Pennard

Pennard is a magnificent links course situated 8 miles west of Swansea, with spectacular views over Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula, designated the UK’s first area of outstanding natural beauty.

Golf has been played at Pennard since 1896, although the course owes most of its appeal today first to James Braid and then to C.K. Cotton. The holes are routed over classically undulating and tumbling linksland, full of hummocks, hillocks and hollows with dunes large and small and carefully placed revetted bunkers, exactly what we might hope to find beside the shore, yet this exceptional terrain is not beside the shore – it is 200 feet above sea level. No wonder Pennard is known as “the links in the sky”.

The fairways and greens are surrounded by gorse and heather with a fabulous layout measuring 6267 yards par 71; 6800 yards off new championship tees.  With 5 Par 3s all playing in different directions, Pennard is unique and interesting to play.  It is hard to pick a signature hole, but Mark Rolfing, NBC Broadcaster, played Pennard before the Ryder Cup in 2010 and declared the 351 yards par 4 7th hole as magificent, playing out to sea from a high noble tee, the line of flight is between the ruins of a 13th century church and the remains of a castle situated high on the cliff.