dufferman
Journeyman Pro
I booked Bryn Meadows GC directly with the hotel itself 2 months ago. Going direct was £10 a head cheaper than going through Golfbreaks.com, which brought the cost of 2 rounds of golf, 1 nights B&B and a lip smacking 3 course dinner to £99 a head.
I'd read some reviews and spoke to one or two people on here who had played the course previously. The general outlook was good, with plenty of people online saying the condition was really good.
They weren't wrong.
We arrived in the car park which sat at the very top of the course, alongside the clubhouse and hotel itself. The view was breathtaking from the 1st tee:
The hotel was fantastic, clean and roomy. The clubhouse was also lovely, big screen TV for the world cup, pool table, balcony overlooking the 10th & 11th - it really made a great spot for a post round beer.
Now, to the course. It was lovely, but it was tough. We were told to get buggies for those who are a bit old / unfit / have a heart condition and I'm glad we did.
Many of the holes were either up or downhill. Downhill was fantastic, as long drives were very long and par 5's were reachable in two, but uphill holes were tough. Many of the greens were a good 6ft above the fairway, the par 4 10th hole had a green 40ft above the fairway!
The hardest part of the course by far were the greens. I'd love to have known how fast they were running, I imagine more than 10. They were lightening fast, and a short stab at the ball genuinely could send it off the other side.
This made for difficult approach shots as well as putting. Many of us were sending 100yard pitches through the greens, and with so many of the greens above the fairway, judging them for pace and distance proved to be tough.
We also noticed the breaks in the greens were tough to read. A slight left to right putt could end up 15ft to the right of the pin, and a 30ft downhill putt could swing left or right without much warning. For a group of players hovering around the 20 handicap mark, that made the putting really tough.
Overall, the course was great. The 25 degree heat both days not only made the course a tough walk for those without a buggy (e.g. me!) but further dried out the greens, so by 3.30pm Sunday the ball was flying on them.
Now, the downsides. They don't have many buggies, and even though 2 had been booked for our group each day when we arrived we were told none were available. A member of our group had congenital heart disease, so not having a buggy on an extremely hilly course in 25 degree heat wasn't really an option, and it wasn't until threatening to cancel the booking and go elsewhere did they manage to make one appear for the 2 days. So make sure you get an email confirmation of the buggies when you do book!
The course is also a members course, not just a resort course. This meant a competition was being held in the morning on the Sunday, and the course had block-booked all tee times until almost midday. We then got to the pro shop at 10.00 to start getting ready, to see no-one tee off for half an hour! After asking nicely they told us we could go off at 10.40, and we had no-one behind us for the rest of the day.
Finally, there is no driving range, and the 'nets' they have are hidden in a corner, of which there are 2. So warming up isn't really an option before going out.
Overall though, the course was lovely, staff great (especially in the hotel) and price excellent. If you like a challenge, book Bryn Meadows!
I'd read some reviews and spoke to one or two people on here who had played the course previously. The general outlook was good, with plenty of people online saying the condition was really good.
They weren't wrong.
We arrived in the car park which sat at the very top of the course, alongside the clubhouse and hotel itself. The view was breathtaking from the 1st tee:
The hotel was fantastic, clean and roomy. The clubhouse was also lovely, big screen TV for the world cup, pool table, balcony overlooking the 10th & 11th - it really made a great spot for a post round beer.
Now, to the course. It was lovely, but it was tough. We were told to get buggies for those who are a bit old / unfit / have a heart condition and I'm glad we did.
Many of the holes were either up or downhill. Downhill was fantastic, as long drives were very long and par 5's were reachable in two, but uphill holes were tough. Many of the greens were a good 6ft above the fairway, the par 4 10th hole had a green 40ft above the fairway!
The hardest part of the course by far were the greens. I'd love to have known how fast they were running, I imagine more than 10. They were lightening fast, and a short stab at the ball genuinely could send it off the other side.
This made for difficult approach shots as well as putting. Many of us were sending 100yard pitches through the greens, and with so many of the greens above the fairway, judging them for pace and distance proved to be tough.
We also noticed the breaks in the greens were tough to read. A slight left to right putt could end up 15ft to the right of the pin, and a 30ft downhill putt could swing left or right without much warning. For a group of players hovering around the 20 handicap mark, that made the putting really tough.
Overall, the course was great. The 25 degree heat both days not only made the course a tough walk for those without a buggy (e.g. me!) but further dried out the greens, so by 3.30pm Sunday the ball was flying on them.
Now, the downsides. They don't have many buggies, and even though 2 had been booked for our group each day when we arrived we were told none were available. A member of our group had congenital heart disease, so not having a buggy on an extremely hilly course in 25 degree heat wasn't really an option, and it wasn't until threatening to cancel the booking and go elsewhere did they manage to make one appear for the 2 days. So make sure you get an email confirmation of the buggies when you do book!
The course is also a members course, not just a resort course. This meant a competition was being held in the morning on the Sunday, and the course had block-booked all tee times until almost midday. We then got to the pro shop at 10.00 to start getting ready, to see no-one tee off for half an hour! After asking nicely they told us we could go off at 10.40, and we had no-one behind us for the rest of the day.
Finally, there is no driving range, and the 'nets' they have are hidden in a corner, of which there are 2. So warming up isn't really an option before going out.
Overall though, the course was lovely, staff great (especially in the hotel) and price excellent. If you like a challenge, book Bryn Meadows!
