"Members cite the clifftop views over Cardigan Bay as reason enough to play through even when the wind is up."

Formed in 1911, when the first committee engaged Harry Vardon to design the layout; the full eighteen opened in 1913 with an exhibition featuring George Duncan. Despite the links reputation, this is hilly downland perched on Bryn-y-Mor ('hill in the sea') above the town — the true links nearby is Borth & Ynyslas. The course has grown from a 5,185-yard par 72 to today's ~6,119-yard par 70, with nearly every bunker rebuilt over the past decade, and there are views of Cardigan Bay, Snowdonia and the Llŷn from almost every hole.

Value hunters, Vardon completists, and anyone who wants honest holiday golf with panoramic sea views rather than a grind — a genuine hidden gem of west Wales.

The 4th is the consensus signature — played from the course's highest point down into a dip and back up, Golf Monthly's favorite hole here. The 10th is the longest, with the lone pond catching mis-hits, and the round closes with a par-3 18th from an elevated tee.

One of the friendlier Vardon courses: slope 126, only one pond in play, and reviewers call the holes 'not too tough.' The honest tests are the climbs and the wind off the sea, not the card.

Don't confuse it with Borth & Ynyslas five miles north — Wales' oldest course and the area's actual linksland.

Elevation matters on nearly every approach, and locals call it 'a beast in the wind' — dial some in. At ~6,100 yards it moves at a friendly bay pace.

Welcoming member-run club with visitors daily; around £45-55 in summer, cheaper booked online or in winter, via the club's own tee-time portal. Book ahead in high season.