Royal St. David's Golf Club

The most famous course in the north of Wales, and home to the most familiar sight in Welsh golf, is Royal St. David’s Golf Club in Harlech, along with Royal Porthcawl one of the two greatest championship links in the country. The familiar and forboding presence of Harlech Castle watches over you as you traverse the links, with the blue waters of Tremedog Bay on one side, the great Welsh mountains of the Snowdonia National Park on the other. A unique par-69, this is one of the toughest pars to match in all of Britain. The course starts out gently enough, with the front nine straightforward without much undulation, meandering through some beautiful Snowdonia countryside. Though not easy by any stretch, one had better have their scorecard in good shape before hitting the immensely challenging back nine, where the rough seems more rough and the dunes and rolling terrain really show their teeth. The highlight is the 15th, universally recognized as one of the greatest holes in the British Isles and undoubtedly one of the most difficult par 4s you could ever play. Should your play be not quite up to par, you will be interested to know that the rough is also home a variety of rare wild orchids of particular scientific interest!