There is not a weak or a prosaic hole on this short gorse and heather framed, 6,225 yard, par 71 track. Awkward lies and stances are a matter of course and the rugged terrain becomes even more dramatic on the back nine.
Beware also, the forty bunkers, which although not exceptionally large, are very well placed and sometimes lethal! Pennard's most remarkable hole may be the 351 yard 7th, which heads out to sea from a high, noble tee. The line of flight between the sparse ruins of a 13th century church and more imposing remnants of Pennard Castle, which dates from the 1100's, presents one unforgettable experience.
The rough on both sides of the fairway is almost inhumane and the green, hidden above in a cluster of sandhills, slopes sharply away from the pitch. Pennard is surely among the top twenty greatest courses in the world with a course that emphasizes shot values and the strategic considerations required supply golfing excitement of the highest order.
Course Reviews
On www.top100golfcourses.co.uk, Pennard Golf Club has been voted in the top 100 courses in the British Isles for the past 3 years and is currently rated as the fourth best course in Wales.
World famous golf course architect Tom Doak once visited Pennard and commented "Pennard is one of my all time favourites - the site is one of the most spectacular I've ever seen."
Here are just some of the comments about the course:
"Pennard Golf Club is located amongst one of the most dramatic landscapes in Britain. Its cliff-top site provides an ideal vantage point - from the heights, the views across to the beautiful sandy beaches of Three Cliff and Oxwich Bays are simply arresting."
"Pennard is a delightful old-fashioned affair and without doubt, this is one of the very best links courses in the British Isles. No trip to South Wales would be complete without tasting the sheer delight of Pennard"
"This without doubt is one of the best Links golf courses in the UK. Some of the views are simply breathtaking. With the wind blowing this course can provide a very stern test for even the most accomplished golfer. The sixth, seventh and the sixteenth are some of the most spectacular holes I have ever played."
Planet golf, the authoritative reference to the great golf courses in the world have included Pennard golf links on the Gower peninsular. Renowned designers such as Jack Nicklaus, Greg Normal, Pete Dye, Gary Player, Tom Doak and Robert Trent Jones amongst others travelled quarter of a million miles and visited over 40 countries and surveyed in excess of 600 courses in order to find the best courses in the world. The final 130 feature in the new edition of Planet Golf which includes Pennard and describes it as one of the most interesting and natural courses in the British Isles.
Also in the ratings and rankings Pennard featured in no less than 6 categories:
(1) In the top 100 courses world wide
(2) The best par 4 hole (7th)
(3) Best closing stretch (16th to 18th)
(4) The most spectacular par 5 (16th)
(5) Killer greens (7th)
(6) Best views