardage is mammoth in size and scope for the period.  Still, the course underwent a period of tinkering by a plethora of architects.  Herbert Fowler added his touch in 1908 followed by Willie Park in 1913 and H.S. Colt in 1918.  More recently, Donald Steel added his refinements in modernizing the course to its present format.  Curiously, despite the hand of many chefs the course feels uniform and with a natural flow—most likely a result of Colt’s influence.  Most of the course changes have been in the bunkering and the numerical routing as the only three holes that have never had their positions altered are the first, second and third.  The course we currently play is the same as it was in 1924—the main difference being the addition of a back tee on the 13th hole.

Southerndown’s uniqueness in the world of golf lies in its turf.  The course is built on “downland”.  Downland is uplifted, heaving land (often chalk based) with steep escarpments and a rolling nature to the whole landscape.  The land lends itself to a striking and dramatic form with extensive views across the valleys below and to a feeling of openness, isolation and harmony.  It truly is where earth kisses the sky—a divine setting for golf.   Being rock based, downland often makes for poor turf—but this turf is different.  Southerndown, like many links, lies on a substratum of rich sand and has qualities in common with seaside links.  Countless breezes over the centuries have blown beach sand aloft to imbue Southerndown’s turf with crisp, springy borrow and roll.  With the addition of bracken, gorse and sheep, we have all the elements for a links in the sky.  To take one round such a course hole by hole would be a dull lesson for there are several holes that show her class and highlight the excursion.

Does the hole lead uphill the whole way?
Yes, to the very end.

As a stranger on the first tee at Southerndown, one may sigh at what awaits.  The opener (a Fernie hole) is only 367 yards long with a huge fairway flanked by bracken but it is straight uphill.  From tee to green, the rise is approximately 70 feet!  Henry Cotton described the experience as:

“Bracken to the left of you,
Bracken to the right-
And a fairway rising up to the sky.”

It is obvious the uphill nature makes the hole tricky to judge but the green adds to the difficulty.  Like all of Southerndown’s greens, this one is entirely natural in character containing slopes and undulations that make putting challenging but not over the top.  A drop-off right of the green will leave a surgical pitch to save par.  Quite a start to any round.  

After finishing the elevator nature of the 1st, we are free to play on the higher ground of the course tacking like a sailor across the terrain.   The 2nd (Fernie) affords us a magnificent view of the sea and Porthcawl in the distance.  It is a view to imbibe because a challenge awaits us.  The hole is a stout 439 yards and requires a well-placed drive left of a marker post on a distant ridge.  A slice will find oblivion in the gorse and bracken flanking right.  After climbing the ridge, the hole unveils a links-like manner.  The fairway is rippled mirroring an ocean tide.  Lies are tight and hanging.  Our approach is a ticklish one.  A trio of cross-bunkers devilishly cut into an upland spine 80 yards from the hole obscures a full view of the green and the flag’s bottom.  The green falls away and is slippery.  This has to be one of the great greensites in all of golf.

At the 5th hole, we find a wonderful quirky short hole.  While only 166 yards long the golfer faces a dropping shot across a gully to a plateau green—most likely created by Herbert Fowler or a former club secretary.   In fact, the hole was named Carter’s Folly after the club secretary but the design is anything but absurd.  The difficulty of the shot lies in the quirky aesthetics of the green complex and the disorientation of distance from the surrounding terrain.   Standing on the tee our eye is firmly affixed on pimply protuberances that front the escarpment at the green’s base—they almost appear like blemishes on a face.   Their primary feature is to camouflage two bunkers short of the green—a fate many a ball find.

On the back nine, we encounter H.S. Colt at the 12th hole.  Here we find a testing drive framed by a fairway ringed with golden gorse leading up to a skyline green on the horizon. The 14th (Colt) is an orchid of a hole.  It is a lovely hole to look out, ingenious in its strategy and a demanding test of a short iron (148 yards) to an uphill plateau green.  The strategy replicates Moortown’s famed Gibraltar Hole.  There is room on the left with which to run up a shot—an aerial approach will have to contend with the prevailing southwesterly (downwind) and two yawning front bunkers.  A tier on the green will hold up a run up or well hit shot while a poor shot will be pushed off into collection bunkers.

The short par 4 15th (Colt) at 365 yards reminds the golfer of the 16th at St. George’s Hill or the 18th at Muirfield.   A series of cross bunkers ominously set on a diagonal 25-50 yards before the green plays havoc with the drive—especially when downwind.  The landing area after these bunkers cants towards the hole so we must flirt with this “string of pearls” when sizing up an approach.  We must also contend with the five greenside hungry pot bunkers looking for the wayward shot.

Our journey home commences at the 17th (Colt) where the hole’s genius lies in a right to left canted fairway and an approach that carries a series of hummocks and broken ground to yet another plateau green.  Because of the fairway’s right to left hanging lie, our second shot will invariably be drawn to the green’s primary defense—two bunkers on the left.  Running a shot into the green will also be kicked towards the hazards; thereby the test requires another superior shot—perfectly called for at this time in match play.


Finally, it is time to come home and down from the heights.  As a finale, the 423 yard 18th (Colt) does not disappoint, in fact it intimidates.  From the tee, we see a bi-level fairway separated by a ridge’s spine.  On both sides of the fairway battalions of gorse await looking to capture our tee shot which is straight into the prevailing wind.  Our strategy is to pick the correct fairway based upon the pin’s location.  For right pin positions, we must hit down the left fairway and vice versa.  It is a demanding shot in which to finish our journey on the downs.

It is bittersweet that Southerndown is not more renowned in the world of golf.  Sad because a course of such a flavour should be tasted and enjoyed—then again it is sweet that a hidden gem like this can be discovered and savored.  A venture to Wales must include a visit to these downs and the adventure that awaits.


The authors would like to thank Jeroen Pit and Russell Talley for their photographs.

[Ed Oden]

John,

I think there is a double green.  Doesn't the short par 3 towards the end of the front 9 (edit: actually the 10th) have a green which runs into one of the back 9 par 4s (edit: 16, I think)?

Mark, I think you are describing this spot, which is the primary location I saw that looked like it could have housed a double green at some point in time...



Also, don't these look like abandoned holes on the SE corner of the property?

[Mark Pearce]

Ed,

I think you're right as to where I was thinking of.  It does look as if there is a collar of rough on that aerial between the two greens, though.  My recollection of the 10th is somehat spoiled by the fact that I was destroying a very good card on that hole!

I also saw those apparent abandoned holes, does anyone know anything about that land?

[Ben Stephens]

Ed,

I think you're right as to where I was thinking of.  It does look as if there is a collar of rough on that aerial between the two greens, though.  My recollection of the 10th is somehat spoiled by the fact that I was destroying a very good card on that hole!

I also saw those apparent abandoned holes, does anyone know anything about that land?

Mark,

Re: Abandoned holes

Using Google Earth these hole outlines did not exist in 2003 map - it does on the  2005 map. Also having a quick look at the history of the course on the club's website to me there is no evidence of old holes being on this land. Maybe this is part of Donald Steel's work on improving the course (6 new holes??)

Link to club website on course alterations and diagrams - http://www.southerndowngolfclub.com/club_history_section_course.php

Damn I need to go there and play it!

Cheers
Ben

[Andy Stamm]

Those pictures look great.

Has anyone seen the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf from Southerness?

I haven't, unfortunately. I know they made a big deal of the sheep on the course. I bet it's a great look at the course in the mid '60s though.

[John Mayhugh]

Tom,
There is a back tee at 7, but it measures 220 yards now.  We played from one set up, and I've just been posting yardages from those tees.

Noel,
Thanks for the article.

On with the tour.

Hole 10     160 yards, par 3
Like so many of the greens at Southerndown, this one is well-defended in the front. 


This is one of the wilder greens, though my photo was not taken close enough to show it. The flag behind is from the 16th.



Hole 11     405 yards, par 4
Nice view of the clubhouse and surrounding area from this tee.


There seems to be more gorse up the left side of holes than the right.  Once again, there is a bunker on the right side to catch an indifferent safe tee shot.  The better angle is from the left.


Though you cannot tell it from the photo, another green that is fronted by bunkers.



Hole 12     378 yards, par 4
This dog-leg has gorse up the whole left side.  There is a bunker on the inside of the dog-leg at about 230 yards from the tee, and another on the right about 200 yards.  If you haven’t noticed by now, one weakness of the course is a tendency to have too many bunkers on the right side of the fairway that punish the player that only hits it about 200 yards.


An uphill approach.  This one has a steep runoff behind the green.

[John Mayhugh]

Hole 13     464 yards, par 5
The line of bunkers up ahead limits options off the tee.  The longer you hit, the more to the right you should play to avoid them.  The gorse is pretty far off the fairway on each side.


This is the last of the bunkers visible from the tee.


The rough is not bad to approach from.



Hole 14     130 yards, par 3
Nice place for a short break.


This short hole has a well-protected green, with either bunkers or runoffs all around.



Hole 15     343 yards, par 4
Gorse up the right for a change of pace.  There are a series of cross bunkers about 50 yards from the green.



The shaping of the bunkers makes the approach look more intimidating.

[Niall C]

Southerndown Golf Club GA Review
By Noel Freeman and Paul Turner

High above the estuary where the Ogmore River flows into the Welsh countryside is one of the distinctive courses of the British Isles.  The journey to Southerndown Golf Club begins with a winding Roman road past Ogmore Castle to a landscape perched 300 feet above—sea views of Bristol Channel, the Gower Peninsula and Porthcawl all beckon.  On this promontory lies a course containing a distinguished pedigree in its design and furthermore a distinct topography.

The original course at Southerndown was laid out by Scotsman Willie Fernie of Troon fame who constructed a design out of this wild and windswept terrain deemed “downland”.  Fernie solicited the input of two all time golfing greats- Harry Vardon and James Braid in his plan and all agreed that the course would become one of the finest in the British Isles.  At its birth, Southerndown stretched to 6900 yards!  The yardage is mammoth in size and scope for the period.  Still, the course underwent a period of tinkering by a plethora of architects.  Herbert Fowler added his touch in 1908 followed by Willie Park in 1913 and H.S. Colt in 1918.  More recently, Donald Steel added his refinements in modernizing the course to its present format.  Curiously, despite the hand of many chefs the course feels uniform and with a natural flow—most likely a result of Colt’s influence.  Most of the course changes have been in the bunkering and the numerical routing as the only three holes that have never had their positions altered are the first, second and third.  The course we currently play is the same as it was in 1924—the main difference being the addition of a back tee on the 13th hole.

Southerndown’s uniqueness in the world of golf lies in its turf.  The course is built on “downland”.  Downland is uplifted, heaving land (often chalk based) with steep escarpments and a rolling nature to the whole landscape.  The land lends itself to a striking and dramatic form with extensive views across the valleys below and to a feeling of openness, isolation and harmony.  It truly is where earth kisses the sky—a divine setting for golf.   Being rock based, downland often makes for poor turf—but this turf is different.  Southerndown, like many links, lies on a substratum of rich sand and has qualities in common with seaside links.  Countless breezes over the centuries have blown beach sand aloft to imbue Southerndown’s turf with crisp, springy borrow and roll.  With the addition of bracken, gorse and sheep, we have all the elements for a links in the sky.  To take one round such a course hole by hole would be a dull lesson for there are several holes that show her class and highlight the excursion.

Does the hole lead uphill the whole way?
Yes, to the very end.

As a stranger on the first tee at Southerndown, one may sigh at what awaits.  The opener (a Fernie hole) is only 367 yards long with a huge fairway flanked by bracken but it is straight uphill.  From tee to green, the rise is approximately 70 feet!  Henry Cotton described the experience as:

“Bracken to the left of you,
Bracken to the right-
And a fairway rising up to the sky.”

It is obvious the uphill nature makes the hole tricky to judge but the green adds to the difficulty.  Like all of Southerndown’s greens, this one is entirely natural in character containing slopes and undulations that make putting challenging but not over the top.  A drop-off right of the green will leave a surgical pitch to save par.  Quite a start to any round.  

After finishing the elevator nature of the 1st, we are free to play on the higher ground of the course tacking like a sailor across the terrain.   The 2nd (Fernie) affords us a magnificent view of the sea and Porthcawl in the distance.  It is a view to imbibe because a challenge awaits us.  The hole is a stout 439 yards and requires a well-placed drive left of a marker post on a distant ridge.  A slice will find oblivion in the gorse and bracken flanking right.  After climbing the ridge, the hole unveils a links-like manner.  The fairway is rippled mirroring an ocean tide.  Lies are tight and hanging.  Our approach is a ticklish one.  A trio of cross-bunkers devilishly cut into an upland spine 80 yards from the hole obscures a full view of the green and the flag’s bottom.  The green falls away and is slippery.  This has to be one of the great greensites in all of golf.

At the 5th hole, we find a wonderful quirky short hole.  While only 166 yards long the golfer faces a dropping shot across a gully to a plateau green—most likely created by Herbert Fowler or a former club secretary.   In fact, the hole was named Carter’s Folly after the club secretary but the design is anything but absurd.  The difficulty of the shot lies in the quirky aesthetics of the green complex and the disorientation of distance from the surrounding terrain.   Standing on the tee our eye is firmly affixed on pimply protuberances that front the escarpment at the green’s base—they almost appear like blemishes on a face.   Their primary feature is to camouflage two bunkers short of the green—a fate many a ball find.

On the back nine, we encounter H.S. Colt at the 12th hole.  Here we find a testing drive framed by a fairway ringed with golden gorse leading up to a skyline green on the horizon. The 14th (Colt) is an orchid of a hole.  It is a lovely hole to look out, ingenious in its strategy and a demanding test of a short iron (148 yards) to an uphill plateau green.  The strategy replicates Moortown’s famed Gibraltar Hole.  There is room on the left with which to run up a shot—an aerial approach will have to contend with the prevailing southwesterly (downwind) and two yawning front bunkers.  A tier on the green will hold up a run up or well hit shot while a poor shot will be pushed off into collection bunkers.

The short par 4 15th (Colt) at 365 yards reminds the golfer of the 16th at St. George’s Hill or the 18th at Muirfield.   A series of cross bunkers ominously set on a diagonal 25-50 yards before the green plays havoc with the drive—especially when downwind.  The landing area after these bunkers cants towards the hole so we must flirt with this “string of pearls” when sizing up an approach.  We must also contend with the five greenside hungry pot bunkers looking for the wayward shot.

Our journey home commences at the 17th (Colt) where the hole’s genius lies in a right to left canted fairway and an approach that carries a series of hummocks and broken ground to yet another plateau green.  Because of the fairway’s right to left hanging lie, our second shot will invariably be drawn to the green’s primary defense—two bunkers on the left.  Running a shot into the green will also be kicked towards the hazards; thereby the test requires another superior shot—perfectly called for at this time in match play.


Finally, it is time to come home and down from the heights.  As a finale, the 423 yard 18th (Colt) does not disappoint, in fact it intimidates.  From the tee, we see a bi-level fairway separated by a ridge’s spine.  On both sides of the fairway battalions of gorse await looking to capture our tee shot which is straight into the prevailing wind.  Our strategy is to pick the correct fairway based upon the pin’s location.  For right pin positions, we must hit down the left fairway and vice versa.  It is a demanding shot in which to finish our journey on the downs.

It is bittersweet that Southerndown is not more renowned in the world of golf.  Sad because a course of such a flavour should be tasted and enjoyed—then again it is sweet that a hidden gem like this can be discovered and savored.  A venture to Wales must include a visit to these downs and the adventure that awaits.


The authors would like to thank Jeroen Pit and Russell Talley for their photographs.

Noel,

Fantastic stuff from you and Paul. One slight correction and that is the Willie Fernie that laid out the original course wasn't THE Willie Fernie of Troon fame. Almost certainly he was a relative and probably a son, but the Willie Fernie who laid out this course was pro at Glamorganshire at the time.

Niall