Whitchurch Golf Club Review

By: Melvyn Davies | Tue 27 May 2025

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Located just three and a half miles north of the fabulous city of Cardiff, Whitchurch (Cardiff) Golf Club occupies stunning elevated ground that overlooks the capital of Wales, with Penarth Head visible and the Somerset Coast and Bristol Channel completing an extraordinary panorama.

The golf club was founded in 1914 and it has grown into a wonderful parkland layout that is sheltered from the north by the Wenallt Hills and guarding these hills stands Castell Coch, a thirteenth century castle rich with history.

Known for its testing short holes, the amateur course record here is 63, with the professional record being held by Ian Woosnam with 62.

In 2025, the club will host the Welsh Amateur Championships for both men and women.

Green Fees

Weekday: £70.00

Weekday Junior: £35.00

Visitor Weekday Fourball: £280.00

County Card (Weekday Only): £40.00

Saturday: N/A (Members Guests Only)

Sunday (After 11:00): £70.00

First Impressions

Whitchurch Golf

As you enter the venue, you can see straight away that this is a club that takes a great pride in its first appearance. A lovely clubhouse is ahead with a pro shop to the right.

It's a two-tier clubhouse which has a fantastic balcony allowing you to see some truly great views over the course. There is a lovely patio area with open seating but also seats that are covered, all very modern looking. The clubhouse itself has ample seating with a very light and airy feel to it. Great choices of food and drinks make this a great venue for golfers and other events.

Outside on the patio the putting green sits in front and is well sized, while next to that is a very nice chipping area/green and also a very good practice bunker.

There is a well stocked pro shop with some of the best known brands on show. Also they have a great swing studio upstairs in the clubhouse with Trackman and Zen Putting Studio, with plans for future developments too.

Five pros make up the team with Will Urwin (winner of a prestigious coach of the year award in 2024) being the Head Pro and Huw the shop manager.

One thing you notice straight away is how well the course is presented and also how well it was designed. Great mix of holes, well placed bunkers, superb greens and surrounds, and best of all I didn’t feel once like a hole felt like one already played.

The Golf Course

Par 71
5,962 Yards (Yellow)
Slope 117/ Rating 69.7

The opener is a magnificent par 3 with water in front and right, that also has a great feature fountain. Par here is a good start to the round.

Whitchurch Golf

With two par 3s per nine with each providing a different challenge both distance wise and also where to miss and where not, this for me made the experience all the better.

The second, fourth and ninth holes are all reachable par 4s where a good drive will really set you up for a birdie, but as with everywhere here, anything slightly off line can soon lead to a big number. There’s not really a miss on any driving hole as trees line them all.

The third and eighth are the two par 5s on the front with only one on the back

Good drives from the longer hitters will make both reachable in two but don’t relax - the second shots on both whether laying up or going for the green require once more a well hit shot to keep you inside the tree line and away from the bunkers.

The fifth and sixth really do show why they are the two lowest indexes on the front nine. Both are 450+ yards, tight off the tee, plenty of bunkers just short and around the green and as is the case all round a relatively small surface awaits. Par on either of these will more than likely put you up on most of the field.

The back nine starts with its only par 5 and probably the best of many great looking holes. The city of Cardiff is in the distance as you tee off. A straight away hole with some really well positioned fairway bunkers lie ahead - once again reachable in two if the tee shot is good but bunkers by the green and OOB right behind the green make this such a tough approach shot no matter what the distance/club.

11, 14 and 18 are all around the 450 yard mark and all really challenge your driving and then mid/long game.

12, 16 and 17 are relatively short holes, all 350 yards or so, birdies are possible but so are bogeys. I must say that personally I love these shorter par 4s as I feel they can reward a well-played hole but can soon help you run up a big number if not plotted well.

13 for me is a great par 3. Only about 120 yards from an elevated tee but if you don’t club right or hit the shot well you can soon wave goodbye to that possible birdie or what you may think easy par. Three bunkers, one front, one left and another right mean a straight shot is required and anything long runs off down the banks. To me it shows that a good short par 3 can challenge as much as a 200 yard par 3.

The other par 3 on the back is 15 at just over 200 yards - a real tester of a hole with five bunkers round the green and OOB behind - now this hole really needs a well struck shot to avoid the abundance of trouble waiting.

As already mentioned, the 18th is over 450 yards and I must say is a magnificent finishing hole to a truly wonderful course. OOB down the left, trees both sides and a fairway attached to the pond by the first awaiting any tee shot slightly offline to the right. A long but narrow green with a bunker either side lies ahead so getting the right club is the challenge here.

Whitchurch Golf

Final Thoughts

There were three holes that stood out to me, the 1st, 10th and 18th really highlight what a great course Whitchurch is. Saying that the other 15 were also memorable.

The teeing areas were all in prime condition. All fairways and surrounds were of the highest quality with again great grass coverage, especially given the recent dry weather. Paul Crowe (GM) said the bunkers weren’t as good as the club wanted but they are planned for some work but I have to say I personally thought they looked great and having been in a couple as did my playing partners we all said they were in very good condition. As for the greens, these really were so good, not a blemish on them, all looked fantastic and the roll was so true. A massive well done to all that help get the course in such an amazing condition already.

The course has a few walks uphill and downhill but nothing too major. I would say it is playable for all golfers no matter the age or ability. A really enjoyable course to play and also to look at on the way round. One thing I would say is in places some signage from greens to tees would be helpful but if that’s the only small negative again that shows how good it is at Whitchurch GC.

We all really enjoyed the experience, both out on the course and also before/after in the clubhouse, sampling the great food and drinks on offer. Both food and drink were not only great but also good value too.

Whitchurch Golf