The Celtic Manor Resort

Me and 3 friends of varying standard (9-24 hcp) played all three courses in April of this year and were absolutely stunned at the world class level of service, course and hospitality. All of what you have read, re: lockers, club cleaning, and players of all ability is true. We had marshalls notifying us of our speed of play all three days, but also giving helpful hints. The pro shops and practice ranges are littered with helpful people who play off scratch willing to help. We are looking at going somewhere again next year, and are genuinely torn between anywhere else in the world or celtic manor. Truly amazing golfing experience. Highly recommended.

I have just got back from a golf break to the Celtic Manor and was very impressed by all the facilities and courses on offer. The hotel is very large and of a five-star standard, it had everything we needed for our break from spa to gym.

Having watched, as many golfers did, the 2010 course for the Ryder Cup we decided to make this our golf society break for 2011. We stayed for two nights and played all three courses, the Roman Road was excellent although we felt the Montgomerie was a little short off the yellow tees.

The 2010 is fantastic, with a real exclusive feel. It is set away from the main resort and has a gated entrance to make you feel like it's a private club. The course was in tour standard condition and we were made to feel very welcome. In short, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Went to Celtic Manor in February on a 2 night 3 rounds package with yourgolftravel and our society all agreed that it was the best value and most enjoyable golf break we'd been on. Although we were lucky with the weather the course was in great condition and had drained well. We played the Roman Road, Montgomerie and 2010 courses and although the 2010 will take the plaudits given its Ryder Cup history, I would recommend the others as they are of an excellent standard (both have in some way, shape or form held European Tour events - Roman Road held the Wales Open while some holes from the Montgomerie were in the old Wentwood Hills course).

The hotel is very nice with good food and beer on offer. Recommended bars are the Cellar Bar and Merlins which are perfect for an after golf beverage.

As I mentioned this was our most enjoyable break and having played Belfry, Forest of Arden and St Andrews on previous trips I think this shows how high we hold this resort.

Took a group of 8 golfers to Celtic Manor over Easter weekend. played all 3 courses as two fourballs and stayed in the Manor House. Cannot speak more highly of the welcome we received. Had played both the Montgomerie and Roman Road courses several times before. Once again, in dry but windy conditions, they proved to be challenging. The former, supposedly the weaker of the 2, contains a number of holes that were originally part of the Wentwood Hills course that was awarded the Ryder Cup. and this is a course that should not be underestimated.
However, the undoubted highlight was the Twentyten course. Having been taken by bus from the hotel down to the clubhouse, we were shown to the locker room and our individual named lockers whist our clubs were transported to the first tee. After coffee, we warmed up on the driving range before tackling the monster. The course played long and extremely difficult after a wet weekend, with water and huge bunkers not to mention huge undulating plateau greens adding to the difficulty. 26 points was the days best score from our group of golfers with handicaps ranging from 6-23. Upon completion of the round, our clubs and shoes were cleaned and we each received an engraved bagtag and a souvenir shoebag, a nice touch after a memorable day. For amateurs, this course is very hard in winter type conditions, and will not prove easy in the Ryder Cup if similar conditions prevail at the end of September. The Twentyten Experience did however live up to its billing and we will return!

Just got back from 'The Celtic Manor Resort'and wanted to write a short review to let you all know what to expect when you stay and play.
We played the Montgomerie sunday lunch time and like all the other reviews this seems to be a bit of a mix and match of holes taken from wentwood hills.Front 9 is very nice and a true challenge where as the back 9 is much shorter and alot of dogleg/Blind Tee shot PAR 4's.
Stayed at the Manor house which is to the rear of the 5 star resort and is very nice, there is a sports bar here and patio resturant were you have breakfast(which is very nice)be warned that a bottle of bulmers is £4.95 and all drinks are expensive,rooms are clean and more than ok for a night.
monday we played the Roman road if front of us was a group of 16 and we teed off at 1210.
2hours 40 mins later we were on the 8th tee,we had played 7 holes and it was quite clear that the groups in front were not golfers but just on a boys weekend so with the prospect of a 6 and a 1/2 hour round in sight we decided to cut our losses and return to London.
when we confronted the course manager he said he was sorry but because it is a resort they dont require handicaps to play and there were marshals on course to speed up play ,we did not see one all weekend! so be warned if you like day long rounds then crack on but it really spoiled our day on what is a great course and when you pay top money to play these course you expect a certain level of golfer on them. this is not the case and ruins the experiance

We played the Montgomerie course which is meant to be the lesser of the 3 courses at this opulent resort.
I am not sure that this course says much about Monty's course design skills as it is essentially an amalgamation of holes from 2 previous courses at the resort.
The front 9 includes the first 2 and last 5 holes from the Wentwood Hills championship course that they didn't want for the 2010 Ryder Cup course, with a couple of short par 3s squeezed in. It does include the magnificent par 5 sweeping over the hill and down into the Usk valley. It also includes what was the extremely challenging 15th from the Wentwood Hills, but unfortunately they have made it fairly ordinary by shortening it by 100yds and making the old green a target for a par 3.
The back nine is a tinkering with holes from the previous Coldra Woods short course. The holes are fairly short, with several having sharp, blind dog legs. The 10th, 16th and 18th are probably the pick of the bunch.
A very undulating course with slopes everywhichway and quite tiring to walk even behind an electric trolley. Even a buggy requires a fair bit of walking to carry clubs back and forth from the buggy track. The course card estimates 4 hours 40 mins for a round!
Although not easy this is a very playable course for golfers of all standards and is excellent value with their special offer rates to give you a feel of the Celtic Manor experience

Seven of us took advantage of the "2010 experience" and travelled down to The Celtic Manor resort over the weekend. Friday we stopped at the local premier inn which was excellent then a short drive over the motorway junction for an 11am tee off on the 2010 course. The resort is amazing and the hospitality is first class. We were shown round the 2010 clubhouse which we were all impressed with given lockers with our names on and taken down to the first tee.
The practise green for the 2010 was a bit wooley and we were concerned that the rest of the greens would be the same. We were warned beforehand that their was plenty of work being done on the course and that the greens had been spiked and the fairways scored. The layout of the course is amazing especially the tough back nine. As club golfers we found the course demanding and tough, obviously considering this was designed for professional and for matchplay we were left exhausted and a little disapointed. We were aware it was January and that there was plenty of work being undertaken I think the problem was that our expectations were too high and we were left disappointed. It felt like we should have enjoyed it more than we did due to the fact it was going to be the next Ryder Cup course. I'm sure it will be in tip top condition next year and we can't wait to watch it having played it I think that will be the true value to us, what I will say is treat this as it's marketed as the "2010 experience"
We left our clubs at the Montgomerie clubhouse whilst we went for a night at the resort, the rooms were amazing and the hotel is spectacular, we ate at the Olive Tree which is a mediteranean buffet , we thought £30 a head was a little pricey but we were shattered and most of us had an early night.
Next morning we played the Montgomerie, what a contrast, again a tough course but possibly one of the most interesting I've played in a while, tricky dog legs, elevated tees, decent greens, all in all an excellent course. We were very impressed. We were even more impressed that the staff had cleaned all seven sets of clubs for nothing, now that is hospitality !!! Brilliant. Overall if you take this deal see it for what it is the "2010 experience", we had an excellent weekend. I'd like to go back and play the Roman Road course but as for the 2010, with my handicap I'll that to pros !! Roll on 2010 !!

Played both the Roman Road and Montgomerie in February and June respectively. Both occasions were weather perfect...blue skies and warm...well, June was HOT day.
Roman Road was a nice course with a bit of everything...flat, undulations, elevated green, big traps, good semi rough, nice fairways and lovely greens.
Staff were out keeping the course in top condition, a couple even helped look for my ball in between raking the bunkers.
Fairway's, Bunkers and Greens played and kept very well.
Challenging yet friendly course, DEFINITELY well worth the visit any day!!
Montgomerie Course was a different kettle of fish!! This was a course of fantastic holes but in physically challenging grounds... I would recommend a buggy here, we carried our bags and it was a HOT day, wouldn't do that again...and we keep quite fit....At the end you feel like you have been on a grueling test.
Anyway, the greens were superb!!!! The layout fantastic with well placed bunkers. Greens I found harder to read than Roman Road...TRICKY!
Optical Illusion best describes most of these holes so I rate this harder when u combine all its features.
CERTAINLY worth playing but remember it's not for couch potatoes ;-)
As for the Celtic Manor facilities and general resort and staff... OUTSTANDING and makes this place VERY more'ish.
Gym and Spa is top notch and you will not be disappointed.
Recommend the stay and play so u get to sample the Celtic Manor in full.

Montgomerie Course
Revisited after the various redevelopments and this place has become even less my scene than before.
I've got through airports quicker than the amount of time it takes to faff around to get to the 1st tee (which was positioned 100 yards down the fairway because some muppets had been shanking balls into an adjacent house).
The course is a hybrid of the reworked unwanted 9 of the old Wentwood Hills course (which ironically includes some of the best, or rather better, holes from that architectural gaffe, that subsequently had to be rebuilt for the Ryder Cup) and Monty's fiddling with the old predominantly-par 3 Coldra Woods course.
The downhill par 5 3rd (formerly the 2nd on WH) is still a wonderful hole. But this course is an up and down slog, and it wasn't helped by fairways so wet that I was getting backspin off my driver.
But it's off-course that things really go downhill. The whole place feels like a cross between a Beverly Hills shopping mall (complete with ridiculously over-inflated prices – although jesus after flushing another £16m down the khazi in the latest redevelopments, I can understand Terry Matthews is desperate to recoup some pennies) and those pretentious hotels you find in those naff coffee table books.
You can only admire how Terry Matthews has put his money where his mouth is almost like no other person in world golf when it comes to the desire to host a huge tournament in his own country.
What a shame, therefore, that this resort is on this patch of land and the whole place is styled in such a crassly grandiose way.
Give me real golf any day.
5/10
'Young P' (h/c 9)

played the wentwood hill course in september 2005 fairway lush and buncker excellent awesome views from the 3rd green whole day was fantastic. to round it off nick faldo signed some caps and balls for prizes well worth the visit

Took advantage of the 'Winter Warmer' offer to play the Roman Road with a buggy and two course carvery lunch for #40.
At this price it's a course worth playing. However, if I'd paid the summer green fee of #60 to play it in it's current condition I'd be cross.
There were *hundreds* of divots not replaced on the fairways and most bunkers had seen action but not been raked.
Since the Wentwood Hills is closed for Ryder Cup remodelling, the Roman Road has had an hammering; especilly with this offer filling up the course with people who neither rake the bunkers or replace their divots.
Saying that though, the tees were in excellent condition as were the greens which are just brutal to play on.
Overall, the layout is a good one with some nice par 4's. The 5th hole which is SI 1 is an outragous par 5 which pretty much forces you to go for the green with your second shot. The fairway is both very narow and sloping steeply left to right in the lay-up area.
In the summer when there's less traffic and it's in better nick I bet it's a stunner - maybe worth it's normal asking price.

A group of eight of us (handicaps ranging from 6 to 25) played for three days in April 2005 and we had a fantastic time.
We played matchplay on the Coldra Woods course and found it great fun. Each hole has two tees (red & white) and two flags (also red & white). Red to red is much longer (some par 3's over 200 yards) with trickier pin positions and white to white is quite short with simpler pin positions.
The Roman Roads course was in excellent condition considering the amount of rain. However in my opinion it relied too much on overly fanciful bunkering to make an impression on otherwise bland holes. The odd hole though was terrific and overall it was a good course.
Wentwood Hills however was in another league - an excellent course. The second is a great hole even without the knockout views, and the holes around the water are excellent. It surprised us that the holes on the hills are the ones that are being dumped for the Ryder Cup - as we all found them to be our favourites. Strange.
Overall Celtic Manor is a terrific resort and a great place to spend a golf break.

Played the Wentwood Hills course on Friday14th May. Talk about hard, the course is being set up for the Welsh Open in June and the fairways are about half as wide, the rough swallows all balls that fly in and does not always give them up again. Having said that we teed off about 12.30 and only saw about 10 other people on the course! If they set this up in the same manner for the Ryder Cup then it will be worth a few pennies on our team to beat the Americans. Enjoyed the round in spite of a couple of high scores. The lasting memory is finishing with a birdie on 18. You do seem to walk more having a buggy but the drop and correspondingly the climb up some of the hills makes it worth while. Looking forward to seeing the pro’s play this in June.

Played on a sunday in September.
The Coldra Woods - This has to be the best short course you can play and for £10 you can not go worng. A bit hilly in places but some lovely holes. It is as far from a Pitch and Putt as you can get and will have you trying every Iron in your bag and probably some woods as well.
The Wentwood Hills - £30 for a Twilight and we finished.
1st hole has been shortened because of stray Golf balls into the house on the left of the fairway which is a shame. The course is in very good condition and challenges you on every hole. The view from the second green is fantastic as you look over holes 3 to 12. A Long course even off the yellows at over 6500 yards means you need to be on your game to score well. In my group we had Handicaps ranging from 13 to 28 and we all enjoyed the challenge. The High Handicappers did find it hard but were not daunted by the challenge. I would recommend this course to anyone. Dont take buggies but walk the course as you will not find it too testing.
The halfway house was not great and shut before we passed it after the 12th. I would like to see the marshalls around a bit more often speeding up the obviously slow groups. They should put yardages on the sprinkler heads to assist and stop you reverting to the Strokesaver guide which slows the game down.
An enjoyable days golf and great value for £40

Was very dissappointed with Celtic Manor and it proved to be very much an anti climax. Played the Roman Rd course in what took over 5 hours. While the course itself is of a reasonable standard the management of it is well below par (pardon the pun). It seems that anybody can play these courses and wear and do what they like (no shoes etc). This leads to little etiquette on the course and very few marshalls to witness it. There buggy policy is to remain on the paths which leads to further delays. It a pure money making exercise. If you are in no rush and like looking at traffic on the M4 then it is the course for you. If you like to get into a rythme then I suggest going somewhere else where your blood pressure will remain within safe levels.

Roman Road Course: If you’re thinking this ‘second course’ is going to be an easy ride compared to Wentwood Hills, you might be in for a bit of a shock.
Sat astride the hill that Celtic Manor is perched upon, Roman Road commands impressive views and is vertiginously up and down with lots of bunkers (even if they are primarily American-style i.e. relatively shallow.) More often than not, I imagine, you can also count on a lot of wind.
Pick of the holes are the sharply downhill par 4 seventh, which is immediately followed by the best par 3 (203 yards off the whites), the quirky tenth, another downhill par 4 that requires a pinpoint approach shot, and the par 4 fourteenth, with the approach more than likely to be played over a sizeable lake.
Overall, in keeping with what Celtic Manor is all about, you probably won’t be surprised to find that Roman Road is yet another Americanesque layout with a predominantly open parkland feel – especially after the turn and towards the end.
However, even single figure players will get a good challenge here – not least off the Championship tees (6685 yards @ par 69). And, although the course isn’t really my scene, with a twilight rate of £15 it’s certainly excellent value for money.
6/10
‘Young P’

I have played the Celtic Manor on a few occasions now and I believe that you need to go here with your eyes open and knowing what you are going to get.
On the Roman Road course you will find a challenge for all levels of golfer. A quite picturesque hilly course typical of British parkland golf. This course provides an opportunity for anyone to play around their handicap and has always been in excellent condition whenever I have played it.
The Wentwood Hills course is a different prospect altogether. Low handicap players can test their golf against the Pro's and will get a tough challenge. High handicap players need to accept that they are there for the experience because the course will destroy your game if you are not on the fairway and capable of firing long irons into greens. Taking a buggy will help physically but as you have to keep them to the paths it also ruins the experience of having played the course for me. The course starts out and finishes as parkland but the middle 8 on the floodplain have a very contrived feel to them although the Par 3's will take some playing to score well. All in all avery enjoyable day out at what is becoming a major venue but so far has avoided the snobbishness. Whilst the clubhouse operation is slick and very professional it is also warm and welcoming which cannot be said of a lot of so called premier clubs

We played a four ball recently at both the Wentwood Hills and Roman Road and enjoyed both rounds. The Wentwood Hills will mature to be a great course over the next few years but I was only mildly impressed on this first visit. The greens were average and do not compare well with other top courses I have played recently. The layout is dramatic in places with great views on some holes but it just didnt have that wow factor or quality for me. Dont bother with a buggy, you cant go on the fairways so you are forever trotting over to play your shot from the roads next to the holes and it is a pain. Get a trolley. The "half way houses" are very poor with no hot food(!), horrible coffee and embarrasing service - not what you need on a cold and windy morning.

I played the Wentwood Hills course the week after the Wales Open. Tee'd off at 7.30 am on a glorius fresh morning beating all the crowds and got round in under 3.5 hours.
I thought the course was excellent with interesting holes and in fantastic condition. Plays longer then the marked distance because of the changes in elevation. Highlights for me were the par 5 2nd and par 4 3rd where you play down the hills. Stroke index one is a monster too.
My advice is get a buggy and don't worry about your score!

We played the Roman Road and Wentwood Hills course over two days. Contrary to other comments posted here, we found both courses to be in excellent condition, especially bearing in mind the time of year.
Roman Road is probably a good test for mid-handicappers and has many interesting holes, however the condition, the views, the challenge is really all in Wentwood Hills.
It is a monster and I suggest taking a buggy every time, unless you have a caddie.
The 6600+ yards off yellow is accentuated by the undulations throughout the course. Getting anywhere near to playing to your handicap would be an achievement. We certainly didn't!
It is definitely worth playing, not only for the stiff challenge but also for the lovely views of the Welsh countryside.

Wentwood Hills: I came away from this course feeling rather ambivalent. On the one hand, I can completely understand MH’s sentiments of “a thoroughly artificial Americanised slog” – it’s not a course that will appeal to golf’s puritans.
On the other hand, in terms of a fight I ended up distinctly second best and, if you’re up for a challenge, then make no mistake you will certainly get one here.
Roughly speaking, the course can be divided into three sections: the first four holes down the hill to the flood plain; the next eight holes betwixt lakes a plenty on the flood plain itself; and the final six holes back up the hill.
The first hole is a pretty unspectacular start but once you’re over the brow of the hill on the long downhill Par 5 second, the view really is terrific.
After a couple more Par 4s, you emerge out onto the flood plain where there are a series of tight holes around two large lakes in particular. As you can probably imagine, these holes are very open – which I was less bothered about than the actual quality of some of them, especially the two uninspiring Par 3s at 9 and 12.
Going back up the hill is where Wentwood Hills really begins to take its toll. In my eyes, the best hole on the course is the sharp dogleg thirteenth, which is followed by unquestionably the most enticing Par 3; what a shame it’s got a busy A road hard behind it.
Unless you’re using a buggy, the chances are that by the time you reach the fifteenth you’ll be pretty knackered – which is bad news because that hole is an absolute monster. 432 yards generally all uphill, requiring two excellent shots to get on the green.
It’s followed by what would ordinarily probably be a good short Par 4 with options for birdies, only by then I was almost on my knees - and I’m 28 and pretty fit (OK it was pouring down and pretty windy as well.)
The two finishing holes are, sadly, not very memorable. Enough said there.
One thing about this course is that it seems to take an eternity to get round; the management say to allow between 5 and 5 and a half hours! In terms of yardage, it’s long: I can’t think of a course that is longer off the yellows (6,661 yards to be precise).
Overall, I have to admit I was fairly disappointed. The greens weren’t in great condition; the scenery is varied but, apart from a few holes, it’s not hugely picturesque; and, as for hosting the Ryder Cup – well, the very fact it (quite rightly) didn’t get into Golf World’s top 100 courses in the British Isles says it all.
It’s certainly a challenge, though, and perhaps almost for that reason above all others it gets:
7.5/10
Young P

The Wentwood Hills course is acknowledged as the best of the three and frankly speaking it is not my cup of tea. That's not to say that others won't enjoy it but a thoroughly artificial Americanised slog is not my idea of quality golf. Large sterile lakes, huge unnatural wasteland type bunkers, horribly penal rough just off the fairway. Personally I find the whole experience dull and uninspired. The only thought required on this course is "why did I come here?" I note that despite it somehow getting the 2010 Ryder Cup, it has not (quite correctly in my opinion) managed to get into the Golf World GB&I top 100 list. Personally, I wouldn't put it in my top 1000. However I mustn't get too critical. Perhaps with some intelligent greenkeeping it will grow into something to be appreciated in the future.

Can't beleive the Wentwood Hills is only three years old great condition, fantastic greens and a smashing clubhouse. The course is very long and testing not for the novice golfer.Can not wait to have another crack at it.

The Wentwood Hills Course is not only one of the best courses I have ever played, but also one of the most testing. From the demanding holes on the side of the mountain to the immensley difficult water traps in the valley. One piece of advice is to bring a load of balls! The Coldra Woods is the best par three course (and a few par fours) I have ever played although I treated most of the holes as par fours. To have two chapionship courses at one club of this high stadard is fantastic, the Roman Road is a long par 69 and the fairways and greens are extremely testing. The whole complex is of a very high calibre and I would recommend it to anyone.