Arguably the oldest club in Wales, Tenby is unarguably an excellent place for golf - Rob Smith explains…
Tenby Golf Club Course Review
Tenby Golf Club is one of the oldest in the country and was at the forefront of the development of the sport in Wales. David Lloyd George owned a house in the town and was a regular on the links, and it was James Braid who designed the course as we play it today.
Although it opens with a gentle par 5, don’t be fooled – once you have crossed the pathway down to the beach and teed off at the 2nd, this is a serious test of golf.
The opening hole plays to an excellent green site
The 3rd is an excellent par 4, stroke index one and played to one of the many wonderful green sites that are a real feature here.
The third is named after 9-time Ryder Cup golfer Dai Rees
The 4th has an even better setting, played over the mounds to a grassy dell that could have been made for a green.
Another fabulous and natural green site at the fourth
The next takes you back inland a little and is followed by a tiddler over the gorse before two very strong par 4s. The 7th is adjacent to the railway, and the 8th is equally dangerous running alongside the Penally Butts shooting range.
Don’t go right at eight as there’s OOB… and a firing range!
The next tee is at the far end of the course and marks the start of another sequence of three testing par 4s.
The green at the ninth with the town beyond
If there is a signature hole at Tenby, then it is probably the excellent par-3 12th which needs no sand for protection as it is surrounded by hollows that make rescuing a par very tricky. Looking back at my scorecard I see that I managed a regulation par here which means the wind must have been helping!
The excellent par-3 twelfth is played over a valley
There are more lovely views from this green, so perhaps the compensation if you 3-putt is that you get to spend more time here!
Looking back over the twelfth green
A short par 4 and short par 5 come next and offer birdie chances if the wind is helping. You then cross over the railway to a trio of holes that split opinion as they are somewhat different in nature from the pure links elsewhere. For what it is worth, I think they add welcome variety and are enjoyable.
The view over the sixteenth green and beyond
The last of just three par 3s at seventeen offers some fine views over the course and beyond.
The final short hole at the seventeenth is played from an elevated tee
The closing hole hugs the railway line but has plenty of room on the right, and I came away feeling that Tenby is fully deserving of its status in the Golf Monthly Next 100. It is also the highlight of some strong golf that makes the area a fine and different choice for a golfing tour.
For most golfers, Tenby may be some distance from home – a part of its appeal – but the club has its own Dormy House that can host parties of up to fourteen making a trip to the area even more appealing.
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