Neath Golf Club Course Review

Neath Golf Club Course Review

GF Round: £28-£39wd, £33-£44we
Par 72, 6,490 yards
Slope 113
GM Verdict – A lovely James Braid hilltop layout where the views from many of the 13 holes that play over the higher ground are breath-taking.
Favourite Hole – The mid-length par-4 15th – The Pulpit – where you can send one into the stratosphere as you descend back to the lower level in one fell swoop. 

If courses with panoramic views are your thing, some of the hilltop layouts above the Welsh valleys are among the best in the UK when you’re craving that away-from-it-all feeling this form of the game delivers better than any other. James Braid’s 1934 heathland/moorland creation at Neath is a prime example, boasting excellent far-reaching views from a layout that climbs early on – particularly on the blind uphill par-3 2nd - to reveal a golfing canvas of trees, heather, gorse, drystone walls and undulating greens, which will prove singularly perplexing should you stray above the hole.

Braid must have had a bit of twinkle in his eye when he designed some of them, although green speeds at the time wouldn’t have been quite what they are today. Indeed, the club has been keen to maximise its Braid heritage in recent times, with an old abandoned Braid back tee on the 3rd hole rediscovered and re-introduced a decade or so ago for occasional use in competitions.

Once you’re up on top, the panorama is simply magnificent, especially from the 10th and 11th holes as you gaze down on the hustle and bustle far away on the valley floor below. It’s truly mesmerising. What goes up must come down, of course, and at Neath it all happens in one fell swoop via the mid-length par-4 15th – The Pulpit. This is the hole you will remember most as it plunges dramatically back down 80ft or so to the lower level via more tee-shot hang time than you can possibly imagine!

Although the opening couple of holes will get the legs and circulation going, the visual panoramic feast you get to devour from the top is ample reward for your efforts! Indeed, Braid is not the only Open winner to have fallen for Neath’s visual allure, with three-time Champion Golfer, Henry Cotton also eulogising about its beauty. There is also great variety to accompany that beauty, with four par 3s and four par 5s, two of which bookend the course.