Aberdovey: An enchanting Welsh links set in Snowdonia

A classical and romantic links, Aberdovey is set enchantingly within Snowdonia National Park and at the mouth of the Dovey estuary.

There are an abundance of quirky features including wooden railway sleepers courtesy of the railway line which skirts the inland section of the course. You need every club in your bag at Aberdovey as the conditions and the variety of holes present a diverse range of challenges.

History

Aberdovey emanates history. “If one dare write about Aberdovey at all, one must begin by letting Bernard Darwin through on the way to the first tee”, wrote Patric Dickinson in his book, A ‘Round of Golf Courses’. For this links is ‘his’, and is all and more than one would expect from a writer and golfer of such style; for it is both a ‘classical’ and ‘romantic’ links”.

It was here that Ian Woosnam honed his trade and the club has played host to a number of top tournaments such as The Welsh Seniors’ Championship. When the wind blows it becomes an even greater challenge with its numerous and sometimes hidden hazards.

What makes it special

In the modern clubhouse, relics of bygone eras can still be discovered, including a set of clubs used on the course in around 1882.

Another esteemed former member Bernard Darwin described the course as the one that his “soul loved best of all the courses in the world” and it is not difficult to see why.