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Huggett’s Welsh Wonders

10 September, 2007 | By Lee McLaughlan

Welsh golf legend Brian Huggett, an ambassador for the 2010 Ryder Cup, has selected his five favourite courses from his homeland.

Huggett, who in a distinguished playing career won 16 European Tour titles and a clutch of Seniors honours, the Order of Merit in 1968 and made six Ryder Cup appearances as well as captaining the team in 1977, will trumpet Wales' hitherto undiscovered golfing heritage in the build to the 2010 event at Celtic Manor.

As part of that, Huggett has selected his own fab five Welsh courses - in no particular order - for the PGA.

Machynys Peninsula

I think this is the best recent addition in the country. I call it a semi-links course and see it as a modern links course too. It has got a lot of sand and dunes but it also has a lake on it as well, which you don't have on a natural links course. That makes it incredibly unique.

But it's also a fabulous course to play, a real test, while it has some wonderful views looking out across the Gower. Despite being a new course it has already staged a Ladies European Tour event and Laura Davies just loves the place.

It has got some great holes but my particular favourite is the 17th, which is a very difficult par three.

Celtic Manor

The Ryder Cup Course, which I opened in July with Gareth Edwards, is simply world class. There are nine brand new holes and nine holes which have been redeveloped.

It's going to be a tremendous Ryder Cup course, which will offer some of the best viewing ever for the 45,000 spectators that will come.

It's long at 7,500 yards and it's got some really big holes but my favourite on the course is the probably the shortest on the course, which is the par three third. It goes across a lake and can be anything from a six to an eight iron.

Wales has never been able to stage anything like this before and staging the Ryder Cup is quite significant and we can only do it now because of this course.

Royal Porthcawl

Its location is fantastic, with it hugging the coastline, and it has some unbelievable holes. I was born in Porthcawl but I didn't start my golf there.

I think it's a magnificent links course. It's a world famous course with big dunes, fantastic greens and plenty of heather dotted around it. Unfortunately the infrastructure isn't there for it to stage an Open, but it has held some major events such as the Walker Cup.

My favourite hole is the 15th, which is a tremendously long par four. The wind is usually blowing across which makes it even harder. It has an isolated drive and then it's another good shot to an elevated green. It's a real test.

Royal St David's

Nothing can beat this for location as it's in a fantastic position with Harlech Castle towering over what is a lovely links course. It truly is magnificent.

Royal St David's is an old links course, very similar to Royal Porthcawl.

The views are the real selling point but it's also a great test yet again despite the fact it may not appear so at first glance given its 6,500 yards.

An example of this is the 15th, which is my favourite hole on the course. It's a long, hard par four and really tough because the fairway is very narrow. It's very formidable because if you've driven it well, the green is semi-hidden by the dunes. I'm not a fan of hitting blind but this one is the exception to the rule.

Neath

This one will probably be a shock to most people, but this holds many special memories for me because this is where I started to play golf. But it isn't just that.

Wales is a mountainous country and it's only right to have a mountain course and I think this is the best in Wales.

It's a very under-rated course. It's a reasonable climb over the first couple of holes but once that's done there's no more climbing and the views on the flat are truly stunning.

You've got the Brecon Beacons one way and Swansea and the Gower Peninsula the other. It has some fantastic holes with the par five 4th one to watch out for. There's a six-foot wall running alongside the left hand side and big fir copse on the right. It's a beautiful sight, but one to avoid when teeing off.