Celtic Manor (Twenty Ten)
It is famed for its Twenty Ten course which recently staged the Ryder Cup, however, there are two other courses at this 5-star resort in South Wales.
Neither of these courses should be dismissed when booking a visit at this popular destination though.
I completed the playing of all three courses at the Celtic Manor Resort with an enjoyable round over the Twenty Ten course in October 2014.
Having seen the course, which opened in 2007, on television a number of times it pretty much delivered exactly what I was expecting. It’s a course set up for modern day championship golf with large bunkers and lots of water being the main obstacles to avoid. Some years ago it would have been called an ‘American’ style design but we now have a number of these types of courses in the UK.
Playing some of the holes, especially over the closing stretch on the higher part of the course, brought back memories of the 2010 Ryder Cup and it was amazing to be able to play the same holes as the super stars of both the USA and European teams. On arrival you are also allocated a locker in the clubhouse which was used by one of the players, mine was that of 2009 Open Champion Stewart Cink. A nice touch.
As you would expect the course is a stern test of golf and, although not my type of course personally, you must certainly have a wide array of shots in your arsenal to score well. The water comes into play on a number of occasions with the approach at the fifth and the drive along the lake at the sixth the two most memorable moments on the front nine. The shot into the 18th green, over a large pond and in the shadow of the clubhouse, is also a great one to finish your round in style.
There are a number of solid holes on the course, virtually everyone, although I couldn’t quite figure out the driveable 15th with its two-route option from the tee…. Despite driving the green!
Everything was in excellent condition out on the course; from the tees to the fairways to the greens and especially the aprons. The welcome and service, from arrival to departure, was outstanding…. as you would expect from a five-star resort!
Read the review of Celtic Manor (Roman Road) here.
