Best golf courses in Cardiff

With more than 50 golf courses located in and around Cardiff, it is fair to say that the Welsh capital has a thriving golf community with plenty to offer golf holidaymakers. Whether you enjoy the comforts of a stay & play resort or something in the city centre, these layouts are all situated within easy driving distance.

Boasting a great mix of parkland and links courses, from Ryder Cup venues to Senior Open Championship hosts, we review the very best golf courses in Cardiff, perfect for your next golf trip.

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is the flagship course in Wales and the spectacular setting is evident from the moment you step on the first tee. Ranked as the no.1 golf course in Wales, this outstanding links layout can rival any throughout the world and famous golfers are nothing but complimentary about the course and the test involved.

Situated along the Glamorgan coast, the course offers panoramic views from each hole, providing memorable sights south to Somerset and Exmoor, as well as northwest across Swansea Bay to the Gower Peninsula.

The open layout means that the golf course is left exposed to the strong prevailing winds, and with a hole facing in every direction, all clubs in the bag are likely to be needed. It’s a great test of golf and it’s potentially THE best course to have never hosted an Open Championship.

There are so many things to love about Southerndown that it's hard to start with just one. Located 70 metres above sea level, Southerndown offers superb views and a unique natural links layout. There are no trees or artificial water hazards, just bracken, gorse and bunkers waiting to trap wayward drives.

It’s renowned for the first hole being famously referred to as ‘one of the most difficult opening holes in golf and an unmissable experience’, with the rest providing a good test but more importantly a fun and enjoyable round of golf. Just watch out for the sheep!

No trip to South Wales would be complete without a game at Southerndown – it's an exciting experience with a warm and inviting clubhouse, which completes the perfect day.

The stage for an unforgettable Ryder Cup in 2010, the Twenty Ten Course was the first course to be built specifically for golf’s greatest team tournament. Since then, Celtic Manor has continued to welcome the world’s best on the European Tour for the Cazoo Open, a testament to its challenging and pristine design.

With water hazards on half of its holes, this par-71 course is a memorable test with plenty of risk-and-reward opportunities. It’s perfect for a golf break with your group, particularly if you want to play in a team format and recreate your favourite shots from the Ryder Cup.

The locker room is well worth spending time in, with the players’ names still on the lockers they used during the tournament. Lace up your shoes at the same place Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods did, then take on the same challenges out on the course.

No visit to Cardiff is complete without a round at Pyle & Kenfig. Despite being located next to Royal Porthcawl, this course should not be overlooked by its famous neighbour. Offering breathtaking views, this unique links course undulates through natural valleys and towering dunes presenting an outstanding links challenge and is appropriately placed as one of the top 10 courses in Wales.

Unusually for a links course, Pyle and Kenfig are laid out in two loops of nine. The original front nine, designed by the renowned Harry Colt, takes you slightly further inland and it is here where you want to make your score. The back nine, in contrast, takes you out into the dunes and is a very stiff test for any golfer, especially when the wind is up.

Located in the suburb of Cyncoed, 15 minutes north of the city centre, Cardiff Golf Club is one of the finest parkland golf courses in South Wales. Formerly voted as one of the Top 20 golf courses in Wales by Top 100 magazine, it is host to many national and county championships because of its magnificent course and clubhouse facilities.

The course is beautifully maintained, with undulating tree-lined fairways, a great mixture of short and long par fours, and a meandering stream coming into play on some of the holes. It is a fantastic addition to any Wales golf tour!

Just across the Severn Bridge sits St Pierre, an excellent four-star resort set in 400 acres of rolling South Wales countryside. At the heart of our club is the challenging but rewarding Old Course; acclaimed as one of the finest inland courses in Wales.

The Old course will test the most accomplished golfer with its varied shape and contoured greens, challenging bunkers, and water hazards. Without a doubt, the most famous and dramatic hole on the Old course is the 18th – a 230-yard par three over water. The course has played host to several high-profile tournaments including 12 European tour events and the 1996 Solheim Cup. Boasting 6 Ryder Cup Captains as past champions.

For the full St Pierre experience, we’d highly recommend a stay & play package to take advantage of all 36-holes and the exceptional facilities off the course.

The Wales National at The Vale Resort is one of the longest courses outside of the USA, measuring at a massive 7,433 yards off the Championship tees. Opened in June 2003 by Great Britain Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, the Wales National Course has already played host to several European Challenge Tour and Senior Tour events, as well as the PGA Europro Tour.

Set within some beautiful Welsh countryside, the course contains a mix of wooded areas, wide and narrow fairways, along with some enormous water features and bunker complexes, with all putting surfaces constructed to USGA standard. It is one of our favourite courses at one of the best golf resorts in Wales!