A golfer’s guide to Wales: Bethan Roberts’ ultimate golf road trip

On the first day of our South Wales trip we travelled to Cardiff to stay at the Parkgate Hotel. It’s an ideal base for a city break. You’re located right in the centre of the city, so everything is on your doorstep. The rooms were beautiful, with clean modern design and so much space. The icing in the cake is the rooftop spa. We loved soaking in the infinity pool with spectacular views across Cardiff.

Everything is so close and walkable in Cardiff, so we spent the day exploring. We checked out the boutiques in St David’s Arcade and popped in to have a look at Cardiff Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day, absolutely perfect for wandering around the city.

We stopped into Cardiff Market. It’s a one of my favourite places because it has so much great food. Getting a fresh Welsh cake from Bakestones in the market is a must. Russ is English, so I always like to do traditional Welsh things – he loves a Welsh cake.

For dinner we went to Asador 44, just five minutes walk from the hotel. We had an absolutely fantastic Welsh 40-day dry aged beef sirloin sharer. I've never had a bad meal there. I tell anyone who wants a steak in Cardiff to just go Asador 44. You know you're always going to get a good one.

After breakfast we left Cardiff and headed to Royal Porthcawl. It’s just majestic – it’s Wales’ number one golf course for a reason. Russ and I have played all over the world in some pretty cool places, and it’s always in our top five. If you’re going to play golf, you’ve got to play Royal Porthcawl. Whether the sun’s shining, it’s raining or blowing a gale, it is a spectacular place. The fairways are like carpet, the greens are unmatchable. Everything is pristine. Every time I’m nearby I just want to go and play it.

The club has already hosted the Walker Cup, the Senior Men’s Open, and the AIG Women’s Open. It goes to show just what a great course this is.

Along the way, we stopped into Baffle Haus near Cowbridge for a coffee. With classic cars and motorbikes on display inside the café, it was like nothing I’d see before. It’s clearly a popular stop with bike riders and motoring enthusiasts.

We also squeezed in a quick stop at Merthyr Mawr near Bridgend. It’s one of the largest areas of sand dunes in Europe. Even though I’m from South Wales, I’d never been there before. There are so many amazing things we have on our doorstep in this part of Wales.

Our next stay was at Tŷ Newport. It’s part of the Celtic Connection family and located close to the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport. It’s a great affordable option if you want to try out Celtic Manor’s golf courses. It’s a great place to stay. Clean, modern and very comfortable, with the advantage of three great golf courses on your doorstep.

It was my first time playing Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten. What a golf course! Royal Porthcawl has its challenges, but the amount of water and the sheer size of the Twenty Ten is amazing. It was a pretty brutal round, as you’d expect from a Ryder Cup course, but an absolutely incredible experience. We were also given a Ryder Cup 2010 bag tag after our round which was a lovely little memento to take home with us.

We stopped for a drink in Merlin’s Bar at Celtic Manor before heading into Newport town centre to grab some food in Newport Market. It’s fantastic street food venue, with loads of vendors, located in the town’s historic market hall. It’s a great addition to the town centre and you can see why it’s so popular.

We started off at Royal St David’s in Harlech. I’ve played there before, but it’s always an incredible experience. The castle is watching over you all the way round and you’ve got to think hard about every shot. People call Royal St David’s the world’s hardest par-69. The fairways are very narrow, so if you can’t hit them, you’re stuck. The challenge is a big part of the appeal though. We were chatting to people as we went round and a lot of them had travelled a long way to be there. Many even had long-distance membership, which gives you an idea of what a special course this is.

On our way to Harlech, we stopped off at Narrative in Rhayader. It’s a great independent coffee shop that stocks a huge range of blends. We had a mango flavoured coffee which was really good. Definitely somewhere you should visit if you’re into your coffee.

Dinner was at Fanny Talbots in Barmouth. It was some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. I had a confit salmon with crispy oyster to start and a super-fresh pan-fried halibut for main. Russ had the Welsh lamb, which he said was the best lamb dish he’s ever had. To top it off, the strawberry cheesecake we had for dessert was the most incredible cheesecake we’d tasted in our lives.

Overnight was at the Trefeddian Hotel in Aberdyfi. It’s a gorgeous traditional country house hotel with amazing views over the sea and the golf course. There’s even a little pitch and putt course in front of the hotel. Perfect for warming up before a round at Aberdyfi Golf Club.

We were up bright and early to play Aberdyfi. I don’t want to call it my favourite course in Wales because I love them all, but I there’s something so special about the place. It just feels magical. It’s this unique combination of untamed natural features and perfectly prepared greens. Following some rain and a spell of dry weather, the conditions were absolutely immaculate for us. It was a joy to play there.

After our round at Aberdyfi, we headed to Portmeirion, a completely unique fantasy village on at the mouth of Dwyryd estuary. We stayed in one of the rooms in the heart of the village. It was great to be in the centre of such an unusual place, but it was even better once the gates closed to the day visitors and we had the place to ourselves. All of a sudden everybody vanishes and the village has a completely different atmosphere.

We ate in the Dining Room, Portmeirion’s two AA-rosette restaurant. It’s in a lovely art deco building right at the water’s edge, it feels like eating on an elegant cruise liner. Like everything at Portmeirion, it’s just so unusual.

Speaking of unusual, our game today was out of this world. We made our way to Zip World Llechwedd for a round of underground mini golf. We took the train down into the slate caverns to find a really fun 18-hole mini golf course (the deepest in the world) illuminated with colourful neon lights­. It was very different from our usual golf experiences, but we had a great time. It’s just one of dozens of activities on offer at Zip World locations all across Wales.

I thought the underground golf was going to be the coolest thing I’d tried, but the day was far from over. We made our way to Zip World Penrhyn, driving north through the peaks of Eryri, for a ride on Velocity. It’s the world’s fastest zipline, and I can hardly describe the feeling of riding on it. Since I’ve got home, I’ve been telling everybody that they have go and try it themselves.

Our final stay was in the Princess Margaret suite at Plas Dinas, a fantastic country house hotel near Caernarfon. The room was packed with luxurious features like a grand four-poster bed and enormous bathroom (Russ particularly enjoyed the shortbread and Welsh whisky waiting for us on our arrival).

We enjoyed some cocktails and canapes before dinner in The Gunroom restaurant. Chef Daniel ap Geraint (a veteran of the Great British Menu), served a spectacular five course meal, largely made from locally-sourced ingredients – the Welsh beef fillet was a highlight. It was a wonderful romantic experience and the perfect end to our Welsh golfing adventure.

I don't think Wales is explored enough as a golf destination. Not only is it one of the most affordable destinations in the world to go and play golf, but the landscapes and things to see and do around the golf courses are remarkable. Whether you’re playing the shadow of Eryri’s mountains or watching surfers catching waves on the 18th hole of Royal Porthcawl, there is so much variety.

On top of that, you have the warm Welsh welcome. Everywhere you go in Wales, everyone's got a smile on their face. Everyone at the golf club is waiting to greet you with open arms and just happy that you’re there exploring their beautiful country.