Maesteg Golf Club Review

Completing his tour around Bridgend in Wales, Golfshake Ambassador Andy Picken played a round at Maesteg Golf Club, which was among the highlights of a memorable trip.

We were up bright and early the next day, ready for another excellent breakfast, made to order, for a 9am tee time at Maesteg. This is located within the beautiful Llynfi Valley within sight of the South Wales coast. Here we were met by Dean Protheroe, the club president. We were treated to an excellent round of golf played on a stunningly beautiful course.

Maesteg shares some of its origins with Royal Porthcawl as they both had half of an ex-RAF hut that formed the original clubhouse at both venues. They had a number of shared memberships with local solicitor Mr A King-Davies being an important member of both clubs. His influence on the origins of both venues is clear by his prominence on the Honour’s Boards. This hut at Maesteg is long gone but photographs of it exist within the Centenary booklet created to celebrate the building of the new clubhouse building that is in current use. A fascinating document.

My abiding memory of Maesteg is the stunning views that distracted on each hole. It is a community-based club that evolved in its layout and design by the membership. It is licensed and used for weddings and the restaurant is simply superb.

The Golf Course

Maesteg is a 5,623-yard gem that is well-conditioned despite some of the worst winter weather in memory. The greens are true and reasonably paced offering the chance to score well. The layout is interesting and challenging in equal measure as it wends its way around the gradient of the valley. They use the strapline of a ‘hidden gem’ on the pin flags. I dislike this phrase but it is! 

Wild herds of deer roam the course and its links to nature and wildlife are second to none. It is being used as a Centre of Excellence for the study of leatherjackets by a partnership established between the club and eminent universities. They have made some interesting breakthroughs in the treatment of greens in a fully sustainable manner that could impact the whole of the golf industry.

This area of Wales is a mecca for mountain bike enthusiasts and a path that cuts through the course offers a great downhill run that does not impact on the golfers at all. Consideration is being given to providing access to the clubhouse for these bikers and accommodation for both is also being considered on site.

This is a perfect golf society venue if you have mixed-ability players. The better ones will be challenged by its style and be tempted to take it on as there are areas that encourage exactly that mindset.  

The course starts with a steady walk up a gradient to an elevated green. Watch out for vehicles driving to the clubhouse as the road is out-of-bounds for the length of this hole. There is no reason to fall foul of this design as there is ample room left for the tee shot.  

The next hole follows the same pattern using the road as an out-of-bounds, but this feels much tighter due to the trees lining each side of the fairway. All the short holes offer distracting views and vistas across the valley with swales and run-offs that require accurate placement of the tee shot to score well.

Drainage at the site is enhanced by a series of ditches and water hazards that cross the course at its lowest points. The 6th is another notable short hole offering extraordinary views across the rest of the course.

There are several benches at strategic points around this course set in memory of past members. Take a moment to use these as they are fixed in some amazing vantage points. This is a visually stunning part of the world. Prepare to be distracted and delayed by the views on offer.

The holes returning towards the clubhouse offer some gentle doglegs but require accurate placement of tee shots to have any level of successful scoring.

Conclusion

Throughout this trip, we were treated as members for the day and one of my overriding memories will be the friendliness of everyone we met and interacted with at every single venue. The Dormy House at Pyle & Kenfig is the perfect venue for a golfing stay. 

This area of Wales has some excellent golf facilities to suit every pocket and player ability. The welcome and hospitality are second to none and the food offered was nothing short of superb. 

If you are considering a UK-based golf trip, ensure you review what Bridgend has to offer as I was not in any way disappointed by anything I enjoyed during this all too short four-day golf break.

If you want to follow Andy's complete journey around in the courses near Bridgend, please click here!