We left the friendly confines of the Royal Porthcawl dormy and headed north along the coast. Our schedule for the day called for an early departure, golf at the Pennard GC near Swansea, followed by a 3-hour drive to our next lodging in Aberdovey.
Heavy, heavy rains. When we arrived at the course it didn’t appear there were any golfers on the course although we did see a 2-some halfway through the round. The weather was pretty miserable and in a normal situation we would have tried to wait for a clearing of the rains. With the long drive ahead and having already paid the non-refundable green fees we decided to give it a go. Thankfully, the rains eased late in our round.
Pennard was one of our ‘gotta do’ courses and is known as the ‘Links in the Sky’ for its views over ‘Three Cliffs Bay’ on the Gower Peninsula. The course was founded in 1896 with work by both James Braid and C.K.Cotton. Greens were surrounded by electric fences to keep off the critters. The rain kept them out of sight, but they were there – their droppings were huge! The ruins of Pennard castle sit along a few of the fairways. Fantastic golf! Would love to play this course on a clear day – magnificent views, even in the rain.
The scorecard noted some great local rules:
- Wires surrounding a putting green for the protection of the green from livestock are declared ‘immovable obstructions’
- Hoof marks and dung caused by horses, cattle & dogs are an ‘abnormal course condition. Note: interference to the player’s stance is not of itself interference.
- The ruined church between the 7th & 8th holes is an integral object.
After a soup lunch in the clubhouse, we took the 3-hour drive up the coast to Aberdovey, another Welsh resort town. After pints & dinner at our lodging, the Dovey Inn, we called it a day.
