If there was a top 10 list of "Should Be Among The World's Most Photographed Courses" (which we guess we just created), there is no doubt which venue would be #1. It would be the classic James Braid links at Pennard Golf Club on the southern coast of Wales. Pennard ("PENN-AHRD" as pronounced by the locals) has long enjoyed a reputation as one of golf’s most hidden treasures. One of our favorite modern architects, Tom Doak, let the proverbial cat out of the bag when he described it in his controversial book “The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses” as one of his all-time favorites, saying that the site was one of the most spectacular he had ever seen. Indeed, the course overlooks the great sandy beaches of the Oxwich and Three Cliff Bays, and meanders alongside the ruins of a 12th century Norman Castle which doubles as the club logo. It is undoubtedly the "highest" pure links in the world, there is no "clifftop" parkland-type turf here even though it is so high above the sea. The rolling terrain is one-of-a-kind as well. When playing across the valley between tee and green on 10, 11, and 12 one might think they are playing in the great Sand Hills of Nebraska. 17 is a true "S" shaped par 5, literally serpentine with play left, right, and left. Only the bold and the brash would dare take the straight line and try for the green in two. A stop in the nearby village of Mumbles, exactly the kind of town you hope to find in Wales, only enhances the experience. A visit to Wales without a stop at Pennard is simply unthinkable!