The Course
Conwy is one of the best kept secrets
The Conwy course has been cursed by a host of golfers down the years, along with Adolf Hitler - for this tough test of golf played a part in his downfall.
The deep bunkers, gorse and superb links layout mean Conwy has been a rigorous examination of anyone’s golfing ability, it has also been something of a hidden gem tucked away along the North Wales coast.
It was that which made it a perfect place to construct the pre-fabricated harbours for the D-Day landings, out of the sight of the German Luftwaffe.
The building work was done behind the second green and a memorial stone now stands on the Morfa to commemorate ‘one of the best kept secrets of World War II.’
The club was also used in the 1914-18 war for training troops, but it is now best known as one of the UK’s top links courses.
Conwy will provide a fitting venue for the European Amateur Team Championships with a reputation for producing top quality winners.
It is a course which has challenged the European Tour Seniors recently with Carl Mason and Peter Mitchell overcoming the likes of Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Costantina Rocca.
Also when the Welsh strokeplay was held there last, the winner was England’s Chris Wood who went on to star in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It is a course which combines 140 years of tradition with some modern upgrades to hold it’s own against the very best players.
“When three enthusiastic Scotsmen laid out a few roughly-made holes for their own amusement on the Morfa marshes in 1869, they could hardly have contemplated what they were starting,” is how the club’s centenary book puts it.
Situated on the North Wales coast at the mouth of the River Conwy and in the shadow of Conwy Mountain and overlooking the Conwy Estuary with Llandudno’s Great Orme beyond and the Isle of Anglesey visible to the west, this is a truly magnificent and spectacular setting for golf, set on links land known locally for years as the Morfa
Back in 1875, a group of members from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club realised the potential of this land and initially arranged a professionally designed 12-hole layout, leading to the formation of the Club in 1890 and an 18-hole course by 1895.
At the time, there were predictions of a great golfing future for the club and these have proved to be accurate - especially in the 21st century.
The European Amateur Team Championships continues a trend of the club hosting top class events thanks to continued investment in the course, in particular with the installation of a fairway irrigation system, as well as creating new bunkers and reconstructing the existing hazards.
When Conwy was selected as a Local Final Qualifying Venue for The Open Championship held at Hoylake during July 2006, this was the first time for a club in Wales to have this great honour.
Only the three qualifiers, Jon Bevan, Warren Bladon and Mikko Illonen were under par for two rounds- Illonen going on to a top 20 finish at the Open itself the following week.
Many of the players currently playing the European Tour sampled the challenges of Conwy during the European Boys Team Championships staged here in 1992, whilst the men’s Home Internationals were held here in 1990.
And now, in 2009, the Club is excited at the prospect of staging the European Amateur Team Championships, another great honour for the Club given that the four previous UK venues are St Andrews, Hillside, Royal Porthcawl and Royal St Georges.
Golf Course Image Provided by Strokesaver
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