Factfile
Llandrindod Wells Golf Club
The Clubhouse, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5NY
Tel/Fax: 01597823873
Email: LGWC
Green fees: £15/£25.
How to get there:
Take the A483 through the town. Turn off at signpost to the lake.
Builth Wells Golf Club
Golf Club Road, Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3NF
Tel: 01982 553 296
Fax: 01982 551064
Green fees: Weekdays: 18 per round, £25 per day; Weekends & bank holidays: £25/£30
How to get there: Travel through Builth Wells town centre on A483. On outskirts of town the club is signposted right, opposite the Caer Beris Hotel.
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There are 200 golf courses throughout Wales ranging from world-class parkland strips to inspirational coastal links. And there is a determination throughout to ensure that the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor is much more than a three-day event. As part of the Wales Ryder Cup bid the Wales Tourist Board have agreed to stage a "Summer of Golf" every year between now and 2010. The Wales Open has already been held at the Ryder Cup venue and the Wales Senior Open at Royal St David's, while the best female golfers in the world will contest the Wales LPGA Championship at Royal Porthcawl in August. With the backing of the Welsh Assembly Government, the aim is to ensure Wales develops its place on the world golf map, both before and after the Ryder Cup developing the theme "Golf as it should be." The Wales Tourist Board is committed to using the successful Ryder Cup bid as a catalyst to increase the number and standard of golfers in Wales, particularly in relation to female golf, and to increase the number of golf visitors to Wales and the standard of service they receive. Mid Wales has every possible variety of courses, from the most classic of links to the most mountainous of fairways. At Lindrindod Wells Harry Vardon built a course that doesn't permit much time to study the stunning scenery. The picturesque and popular Builth Wells course has a clubhouse converted from a 15th century Welsh Long House. When Vardon arrived to plan a golf course high in the hills above Llandridod Wells in 1905, the Victorian spa resort with its wide streets and impressive architecture would have been in the heyday of its popularity and gentry. All he had to do, once he'd made the steep climb, was to make the most of a plateau of moor and heathland 1,000 feet above sea level. He did an excellent job and despite the panoramic views in every direction from this enjoyable and welcoming course, his route does not place a strain on the legs. Only two holes, once the first has been successfully negotiated, could be called hilly and they happen to be features of the course. From the 16th, a 392 yards par four, the drive takes a sharp downhill route and at 18 you are met with another of those death or glory holes. At 297 yards it is very short for a par four but much of it is a carry across a deep valley at the foot of which is a ravine crossed by a wooden bridge. On reaching the green you are rewarded by a more elevated version of the sight to be seen from the first tee - a view down the town's large boating lake. The course measures only 5543 yards off the yellow markers and while there is not a bunker in sight, there's plenty of trouble to make up for the lack of distance. Every hole has its individual charm. And every hole, without exception, has far reaching views of the most glorious countryside. The turf is naturally springy and the greens survive wonderfully well at this altitude considering there is no water on the course. If still panting for breath on completing the first hole (a short par four of 306 yards), relief comes immediately in the shape of a short par three (119 yards) and this is followed by the only par five on the opening stretch. Stroke index one is sandwiched between two par threes while two par threes of vastly different length set the scene for the start for home. Negotiating the bank of the 13th is the only real problem here and this is followed by two testing par fives. The club celebrates its centenary next year and rather than all responsibilities falling on the elected captain, 11 former captains will hold office again for one month each to help ease the work load. Builth Wells loves visitors as much as visitors love Builth. It's location makes Builth one of Wales' most accessible courses as well as one of the most popular. Again the course is not very long - 5197 yards off the yellow markers and only a further 179 yards off the medal tees. The course however, trails through woodland and around water with many holes demanding accuracy rather than distance. Small and well-guarded greens add to the trickery of it all and even the clubhouse is a collector's piece. It is a listed building currently under-going an extensive refurbishment programme. A converted 15th century Welsh Long House featuring some of the original oak beams, it boasts two fires which add to the club's convivial and comfortable atmosphere. Formed in 1923 when a number of businessmen decided the town needed the facility of a golf course, they built a nine-hole course consisting of narrow fairways, fearsome rough, stiles and hedges to negotiate on the site of Park Farm. The farmhouse, a listed building dating back to 1550, was utilised as the clubhouse. The club continued in this form until 1965 and though more land was purchased, it was not until 1986 before an 18-hole course was completed. The course presents a challenging but fair test of golf for low and high handicappers alike even though seven of the early holes tend to be similar. The first four holes, all par fours of similar standing guarded by mature trees either side of the fairways, is followed by three par threes in the next five holes with even the long seventh (230 yards) presenting a birdie chance. The ninth is played over water to an elevated green while local knowledge is a distinct advantage at the next with the stream coming into play off the tee. The same stretch of water has to be negotiated at the 12th after a straightforward par three and this is followed by the longest hole on the back nine with water adjacent to the green. Water comes into play off the 16th tee with position all-important for the second shot to the green. The 17th measures just 117 yards but its uphill to make club selection the key. The last hole runs parallel with the first and with a clubhouse offering an extensive snack menu all day, the view is all that more appealing. Due to its past as a premier spa town, Llandrindod has a wealth of accommodation, to suit all tastes and pockets from three-star hotels, bed and breakfasts, or friendly camping and caravan parks. The golf club has teamed up with a number of local hotels and inns to put together an unbeatable package of accommodation and golf. Contact Llandrindod Golf Club on 011597 823873 or the following: Hotels: Hotel Commodore 01597 822288, Hotel Metropole 01597 828539, Pencerrig Hotel 01982 553226; Inns: The Red Lion 01544 350220, Severn Arms 01597 851224, Llanerch 16thC Inn 01597 822086; Self Catering: Plough Hotel 01982 552553, Park Motel 01597 851201; Guest Houses: Holly Farm 01597 822402, The Cottage 01597 825435, Highland Moors 01597 825151, Acorn Court 01597 823543, Greylands 01597 822253. A comprehensive list of accommodation providers in the area can be obtained by contacting the Tourist Information Centre on 01597 822600. | 
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