This club is famous for… being in two countries at once

Steve Carroll

You’d be as wise to bring a passport along with your putter if you play a border-hopping round at Llanymynech

Riddle me this. Where can you tee off in one country and finish the hole in another? Did you say Llanymynech Golf Club? Give yourself a gold star – and welcome to Europe’s only dual country golf course.

It’s a good job Wales isn’t caught up in the Brexit border battles. Imagine having to present your passport if you wanted to putt out?

Most of Llanymynech Golf Club lies in the land of bread and heaven but as you arrive at the 4th green, and until you get to the 7th tee, you’ve crossed into England.

How has this unusual circumstance come to pass? Blame Offa.

Back in the 8th century, relationships between the English and Welsh were, well, delicate to say the least.

The King of Mercia, that’s Offa, ordered a dyke to be built along the area that bordered his kingdom and the wild Welsh. The aim was to keep them out.

Offa’s Dyke crosses through the course as it makes its way from the River Dee, in the North, to the River Wye, in the south.

Llanymynech itself has got quite a long history. Meaning Church of the Monks, the course was the site of a battle ground in AD50 for Caractacus as he tried to drive the Romans out of his country.

The famous names have continued to flourish at Llanymynech right up to the president day. Ian Woosnam first picked up clubs here and his mum and dad were both past captains.

And if you can conquer the cliff faces and hills of this mountain-style course then you won’t be too bad a player either.

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About the author

Steve Carroll

A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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