2010 Course @ Celtic Manor

rickg said:
Playing here tomorrow.....heard there's a lot of water... :eek:

anyone played it got any tips?
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Lol there certainly was plenty water during the Ryder Cup......best advise avoid it & don't wear stars & stripes and you should play well.....enjoy Rick, try to beat Deano.;0)
 
I played it a few weeks ago. A great experience, you get greeted by the concierge on arrival who will take your clubs and then ferry them down to the starters hut by the first tee for you. You'll get shown into the locker room and shown your locker. The one I was given had a plaque with Zach Johnson's name on it.
About half an hour before you tee off you'll be driven down to the range where you get complimentary balls to warm up.

The 3rd is the first of the holes where water comes into play, then the 5th, 6th. The 9th has the river Usk running alongside it, it's better to go down the right hand side here and flirt with the bunkers than pull one left towards the river. Be aware though, there is a pond on the right hand side of the fairway just over the cart path which could come into play if you are a bit too cautious.

The 11th is a par 5 with water all along the left hand side, the 12th is a long par 4 where you have to carry the water with your tee shot and your second. 13th is a par 3 where the carry is all over water.

The 14th has two lots of water and you have to decide to either carry the water with your tee shot and leave an easier second to the green, or play shorter off the tee and then have a more difficult second over water, be sure to know how far you carry your driver if you go over the water for your tee shot.
The 15th is the reachable par 4 through the trees and you just have to go for it. 16th is ridiculously long and usually plays into the prevailing wind.

The 18th is a 3 shot hole, if the pin is on the front then be aware, the bank in front of the green is pretty steep and the water is a magnet for golf balls.


The course was wet when I played and we lost a couple of balls because they just disappeared in the mud in some of the run off areas plus there wasn't a lot of run on the fairways. We've had a few dry days here recently so it should've dried out since I was there at the end of December. When you finish the staff take your clubs off you and clean them up before returning them to you at the front of the clubhouse. Price of a pint is over £4, but I think the clubhouse has great views over the course and up the Usk valley.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and the highlight of the day was hitting the 15th green in one. I just missed the eagle putt but made birdie instead. The weather forecast looks pretty decent for tomorrow so you should have a good day.
 
The someone with a low opinion of the course was me. I think it is average at best. A couple of good holes and a lot that are very forgettable. It is a bit like The Belfry or The Oxfordshire. Not as good as the Grove but a similar-ish track. Not my cup of tea at all.

That said, on the plus side, the club house and service are both absolutely superb.

If I was offering tips on how to play the course then I would give the following two suggestions:

First, you have to hit in over a fair bit of water on several holes. Measure the yardage then take one more club in all of these cases.

Second tip, be careful where you get your driver out. Off the standard tees I don't think it is necessary to use it and I got in plenty of trouble by hitting mine past the fairway and into major grief. If I was caddying for you, I would suggest that the driver stays in the bag on any hole under 400 yards.

Hope you get good weather and that you enjoy the experience.

See you soon for a game perhaps Rick?

Best regards,


Snelly.
 
Snelly said:
I think it is average at best. [/QUOTE)

I know we all have opinions, but average at best?!

Even if you don't like that type of course, is the setting, service and condition of course not enough to say it slightly better than average? Perhaps the fact that they did play the Ryder cup there and it did produce a pretty exciting weekend of golf is enough to class it above average?
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Swingalot said:
Snelly said:
I think it is average at best. [/QUOTE)

I know we all have opinions, but average at best?!

Even if you don't like that type of course, is the setting, service and condition of course not enough to say it slightly better than average? Perhaps the fact that they did play the Ryder cup there and it did produce a pretty exciting weekend of golf is enough to class it above average?
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I said the club and service were 5 star and the course was average. I absolutely stand by that. The setting? It is basically a converted farm. The condition? When I played it, pretty poor to be honest.

In fact, on the day I played there, it was in a fixture for a society that I am a member of. We play a lot of extremely nice courses so are spoilt as golfers that is true but even in this context, my opinion on the course was mirrored by the majority of us that played that day and we had about 70 players.


I think the Belfry is very average but some people think it is brilliant. Celtic Manor 2010 is similarly devisive.

It wouldn't do if we all thought the same would it?
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Cheers for the reviews and tips guys!! Stevie, very detailed synopsis, should come in really handy....I'm going there with an open mind as I have no idea what to expect.


Snelly, probably catch up with you at St Georges Hill for the 1st AGS meet.


Sounds like I could be in for a treat and a challenging game of golf. Now I need to get to bed as I'm up at 5 a.m..........:mad:
 
Snelly said:
Swingalot said:
I said the club and service were 5 star and the course was average. I absolutely stand by that. The setting? It is basically a converted farm. The condition? When I played it, pretty poor to be honest.

In fact, on the day I played there, it was in a fixture for a society that I am a member of. We play a lot of extremely nice courses so are spoilt as golfers that is true but even in this context, my opinion on the course was mirrored by the majority of us that played that day and we had about 70 players.


I think the Belfry is very average but some people think it is brilliant. Celtic Manor 2010 is similarly devisive.

It wouldn't do if we all thought the same would it?
Click to expand...

Surprised you found the condition of the course not up to scratch. I played there last Winter and not long after the Ryder cup and expected it to be rather muddy with a few footprints on the 17th green, but it was in top top nick when I was there. Maybe it has gone down a bit since then, I'm sure it is getting well used.

Agree with your comments in regards the Belfry not being as good as some people say, but again I would still probably rate it above average. Anyway, as you say we all have opinions and it would be pretty boring if we all agreed on everything.
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I too was dissapointed. Played it in sunshine in March last year. The greens were poor and it took 5 hours with hardly any hold ups. Even though it is long my tip would be do not be tempted by a buggy. You have to stay on the tarmac paths which in some cases can be 80 yds from where your ball is, even when in the fairway!
 
Sat in the bar having a well earned pint with Fish & Chips & mushy peas!!! luverly......you can take the boy out of Huddersfield...........

Well it was a bit wet and if you strayed off the fairway it was very wet....but on the whole I really enjoyed it. I can see why some love it and why some feel underwhelmed a little..........personally, i thought it was well above average.......the views are stunning, there is plenty of elevation change, the greens had lots of subtle undulations and borrows with lots of run off areas to catch the short or long ball into the green.

The risk and reward holes I felt were superb and you could tell this course was specifically designed with Matchplay in mind.....

Driving off the tee had to be well planned and as Snelly alluded to earlier, even though its a long course, its definitely not a just grab for the driver type of course and you have to plot your way around.

Service and reception were outstanding and all the staff there are so friendly, from taking your clubs and parking the car, to driving you to the first tee and then taking your clubs and cleaning them afterwards ....these are the sort of little touches that really make a difference....I really liked having my name on my own locker......shared with Padraig Harrington of all people!!:thup:

The course was pretty much empty, which was just as well as the M4 was closed at Junc 18 due to a lorry going down the embankment and I was late......luckily my mate swapped our group to a later time.....just wish I'd had chance to take advantage of the courtesy driving range facilities, but nope.....it was run to the changing room, run to the courtesy bus, run to the 1st tee and then whack a driver down the middle of the fairway......6 iron to 8 foot, roll in the birdie putt and 1 up..........warming up is so overrated.....:o

Anyway...had chance to settle down after that and formally meet the other players....I was playing with Dean who is an infrequent poster on here (some of you will know him from the HFH day), and his 2 mates...they are all firemen...Deano was on a trainiing course in Wales and he managed to get two of his colleagues to play with us.

I paired up with Richie who plays off 12 and Deano a 5 h/c paired up with Stevie who was off 17....

Me and Richie won the next hole before we were pegged back to all square.....it was all square after 9, and stayed that way all the way to the end with never more than 1 hole in it after the 1st 2 holes and we were never behind........it was a really competitive but friendly match.......

Form was varied with Richie coming in with 12/7 = 19, Deano had 13/12 =25, Stevie had 15/11 = 26 and I managed a very satisfying 20/14 = 34 helped along by 3 birdies.......

Some very memorable holes....obviously the 15th which is a great risk & reward par 4 that you can either try and drive through the trees to the green or play it as a very safe routine dog leg......we all went for it apart from Stevie........no one made it...I lost my ball, but got a 6 with my provisional......I also loved the 18th...a par 5 which is real 3 shotter, with a final shot to a raised green that if you leave anything short, trickles all the way back down the steep approach into the water.......a great finishing hole...

The water is the main thing I will take away....its everywhere, and you really have to thread your way through it, round it and over it.........

So a great course, (some) great golf and great company......can't ask for more.........
Will try and post some photos later tonight.....still got a 3 hour drive home.....:(
 
Last year at the Wales Open the tented village was on the left of the 18th fairway, one of the players whose name escapes me, pulled his drive into the village. A nice 4 iron followed by 2 putts and it was an easy birdie :) So what's all this "real 3 shotter" stuff Rick, you losing your distance? Especially as you were playing off a "forward" tee ;):D
 
Think I might have a few words with my partner Rick, weight and pulling are two good ones.:whistle: Glad you had such a good day, and playing well just makes it even better. Drive home safely.
 
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