Course Review: Royal St David’s – A plotter’s paradise?

Written by Neil White

“Men of Harlech on to glory!” goes the famous song that dates back to the 15th-century siege of the castle overlooking Royal St David’s Golf Club.

However, I had more in common with the “Saxon foemen, Saxon spearmen, Saxon bowmen, Be they knights or hinds or yeomen” who “shall bite the ground!”

Yes, the golf course certainly lived up to its reputation as being the toughest par 69 in the world. We had viewed the dramatic landscape the previous evening when we drove the windy but beautiful route from Aberdovey.

The welcome was equally warm for our early morning round next to the same railway line. A quick tip for visitors – Harlech is a very small town, so the dormy accommodation at Royal St David’s might be the best bet for an overnight stay.

The golf club is less than 20 miles from Snowdon and the mountain range can be seen in the distance as the outward nine is being played. It is also yards from the Dyfi estuary and a wander through the dunes will reveal a magnificent view along the beach.

However, there seemed to be fewer dramatic mounds across the course than there had been at Aberdovey. Instead, most of the course defence is sand, gorse and hidden brooks. The overall par of 69 makes Royal St David’s sound short – but there are seven par-fours of more than 400 yards from the yellow tees.

Thus, the best piece of advice before teeing up is play to handicap rather than chase the game. I was teeing up on the back of one of my best recent rounds at Aberdovey but I found this a much tougher proposition.

The opening shot plays away from the castle down a fairway that turns inside three bunkers on the left towards a green surrounded by traps. The green, in common with most on the course, is a mind-bender. There appear to be borrows but the ball often tracks straighter than the eye can comprehend. Or perhaps it was a shank with my approach that cost me a six!?

The 2nd is a shorter par 4, returning towards the castle and potentially yielding rewards for those who can avoid the deep bunkers on the left. My comedy came via my attempt to extricate my ball from the first trap. I played conservatively towards the fairway only to double hit the ball that took an entirely unexpected trajectory into another bunker 30 yards further forward.

I am pleased to report that the opening nine was played well by our host who, after an impressive opening, claimed the champagne moment on the fifth. This is another meandering par 4 across a track and quite a substantial amount of rough. He smashed a tee shot down the middle, played his approach off the banks to the right of the green and nailed the long putt.

We were later told that the 7th and 8th, consecutive par 5s, are the best chance to score on the course. Well, I am going to verify that they certainly aren’t offering gifts to mid-handicappers.. The drive from the 7th needs to be hit over a track and stream with thick rough among mounds on the right and bunkers lurking. Approaches are hindered by two sand traps 20 yards short of a green which is protected by a nasty dip.

The wind was with us on the eighth that needs another carry before a fairly flat fairway towards the mountains. Here the course is at its most tranquil. Cows were lying contented in a nearby field and Snowdon rises in the distance,

Incredibly, the back nine is even more challenging despite being a par 33. Among the stand-outs is the par 3 11th with a flag hidden behind a big bunker in front and the bank of a dune to the right. Further traps around the green make a precise attack imperative. Then there is a putting surface which outfoxed me because it looks as though it falls from right to left but the ball didn’t take any curve.

To reach the elevated 12th tee, players have to cross the beach track which was busy with sunseekers on our fine spring day. Families watched as we unleashed drives towards a fairway which turns inside five bunkers towards the target. I had a particular fondness for it because, dare I say, it was my only par of the back nine.

The fiendish 15th is the most memorable and arguably the trickiest hole on the course. Only a slither of fairway can be seen from the tee of the 400+-yard par 4 with a considerable carry to safety. I was well-placed but our host told me to play the hole as a par 5 and drop short of a ridge which prevents sight of the green.

By now my head was scrambled so I reached for my 3-wood, hit over the bank but into the rough, could only advance my ball 20 yards and then shanked my next shot. I had just proved why I play off 11.4 and why I should have simply tried to play to my handicap. A quick hop over dunes at the back of that green reveal a stunning vista of the beach and the Dyfi estuary.

We clambered back to the tee of the 16th – a lovely short par-four with a downward carry that should be not fired left if bunkers are to be avoided. My pal inquired after the derelict, out-of-keeping Eastern European-style building that is the hole’s backdrop and was told it was part of Wales’ only long-term, mature-student residential education college. However, it closed in 2017 and clearly needs to be demolished.

The 17th is another long par 4 which I thought I might reach in regulation only to see the ball fall into a greenside bunker. In common with many of the holes at Royal St David’s, it has a very narrow green entrance that demands greater accuracy than I possess. Unusually, the round is completed with a par 3. This one is more than 200 yards with a trio of bunkers on either side of the green’s entrance.

It was apt that it was a challenging finale to a course that had won this day’s battle. However, I ought to say that might be as much down to my golf as the difficulty of the track.

This was confirmed when I met an acquaintance outside of the clubhouse and retold my tale of woe. “Oh,” he said. “I was two under my eight handicap.” He said he wasn’t a big hitter but could plot his way around. And that is the key to premium enjoyment at Royal St David’s..

About Neil White:

Neil White is a panellist for the NCG Top 100s course rankings. Listen to Neil’s podcast The Golf Pilgrim here.

NCG Top 100s Rankings

Royal St David’s, as you might expect, sits comfortably inside the NCG Top 100s: GB& Ireland list. It is also in the top two in our Welsh list, behind only Royal Porthcawl.

NOW READ – NCG Top 100s: Royal St David’s

CHECK OUT – NCG Top 100s: Wales

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