Parc Golf Club

PARC (nr. Newport, Gwent) 18th, Sept. 2013 Dear Sirs, I played here with my Cousin on Sept. 16th. The course is just a little south-west of Newport, right on the edge of the Gwent Levels, which is South Wales’ equivalent of The Fens. As may be imagined, it is mostly flat and has lots of water hazards, some of them being quite large drainage ditches, or ‘reens’ as they are known locally. Surprisingly though, being in such a marshy environment doesn’t seem to affect the course, and despite quite a lot of rain, both in previous days and on the day, the fairways were reasonably firm and the greens, even when damp, were fairly quick. Like a fool, I forgot to buy a course-planner (if there is one), and thus fell victim to some water hazards which my cousin ‘forgot’ to warn me about, (it was a friendly!) That’s just one of those things, but what is a bit unfair is that there are many ‘mini-ditches’, little ruts about 3” or 4” deep across the fairways, a bit like an upside down speed hump. I hit a couple of them and the ball just stopped dead. On the other hand I didn’t find the fairways as tight as some reviewers have mentioned, bearing in mind that those on my home course are very tight indeed. The Club does have a few niggly little faults though. Unfortunately I have to have a buggy due to a bad back, and for some reason you can’t take the buggy to your car. Thus you have to carry all your (very heavy) gear through the clubhouse to the buggy, and back again afterwards, which really doesn’t help. Also, in places it’s rather poorly signposted, and without my cousin to guide me (he plays there often), I could easily have got lost. There are information and diagram boards on most tees, but some tees are split into two different areas and there were times when I simply couldn’t see a board. In fact some of the tees are some little way from the previous green, not least the 18th, for which you have to walk (or drive) nearly 200 yards back up the 17th fairway! The Clubhouse is very modern and rather plush, and the staff, especially in the Pro Shop were friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately though, after a certain time they stop serving simple bar meals and switch to an evening menu which is rather upmarket, so, as we were after time and didn’t want anything elaborate, we just restricted ourselves to a cup of coffee. To sum up it’s quite a pretty course, with lots of trees and some very interesting holes, and although it’s only about 25 years old it’s maturing well. Despite the few niggles I’d be happy to play it again. Yours faithfully John Stephens Stourbridge

Played here on a sunny but very windy Sunday afternoon. I was warmly welcomed by the course marshal who not only gave me a free guide also considered pairing me up with one of the local golfers as being a solo player I had no status on the course. A two ball match infront of me was interesting to watch as although the course is fairly short with most par 4's being around the 250 -270 yard mark and straight, the fairways are quite narrow with water ditches boardering the light ruff. One player tee'd off with a driver, the other used medium to long irons and an interesting battle ensued. Basicaly the Iron player won the day. The course realy is shoe horned in with several tee's being very close if not overlapping each other so great caution is required. Look left and right before playing! Also the 6th green is shared with the back 14th with two flags which can make life interesting. All in all I enjoyed my day there and can highly recomend this course for medium to high handicappers.

Play this course on weekends with work mates and find that being a flat course it doesn"t take too much out of us.It has narrow fairways but makes up for it with short par four"s,the greens are in fair condition for this time of year,and it"s easy for a low handicapper too score well on,but gives higher handicappers some chance of encouragement.Still for £15 on a weekend it"s worth us popping up the road for a round,and the staff throughout the club are pleasant and helpfull.

Very interesting course with plenty of hazards to avoid. Overall it was in good condition. The greens were very fast and true, although not very receptive to the high approach shots - definitely a "bump'n'run" course. It played very short and I found it quite easy to score well below my handicap. The Clubhouse and Facilities were nice (Automatic Tees in the Driving Range, Good Food etc.) I found the ambience and the staff very pleasant. Worth a visit to play quite a unique course.

Overall a good course with a lot of water hazards to avoid, and I thought relatively narrow fairways. You can imagine the course being very wet in Winter though. The greens were not great, but passable. The last 3 holes are probably what will live in the memory- a dog leg par four, with a downhill second shot, sandwiched between 2 Par 3's with Water to negotiate on both. Good VFM at £15 on a weekend

overall i rated this course not very good because it is boring and wet. there were also some juniors messing about on one of the greens.

Nice course which will be better when it's matured a bit. Some short par 4s to give high handicappers like me a chance but disappointingly only one par 5. The par 3 sixteenth and par 3 eighteenth are real gems, the former involving a shot over water to the green and the latter having an elevated tee behind a pond and two bunkers directly in front of the green. Nice clubhouse and a friendly welcome.

Nice little course. Lots of water, with some challenging and picturesque holes. Worth a go.