Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club

Played here October , 09 .
Leg 1 of the the Wales IV trip .
Although this lives in the shadow of its' illustrious neighbour ,Royal Porthcawl ,this is a very decent course ,well worth playing.I came off the 18th having enjoyed it .
The course is inland from the coastline ,rather than on it, but due to its' elevation there are good sea views from most holes .
The front 9 plays on undulating higher ground ,through pockets of gorse & bracken . The back 9 is on the lower part ,closer to the sea & partly goes through dunes . Holes 13- 15 are classic holes & enter remote ,wild duneland where it feels very peaceful & isolated .The last 3 holes are real toughies 421, 441 & 426 yards & with the wind , required wood 2nd shots to even get close .
I thought this was a well designed (bunkering etc. )& consistent course with no real weaknesses & after i'd finished felt it had an almost epic feel to it .When i think back ,i think of the front 9 views & the back 9 tranquility .
The clubhouse is nothing special ,a bit drab the outside & dingy inside & is separated from the course by a road but it's the course here that takes centre stage.
My only gripe is the standard green fee of £50 .Considering you can get Porthcawl for the same from November onwards ,they're pricing themselves out of the market .We played with 5 temporary greens & 1 freshly hollow-tined one but were offered no reduction & for October , £30/£35 would have been nearer the mark.
However ,overall this course would be a worthy addition to any golf tour to the area .
Kevin B.

Played P&K (as it is affectionately known as) on the weekend in an open Bowmaker off the whites & got chewed up & spat out!!! Great course of two halfs. The first half is more heathland & the back nine very much links. Favourite hole would be the 11th, great looking par 5 (don't go for the short cut off the tee though especially if you tend to draw or, dare I say it, hook the ball!)
Three things to remember if you play here, although the wind was kind to us I can imagine it could be a card wrecker were it to be even on the breezy side. Secondly the rough, in a word don't go in it, it's odds on your ball is lost. Lastly don't expect any fairway bunkers they're all pots from tee to green so anything more than a sand-wedge or a bucket & spade is not an option!!!
Great course though, I'd love to play it again, Mark.

Sixteen from our small society played here two weeks starting with a prebooked full Welsh breakfast which was quite excellent and nicely served - "Double everything for £3.95!" We set off spot on time from the 1st and so had the parkland nine holes first.We had a full briefing from a course marshal who was very friendly and helpful and saw us on several holes subsequently. Play moved well apart from when three members started in the middle of our four balls at the 10th. Nothing we could do about it but it seemed a bit of an odd thing to happen.
Nothing in our regular golfing routine in Hertfordshire quite prepared us for the pot bunkers! They trap many otherwise quite good shots as the the ground is contoured so to do and are very difficult to get out of. After a few visits, I succeeded better by using a lob wedge but needed more practice.
The second nine are a considerable contrast in that you are playing many blind shots and had we played a second round, the knowledge gained would have made it a lot easier to achieve a better score.The course was well presented with fast greens,in excellent condition with good views of Devon and of the Gower peninsula.
We enjoyed the experience very much and would happily return.

Day five and our last course on our tour of Wales, and the sun is still shinning! We chose this course as it was on our way home and easy to get to, and wanted to form our own opinion of all the comments posted here and on other sites.
For me, this was number one of the five courses we played in the week. I agree it is a course of two contrasting halves, but what is wrong with that? As a visitor do you want to struggle round 18 holes of mountain goat country, a varied mixture of holes is surely more interesting? My colleges, placed it number two behind Tenby.
First a word of advice, check with Pro shop on starting times from the 1st & 10th tees. As a 4 ball we were told it was ok to tee off on the 1st, but after 4 holes some members put us right and “suggested” we break into 2 two balls as the “rules” required. Make sure you get a course planner; it will enable you to enjoy the back nine even more, for this is where links golf really comes into its own. Some absolutely stunning golf holes, but take heed, if you play off the yellows, as we did, the maker posts will lead you a stray, as they are set up for the medal tees. It took us a few holes to realise why we were firing over the marker posts but ending up in the rough. The other experience we encountered were the pot bunkers, some of which required steps to get in and out of, on one occasion I thought I had lost my playing partner, the bunker was so deep I couldn’t see him from 20 yards away. The greens were excellent, but with so many tricky contours, not easy. After the round enjoy the friendly atmosphere and good value food in the clubhouse.
Overall impression of the course; if you are all ready a links course player, this might be not be the course for you. But if you are like the majority of English golfers, and play inland park coursers all year, this is the ideal introduction to proper golf, on a links style course, go and form your own impression, but above all else enjoy.

Played there at the club's Open day - a thoroughly enjoyable experience. A very challenging course in first class condition.

P&K as it is fondly known by its members is one of the top courses in the area,the £40-ish green fee is well worth it.the greens are superb,they are like putting on a billard table with slopes,the front nine can be quite easy on a calm day,but dont let this fool you if the wind gets up look out.the back nine is the part of the course that sorts out the men from the boys as peter allis once said at a brittish open.if you are ever in the area you must give P&K a try you wont be disapointed.

I played the Pyle and Kenfig with a friend of mine on the Saturday August bank holiday. A really great course with the first nine being semi-links/downland where you need to build up your score for the back nine. The back nine is a scenic sea-side links layout with some amazing tee shots and well placed greens. The fairways are really tight and the greens very fast. A real must if you are in the area!!

P&K is great links course of 2 distinct halves. The front nine is over heathland and gives a chance to build a score ready for the back nine which head out into the dunes. Don't leave any downhill putts - the greens are very quick. If you fancy a challenge, P&K is hosting some of the 2002 Amateur Championship qualifiers - the fairways are already being narrowed in preparation for this. If you find the green fee at nearby Royal Porthcawl too expensive, then P&K is a more than adequate alternative.