Ryder Cup helps bring Tenby GC up-to-date
30 July 2010

One of the favourite golf courses of former Welsh Ryder Cup winning captain, Dai Rees, has built new modern academy facilities - thanks to The Ryder Cup coming to Wales this year.

Tenby is the oldest golf club in Wales and one of the player's favourites, hosting the Welsh Amateur Championship (July 28-31) and the Ladies British Strokeplay Championship this summer, while being included in Today's Golfer magazine's top 10 value courses in the country and Golf World's top 100 courses.

Now the practice and learning facilities have been brought up-to-date to match the quality and history of the links course, with a new 3-hole starter area added, thanks to an £80,000 grant from the Ryder Cup Wales Legacy Fund.

The Tenby club has strong links with The Ryder Cup and the third hole is named after Dai Rees, the winning, playing captain at Lindrick in 1957, the only victory for Great Britain and Ireland since 1933 - with the next American defeat coming when a European team won at The Belfry in 1985.

The club has also put a huge amount of effort into finding stars of the future with well over 200 hundred boys, girls, men and women going through the starter schemes being run by club pro Rhys Harry, the current Golf Union of Wales club professional of the year.

The new facilities will help develop that process, with a proper 300 yard driving range, improved short game practice area and three new short holes, in an eight acre site which needed to be reclaimed from wild sea buckthorn weeds.

"We had an area of wild buckthorn which the Countryside Commission wanted us to clear and also we needed these new facilities - for instance our previous driving range was the old first hole, so it was very narrow with a dogleg," explained Tenby Secretary, David Hancock.

"We could never have afforded to do it ourselves so when the Ryder Cup Wales Legacy Fund grants became available we thought it was the ideal way of killing two birds with one stone.

"Now we have a wide driving area, improved chipping and bunker area as well as the three holes, all of which can help people starting the game and also help anyone work on their technique."

Tenby was the first club in Wales to be affiliated to the Golf Union of Wales and was officially founded in 1888, though there are records of golf being played there in 1875.

The club has done a great job of taking golf to the people in the area, while upgraded accommodation on the course has also enhanced the tourist potential of one of Wales's most popular courses for visitors - designed by golf architect James Braid who also did Gleneagles and Carnoustie.

"James Braid made three visits here and most of the course is pretty much the way he left it after his third visit, so it was great to have the opportunity to upgrade the facilities around the course," explained Hancock.

"We have held several Welsh Amateur Championships with another one this week, then next month is the British Ladies Strokeplay and it is always nice to host a British event here.

"So the course has the quality and the history, but we are also conscious of developing the game and we are keen to make it a relaxed place for members, visitors and starters alike.

"The new academy facilities show that you do not have to be an experienced golfer to come down.

"Thanks to support from Golf Development Wales and the work of our pro Rhys, we have had more than a thousand ladies and juniors getting coaching through the club, as well as more recent schemes for men coming to the end of their rugby or football careers.

"All that started before the academy facilities, so we are hoping for a new surge now we have a proper place for it to carry on."

The new developments were welcomed by Ryder Cup Wales Chairman, John Jermine, who has competed in the Welsh Amateur Championships over the links course.

"It is fantastic to see one of our most historic courses doing so much to improve the sport in their area and it is wonderful that Ryder Cup Wales have been able to help the process," he said.

"Anyone who has played at Tenby will know it is a wonderful course and the new practice facilities make it an even better championship venue.

"Hosting national events such as the Ladies British Stroke Play Championship is a tremendous tribute to the course, while the partnership with Golf Pembrokeshire has been very successful in attracting new players to the game. Hosting The Ryder Cup has enabled us to help clubs throughout Wales and the members of Tenby are to be applauded for supporting this initiative designed to help new players, particularly youngsters and women, many of whom will become the members of the future and enjoy a lifetime of pleasure from this marvellous game."

The Grove Wins AA Recognition
17 June 2010

The Grove was recently announced as the winner of the AA Guest Accommodation of the Year for Wales.

Giovanna Grossi, group area manager for AA Hotel Services, said,

'The AA is delighted to name The Grove as the AA Guest Accommodation of the Year for Wales for 2010-11. This luxurious and charmingly restored establishment is perfectly situated for a memorable stay in Pembrokeshire and is fully deserving of its title.'

Events at Wolfscastle Hotel, June-August 2010
28 May 2010

Tenby Open Week 2010
21 May 2010

Harry Vardon did it. Dai Rees did it. Lloyd George did it. Now, in Wales's very own Ryder Cup Year, you can do it...

Test your golfing skills on Tenby's historic links, by taking part in Tenby Golf Club Open Week.

First held in 1892, it runs this year from Saturday June 5 to Friday June 11 with daily competitions for both Ladies and Gents.

And you can win prizes worth up to four times as much as Harry Vardon did for his six Open Championship victories.

These ranged from £30 at Muirfield in 1896 to £50 at Prestwick in 1914.

Each night there'll be entertainment laid on in the clubhouse by top-class singers and comedians.

Priskilly Forest supports Wales Air Ambulance
18 May 2010

In glorious Spring sunshine a cheque was presented to local volunteers for Wales Air Ambulance to the sum of £280 which was raised during at a Boxing Day event and raffles at the club.

Mike and Rhian Lloyd received the cheque from Phil Evans (2010 Club Captain and proprietor of Priskilly).

We are delighted to give a small token to this most worthy cause as the Air Ambulance has come to the rescue on 2 occasions; the first time it landed on the 9th fairway and the second time on the 2nd green. Remarkably, on both occasions, it left no divots to repair!

St Brides Luxury Apartments - 3rd Person Stays FREE!
18 May 2010

Building on its outstanding success, St Brides Spa Hotel has just completed its final phase of development by now offering 6 x two bedroom luxury apartments.

Each apartment is individually styled and features a central living area with TV, DVD player, sofa, dining table and chairs, kitchenette comprising two ring hob, microwave, fridge and dishwasher.

The apartments are ideal for golfing parties, accommodating up to 4 guests in two separate ensuite bedrooms.

St Brides Spa Hotel is delighted to offer an exclusive promotion for Golf Pembrokeshire website visitors:

£300 per apartment per night (usually £400)

2 Michelin Star Chef joins The Grove
30 March 2010

Nigel Marriage's journey to The Grove has been one that has taken him to some of the best restaurants in the land. From his first role as a commis chef at the Savoy Hotel, where he worked in the pastry department under Ian Ironside and Silvano Trompetto, to Raymond Blanc's Le Manior Aux Quat' Saisons, which opened with two Michelin stars under his leadership as Head Chef.

From Le Manior, Nigel moved into a role as Chef de Cuisine at L'Ortolan Restaurant with his friend John Burton-Race, with whom he had worked previously at Les Quat' Saisons and Le Petit Blanc in Summertown, Oxford. This restaurant gained two Michelin Stars and over the years won numerous other awards including five star AA and Five out of five in the Good Food Guide.

You may recognise his face; he featured in "Return of the Chef", a reality-based television series based on John Burton-Race's efforts to set up the New Angel in Devon. With Nigel in charge, the restaurant achieved its first Michelin star in rapid-quick time.

Nigel himself is very excited about the opportunity of developing The Grove's kitchen garden and the numerous foraging opportunities in and around The Grove. It is often said that if he's not outside exploring the countryside, he's in the kitchen. You will find him cooking on his days off.

'I love food, I really do' he says, 'I don't mind if it's Mum's roast dinner or something five-star from France.'  In his spare time, Nigel also likes bird watching and wandering around farmers markets. He commented that 'The Grove, the house, its gardens and setting are a big factor in taking this opportunity on, as well as the many accolades The Grove has already achieved. I hope the food can now live up to the exceptionally high standards of the rooms.'

His huge experience and passion for food and everything local means that Nigel will be a huge asset to both The Grove and Pembrokeshire's growing reputation for outstanding produce and food.  At The Grove, Nigel will have a real opportunity to do it entirely his own way with full leadership of creating his unique style of Modern British food in this beautiful part of Wales.

The team at The Grove are of course very excited by his appointment, particularly the kitchen team, who will now have the opportunity to work with and be trained by a top chef.

Trefloyne Open Day 2 May 2010
19 March 2010

STABLEFORD  ~  Teams of 3
Teams may be all male, all female or mixed
Holes 1-6 Best Score per hole
Holes 7-12 Best 2 scores per hole and...
Holes 13-18 all scores counting

Maximum Handicap Men 24  ~  Ladies 30
Higher handicaps may play but have to play off stated handicaps
Juniors with CONGU handicaps welcome (one per team)

£25 per player.  Coffee and Bacon Roll, Competition and Main Course Meal Inclusive

Tee Times Between 9.00 and 10.30am and 1.00 and 2.30pm

Tenby's Rhys is Wales PGA Professional of the Year
19 January 2010