A Visit To Borth & Ynyslas Golf Club

We often attribute the perfect train journey on the Cambrian Coast Line with warm, bright and sunny days, beautiful blue skies and not a cloud in sight but those days where there’s a brisk wind and sea mist in the air can be just as mesmerising. Today was one of those days, but despite the grey skies it was still a pleasant and calming ride to Borth, watching the force of the sea crash against the shore.

Arriving on time, I left the station and walked the short distance to Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club to meet Ewen Davies and Athole Marshall. Having never been inside a golf club before, I didn’t quite know what to expect, however it had a very comforting, community feel where people were having breakfast and chatting before and after their rounds of golf.

Ewen and Athole were very welcoming and clearly very proud of their club. They told me a bit about the club’s history including one very interesting story. During a typhoid outbreak in Rutland in the early 1900s, boys from Uppingham School were temporarily moved to Borth. They brought their bedding and belongings by train and played golf on this site, even before the course officially existed.

It’s interesting to learn about these little snippets of history and how they connect to the railway and shape our communities. Ewen and Athole were kind enough to give me a booklet about the history of the golf course – ‘Links with the Part’ by Tessa Briggs – which I enjoyed reading about on the train back to the office.

Borth-Ynyslas is a shingle spit shaped by a large glacier. Some of the golf course lies within a designated site of special scientific interest, with the dunes and the fauna and flora being very significant. The sand dunes contain a large amount of shell fragments rich in calcium, which is rare in Mid Wales, allowing certain flowering plants to thrive in the area around the golf club. There are also lots of butterflies and spiders, things you might not normally associate with a golf course.

The club is open to the local community and visitors alike. They serve food and the Sunday lunch sounds particularly nice. Ewen and Athole also shared a few ideas they’re hoping to develop at the club and I look forward to us working together.

As I left, the sun started to break through the clouds. If you’re ever nearby and feel like trying a round of golf or just want a meal with a view, Borth is worth a visit.