Just back from two days of competitive golf at Pennard (and seemingly 2 weeks of driving up and down to get there.....). First time at the course, and it is something to behold. The weather was spectacular on the first day, but even with a good field (for seniors)--median index 5, 3 scratch players, a selection event for Welsh senior internationals)--only 11 of the field of 75 played to or better than their handicaps. Over the two days, only 3 players broke 150, and several of us struggled to break 180. This was playing from the medal tees (~6300), but with holes cut by the greenkeeper mostly on the periphery of the greens on both days. The greens were very good (if a bit slow) but the fairways were effectively non-existent. As those who have played the course will know, many of the fairways make the width of the tee shot at the 4th at Rye look like the 1st at St. Andrews, mostly due to right to left routing combined with left to right reverse cambering--just imagine the 4th and 5th at Olympic Lake on steroids. As for the fairways, don't expect them to reappear soon. They remind me of the 2nd hole at Painswick during BUDA II in 2004 (where we were required to move our ball from the wet dirt to any tuft of any vegetation we could find), and the problem is the same. Not weather (as some above have guessed) but rather due to an infestation of leatherjackets (a grub) that was not properly diagnosed and/or treated--or so I was told by people who should have been in the know. We played the fairways as they lied, and only those with finely honed, solid and confident swings (i.e. excluding me) were able to cope. Bummer
As for the routing, given the natural landscape, which resembles Iwo Jima rather than a links, a good job has been done, particularly for the day. The course sits on at least 400 acres of land, but more than 50% of that land is not suitable for golf--unless you can include funicular railways from green to tee (and vice versa) for many of the possibly great holes that still lie out there unused, or bring in lots of heavy machinery.
Some comments on the holes themselves:
1--a very storng opener. Long which means if you don't hit the fairway, fuggedaboot going for the green. iIn all cases, blind shot in, which is complicated by the fact that there is dip in front of the green that can play havoc with what one thinks is a good shot (cf. 18 Dornoch). OK green with subtlety.
2--per posts above it seems that 2 was not in play in April. They opened it for us on our practice day and the competition, but was whatever work done there worth it? Short iron to a small flat green surrounded by dunes. There is good land behind the green and the next tee that would be a better idea (viz. Ben Stephens' fine re-routing of the elsewhere on this site).
3--blind dogleg left that rewards nothing for trying the carry. Bunt your drive to the right (lots of room there), hit a short iron to the green, try to sink the putt. OK flattish green (except for the far right and long pin position, where I 3-putted from 2 feet....)
4--Goofy hole #1. Drive towards some guy's holiday home, straight at the OB stakes which are perpendicular to the fairway. If you hit a really good drive, you can attempt the 200+ yard blind carry over the OB stakes to the left, and since the green and its approaches slope vertiginously dowwards, you might even hit the green in two. More reasonably, hit a mid iron to 100 yards or so and then pitch, chip or putt and hope that you ball gets close to the pin). It's a par 5. I took 9 in the 1st round and 4 in the 2nd, without any significant difference in my shot quality. Goofy!
5--OK classic downhill short/medium iron to a multi-tiered green sitting in the dunes. It's a 2-4 unless you do something really stupid with your tee shot.
6--a really good and hard hole. You must flirt with the left rough to get far enough to reasonably reach the green, but if you can't carry your driver 210+ uphill, don't even try. Lay up short and then enjoy some really cool chipping/pitching options to an interesting green.
7--Good hole. Try to hold your drive into the sharp L-R slope, and then guess where is the pin for your short 2nd shot. The green is tiered perpendicularly to the line of play. End up on the wrong shelf and you will struggle for par.
8--Strong hole. Dog leg left (yet again!), with 2nd shot across a big dip to an elevated green with a serious false front. Green is a good one, sloping L-R and back to front. A 4 here is good.
9--Reachable par 4 only if you hit a good drive and have a club in our bag which carries 210+ dead straight. Take your 5 and be happy.
10-Goofy hole #2. Drive your ball to what seems to be the fairway (rightish) and then just hit a rescue club (or whatever) off a downhill lie to wedge distance to a sharply uphill green. Try to guess where the pin is on the flattish green. Or....hit a weak cut drive over the wee gorse bush down the left side of the fairway and then act surprised when you find yourself at the bottom of the saddle of the landform with a 200-yard shot to the green. I saw it done twice (not by me) and in each case the perpetrator hit a provisional off the tee, assuming that the drive was lost....
11--goodish long 3 over gunge, but other than "hit it straightish, stupid!" can't think of any more advice. You do get some interesting shots if you don't follow the instructions above, so those of you who are of the anti-card-and-pencil brigade, flail away and have fun!
12--another short dogleg par-4 uphill with strong L-R bias. Not driveable, so hit it straight, guess the 2nd shot properly (blind front left bowl), and if you cut/slice/***** your second, say hello to the 13th tee and a solid wedge for your 3rd shot.
13--If you can carry a straight and high fade 207 yards uphill, this is the hole for you! Fun on the tee, hard work thereafter.
14--R-L dogleg for once. A very good hole, with yet another deceiving carry over a dip to a severely false-fronted green. Take 1-2 more clubs than you think you need.
15--another par-3 into the dunes. Long narrow green with several tiers. You get what you see on this hole, but if you don't hit the green you won't like what you see. Oops!--forgot that this board is populated by masochists....
16--OK hiole with spectacular views. Need to drive left if you even want to think of reaching he green in two. Otherwise, lay up and then pitch to the green. Sharp R-L and bck to front green contours. In the summer, putting from back right to a front left pin could resiult in a lost ball.
17--Goofy#3. Position A of the tee is long left, which will leave you with a 200+ blind shot over gunge to an elevatred green. Neither me nor my playing partners ever got close to Position A. Well one had the line right, but the length beyond his capability and he took an 8. Me and my other partner bailed out right both times and then hit 6 iron/6 iron the to green, with results ranging from 5 to 9. There is a good hole there somewhere near, but not there.
18--very difficult to reach par 4, even with a good drive. 5 is easy, but 4 requires a pitch and a putt, unless you are seriouswly long and accurate.
Overall, I give Pennard 1*, which is a good score for me. Maybe if they can recover the fairways and tweak the routing a bit they will approach the only other Welsh course I have played (Southerndown 2**). I hope so, for the land and the club deserve it.