Affordable Golf Breaks - Clyne

WHS Scores

SOW: 24.7

EOW: 23.8

It’s been a while, but I would be remiss not to post a blog about a recent golf trip I made to Wales!

Welcome to 54 to Scratch, the golf blog documenting my journey from beginner golfer to something representing (hopefully) an actual golfer.

When picking a golf trip, obviously there are a few things to consider like bucket list, location, weather, quality of course etc. But something that is becoming more important now is cost.

The problem with a lot of golf courses around the country, especially those that would appear on most bucket lists, is that they are often high priced and not always that accessible to the beginner (some, not all, will have handicap limits).

So often, a lot of people will decide to go abroad where it’s cheaper accommodation, green fees and (for some) beer prices.

We (myself, my step-dad and brother in law) decided that we would try to find somewhere in the UK to go that wouldn’t break the bank but that would hopefully find some gold.

And boy did we find this in Wales. Both myself and my step dad had seen courses being played on Youtube and Instagram in South Wales and was impressed with what we had seen, but expected to be paying similar prices to what we see in the South East of England.

We saw a number of courses in the Swansea area and decided that this would be a good bet weather wise, so my step dad got to arranging. Boy did he luck out.

First off, he found out that Clyne Golf Club have a 4 Star Bed and Breakfast at the club next door to the clubhouse. They offer this for people playing the course at a very reasonable rate. We told the manager there that we were wanting to play a few courses in the area and he started to contact courses on our behalf, arranging everything.

Unfortunately, a couple of courses we wanted to play were not available for the dates we wanted, so we opted to play Clyne on arrival, Pyle and Kenfig on the second day and Clyne the third day before going home.

Once booked, we weren’t required to pay a deposit - the price per person was £270 for 3 rounds of golf and Bed and Breakfast for 2 nights. To be honest, it almost seemed too good to be true and I think we were all a little apprehensive that we might turn up and be told that there was an error or something.

So onto the trip itself. On arrival, Clyne doesn’t look like much. The course runs parallel to a housing estate that you drive through to get there, and the car park has seen better days. But then you get out the car and go into the club house.

The clubhouse bar is upstairs, taking you past their wall of celebrities to have played the course. The bar/restaurant area has a classic feel to the decor, but in a charming way rather than dated. I thought the Cwtch corner was a nice touch and sitting watching people finishing both the front and back 9 from the balcony was lovely.

The breakfast there was sublime. They offer standard breakfasts, as well as some more traditional fare - Welsh breakfast including a bucket (?!) of cockles… The other thing that was really nice was that the chef came out and chatted to us in between serving on each morning, so the service just as a B+B couldn’t be faulted. The rooms were small but perfectly comfortable, everything you need for somewhere to sleep before a round of golf.

So, as mentioned, we played Clyne, then Pyle and Kenfig and then Clyne again. The weather was SCORCHIO! Especially on the second day.

Clyne golf course is a great find. They have at least one influencer that I follow based there (@bethsgolf - check her out if you don’t already), so I had seen snippets of the course, but it truly is a beautiful place.

The course itself is an interesting one. A Slope of 120 (off yellows) and course rating of 70 (which is incidentally Par too), it’s been built onto public land, with the golf course only actually owning the greens and tee boxes on the course itself. This means that there are plenty of moving hazards as you make your way around the course, from people enjoying a nice walk on their own or with Dogs to Wild Horses! Yes. And yes, the thought did go through each of our minds at least once that “I almost don’t care where this ball goes, I just don’t want to kill an animal”.

The first hole is an interesting one, a Par 4 going up hill so you can’t see your ball so a little hit and hope. (Hope being that you don’t go into the gorse/ferns that line the course).

Second is another Par 4 that doglegs left but has a nice wide fairway. The par 5 third is the first moment where you get to get a sense of the scenery around you. The elevated tee overlooks quite a steep drop which is on one of the highest points for what seems like miles all around.

A short par 3 follows, with lots of ferns to catch your ball in between the tee and the hole. Then an intriguing par 4 that dog legs right at a right angle, but with a road running right through the middle of it!

This hole played perfectly to my “strength” of being able to slice a golf ball with my driver…

Anyway, after a decent approach, I was actually doing well, being 3 over actual par after the first 5 holes.

Then the next hole happened. I had the honour, stepped up and topped a driver left into a gorse bush. Stepping away, my Step Dad proceeded to do exactly the same thing. Then my brother in law did too! I have truly never seen anything like that happen before, certainly not “live”.

This hole continued to beat me up, eventually culminating in a 10 thanks to 2 lost balls.

The next couple of holes went by and then you get your first drop down to the clubhouse, with a blind tee shot downhill overlooking Swansea Bay. It truly is a beautiful site and a lovely hole to play.

The back 9 starts in front of the club house with a Par 4 that goes alongside the driving range that they have. The 12th par 3 is a lovely little hole, well protected by bunkers at the front.

You then come to a series of sweeping holes that first go downhill with banks left, to then back up hill with the bank to your right. Really fun to play, and more brilliant views.

The final par 3 (the 17th) is another tricky one over ALOT of “dead” ground filled with gorse bushes before the 18th which is another downhill tee shot, although this time you can at least see what you are doing.

Overall, to walk the course was 6.89 miles, so a fair trek, especially with it being a hilly course. I got a 95, which got adjusted to a 93 on WHS, so was very happy. Day 1 done and already exceeding expectations.

Please come back tomorrow for Day 2 and 3!

Gear Check

Driver - Callaway Rogue ST

Irons - Taylormade Stealth

Wedges - Taylormade Hi-Toe 52, 56, 60

Putter - Scotty Cameron Squareback

Shoes - Adidas Tour 360 22

Trolley - CRUISER GOLF CR-Micro