Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, links fairways along the Bristol Channel in South Wales
Ranked · 10 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf for a Buddies Trip in Wales

Wales is the most overlooked links destination in Britain, a coastline of championship links and a Ryder Cup resort, all at gentler prices than Scotland or Ireland and rarely a crowd in sight. It is made for a buddies trip. Here are the ten courses we would build a group itinerary around, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, via Google

How we chose them

A buddies trip wants a run of memorable courses close enough together to play one a day, a comfortable base with a bar to settle the bets, and golf that is fun as well as testing. Wales delivers all three better than almost anywhere. The links are the draw: Royal Porthcawl on the Bristol Channel, the clifftop drama of Pennard and Nefyn, the historic championship links at Royal St David's and Aberdovey in the north, and a deep cast of South Wales links in between. Add the 2010 Ryder Cup resort at Celtic Manor and a group can mix true links with a five star base.

We weighed quality, variety, walkability for a few days running, and how naturally the courses group into a southern or northern loop. South Wales has the densest cluster and the easiest logistics from Cardiff and Bristol airports, while North Wales rewards a second leg around Snowdonia. Every designer, history and detail was checked at the time of writing. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder the chasing pack. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club

links · founded 1891 · Bristol Channel

The best course in Wales and the heart of any buddies trip, a true links where the sea is in view from every hole and the wind off the Bristol Channel is a constant fourth player. Tough, fair and beautifully bunkered, with gorse to punish the wayward and a famous closing stretch into the prevailing breeze, it has hosted the Walker Cup and Senior Open and stands comparison with the great links of England and Ireland. Play it on the firmest day you can and savour the test.

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02

Celtic Manor Resort, Twenty Ten Course

2010 Ryder Cup · Newport · resort

The course built to host the 2010 Ryder Cup and the obvious base for a group that wants golf, a hotel, a spa and a bar all on one site. The Twenty Ten plays through the Usk valley with water in play on the closing holes and the same theatre the matches produced, while the resort's other courses give a group 54 holes without moving the car. Less wild than the links, but the comfort and the Ryder Cup history make it a buddies trip favourite.

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03

Royal St David's Golf Club

links · founded 1894 · Harlech

One of the great links of Britain, laid out on the flat beneath the towering medieval walls of Harlech Castle with Snowdonia behind. A par 69 that plays far longer than its card, it asks for precise iron play and rewards the patient, and the setting is among the most dramatic in golf. The anchor of a North Wales leg and a course every serious golfer should play once, it is worth the drive north on its own.

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04

Pennard Golf Club

clifftop links · Gower peninsula

Known as the links in the sky, Pennard sits on the clifftops of the Gower above sweeping bays, a wild, quirky and utterly memorable round with a ruined castle on the course and the sea far below. It is not a championship test in the Porthcawl mould, but for sheer fun and views it is unbeatable, the kind of course a group talks about for years. An essential, joyful stop on any South Wales itinerary.

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05

Nefyn and District Golf Club

clifftop links · Llyn peninsula

One of the most scenic courses you will ever play, set on the remote Llyn peninsula where the old nine runs right along the rocky headlands above the sea. The golf is fun and exhilarating rather than fearsome, and the halfway pub perched on the point is one of golf's great institutions. A round here is a highlight of a North Wales trip and a reminder that golf does not always have to be a grind to be unforgettable.

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06

Aberdovey Golf Club

links · golf since 1886 · Snowdonia coast

The beloved home links of the great golf writer Bernard Darwin, a classic out and back layout through the dunes on the Dyfi estuary with the mountains of Snowdonia as a backdrop. Charming, historic and a genuine test in the wind, it is the natural companion to Royal St David's on a northern leg and one of the most atmospheric clubs in Wales. A round steeped in the game's literature and well worth the trip.

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07

Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club

Nicklaus design · par 72 · Llanelli

A modern Jack Nicklaus design on the coast near Llanelli, which Tommy Fleetwood has called arguably the best man made links in the world. Water and saltmarsh come into play across a well conditioned, links style layout with views over the Gower, and the clubhouse and facilities suit a group well. It adds a contemporary contrast to the historic links of South Wales and is an enjoyable, accessible round for all standards.

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08

Tenby Golf Club

links · the oldest club in Wales · Pembrokeshire

The oldest golf club in Wales and a wonderful James Braid era links through big dunes on the Pembrokeshire coast, with blind shots, pot bunkers and views across to Caldey Island. It is old fashioned in the best sense, full of character and quirk, and the seaside town of Tenby makes a lively base for a group. A little further west than the main cluster but well worth the journey for a proper links day.

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09

Ashburnham Golf Club

links · founded 1894 · Burry Port

One of the finest and longest established links in Wales, near Burry Port, refined over the years by J.H. Taylor and Fred Hawtree among others. A long, traditional championship links that has hosted national finals, it is less heralded than Porthcawl but a serious test in its own right and a favourite of those who know Welsh golf well. A rewarding round that completes the South Wales links cluster.

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10

Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club

links · par 72 · near Porthcawl

Royal Porthcawl's near neighbour, with a fine back nine that plunges into huge dunes for a genuine links experience minutes from the marquee course. It makes an ideal pairing with Porthcawl for a two round day in one area, the front nine more open and the closing stretch a proper test among the sandhills. Good value, welcoming and rarely busy, it rounds out a South Wales buddies itinerary nicely.

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Designers, founding years and histories verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading databases; most are member clubs that welcome visitors at set times. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Plan a Wales buddies trip

Tell us whether you want the South Wales links cluster around Royal Porthcawl with a Celtic Manor base, a North Wales loop through Royal St David's and Nefyn, or both, and roughly when. One concierge secures the tee times, sorts the lodging and the cars, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Wales buddies golf questions

What is the best golf course in Wales for a buddies trip?

Royal Porthcawl is the best course in Wales and the natural centrepiece of a buddies trip, a links right on the Bristol Channel with sea views from every hole and a stern test in the wind. Celtic Manor's Twenty Ten Course, the 2010 Ryder Cup venue, is the best resort option. Together they anchor most Welsh golf trips.

Where should a group base a golf trip in Wales?

South Wales suits most groups, with Royal Porthcawl, Pennard, Pyle and Kenfig, Ashburnham and Tenby within an hour or so and Celtic Manor near Newport for the resort comforts. A second leg in North Wales pairs Royal St David's, Aberdovey, Nefyn and Conwy. Both regions reward a links focused itinerary.

When is the best time for a golf trip to Wales?

May to September gives the warmest, driest weather and the firmest links, with long daylight for 36 hole days. Spring and early autumn are quieter and often better value. The links play year round, but the wind and rain off the Atlantic are a bigger factor in winter, so a summer window suits a buddies trip best.

Related

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, founding years and histories verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.

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