It’s the last day of my tour of South Wales and what better way to finish than on The Old course at St Pierre which was originally designed by C.K. Cotton in 1962 subsequently going through a redesign/remoulding in 2008 which was undertaken by Ross McMurray.
The sun may not be out today but as I make my way to the first tee – after warming up at the academy and a bit of chipping practice on the dedicated green – it is a warm pleasant day and after a few words with the starter I crack one down the middle. It’s a gentle start to the course at 574-yards but if you plot your way down the fairway you can leave yourself with a chip and putt birdie chance. There are two tall trees that block the approach so anyone going for the green in two is at the mercy of the 10% wood in those trees!!
Something I noticed on the first and as I approach the second I can see it is going to be a feature of the course is the roll off areas to the raised greens with the course meandering through tall oaks trees it can be set up to be a very tough track.
Top: Looking across the water to the 15th green. Above LtoR: 9th, 10th and 18th holes
The 3rd hole is a par 3 but it is when you reach the green you begin to appreciate where the course has been located, as you can see right across Monmouth and out to the Severn estuary it’s a beautiful site and one that is repeated on the impressive 5th hole which is a beautiful par 4 and your second shot is played across a small valley to a raised green. The 6th is another impressive par 3 with stunning views looking in the other direction. And from the very back tee the 7th is a stunning par 5 played through trees to a manicured fairway that doglegs to the right and heads back uphill.
The back nine starts with another visually impressive hole where you play your tee shot towards the bunker on the right of the fairway and the ball will roll back down the gently sloping right to left fairway, but it’s the design of the green that gives the hole its visual appeal, sat below you with the lake to the left and behind and with only a little wedge as your second shot it’s a great hole to get the back nine underway.
I am enjoying the way the course wanders through the trees but miss the fairways here and there are a lot of nettles making it impossible to go ball hunting. As I progress through the round I think visually the back nine has the edge with more water visible but not really in play well unless you go long at both the 15th and 17th greens which sit right out on the water and look visually stunning.
The 18th is unusual as it’s a par 3 finish which is played from an elevated tee and when professional golf tournaments were played here I remember bright flowers on the bank of the tees spelling out the resorts name and it always made for a great finish and at 236-yards it’s a tough finish, but the perfect end to what has been a great course and fantastic weeks golf played on some very different courses each offering their own unique challenges.
Above: Looking down at the peninsula green at the 17th
