I would love to say that playing in sh-- is an acquired taste, but during the Pennard Buda, those climate changers must have gotten into something that gave them the runs. It was a mess out there.
Nevertheless, Pennard is a course to be experienced. I know that the elegant Lorne Smith (sartorially and his beautiful tempo) gave me a harsh lesson in links golf. But what I remember most is Arble's endorsement of the noon "carvery" at the club- "a proper Sunday English dinner". It was a really good experience, sh-- and all.
As to R. Porthcawl, I've never been kicked out of a bar with greater finesse and regret. Unbeknownst to us, women had their own bar and my wife, a well-seasoned traveler, took it like a true Roman. Justice prevailed: a couple of ladies invited us to sit with them- theirs didn't reciprocate in kind, and we had a lovely chat. Moments later we were joined by their husbands, both R & A members, and one, according to Philip Gawith, was the Howard Cosell of UK sports broadcasting. Fantastic experience.
Southerndown was the biggest surprise of the trip. Not a links, but playing firm with wonderfully rolling terrain, nice elevation changes, and sitting up high providing beautiful panoramic views of the sea and the area. I am typically not big on livestock, but those were some of the healthiest, most attractive, well-behaved sheep I've ever been around. Most of them would have made the casting call for Daisy in Woody Allen's hilarious movie about Sex. The electric fences ringing the greens didn't even have any juice and only one bad actor trespassed during my time there.