Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture => Topic started by: Steve Salmen on July 26, 2014, 02:53:39 PM
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I was unsuccessfully trying to locate Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on Google Earth. I found the Southerndown Golf Club. If you look a little west of the course, on the other side of the river, there is, what appears to be an outstanding piece of linksland. There are large areas of exposed sand that remind me of Pine Valley. I can't tell if there are dunes or how tall they are if they are there. Regardless, it caught my eye like the area a little north of Durness.
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It is even better close up. There have been several attempts to turn it into golf land. It is enough for two or three courses from memory. There is also another parcel a bit further West.
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Adrian, would you know if it would be possible to build a golf course there with respect to environmental regulations?
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I think its highly unlikely because of the constraints although there is a long winded way of getting past some of the possible problems if a) you are the landowner b) you have plenty of time. I can't talk about them on an open forum.
I think this is council owned property, but I am not certain.
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There's even a perfect little corner in the south west where you could site the clubhouse and have a hole playing out and returning right in to town...
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I was unsuccessfully trying to locate Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on Google Earth. I found the Southerndown Golf Club. If you look a little west of the course, on the other side of the river, there is, what appears to be an outstanding piece of linksland. There are large areas of exposed sand that remind me of Pine Valley. I can't tell if there are dunes or how tall they are if they are there. Regardless, it caught my eye like the area a little north of Durness.
It is indeed a spectacular piece of land.
It's the view from Southerndown's clubhouse high above, yet ironically the clubhouse is the LOW point of the Southerndown property.
It caught my eye and my son and I drove over there after my practice round and spent a bit of time before dinner
I took several pictures of it and the surrounding area from the beach area, though my focus was not so much on the dunes as the spectacular beauty of the river and surrounds as it met the sea.
There are many walking trails and the sheep have mowed much of the grass short and tight.
It is obvious from such an area how a game like golf could begin in such surroundings.
I have no picture posting ability but would be happy to pass on photos to anyone wanting them or wanting to post them
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Jeff - get em over here! ;)
en route
pictures are taken from beach side loking back to mainland.
dunes are located on left across river, but the land is terriffic and beautiful on both sides
last picture is taken on the road up to Southerndown
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Not only is there that area west of the River Ogmore, because once-upon-a-time, the whole area west from Porthcawl all along the coast to Swansea, about 15 miles, was the kind of sandy seaside land considered ideal for links golf courses.
If only Wales had become heavily involved in golf at the same time as Scotland did I'm sure this stretch of coastline would have numerous courses on it, bit like north of Liverpool or the Ayrshire coast or Fife or the Moray Firth to north of Dornoch. But industry developed close by instead and along came Port Talbot and Aberavon and the docks and steel works etc.
This link, it's a 1929 areal photo, I couldn't find anything earlier, is looking eastwards from the mouth of Aberavon/Port Talbot harbour towards Porthcawl and indicates generally what the terrain was once like - http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/wpw029772?search=aberavon&ref=0
The dunes west of Porthcawl at Pyle and Kenfig are even now pretty comprehensive, but to have seen this whole stretch of duneland coastline prior to industrialisation must have been very impressive.
atb
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Out of curiosity, is Southerndown a links course? It appears to be bordered by a lot of farmland, but looks like it could be sandy.
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Out of curiosity, is Southerndown a links course? It appears to be bordered by a lot of farmland, but looks like it could be sandy.
It's downland,sandy, hundreds of feet above the sea.
Plays firm and fast, tons of gorse, and is very exposed.
Sheep keep the rough down
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Jeff - get em over here! ;)
I second that motion!
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There's also the ruins of an old castle down there, near the road up to Southerndown.
Porthcawl is west of Southerndown maybe 15 miles away.
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Out of curiosity, is Southerndown a links course? It appears to be bordered by a lot of farmland, but looks like it could be sandy.
It's downland,sandy, hundreds of feet above the sea.
Plays firm and fast, tons of gorse, and is very exposed.
Sheep keep the rough down
I can't speak to the soil at Southerndown, but if it's sandy then technically it isn't downland. Downland is chalk by definition.
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There's also the ruins of an old castle down there, near the road up to Southerndown.
It's Ogmore Castle which once-upon-a-time protected the entrance to the River Ogmore.
Nearly every river mouth in Wales seems to have a ruined fortified castle close to a river mouth and often further castles upstream. Just along the south coast there's the likes of Chepstow, Newport, Cardiff, Ogmore, Swansea, Kidwelly, Llansteffan/Carmarthen, Pembroke, Haverfordwest all at either river mouths or upstream plus ones like Pennard on clifftops.
atb
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I have had conversations with the First Minister and others about the development of the area to the west of RP and P&K near Kenfig Pool. It is a real longshot to go anywhere. I've had my eye on it for years.
Eric from Renaissance toured it at my urging and agreed that the area is incredibly special. With the right vision, desire and cooperation from the Welsh government, there could be an incredible three course facility there. Funds could even be used for work on the brownfield area nearer the steelworks. In the other direction it could go down to and past Sker House.
The history of that land is pretty cool too. At one point there was a medieval town there but it gradually got engulfed by the sand and much of it supposedly still remains underneath the dunes.
But the land itself has so many great natural green sites. Something really special could happen there one day.
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I agree - it does indeed look a spectacular piece of land.
So spectacular in fact, that I rather like the look of it as it is. How about we just leave it alone?
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There are a few other areas, some pretty large, around the coast of South and West Wales that have potential for links golf courses if the current inhabitants/owners weren't there - some examples -
Oxwich, just west of Pennard
Llangenith/Llanmadoc - at the western end of the Gower Peninsula
Pembrey - the area that extends north from Ashburnham to Kidwelly, currently a Country Park, race track/airfield/MoD
Pendine Sands - currently caravans and MoD
Freshwater Bay, west of Pembroke, MoD again
Llanbedr/Dyffryn south of Harlech, includes holiday camp and runways (MoD?)
Harlech North, stretching north from RStDGC
West of Caernarfon, large spit on south side of mouth of Menai Straights. Runways so ex (still?) MoD
Newborough Burrows, Angelsea - area opposite the above on the north side of Menai Straights. Nature Reserve
The MoD influence from prior years is strong though, what with training areas, firing ranges, airfields.
atb
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I agree - it does indeed look a spectacular piece of land.
So spectacular in fact, that I rather like the look of it as it is. How about we just leave it alone?
I agree.
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I have had conversations with the First Minister and others about the development of the area to the west of RP and P&K near Kenfig Pool. It is a real longshot to go anywhere. I've had my eye on it for years.
Eric from Renaissance toured it at my urging and agreed that the area is incredibly special. With the right vision, desire and cooperation from the Welsh government, there could be an incredible three course facility there. Funds could even be used for work on the brownfield area nearer the steelworks. In the other direction it could go down to and past Sker House.
The history of that land is pretty cool too. At one point there was a medieval town there but it gradually got engulfed by the sand and much of it supposedly still remains underneath the dunes.
But the land itself has so many great natural green sites. Something really special could happen there one day.
Mark,
What are the primary, environmental impediments to developing a golf course on that site ?
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I agree - it does indeed look a spectacular piece of land.
So spectacular in fact, that I rather like the look of it as it is. How about we just leave it alone?
Then I suggest that you buy it and let it sit.
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I have had conversations with the First Minister and others about the development of the area to the west of RP and P&K near Kenfig Pool. It is a real longshot to go anywhere. I've had my eye on it for years.
Eric from Renaissance toured it at my urging and agreed that the area is incredibly special. With the right vision, desire and cooperation from the Welsh government, there could be an incredible three course facility there. Funds could even be used for work on the brownfield area nearer the steelworks. In the other direction it could go down to and past Sker House.
The history of that land is pretty cool too. At one point there was a medieval town there but it gradually got engulfed by the sand and much of it supposedly still remains underneath the dunes.
But the land itself has so many great natural green sites. Something really special could happen there one day.
Mark,
What are the primary, environmental impediments to developing a golf course on that site ?
The site is considered to be a place of "unusual ecological value" or words to that effect. Given the industry that has gone on near there and the farming nearby, I think that designation is dubious at best. Kenfig Pool is incredibly compromised with lots of argicultural run-off into it, as well as a caravan park on its banks. The Northern end of the property needs a great amount of revegetation and restoration.
The feeling is that because of it's designation, it would be an impossible fight to win. That's a shame; the economy would benefir immensely from a proper Bandon-type development there. The ground is ideal and the proximity to the M4 is fantastic.
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Brian,
thanks for posting those pictures. When we were driving to Southerndown, we missed the entrance because
we all thought the course would be where the water is. Looks like a fantastic piece of land for another course.
I don't know much about the politics there, but the land on the course is common ground, thus all the sheep
grazing everywhere . I don't know if the area can support more golf courses. I had a fantastic five days there
earlier this summer and played Tenby, Ashburnham, Pennard, 36 at Porthcawl, and Southerndown... saw very
few members playing anywhere.
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Brian,
thanks for posting those pictures. When we were driving to Southerndown, we missed the entrance because
we all thought the course would be where the water is. Looks like a fantastic piece of land for another course.
I don't know much about the politics there, but the land on the course is common ground, thus all the sheep
grazing everywhere . I don't know if the area can support more golf courses. I had a fantastic five days there
earlier this summer and played Tenby, Ashburnham, Pennard, 36 at Porthcawl, and Southerndown... saw very
few members playing anywhere.
Wayne what did you make of Ashburnham, it always seems to get skipped and never mentioned on here?
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Another pic from the area around Southerndown.
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/southerndown/P1000628.jpg) (http://s152.photobucket.com/user/jmayhugh/media/southerndown/P1000628.jpg.html)
And cropped a bit.
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/southerndown/c712d173-fdb5-4edd-a6a6-c9a3dd9ddd9a_zpsd165d992.jpg) (http://s152.photobucket.com/user/jmayhugh/media/southerndown/c712d173-fdb5-4edd-a6a6-c9a3dd9ddd9a_zpsd165d992.jpg.html)
The land does look great. But I would be plenty happy just to have Southerndown in my neighborhood.
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47489.0.html
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
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THE MUMBLES near Swansea
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in Nottage, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in No trace, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
The 'Rose & Crown' is in the village of Nottage, about 2 miles from Porthcawl. Nice place.
atb
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in No trace, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
The 'Rose & Crown' is in the village of Nottage, about 2 miles from Porthcawl. Nice place.
atb
auto correct grrrrrr
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in Nottage, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
I spose the same could be said of the distance from Nottage to Pennard ;D
If you want a wee village hard on the beach, try Port Eynon in the Gower...if you are out of season. Its out of the way, but I notice you keep mentioning the beach....which you won't get at Nottage. Culver House has renovated the place into rental apartments and its about a 1 mnute walk to the beach. Not much else in the village except a pub and fish n' chips - very laid back and perfect for a group of guys if they don't care about making some lame scene in a dodgy town pub.
Ciao
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in Nottage, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
I spose the same could be said of the distance from Nottage to Pennard ;D
If you want a wee village hard on the beach, try Port Eynon in the Gower...if you are out of season. Its out of the way, but I notice you keep mentioning the beach....which you won't get at Nottage. Culver House has renovated the place into rental apartments and its about a 1 mnute walk to the beach. Not much else in the village except a pub and fish n' chips - very laid back and perfect for a group of guys if they don't care about making some lame scene in a dodgy town pub.
Ciao
Definitely true Sean.
The Mumbles or Gower are beautiful.
Additionally I'd take 2 rounds at Pennard over 1 at Pennard and one at Southerndown (maybe the scars are too fresh ::) ;))
If you have the urge for similar hillside downland golf, there's always Clyne right there near Pennard.
Nottage or Porthcawl as a base only work if your trip involves Royal Porthcawl, Southerndown, or Pyle and Kenfig (which absolutely dodn't bowl me over)
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Tony- I used Swansea as my base (we stayed at the Marriott), and had read about Ashburnham.. also it was relatively close to all the
others and I had an extra day to play anyway. It is a very nice, unassuming club. Got hooked up with a couple of members who were
very helpful. Starts with a sturdy par 3 and has a lot of quirk along the way. Really enjoyed the layout and the wonderful elevated
green on the finishing hole. It's not as good as the others I played, but definitely worth a visit if you have time.
p.s. right next to the hotel in Swansea was a large condo complex with the Grape and the Olive restaurant on about the 20th
floor.. Has an incredible view of the water. Excellent food and a beautiful bar area. Highly recommended and not too expensive. Mumbles is a cool town to visit nearby and would recommend The Mermaid restaurant.. solid and reasonably priced. Awesome view at
Castellamare at the very end of the town with good Italian food.
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in Nottage, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
I spose the same could be said of the distance from Nottage to Pennard ;D
If you want a wee village hard on the beach, try Port Eynon in the Gower...if you are out of season. Its out of the way, but I notice you keep mentioning the beach....which you won't get at Nottage. Culver House has renovated the place into rental apartments and its about a 1 mnute walk to the beach. Not much else in the village except a pub and fish n' chips - very laid back and perfect for a group of guys if they don't care about making some lame scene in a dodgy town pub.
Ciao
This sounds good, Sean...
Yes - the beach adds a little je ne sais quoi for my group... Given that it's only one round per day, some beach cricket is usually the order of the day one morning and a decent pub and fish and chips as the sun sets is another nice add...
We do year about Scotland / away and after giving them heathland trips in 2009 (Surrey), 2011 (Leeds) and 2013 (Sussex) I need to get some seaside golf back on the agenda next year... The Scottish trips have been easy with the even years since 2006 being St.Andrews, North Berwick, Dornoch, Machrihanish and Nairn...
Actually I thought I had Le Strange Arms / Hunstanton / Brancaster sorted out but one element fell through for the weekend we wanted...
Anyway - apologies for derailing... Back to this spectacular piece of land... There's an even more spectacular piece further west on the Gower Peninsula at Oxwich
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Ally
Just so its clear, Port Eynon is out of the way and better suited for Pennard, Clyne & Tenby. Although, if you are flying from Dublin to Cardiff then picking up S'down to/from the airport is easy.
Ciao
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What's the nicest seaside village / hotel to stay in the area?... Within short striking distance of Pennard and Southerndown... Think I need to make a trip back because I've only seen Porthcawl and I feel left out when Sean et al go on a Pennard diatribe...
The Mumbles is nice, but nowhere near Southerndown(50 minutes)
I stayed in the Rose and Crown in Nottage, just outside Porthcawl.
nice pub and restaurant and great value.
Room 11 is the best.
I spose the same could be said of the distance from Nottage to Pennard ;D
If you want a wee village hard on the beach, try Port Eynon in the Gower...if you are out of season. Its out of the way, but I notice you keep mentioning the beach....which you won't get at Nottage. Culver House has renovated the place into rental apartments and its about a 1 mnute walk to the beach. Not much else in the village except a pub and fish n' chips - very laid back and perfect for a group of guys if they don't care about making some lame scene in a dodgy town pub.
Ciao
This sounds good, Sean...
Yes - the beach adds a little je ne sais quoi for my group... Given that it's only one round per day, some beach cricket is usually the order of the day one morning and a decent pub and fish and chips as the sun sets is another nice add...
We do year about Scotland / away and after giving them heathland trips in 2009 (Surrey), 2011 (Leeds) and 2013 (Sussex) I need to get some seaside golf back on the agenda next year... The Scottish trips have been easy with the even years since 2006 being St.Andrews, North Berwick, Dornoch, Machrihanish and Nairn...
Actually I thought I had Le Strange Arms / Hunstanton / Brancaster sorted out but one element fell through for the weekend we wanted...
Anyway - apologies for derailing... Back to this spectacular piece of land... There's an even more spectacular piece further west on the Gower Peninsula at Oxwich
It's a small point but Southerndown is not seaside or linksy. Played reasonably F&F when we were there. Pennard has wonderful views but never gets closer to the sea than 150' in the air, but IMO fully justifies the description of "links in the sky".
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....Ashburnham, it always seems to get skipped and never mentioned on here?
prompted me to search engine for this photo tour of Ashburnham - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,34952.0.html - very nice.
I also found this interesting old thread about golf in Wales - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,32343.0.html
atb
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Played at Southerndown and Pennard last week and many times before. A few years ago people were mentioming Donald Steele and this piece of land.
Its a great area for golf and as mentioned by Sean, Clyne is worth a look.
Never played the course you drive past when you come off the motorway at Swansea. Is it Swansea Bay Golf Club? Looks like there are some nice holes.
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Never played the course you drive past when you come off the motorway at Swansea. Is it Swansea Bay Golf Club? Looks like there are some nice holes.
I understand that Swansea Bay GC is the original/first golf course in the Swansea area. Late 1800's I believe. Built on low lying linksland-come-estuary area close to where the River Neath joins the sea. Numerous industrial development, some now gone, progressed east of Swansea Docks in the 19thC and around Briton Ferry/Baglan etc too plus later the (now gone) oil refinery at Llandarcy. Now there's the motorway bridges and the dual-carriageway that splits the course in two. Must have been a nice spot once-upon-a-time, but now it kind of reminds me of the opening credits to the Soprano's where Tony's driving his car along the freeway with heavy industrialisation in the background. See http://www.swanseabaygolfclub.co.uk/ - for more about SBGC.
Not far away, inland, is Neath GC, a 1930's James Braid course, hilltop in style I believe, that I've not played but have heard good reports about.
Anyone played Neath? See http://www.neathgolfclub.co.uk/ for more.
There's also a yee olde 1906 hilltop course close to the Heads of the Valleys Road at Brynmawr/Nantyglo called West Monmouthshire GC which is supposed to be the highest altitude golf club in Wales, at over 1,500ft above sea level (how high is Kington BTW and are the measurements from consistent reference points like the Clubhouse or from the course highest point on the course? Who knows, who really cares!). I've not played WMGC myself, would like to I think, but am told it's extremely quirky. See - http://www.westmongolfclub.co.uk/ - for more. Anyone played it?
atb