Welcome to Hogville!      Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Early Look at Royal Porthcawl

Started by GoHogs1091, July 22, 2017, 04:14:24 pm

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

GoHogs1091

The Senior Open Championship is next week at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Rest Bay, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, Wales.  Royal Porthcawl was designed by Ramsay Hunter in 1895.  The course was extensively modified by Harry Colt in 1913, and by Tom Simpson in 1933.

Royal Porthcawl is well-known for 2 reasons.  First, in the 1995 Walker Cup held there, Gary Wolstenholme defeated Tiger Woods in a match.  Second, in the Senior Open Championship in 2014 at Royal Porthcawl, Bernhard Langer put on a clinic, and Langer won by 13 shots.  Langer did this despite a constant wind over the 4 rounds.  Langer's 13 shot victory is perhaps the greatest tournament golf played by an individual since Raymond Floyd carved up Augusta National in 1976.

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is a better course than Royal Birkdale, site of this week's Open Championship.  Royal Porthcawl is a more exacting course.  It has better land movement than Birkdale, and the Porthcawl greens are more complex than Birkdale's greens.

Royal Porthcawl could very well be the 3rd best links course in the U.K. area, third only to The Old Course at St. Andrews, and Carnoustie.  Royal Porthcawl could definitely host The Open Championship, and there is a chance that will eventually occur.  The R&A could add length to the course if it wanted to because there is room for additional tees.

Here is the Scorecard of Royal Porthcawl (the yardages are from the back tee).  For each hole there is a link that contains a video of the hole, a revolving slideshow of pictures of the hole, and a description and a diagram of the hole (will have to scroll down to view the description and diagram).

Hole 1    Par 4   374 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/1/

Hole 2   Par 4   451 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/2/

Hole 3   Par 4   445 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/3/

Hole 4   Par 3   200 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/4/

Hole 5   Par 5   611 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/5/

Hole 6   Par 4   394 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/6/

Hole 7   Par 3   122 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/7/

Hole 8   Par 5   474 Yards  (probably a Par 4 during professional play)

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/8/

Hole 9   Par 4   400 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/9/

Out   Par 36   3,471 Yards

Hole 10   Par 4   340 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/10/

Hole 11   Par 3   184 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/11/

Hole 12   Par 5   575 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/12/

Hole 13   Par 4   475 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/13/

Hole 14   Par 3   149 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/14/

Hole 15   Par 4   466 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/15/

Hole 16   Par 4   430 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/16/

Hole 17   Par 5   504 Yards   (probably a Par 4 during professional play)

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/17/

Hole 18   Par 4   459 Yards

https://www.royalporthcawl.com/course/course-tour/hole/18/

In   Par 36   3,582 Yards

Total   Par 72   7,053 Yards   (probably a Par 70 during professional play)

Here are 3 quotes that sums up Royal Porthcawl.

"It was just one great hole after another and one great green complex after another. I really fell in love with it immediately."

Tom Watson
Five-time Open Winner

"It's right up there with the best courses I've played over here. It is a true test. It's absolutely spectacular."

Fred Couples
U.S. Masters Champion

"This course is definitely good enough for an open. You can see the ocean, beach, the hills. It is a very nice place to play golf."

Bernhard Langer
2014 Senior Open Champion