A genuine links course, Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club in Bridgend is one of Wales' few genuine championship links courses, popularly referred to as P&K. Royal Porthcawl's high sand dunes and diverse ecosystems share the very same stretch of South Wales coastline.
It is uncommon for a links course to be set out in two nine-hole loops. It's best to strive for a low score on the first nine since the back nine, notably when the wind picks up, is extremely difficult to score on.
A par five of 525 yards, the Valley Hole, is the first of several holes where the sand dunes come into play. The Gower Peninsula can be seen from the 14th tee, a 416-yard par four, and the picture is breathtaking. In terms of closing holes, Pyle & Kenfig's final three holes are among some of the greatest in golf and will put even the best players to the test.
We like to call Pyle & Kenfig a hidden gem due to its proximity to neighboring Royal Porthcrawl. We would highly recommend adding to any South Wales Golf Tour.
Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club has held a number of notable tournaments in the past, including the 2014 Senior Open Qualifying Tournament. A fabulous Philip Mackenzie Ross' design.
It was Harry Colt who first conceived of the course's more inland front nine in the early 1920s. Philip Mackenzie Ross was brought in to replace the nine holes confiscated by the military during the Second World War. And he did an excellent job of it. There's no arguing that they're the most memorable part of a visit to this course now that they've been built over the road (which was a path at the time).
