Celtic Manor Twenty Ten
No course on earth was built for quite this purpose. The Twenty Ten was conceived, shaped and named for one tournament, the 2010 Ryder Cup, and it remains the only course ever created from the ground up to host the match. Ross McMurray routed it along the floor of the Usk valley so that thousands could watch from the hillsides, and the result is a stadium in the truest sense.
Photo: The Celtic Manor Resort via Google.
The verdict
Celtic Manor sits above the M4 outside Newport, a resort built on the ambition of one man, Sir Terry Matthews, who was born in the hospital that once stood on the land. The Twenty Ten Course opened in 2007 after Ross McMurray of European Golf Design took nine holes from the original Wentwood Hills layout on the valley floor and added nine entirely new ones, engineering the whole into a Ryder Cup arena. In 2010 it delivered, a rain soaked match that ran to a Monday finish and ended with Graeme McDowell holing the winning putt for Europe.
As a resort round it is generous off the tee and dramatic around the water, with the Usk and a chain of lakes shaping the closing stretch. It is long from the tips at around 7,493 yards and a par 71, but the everyday tees make it very playable, and the sense of walking ground where a Ryder Cup was won carries the day. For a traveling golfer building a trip through South Wales and the border country, this is the marquee round.
Celtic Manor Twenty Ten at a glance
- Opened
- 2007
- Designer
- Ross McMurray
- Type
- Parkland
- Par
- 71
- Yardage
- Around 7,493 yds
- Green fee
- To around £199
Design history, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the resort and course databases. The Twenty Ten plays to a par 71 of around 7,493 yards from the championship tees, with several forward tees. Green fees are indicative, running up to around 199 pounds for a peak summer round in 2026 with keener twilight and shoulder season rates. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Twenty Ten saves its theater for the water. The par 5 third drops off the higher ground and sets the tone, but it is the closing holes along the valley floor that defined the Ryder Cup. The par 5 eighteenth, reachable and ringed by lakes, was built to decide matches and duly does, a true risk and reward finish in front of the grandstands.
The middle of the round threads through the new holes McMurray cut into the lower land, flat lies giving way to approaches played over water to well defended greens. There is little blind golf here, this is a course designed to be watched and understood, every hazard in view. In a Welsh wind off the Severn it can play long, and the lakes that look benign on a calm morning become very real when the breeze gets up.
What you take away is the scale of the place. Wide fairways, big greens, water everywhere on the run for home, and the unmistakable feeling of a course that was engineered for the biggest day in team golf and rises to it.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A resort course at the Celtic Manor Resort, open to visitors and resort guests, with the Twenty Ten the flagship of three eighteen hole courses on site |
| Green fee | Up to around 199 pounds for a peak round in 2026, with twilight, resort guest and shoulder season rates lower (indicative) |
| Booking | Book through the resort, especially for summer weekends; staying on site secures the keenest tee times and rates |
| On the day | A walking or buggy course with caddies by arrangement; full resort practice ground, spa and dining on site |
| Getting there | Beside the M4 outside Newport, around 15 minutes from the city, 45 minutes from Cardiff and Bristol airports |
| Best months | May to September for the firmest turf and longest light, though the valley plays well into the autumn |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with the club or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The simplest plan is to stay at the Celtic Manor Resort itself, a large hotel above the courses with a spa, several restaurants and the first tee a short ride away, ideal for an early start across all three layouts.
Newport and Cardiff are both close for those who prefer a city base, and the resort sits within easy reach of the South Wales coast and the courses of the border country for a fuller golfing week.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Celtic Manor Twenty Ten.
Build a South Wales golf trip
We pair the Twenty Ten with the Roman Road and Montgomerie courses on site and the best of South Wales and the border country, book the tee times in the right order and handle the hotel and transfers. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Celtic Manor questions
What is the par and length of the Twenty Ten Course?
The Twenty Ten is a par 71 of around 7,493 yards from the championship tees, with several forward tees that make it very playable for resort golfers. It is a parkland course on the floor of the Usk valley.
Who designed the Twenty Ten Course?
It was designed by Ross McMurray of European Golf Design and opened in 2007. McMurray kept nine holes from the original Wentwood Hills course on the valley floor and built nine new holes to create a purpose built Ryder Cup arena.
Why is the Twenty Ten Course famous?
It is the only course ever built specifically to host a Ryder Cup, which it staged in 2010 when Europe beat the United States in a match that finished on the Monday. The lake ringed closing holes were designed to decide matches in front of huge galleries.
How much does it cost to play the Twenty Ten Course?
Indicative 2026 green fees run up to around 199 pounds for a peak summer round, with lower twilight, resort guest and shoulder season rates. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Design history, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.