Borth & Ynyslas or Borth and the Blue Isle

A name as romantic in English as it is unpronounceable in Welsh.  Although grey on one of the first days of autumn you can understand how beautiful it must be in summer. Borth & Ynyslas is one of the must visit links courses, genuine to it’s core yet it is jeopardised by tides, global warming and an unforgiving economic climate.

Uppingham School found Borth an ideal place to obtain refuge from a Typhoid outbreak in 1876 and then discovered the perfect parcel of land for a links course. It is not difficult to imagine the game emerging organically from the dunes as the original game did.  And although Royal West Norfolk, the nearest links course to Uppingham, was not established until 1892 I detect a little of it’s animating spirit of Norfolk’s open course similarly influenced by tides and occasionally an island itself.  Big skies and a bracing sea, flat land and delightful turf to nip the ball off, perhaps it was the other way about?  Borth as an influence on Brancaster?

A number of the holes are well protected by mounds, both wild and kempt and natural bunkers.  I was delighted to see that despite Spartan resources they are restoring revetted bunkers at the rate of perhaps three a year.  It is a thin sliver of land and not terribly long at 6084 yards off the whites but the wind is not to be underestimated.  Through necessity and love the members get properly involved in the maintenance and management of the course literally picking the littoral pebbles from the fairways when the sea floods in.  Fortunately, as a result of strong relationships with local authorities the sea wall is being restored.  But it is our duty as golfers to pay homage and green fees to this remarkable course. As Uppingham discovered it is a great place to escape an outbreak of disease but you don’t need such a dramatic excuse to go there.

As they say on this traditional, out and back layout, the far holes are closer to Aberdovey Golf Club than the Borth clubhouse.  So when you visit Borth & Ynyslas jump on the train and hop over to Aberdovey and Harlech.  More traditional, greener and quicker than by car.

I was most graciously welcomed by the Mens’ and Ladies’ Captains who generously allowed me to pay my green fee to Alzheimer’s Society.  Thank you.

Seagull’s view 30

Greens & bunkers 11

Links experience 16

Total 57/72