Conwy: Wales' trademark championship links course

Conwy Golf Club, also known as Conwy Caernarvonshire, is the only championship-length course in North Wales.

Aa relatively flat links that builds towards an exceptionally tough finish, It has hosted both the seniors and ladies tours, as well as the Curtis Cup, and is always well received.

Rugged, uncompromising and natural, you get what you deserve here and when the wind blows it becomes fearsome. Generally you have a feeling of space but on the closing stretch the gorse encroaches and creates an awesome challenge in the winds of the Caernarvonshire coastline.

Its seaside character is apparent from the start, the second a par 3 nestling in the dunes, the third curving along the shoreline, followed by holes running parallel to each other to the turn.

The quality of this challenging links is a result of mid-1970s front nine alterations by Frank Pennink, and early 1980s back nine alterations to five holes by Brian Huggett and Neil Coles to allow for the building of the A55 tunnel, aimed at easing traffic problems on the road between Chester and Anglesey.

History

Golf began in this area in 1869, the original designer of Conwy Golf Club being Jack Morris, nephew of Old Tom Morris. Two World Wars had a profound effect on the Morfa Peninsula and the course was almost lost after the First World War. Stabilisation was only achieved against sand-blow by the planting of huge areas of marram grass on what are now the 7th, 8th and 9th.

Laid out in the shadow of Conwy mountain, many holes overlook the estuary towards Llandudno and Anglesey. Conwy has played host to several important championships throughout its history. The European Tour held the Martini at Conwy in 1970, with the Ladies European Tour holding the S4C Wales Ladies Championship four decades later.

The European Legends Tour has also visited Conwy on numerous occasions, while the European Amateur Team Championship and the Ladies British Open Amatuer Championship have called Conwy home during their histories.

What makes Conwy Golf Club special?

Douglas Adams’ three paintings from 1893 – ‘Difficult Bunker’, ‘The Putting Green’ and ‘The Drive’ – are all based on the links at Conwy. Just be thankful that your scorecard there won’t paint any pictures.

Lying in the mouth of the River Conwy and nestled in the Caernarvon Mountains, the course’s views are stunning. But not only does the course offer a superb vista; the bar, restaurant and lounge have panoramic views of the golf course, Conwy Mountain, and the Conwy Estuary to the Great Orme in Llandudno.

Where does it rank?

154th in GB&I, 5th in Wales, 1st in North Wales

Where is it?

Conwy Golf Club is located on the northern coastline of Wales, with Morfa Beach wrapping its way around the northern boundary of the course. The North Wales Expressway runs to the south, providing those driving with easy access to the venue.

Get in touch with Conwy Golf Club

For more information about the club and course, visit their website or call them on 01492 593400.

You can play Conwy on the NCG Top 100s Tour this year!

Register now to play in our 2024 Conwy event on August 23rd here.

Now have your say

Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Conwy Golf Club? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!

Matt Coles

Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…

Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.

He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.

Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…

Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.