Aberdovey Golf Club: Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key Info

Looking down over the second green and out over the dunes at Aberdovey

(Image credit: Visit Wales)

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By Rob Smith

published 29 March 2023

Aberdovey Golf Club Key Information

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Header Cell - Column 0	Header Cell - Column 1
Address	Aberdovey, Gwynedd, LL35 0RT
Phone	0044 (0)1654 767 493
Website	aberdoveygolf.co.uk
Email	sec@aberdoveygolf.co.uk
GFs	£90-£100 peak season, £50-£60 in winter
Visitor Times	Welcome any day, contact club in advance
Par	Men 72, Women 74
Slope	White/M 125, Red/W 135
Opened	1892
Architect	James Braid

Golf Monthly Verdict

Golf Monthly Verdict

Aberdovey is a quite delightful links that nestles between the beach and the railway and is full of charm. It is also the kind of course that grows on you with every visit. Despite the relatively narrow footprint, there is a great feeling of space and peace. Combined with the Dormy accommodation, it makes for a wonderful golfing and holiday location.

Reasons To Play Aberdovey

– A championship-level links that is still very playable

– The wonderful par-3 twelfth with its elevated green

– One of the best-value green fees in the Top 100

Rankings

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2023/24 - 87

Aberdovey Golf Club was founded in 1892 and is undoubtedly one of the best golf courses in Wales. The game has been played on this beautifully-positioned links that fits perfectly between beach and railway for more than 130 years. The course itself has benefited at various times from the input of some of the game's greatest architects including Herbert Fowler, James Braid and Harry Colt. All three have had a say in a great many of the Top 100 and indeed Next 100 courses in the UK&I.

The clubhouse was rebuilt just before the millennium, and is now home to a dormy house that makes it a wonderful place to stay and play. It is situated just on the northern side of the River Dovey as it emerges into the sea, and the course itself has a very traditional out and back routing that runs in a figure-of-eight.

Over the last few years, the club has greatly enhanced the look and feel of all the bunkering, and improvements to the drainage means that it’s very playable all year round. The par 3s are a strong feature, with the first one - the 3rd - actually something of a blind hole which has a hidden dip before the intended target, a punchbowl green. The 5th is then played diagonally across the valley towards a quite lovely backdrop of hillside, an impressive house and to the left a beautifully-sited burial ground.

The 9th is at the very far end of the course, but it is the final short hole, the 12th, that is the star of the show and is very recognisable. You play from down low up into the dunes and over a sandscraped slope to the plateau green. This is situated high above the beach, a setting that makes for excellent views, and would be a strong entry in any book of classic par 3s.

You then hug the dunes as you head for home before crossing back to the railway side for the final stretch. The short, risk-reward par-4 16th is another real star hugging the tracks which is great fun. Two very strong par 4s finally take you back to the modern clubhouse with its hearty food and excellent local ales.

Aberdovey - Hole 12 — A view from the green at the superb par-3 twelfth

What The Top 100 Panel Said

John Drake

A friendly welcome to a course which can be a tough challenge. The course sits proud between the large Cambrian hills on one side with deep sand dunes on the other and offers great views from start to finish of the attractive countryside. Aberdovey would be more visually stunning if a little more coastline was on view and would rival the stellar Irish and Scottish classic links.

Tim Gorman

A classic links course with dormy accommodation making it a perfect base for touring golfers. A very pleasant links which looked stunning at 8am on a sunny morning. There is a caravan park immediately to the south which does detract from the setting as one heads to the 1st tee. Sand dunes on the coastal side of the course almost entirely hide any views of the sea apart from on the 12th green.

Aberdovey Golf Club Location

Aberdovey Golf Club Green Fees

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Before 3pm	Sun-Fri	£90
Before 3pm	Sat	£100
After 3pm	Sun-Fri	£65
After 3pm	Sat	£75
Full Day	Sun-Fri	£120
Full Day	Sat	£130
Junior	At all times	£45

Aberdovey Scorecard

Best Courses Near To Aberdovey

Places To Stay Near Aberdovey

Aberdovey Golf Club - Book now via the golf club

Where better to stay than right on site in the club's own dormy house?!

The Glengower - Book now via Booking.com

Situated right by the beach on Aberystwyth’s Victorian promenade, The Glengower offers wholesome pub food, a tasty cooked breakfast and sea views.

Plas Nanteos Mansion - Book now via Booking.com

This Grade 1 Georgian Mansion operates on a B&B basis and is set within 35 acres of grounds, offering 22 luxury ensuite bedrooms and a 4 bedroomed self catering Mews House.

Aberdovey Golf Course Gallery

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Aberdovey - Hole 2 — The approach to the par-4 second hole(Image credit: Visit Wales)

Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

2023/24 87
2021/22 78
2019/20 72
2017/18 68
2015/16 65
2013/14 58
2011/12 67
2009/10 61

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aberdovey the best course in Wales?

Not quite, though there are some golfers who enjoy it more than any other. Down on the south coast, Royal Porthcawl is our highest-rated in the country, which few dispute, while just an hour or so up the coast, Royal St David’s is a strong championship links that is currently rated above Aberdovey.

If I stay at Aberdovey, which less well-known courses should I play in the area?

If you can tear yourself away from Aberdovey itself, then the elevated course at Aberystwyth Golf Club is always great fun and has some lovely views, while the very natural 9-holer at Machynlleth is actually a Harry Colt design.

Which is the best hole at Aberdovey?

The par-3 12th, at the far end of the course, is a fabulous short hole that is full of character. A few years ago, coastal erosion led to a rebuild, and it is now better than ever. The view from the raised green is superb, and it's one of those holes that just on its own seems to justify the green fee!

Rob Smith has been playing golf for over 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played well over 1,200 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2021, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 81, 32 of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all, as well as the Next 100 where his count is now on 96. He has been a member of Tandridge for 30 years where his handicap hovers around 15. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.