Having past it the day before going to Dolgellau, looking at the local landscape and with the literature saying it was an upland course, and listening to some of my members who have played it in the past, was I in for a surprise!

The first surprise was the welcome that we got on arrival. The Honourable secretary Mr. Rhys Jones was there to greet us in the car park where we were greeted and ushered into the clubhouse to meet the Captain Mark Wood, Lady Captain, and past Captains. After the formalities, refreshments were laid on by the steward prior to, and after our game, which far exceeded our expectations, and after a brief history of the club, it was off the 1^st tee.

My only words standing there on the 1^st were “Oh my goodness” or words to that effect, I was looking up at a mountain, and some 200 yards carry to the crest, raising some 100 feet above the tee.

The first shot of any game can be daunting, never mind having a mountain to climb, literally. Well, as you can imagine, I didn’t reach the crest, so I watched it slowly roll back down to a patch of fairway that held it up, thankfully, otherwise I could see it coming back to me on the tee. This might I add was off the white tee, the other tees were on the crest of the hill.

Once you get up to the 2^nd tee the views over the surrounding area is breathtaking overlooking the town of Bala, the lake and Berwyn Ranges.

The greens being small, and undulating fairways, makes for a very interesting round, as well as the windy conditions which you will invariably encounter.

I will say that one couldn’t get a warmer more appreciative welcome than we got here. All be it a small club of 150 members, it is one with a great big heart, and which makes me proud to have had the pleasure of meeting so many generous people. From the time we set foot in the car park the hospitality was second to none, refreshments before going out, on the 10^th tee, and a hearty meal to finish, but that wasn’t the end of it. I was presented with a club tee shirt and a giant Dragon who is called Eurig. He will be the mascot to the end of the challenge. I was also given a donation from the members of £200 as well as participating in the ongoing “penny challenge”.
The kindness here showed sincerity that will stay with me forever, to say “We’ll keep a welcome in the hillside” is the absolute truth, actions speak louder than words.

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What better way to start the week than having a nice leisurely drive through some of the most beautiful countryside we have on our doorstep.

The sun was shining as we set off on one of those rare summer days that we used to get years ago. As we approached Bala Lake seeing the Berwyn mountains to our left and the Cambrian mountains and the Snowdonia National Park on our right, a view that leaves images in the mind to savour for those cold and dark winter nights.

It was only a 30 minute drive from Bala to reach our destination for the day, Dolgellau, a closely knit predominately welsh speaking community.

The golf club is only a short distance from the town on the north side, and well sign posted. Nestled in woodland the new clubhouse is of timber construction chalet style built alongside the old stone cottage clubhouse. This little 9 hole course is inviting to all, with panoramic views of the Mawddach estuary and Cadair Idris and the Snowdonia National Park.

The new owner of the golf club is Richard Stockdale, who took over the club some 4 years ago. With his vast experience as a professional golfer he set about re kindling the course to a standard of days gone by, as well as planting new trees that will be a feature in years to come. The original design was done by a local professional in 1910, using the contours of the terrain to its best advantage similar to that of James Braid.

A feature that I have not seen before on any golf course was that a number of greens were cut square into the natural slope of the fairways, measuring approximately 10 yards by 10 yards. This adds to the degree of difficulty if one misses the green as the slope would carry the ball away in some cases, second time round however, is much easier, knowing the lie of the land. The 8^th and 17^th tee gives you a magical view of the surrounding areas, although only a 125 yard par 3 with the green way down below, local knowledge as to club selection is vital, as prevailing winds can lead you into a false choice of club.

Olivia, who looks after the social side of club functions, catering, refreshments etc., offering a selective range of food to savour ones palette at very reasonable prices. The clubhouse has a large open plan function room that could cater for a diverse range of other uses.

The club has a healthy membership in Men’s, Ladies, Senior’s, and Junior sections which says a lot of how Richard and Olivia have raised “a phoenix out of the ashes”.

Progressively, Richard and his team have plans for further improvements to the course, which will give an even greater standard that will make all comers not want to miss it. It is not a tiring course to walk, it caters for all ages, and certainly a warm welcome is guaranteed. What more could one ask for? It is one that I will definitely come back and play.

Results: WIN against the course.

Out: 37
In: 37
Gross: 74
H/Cap: 13
Nett: 61
Par: 66
Putts: 15/15 Total: 30
Stableford Points: 21/20 Total: 41

9 Pars, 1 Birdie, 7 Bogeys, 1D/Bogey

Conditions: Moderate winds 15 mph + sunny periods

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