A par-69 links below Harlech Castle, finishing through tall dunes beside Cardigan Bay.
Royal St David’s sits on the flat ground between Harlech’s medieval castle and the dunes of Tremadog Bay. Golf began here in 1894, and the Prince of Wales accepted the club’s patronage in 1897, and the club says it was the first in Wales to be designated Royal, a title confirmed in 1909. The club lists close to eighty national and international events on this links, including five Ladies British Open Amateur Championships. The par of 69 comes from a back nine of just 33, with three par threes. Its summer green fee is the highest of the four big North Wales links, ahead of Aberdovey, Conwy and Nefyn.
Visitors book online through the club’s visitor tee-booking page, which offers 9- or 18-hole times, or by calling the office on 01766 780361. The club’s visitor page gives no handicap limit and no rules on group size. Some local tourism listings say a handicap certificate is required, so carry proof of your handicap and ask when you book. Cancel more than 28 days ahead for a full refund. Later cancellations earn a credit instead. Groups, societies and Stay & Play bookings get reduced rates by phone. The club’s Dormy page says the course is closed to visitors from 19 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.
2027 winter rate for one round; the 2027 summer round is £155, a summer day ticket £220 and a twilight round after 3pm £110. Juniors pay half. The club does not publish its season dates.
| Round, winter 2027 | £90 |
|---|---|
| Round, summer 2027 | £155 |
| Day, summer 2027 | £220 |
| Twilight after 3pm, 2027 | £110 |
The Honourable Harold Finch-Hatton and William Henry More laid out the original 18 holes on low, sandy ground below the castle, and the club says today’s routing is much the same. Since then the club has added back tees, made small changes to the bunkering and adopted new fairway lines at the 3rd, 8th and 17th. The holes keep changing direction rather than running out and back, so the wind comes at you from a fresh angle on most tees. From the black tees the course measures 6,687 yards. The 10th is stroke index 1 at 456 yards, the 7th and 8th are back-to-back par fives, and the closing stretch runs through what the club calls some of the most imposing dunescape in Britain. The dunes have grown so much that you only see the sea on the 16th from its back tee. The round ends on a par three, 233 yards from the black tees, which is rare for a championship links.
Make Harlech your base for one or two nights, and pair it with Aberdovey to the south or Nefyn to the north-west, since each is under about an hour and a half away by road. On the summer card, the day ticket costs £65 more than a single round, so a second loop makes sense if your group wants 36 holes. The twilight rate after 3pm suits a late arrival. The clubhouse accepts smart casual clothing and clean denim without rips, but caps come off indoors and muddy or wet kit is not allowed. If the course closes for weather, the club offers a full refund or another day within 12 months.
The club is on the A496 below the town, postcode LL46 2UB. Harlech station, on the Cambrian Coast line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, is a short walk away. Manchester and Liverpool are the closest major airports, both roughly two and a half to three hours by car through Snowdonia. Birmingham is a similar drive from the south-east.
Nearby: 1. Nefyn & District Golf Club (31 km) · 2. Aberdovey Golf Club (35 km) · 3. Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club (51 km) · 4. Royal Liverpool Golf Club (85 km) · Compare all North Wales tee times
The club’s own Dormy House has five en suite rooms: three twin or superking rooms, one double and one single. It costs £100 a night for a twin or double and £60 for the single, room only, and you buy breakfast in the clubhouse. Dormy guests get a reduced green fee, booked by phone after you reserve the room. Harlech has guest houses and small hotels on the hill below the castle. Portmeirion, the Italianate village hotel at Penrhyndeudraeth, is about ten miles north.
Aberdovey is the obvious second links, about 35 miles south down the coast road. Nefyn, on the Llŷn Peninsula, takes around an hour, and Porthmadog Golf Club is about half that. Off the course, Harlech Castle is one of Edward I’s castles, listed together with Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Harlech beach runs for miles below the dunes. The Ffestiniog Railway runs steam trains from Porthmadog up into the slate country.
These packages have a confirmed round at Royal St David’s 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
Visitor golf at Harlech stops entirely from 19 October 2026 to 1 February 2027, so this is a spring-to-autumn trip. The club does not publish the dates of its winter and summer fee seasons, so ask which rate applies to an early-February or October round. In May and June the evenings are long, and the 3pm twilight rate gives you plenty of light.
Explore golf by monthYes. Visitors book through the club’s online tee sheet, and groups or societies call the office on 01766 780361. The one long break is the winter visitor closure, from 19 October 2026 to 1 February 2027. If the course is shut by weather, the club offers a refund or another date within 12 months.
A summer round costs £155 and a winter round £90. The summer day rate is £220, and twilight golf after 3pm is £110. Juniors pay half. Dormy guests and groups get reduced rates, which the office quotes by phone.
Yes. The Dormy House beside the clubhouse has five refurbished en suite rooms, from £60 for a single and £100 for a twin or double, room only. You book them online or by phone, and you pay in full at the time of booking.
The club’s timeline includes the Ladies British Open Amateur in 1926, 1949, 1960, 1967 and 1987, the men’s Home Internationals four times, the British Seniors Open Amateur in 1979 and the Girls British Open Amateur in 2016. It has also hosted the Welsh Amateur 15 times.
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.
Tumbling links turf 200 feet above Three Cliffs Bay, with a ruined castle beside play.
