Vale Golf Resort (Wales National)

Overview: The Wales National at the Vale Resort is an 18-hole parkland course in the Vale of Glamorgan, near Cardiff. Peter Johnson's design uses the scale of the resort estate to create a long championship test with wide and funnel-shaped fairways, water hazards, expansive bunkering and large greens. From the back tees it reaches 7,433 yards and par 73, but the variety of tee positions changes the course substantially for different players. Driveable par fours, out-of-reach par fives and doglegs in both directions keep the round from becoming a simple length contest, while the mature trees and lakes give the course a strong visual rhythm.

History: The Vale Resort's golf story began with the earlier Hensol Golf Club, purchased by the Leeke family in 1992. The resort's Lake Course dates from 1994; the Wales National followed in 2003 as a new championship-scale course. The Vale's own history records that the Wales National opening was celebrated with a charity event hosted by Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave. A 2004 redevelopment then added a new clubhouse, putting area, refurbished locker rooms and a pro shop, helping establish the resort as a broader stay-and-play destination.

Did You Know? The Wales National's back-tee yardage is only part of its scale. The course's design combines wide fairways with funnel fairways, driveable par fours and par fives that cannot be reached in two, so the strategic question changes from hole to hole. The Vale describes it as a parkland course where the large water features are more like lakes than ponds.