England/Wales (September 2024)

[swo83]

Hi all, making a trip back to UK&I, another marathon of a trip but wanted some feedback on a few options.  Most of the itinerary is set but want to hear opinions on Rye, Brancaster, Ganton, and Pennard.  There may be an opportunity to weave one of these courses in (will likely have to drop something else) but wanted to hear if any are can’t misses on a first trip to England/Wales.  Completely understand they’re in different locations around the county, we’re hitting a lot of courses and not looking for logistics advice, only course reviews.  Thanks for any input, I always appreciate your thoughts.  

[swo83]

Let me add Painswick too.

 

so Rye, Brancaster, Ganton, Pennard, Painswick

[El Gringo]

I am a big fan of Rye and Pennard. The conditions at Pennard have improved immensely in the past few years…it’s looking very good with the new bunkers. I used to be a member of Pennard so I am biased.
 

Rye is Rye. I love it. Bring a jacket and tie and do lunch. It’s a 2ball club so be aware. The town is outstanding.
 

Brancaster is also very cool…old school course. I have never seen it with the tide in…a bucket list game for me. The course is a bit narrow, but the club controls the rough very well. 
 

I am not as big a fan of Ganton as many, but I haven’t seen it after recent work. Regardless, Ganton is worth a go. 
 

Painswick! Highly unusual course that can be frustrating if you don’t keep a smile on your face. Great set of short holes. Loads of crisscross holes and tiny greens. If it’s not too bouncy Painswick is a lot of fun.

Edited May 22, 2024 by El Gringo

[swo83]

Thanks, how would you rank Sandwich, Deal, and Rye?  
 

right now I’m leaning towards  Brancaster and Pennard (based on the opportunity and logistics for the availability).  But I’m struggling to pass up Rye. 

[El Gringo]

All three are among the best in GB&I so far as I am concerned.
Sandwich tops

Deal is better than Rye, but Rye has a magic about it which appeals more. 
 

You honestly can’t go wrong with any of your choices. I tend to be a logistics person and play what makes sense travel wise, but sometimes ya gotta follow your heart. 

 

[Chanceman]

We played Ganton on our merry-go-round-England last year. It’s great but very tough. Alwoodley is about 20 miles away and also worth playing but a notch down from Ganton. 

We also played Deal but not Rye. Deal is superb and a pure links experience. 
So much to choose from in England, it’s a paradise for good golf.

[JungleJimbo]

On 5/22/2024 at 8:31 AM, swo83 said:

Hi all, making a trip back to UK&I, another marathon of a trip but wanted some feedback on a few options.  Most of the itinerary is set but want to hear opinions on Rye, Brancaster, Ganton, and Pennard.  There may be an opportunity to weave one of these courses in (will likely have to drop something else) but wanted to hear if any are can’t misses on a first trip to England/Wales.  Completely understand they’re in different locations around the county, we’re hitting a lot of courses and not looking for logistics advice, only course reviews.  Thanks for any input, I always appreciate your thoughts.  

 

 

 

[sabram]

On 5/21/2024 at 8:43 PM, swo83 said:

Thanks, how would you rank Sandwich, Deal, and Rye?  
 

right now I’m leaning towards  Brancaster and Pennard (based on the opportunity and logistics for the availability).  But I’m struggling to pass up Rye. 

Rye is awesome, but Deal is even better IMHO. If you are going to be in the Southeast, you should make every effort to play Deal, Sandwich and Rye.

 

Click on a photo to link to a photo tour of the course:

 

Rye

 

Deal

[swo83]

I realize that this may not be the proper forum, but since I started this topic and it involves golf trip to England I have to ask!

 

The Premier League fixtures schedule was just released and we’ll be in the area for either the Man City or the Liverpool area for the games on September 21st (playing the three royals but the timing will work).  I’m a huge basketball and baseball fan in the states but know next to nothing about football (I’d love to see a game).

 

I signed up to become a man city member (small fee) but the tickets aren’t available yet.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Would they be released relatively soon and if for some reason we miss the ticket offerings from the club is there a StubHub-like equivalent to try to grab two in the open market?  Any suggestions.

 

also, I signed up for a club membership for myself (I may do the same for Liverpool to give ourselves the best chance to grab tickets to one of the two matches) but will I be able to purchase two tickets through the club.  Or can you only purchase one ticket per membership? 
 

again apologies for bogging the golf thread down but this is something we’d love to experience on the trip and looking for some decent info from those who’ve done this before.  Thank you!

[Stephen_82]

I suspect that the Man City v Arsenal game will be moved to the Sunday (22nd) to suit the TV audience for Sky. It'll be a big game so likely to be a 'super sunday' affair. So depending on your flexibility you may want to also consider the Liverpool game - as much as that sickens me to say

as an Everton fan.

[swo83]

Sunday works as well for us!  But I’m indifferent.  I’m sure that pains legitimate fans (it would for me with other sports/teams).  Since they just released the fixtures schedule should the tickets go on soon or will it be later in the summer?   

[Stephen_82]

They're usually on sale about 4 weeks before the match (at least that's how Everton do it - and I presume most teams run a similar timeline). I guess it's to allow for changes of dates due to TV commitments.

[swo83]

Thanks for the recommendations.  I ended up going the hospitality route to give us peace of mind.  There’s flexibility in our schedule in case the game is shifted to Sunday.  
 

Unrelated, does anyone have an opinion on Nefyn and Perranporth?  We may have an opportunity to place one or both and I really don’t hear much about either.

 

also,  curious to gauge peoples thoughts on Deal.  We’re playing Sandwich but would have to give up Deal to play Ganton and Brancaster.  Thoughts?

[JungleJimbo]

On 6/18/2024 at 10:37 PM, swo83 said:

I realize that this may not be the proper forum, but since I started this topic and it involves golf trip to England I have to ask!

 

The Premier League fixtures schedule was just released and we’ll be in the area for either the Man City or the Liverpool area for the games on September 21st (playing the three royals but the timing will work).  I’m a huge basketball and baseball fan in the states but know next to nothing about football (I’d love to see a game).

 

I signed up to become a man city member (small fee) but the tickets aren’t available yet.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Would they be released relatively soon and if for some reason we miss the ticket offerings from the club is there a StubHub-like equivalent to try to grab two in the open market?  Any suggestions.

 

also, I signed up for a club membership for myself (I may do the same for Liverpool to give ourselves the best chance to grab tickets to one of the two matches) but will I be able to purchase two tickets through the club.  Or can you only purchase one ticket per membership? 
 

again apologies for bogging the golf thread down but this is something we’d love to experience on the trip and looking for some decent info from those who’ve done this before.  Thank you!

 

this info re football tickets might be helpful (official hospitality via the club website = always Lowest Risk)

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/s/RGoBJjyK5P

 

 

[Chanceman]

7 hours ago, swo83 said:

Thanks for the recommendations.  I ended up going the hospitality route to give us peace of mind.  There’s flexibility in our schedule in case the game is shifted to Sunday.  
 

Unrelated, does anyone have an opinion on Nefyn and Perranporth?  We may have an opportunity to place one or both and I really don’t hear much about either.

 

also,  curious to gauge peoples thoughts on Deal.  We’re playing Sandwich but would have to give up Deal to play Ganton and Brancaster.  Thoughts?

Perranporth is definitely worth the time. A very hilly and quirky layout with speccy views. Sorry can’t compare to Nefyn - maybe next year. 
Deal? Seems strange to give up 2 top courses to play 1. But it’s definitely worth playing. A bit plain but full of quality holes. Ganton is a tough beast. You have to enjoy being tested. Not played RWN. 

[El Gringo]

22 hours ago, swo83 said:

Thanks for the recommendations.  I ended up going the hospitality route to give us peace of mind.  There’s flexibility in our schedule in case the game is shifted to Sunday.  
 

Unrelated, does anyone have an opinion on Nefyn and Perranporth?  We may have an opportunity to place one or both and I really don’t hear much about either.

 

also,  curious to gauge peoples thoughts on Deal.  We’re playing Sandwich but would have to give up Deal to play Ganton and Brancaster.  Thoughts?

Perranporth is a cracker if you like funky architecture….if you don’t then avoid. I am not a big fan of Nefyn, but the “old” nine on the peninsula is worth a go if nearby.

 

Don’t skip Deal for Ganton or Brancaster. 

Edited June 26, 2024 by El Gringo

[hammergolf]

20 hours ago, swo83 said:

Thanks for the recommendations.  I ended up going the hospitality route to give us peace of mind.  There’s flexibility in our schedule in case the game is shifted to Sunday.  
 

Unrelated, does anyone have an opinion on Nefyn and Perranporth?  We may have an opportunity to place one or both and I really don’t hear much about either.

 

also,  curious to gauge peoples thoughts on Deal.  We’re playing Sandwich but would have to give up Deal to play Ganton and Brancaster.  Thoughts?

I’m interested to hear since my group will be going to Liverpool on our trip next year. I’m thinking about adding a couple extra days and looking at Nefyn, North Wales, and Conwy.

[sabram]

On 6/26/2024 at 4:44 AM, El Gringo said:

Don’t skip Deal for Ganton or Brancaster. 

+1 

[swo83]

On 6/18/2024 at 11:03 AM, Stephen_82 said:

I suspect that the Man City v Arsenal game will be moved to the Sunday (22nd) to suit the TV audience for Sky. It'll be a big game so likely to be a 'super sunday' affair. So depending on your flexibility you may want to also consider the Liverpool game - as much as that sickens me to say

as an Everton fan.

You were absolutely right!  We ended up getting hospitality too from one of the club’s recommended sites (just as a layer of security).   Match moved to Sunday as you said!  Glad we had the flexibility in the schedule.

[swo83]

One more question, if you had to decide between a Cornwall leg of a trip (St Enodoc, Perranporth, plus one more tbd) or a north west leg consisting of Woodhall Spa, Ganton, and Royal West Norfolk, then which would it be?   
 

we’re playing plenty more elsewhere, but this is the last piece of the itinerary to finalize, so just curious about these two specific areas.  Thanks!

[Chanceman]

38 minutes ago, swo83 said:

One more question, if you had to decide between a Cornwall leg of a trip (St Enodoc, Perranporth, plus one more tbd) or a north west leg consisting of Woodhall Spa, Ganton, and Royal West Norfolk, then which would it be?   
 

we’re playing plenty more elsewhere, but this is the last piece of the itinerary to finalize, so just curious about these two specific areas.  Thanks!

Hmmm. Good question!

St Enodoc/Perranporth/Saunton might be very close in quality to Ganton/WS/RWN. Perhaps a notch below, but Cornwall is all links whereas the other is kind of Heathland combined with links. I dunno. If it was me I'd go the latter. That way you get a bit of everything.

 

[swo83]

We have a trip lined up similar to yours… hitting lots of areas… plenty of heathland around London (Sunny/Swinley/SGH), Sandwich/Deal, 3 Royals in the Northwest, even RP/Pennard.  Just need to settle on the last bit… leaning toward Cornwall to be honest… but wanted to hear some insight on those thatve been there/done that.

[Chanceman]

1 hour ago, swo83 said:

We have a trip lined up similar to yours… hitting lots of areas… plenty of heathland around London (Sunny/Swinley/SGH), Sandwich/Deal, 3 Royals in the Northwest, even RP/Pennard.  Just need to settle on the last bit… leaning toward Cornwall to be honest… but wanted to hear some insight on those thatve been there/done that.

If you go Cornwall you won’t be disappointed. Saunton, Westward Ho! and Burnham & Berrow are others to consider down there. B&B is superb. But beware, the wind can really blow.

[El Gringo]

8 hours ago, swo83 said:

One more question, if you had to decide between a Cornwall leg of a trip (St Enodoc, Perranporth, plus one more tbd) or a north west leg consisting of Woodhall Spa, Ganton, and Royal West Norfolk, then which would it be?   
 

we’re playing plenty more elsewhere, but this is the last piece of the itinerary to finalize, so just curious about these two specific areas.  Thanks!

Depends on if you like wild courses. If you do, Cornwall is the choice. If you want much more conventional English golf then the other choice is for you. 

Edited July 13, 2024 by El Gringo