The clifftop links at Nefyn, Llŷn Peninsula

PorthcawlRoyal St David'sNefyn

The Best Golf Courses in Wales

Wales · Guide

At a glance

Top links: Royal Porthcawl · Royal St David's · Nefyn · Aberdovey
Best value: Prestatyn · Holyhead · Bull Bay (£35–50)
Best months: May, June, September
Nearest airports: Cardiff (CWL) · Bristol (BRS) · Liverpool (LPL)
Book ahead: 4–8 weeks (most take BRS online bookings)

Why Wales

Wales is Britain's great golfing secret. For a small country it holds a remarkable run of links — treeless, wind-scoured and hard against some of the finest coastline in these islands — and it offers them at a fraction of the green fees you would pay in Scotland or Ireland. Add a Ryder Cup venue, castles and Snowdonia as a backdrop, and near-empty tee sheets even in summer, and Wales is the most underrated golf trip in Britain.

This is not a ranking — it is an honest guide to the courses worth building a trip around, grouped by region and by the kind of golf you are after. The great golf splits between the Glamorgan coast and the Gower in the south, the quiet Cardigan Bay links of the middle, and the richest concentration of all in the north-west, from Harlech up to Anglesey.

The championship links

A handful of Welsh links stand comparison with anything in Britain, and still cost a fraction of the famous names across the water.

Royal PorthcawlBridgend · book direct

The pre-eminent course in Wales, and unusual among great links in that the sea is in view from every hole. Founded in 1891, treeless and fully exposed to the Bristol Channel wind, it has hosted the Walker Cup and the Senior Open and is the name most often tipped to bring a modern Open-level championship to Wales. A genuinely world-class links.

Royal St David'sHarlech, Gwynedd · book direct

Laid out on the flat links land beneath the walls of Harlech Castle, with Snowdonia rising across the estuary — one of the great settings in golf. Famous as “the hardest par 69 in the world,” it is a subtle, wind-dependent test and, for a links of this quality, remarkable value. Book direct; it is far easier to get on than its stature suggests.

AshburnhamBurry Port, Carmarthenshire · book direct

The championship links of the west — long, classic and exposed on the Carmarthenshire coast, a regular Open Final Qualifying venue and one of the sternest tests in the country. Founded in 1894 and much less known than it deserves to be.

Pyle & KenfigKenfig, Bridgend · book direct

Porthcawl's big neighbour, split into two halves: a gentler front nine and a back nine that plunges into some of the largest sand dunes in Wales — a nature reserve of towering marram-clad hills. A HS Colt design and a superb, wilder companion round to Porthcawl.

The unforgettable clifftop courses

For sheer drama and sense of place, a few Welsh courses are unmatched anywhere in Britain.

Nefyn & DistrictLlŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd · book direct

A jaw-dropping clifftop links on the Llŷn, with the sea on three sides and a view of the water from every tee — often called the “Cypress Point of Wales.” Its celebrated loop, “The Point,” runs out along a narrow headland high above the waves, with the Tŷ Coch Inn — one of the world's great beach pubs — reachable on foot for a mid-round pint.

PennardGower, Swansea · book direct

The “Links in the Sky” — a clifftop links laid out 200 feet above Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower, past the ruins of a medieval castle and church, with some of the most spectacular views in golf. Quirky, ancient and utterly memorable, and cherished by everyone who plays it.

AberdoveyAberdyfi, Gwynedd · book direct

Bernard Darwin's beloved home links on the Dyfi estuary — “the course my soul loves best of all the courses in the world,” wrote the great golf writer, whose family shaped its early years. A classic out-and-back links of dunes and firm turf, steeped in the history of the game.

CardiganCeredigion · book direct

A wind-swept clifftop links high above the Teifi estuary, the longest course in west Wales, with panoramic sea views from almost every hole and dolphins in the bay below on the right day. The closing four holes along the cliff edge are the memorable finish — and it is one of the best-value quality links in Britain.

History, castles & hidden gems

Beyond the headline names, Wales is full of characterful, quiet, well-priced golf.

TenbyPembrokeshire · book direct

The oldest golf club in Wales (1888) and a founding member of the Welsh Golfing Union — proper old-school links golf over the dunes beside the pastel-painted harbour town, extended to eighteen by James Braid. Blind shots, marram ridges and the monastery island of Caldey on the horizon, with a walled Napoleonic town on the doorstep.

Conwy (Caernarvonshire)Conwy · book direct

A fine championship links framed by Snowdonia and Conwy's medieval castle, and host of the 2021 Curtis Cup. One of the oldest clubs in Wales and a regular Open Final Qualifying venue — a serious, gorse-lined test at the gateway to the north coast.

SoutherndownOgmore-by-Sea, Bridgend · book direct

A rare downland links high on the cliffs above Ogmore, where sheep still graze the springy, fast-running turf. Big views over the Bristol Channel, no two rounds ever quite the same, and a wonderful, old-fashioned character — a perfect companion to Porthcawl and Pyle & Kenfig.

North Wales & Borthbook direct

North Wales at Llandudno is an underrated links beneath the Great Orme, and Borth & Ynyslas, dating to 1885, is among the oldest links in the country — two more honest, keenly-priced rounds for anyone touring the coast.

Anglesey & the far north-west

Cross onto Anglesey and the golf gets wilder, quieter and cheaper — pure coastal links at the edge of the country.

Bull Bay & HolyheadIsle of Anglesey · book direct

Bull Bay, the most northerly course in Wales, is a heather-and-rock coastal links with wide sea views, and Holyhead a rugged James Braid layout tumbling through rocky, gorse-clad ground near Trearddur Bay — two of the best-value rounds anywhere in Britain.

Parkland & the Ryder Cup

Wales is not only links. The Usk valley holds a piece of golf history, and the parkland resorts suit a mixed group or a softer day.

Celtic Manor — The Twenty TenNewport · book direct

The only course in history built specifically to host the Ryder Cup — the purpose-made match-play arena where Europe reclaimed the Cup in that soaking, unforgettable 2010 contest, decided by Graeme McDowell's nerve on the Monday. Walking the ground where it was won is a bucket-list day for anyone who watched it.

The Vale Resort & Machynysbook direct

The Vale Resort's National course near Cardiff, a former Wales Open host, is the longest and most muscular parkland in the country, while Machynys, a Jack Nicklaus design on the Llanelli coast, gives a links-flavoured resort round with the sea alongside.

For a specific type of trip

First time in Wales: Royal Porthcawl, Pennard and Royal St David's, working south to north. See the Wales itinerary for a full routing.

South Wales & the Gower: Royal Porthcawl, Pyle & Kenfig, Southerndown, Pennard and Ashburnham from a single base near Swansea. See the South Wales guide.

The north-west run: Royal St David's, Nefyn, Aberdovey, Conwy and the Anglesey pair — the richest golf in the country. See the North Wales guide.

Quiet & great value: Cardigan, Borth & Ynyslas, Bull Bay, Holyhead and Tenby — near-empty links at friendly fees. See the Mid Wales guide.

Ryder Cup & parkland: Celtic Manor's Twenty Ten, the Vale Resort and Machynys — perfect for a mixed-ability group. Ready to string them together? Build your route in the trip planner.

Royal Porthcawl, Bridgend — Royal Porthcawl · Co. Bridgend

Common questions

What is the best golf course in Wales?

Royal Porthcawl is the consensus number one — a championship links where you can see the sea from every hole. Royal St David’s at Harlech, beneath its medieval castle, and the clifftop Nefyn on the Llŷn Peninsula are its closest challengers.

Which Welsh courses offer the best value?

Bull Bay, Holyhead and Prestatyn on Anglesey and the north coast are genuine links tests for £35–50. Pennard — the ‘links in the sky’ above Three Cliffs Bay on Gower — is world-class scenery for a mid-range fee.

Are Wales’ top courses links or parkland?

The headline courses are nearly all traditional links — Porthcawl, Royal St David’s, Nefyn, Aberdovey, Pennard. For a change of pace, Celtic Manor (host of the 2010 Ryder Cup) is the country’s premier parkland resort.

Can visitors play the Ryder Cup course at Celtic Manor?

Yes. The Twenty Ten Course, purpose-built for the 2010 Ryder Cup, is open to resort guests and visitors with tee times bookable online. It’s a very different experience to the coastal links — long, lush and dramatic through the Usk valley.