Conway Golf Club
As most of Britain descended into the next ice age, I was fortunate that Conway has its own micro climate as within the space of the following three hours I would experience a bitter cold and biting wind, sunshine, and heavy snow. What more could one want when playing one of North Wales’s premier tracks.
With club secretary Aled Jones to guide me round we set out on our adventure. It was literally the calm before the storm when we teed it up on the par four 1st.
A 3 wood down the middle and we were off. Set in the foothills of the Conway mountains at the end of the Snowdonia mountain range and the Conway estuary and the Great Orme, you couldn’t want for a more beautiful setting.
Even in the biting wind and snow I could not help but enjoy the experience. Seeing my ball soaring towards the snow capped mountains from the 8th tee just made me smile. Stand-out holes for me were the par four 4th hole with the tee next to the beach at 379 yards. It’s not the longest but affords you great views from the tee and just wills you to hit a great tee shot.
    
Top: Looking back down the 7th. Above LtoR; 2nd, 3rd and 18th holes
But like all great courses the finishing stretch from the 15th to the 18th are not only some of the best on the course but will test your nerve and skill. The par three 15th kicks off this run of holes at 162 yards to a fairly new green surrounded by gorse and five bunkers and at only 29 yards in depth you will need a well struck iron to hit and hold the dance floor. With narrow fairways on 16 and 17 position more than power is needed here.
The 18th is a great finishing hole, and with a dogleg right at 382 yards it is is a great risk and reward hole. Bite off as much of the corner as you choose to set yourself up for your second to the narrow but long green perched just beneath the clubhouse, where you can enjoy the views back across the estuary and the Great Orme range of hills.It doesn’t get much better than this.
Unfortunately due to the severe weather conditions I didn’t get to play Porthmadog (under snow), North Wales (severe frost) and Rhuddlan (under snow). This just goes to show the wealth of great tracks in such a small but stunning catchment area.
I wouldn’t recommend B roads in severe weather conditions across Snowdonia, but unlike Anne Robinson I would heartily recommend North Wales. The people are very friendly and the courses are some of the best you’ll ever play, enjoy.


Above: The two faces of the 15th at Conway GC, winter and summber. |