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MONMOUTHSHIRE GOLF CLUB
Venerable (1892) course from the talented
hands
of James Braid on historic land by the River Usk.
MONMOUTHSHIRE GOLF CLUB
Near Abergavenny, Mid-Wales
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Monmouthshire Golf Club
Llanfoist, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire,
Wales NP7 9HE
Tel: +44 (0)1873 852606
Fax: +44 (0)1873 850470
e-mail: secretary@monmounthshire-g-c.sagehost.co.uk
LOOKING FOR A TYPICAL JAMES
BRAID GOLF COURSE? Located in the hill and valley country along the River
Usk in southeastern Mid-Wales, the Monmouthshire Golf Club is scenic, short, mature,
challenging and historic. The course dates from 1892, ranking it among the oldest courses
in Wales. The sitethe Usk River valley just south of the handsome market town of
Abergavenny, Waleslies in old Monmouthshire county at the edge of the Black
Mountains and near the entrance to the ruggedly beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park.
The great James Braid designed the course. One
hundred years ago, Hall of Famer Braid won the British Open Championship five times in a
period of ten years. Along with the Tom Morrises, Alister Mackenzie, Harry Vardon, Willie
Park, Donald Ross and one or two contemporaries, Braid is counted among modern golfs
Founding Fathers. Braids influence on golf continues today through the legacy of
more than 200 coursesmost located in the British Islesof his design. Although
some of Braids best designs were famed seaside linkses including Carnoustie in
Scotland and Ballybunion in Ireland, many think his greatest contributions are on inland
courses, including Rosemount (Blairgowrie) and Gleneagles in Scotland. Braid understood
that inland courses (often sub-categorized as "parkland", "heathland",
and "moorland") were inheritantly different than coastal links courses.
Although his inland courses adhered to a
similar length with linkses, their natural conditionsmore trees and hills, and less
wind, high grass rough, and sandresulted in Braids adding two new challenges
to inland golf: dog-legged fairways and pot bunkers. Braids designs became so
popular that they became the games standard design for decades. Now, with the advent
of long-drive technology and radically stylized courses in swamps, deserts, and virtually
any environment from the equator to the polar circles, Braids once innovative
courses seem to some golfers dull clichιstoo short, too predictable, too staid. To
others, a James Braid course commands the respect due tradition and should be savored like
a vintage wine.
LENGTH & PAR:
White Tees:
Par 70, 5,978 yards, SSS 70, (Par 37 Out; Par 33 In)
Yellow Tees: Par 70, 5,806
yards (men visitors), SSS 69
Red Tees: Par 72, 5,244 yards
(ladies visitors), SSS 72
FACILITIES:
Pull Cart (Trolley) Rental
Club Rental
Pro Shop
Clubhouse with bar & restaurant
Practice Area
GREENS FEES:
Weekdays: £30
Weekends/Holidays: £60
VISITORS welcome every day, with some restrictions when the club is having outings and
competitions.
Handicap Certificate and Proof of Club Membership Required
RESERVATIONS:
Advanced reservations recommended.
Tel: +44
(0)1873 852606
Fax: +44 (0)1873 850470
e-mail: secretary@monmounthshire-g-c.sagehost.co.uk
Nearest Home
at First Lodgings are located just minutes away, also just outside Abergavenny.
Other lodgings are approximately 30 minutes away near Brecon and Hay-on-Wye.
More information on travel
with Home at First to: MID-WALES
DIRECTIONS:
Monmouthshire Golf Club is on the outskirts of Abergavenny between villages of Llanfoist
and Llanellen. Three miles west of Abergavenny and two miles from the A465 on the
Llanfoist to Llanellen Road (B4269).
LET HOME AT FIRST
BOOK YOUR TEE-TIME AT MONMOUTHSHIRE as part of your Welsh travel plans. There is no service charge
for making your booking.
THE COURSE & SOME MEMORABLE
HOLES: Monmouthshire is neither a great
course, nor an especially great Braid course. In this, playing Monmouthshire can be very
instructive. Like most inland courses Braid took on, Monmouthshire is gorgeous, short,
and, now after 100 years, mature. Mature, of course, means fairways lined with tall,
spreading, trees that encroach upon the field of fair play and demand accuracy instead of
length. Who is responsible for making scratch golf the province of young, strong, flexible
men armed with the next generation Bigger Bertha? Not James Braid. Scoring on short,
mature courses demands strategic planning and execution, not lobbing howitzer shots 315
yards down the interstate.
That doesnt mean that Monmouthshire is a
par-3 pitch n putt duffers delight. At almost 6,000 yards from the longest
(white) tees, this venerable par-70 (SSS 70) track offers 4 par-5 holesincluding
holes 6, 7, and 8 on the front and 18 on the back. But it is the short back 9 (par-33
under 3,000 yards) with its 4 strong par-3s that gives Monmouthshire its
personality, making it a memorable test. And, for Americans who are used to riding,
Monmouthshirelike almost every James Braid courserequires walking, an
experience that forces golfers to pay attention to the landscape. And, with some
outstanding views of the foothills of the Black Mountains and the Beacons, the landscape
rewards you, even if your score does not.
MORE ON JAMES BRAID: When you play
Monmouthshire you are not on hallowed ground. But you will see elements of genius that an
inspired James Braid incorporated into 200+ golf courses throughout the British Isles
during over the decades of the turn of the 19th century. You will see these elements again
and again as you encounter Braids courses throughout Britain and Ireland: at the Taymouth Castle course at Kenmore, Central Scotland, Rosemount course at Blairgowrie, Central Scotland, Kings and
Queens courses at Gleneagles, Central Scotland, and Brora and Golspie
links courses in Northern Scotland, and Peebles in the Scottish
Borders.
Braids hand improved the fine inland
course at Crieff, Central Scotland, the excellent links at Nairn in Northern Scotland and
three legendary Scottish linkses that have hosted many British Opens over the years: Carnoustie in Central Scotland, and Royal
Troon and Prestwick on the Ayrshire coast south of Glasgow.
Owing to a fear of long-distance travel, Braid
rarely left Britain. He did visit Ireland a few times, and is credited with helping make
the ancient Ballybunion links on the Kerry Coast the toast of
Irish golf. Other Welsh courses designed or improved by Braid include excellent coastal
courses at Porthmadog and Pwllheli in northwestern Wales, and Rhyl on the northern coast.
JAMES BRAID
THE REGION:
There are some fine golf courses to play and lots more to do in Mid-Wales.
There are excellent golf courses nearby at Celtic Manor, Builth
Wells, and others. Within reach are two Shrines of Golf at Royal Porthcawl, Royal St. David's and other lesser links courses on both sides of
the Wales/England border. Fishing, touring, exploring castles, strolling through charming
villages, and shopping for Welsh woolens and other crafts are excellent in this region.
Walkers & cyclists will enjoy getting out in the great scenery along the wild river
valleys, and hiking/riding the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains.
More information on travel
to: MID-WALES
Want to learn
about other courses throughout the British Isles
including some of the greatest tests of golf in the world?
See our SCOTLAND, IRELAND, ENGLAND, and WALES Course Guides for
more information.
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