Tumbling links turf 200 feet above Three Cliffs Bay, with a ruined castle beside play.
Pennard sits on the Gower Peninsula about eight miles west of Swansea, above Three Cliffs Bay and Oxwich Bay. Its nickname, the Links in the Sky, explains the oddity: it has the humps, hollows and revetted bunkers of a seaside links, but the ground lies about 200 feet above the sea. The American writer James W. Finegan said it was worth circling the globe for. It is a private club owned by its members, yet it takes thousands of visitors a year, books them online, and plays on free-draining ground in every month.
Visitor tee times are booked online through the club’s BRS booking page, which confirms instantly by email. Casual rounds are paid in full when you book. Payments are not refunded unless the course is closed, but you can move the booking to another date in the same year or hand the tee time to a friend. Online booking is open to men with a handicap of 28 or less and women with 36 or less; if you do not hold a handicap or club membership, the club asks you to tell it in advance. To pay by American Express, book through the office on 01792 233131. Groups of 12 or more get a discounted rate through the societies page. Saturdays are not sold to visitors in winter.
Winter rate, 1 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, Monday–Friday and Sunday; no Saturday visitor bookings. Summer 2027 (1 March–28 September) is £115 Monday–Thursday, £130 Friday and Sunday, £150 Saturday.
| Winter 2026/27, Mon–Fri & Sun | £70 |
|---|---|
| Summer 2027, Mon–Thu | £115 |
| Summer 2027, Fri & Sun | £130 |
| Summer 2027, Saturday | £150 |
Golf has been played on Pennard Burrows since 1896, when the local landowner allowed a club limited to 20 members; it was reconstituted with a looser lease in 1908. The course owes most of its shape to James Braid and later C.K. Cotton. The club describes classic tumbling links land with tight lies, running fairways and firm, fast greens, and dunes large and small. The front nine mixes strong par threes and fours with one par five. From the 10th the terrain grows more severe. The ruined walls of Pennard Castle, built in stone in the late 13th century by Henry de Newburgh, Earl of Warwick, stand on the edge of the course above the Pennard Pill valley. The club picks out the 16th green as the place to stop for the view. In summer, cattle roam parts of the links.
Pennard is a hilly walk on firm ground, so think about the 10 hire buggies if your group includes anyone who struggles with slopes; request one, along with clubs, trolleys or a restaurant table, in the booking form. The clubhouse has a bar and the Pobbles restaurant. Dress is relaxed indoors, but caps come off in the clubhouse and shirts stay tucked in on the course. When cattle are out, read the safety notice on walking near livestock that the club links from its visitor page.
Pennard is at Southgate, about eight miles west of Swansea city centre along the B4436. Cardiff Airport is about 55 miles away, roughly an hour and a quarter by car via the M4. Swansea station has direct trains from London Paddington and Cardiff; from there it is a 25-minute taxi ride.
Nearby: 1. Royal Porthcawl Golf Club (27 km) · 2. Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club (27 km) · 3. The Celtic Manor Resort (80 km) · Compare all South Wales tee times
Most visitors stay in Swansea or Mumbles, the old seaside village at the western end of Swansea Bay, which has small hotels, guest houses and plenty of restaurants. For a quieter base on the Gower itself, there are hotels and holiday cottages around Oxwich Bay, Reynoldston and Parkmill, within a few miles of the first tee. Groups touring the whole South Wales coast often split the trip between Swansea and Porthcawl, about 45 minutes apart.
Langland Bay and Clyne are both on the Swansea side of the Gower, minutes away. Ashburnham at Burry Port and Machynys near Llanelli are about 40 minutes west, and Royal Porthcawl and Pyle & Kenfig are about 45 minutes east. Away from golf, the walk down to Three Cliffs Bay starts close to the club, and Rhossili Bay with the tidal island of Worm’s Head is at the far western tip of the peninsula.
These packages have a confirmed round at Pennard Golf Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
9 nights B&B, 6 rounds
Rounds: Celtic Manor Twenty Ten · Pennard · Royal Porthcawl · Nefyn & District · Aberdovey · Royal St David’s
Stay: 4 nights at Celtic Manor, Newport; 5 at the Royal Sportsman, Porthmadog
The 2010 Ryder Cup course, both Welsh royals and three clifftop or estuary links, from one southern and one northern base.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The club says its free-draining ground stays playable all year, which makes Pennard a sound winter option at £70. Summer rates run from March to late September. Expect cattle on parts of the course in summer.
Explore golf by monthBecause its links-style ground, full of hummocks, hollows and dunes, sits about 200 feet above sea level on the cliffs above Three Cliffs Bay, rather than at the shoreline. The height gives views over Three Cliffs Bay and Oxwich Bay.
Online visitor booking is limited to men with a handicap of 28 or less and women with 36 or less. Visitors are expected to belong to a recognised club; if you do not, the club asks you to contact it before booking.
You can cancel online with your booking reference, but payment is not refunded unless the course is closed. You can move the round to another date in the same year, or pass the tee time to someone else.
Pennard Burrows is common land, and in summer cattle may roam parts of the course. The club links a safety notice about walking near livestock from its visitor page.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesThe 2010 Ryder Cup course on the Usk valley floor, plus two hillside layouts.
A dune-free links tilted towards the Bristol Channel, with the sea in view from every hole.
Colt’s inland nine, then Mackenzie Ross’s back nine out among the Kenfig dunes.
