St Deiniol Golf Club

Few golf courses in Wales occupy as dramatic a hillside position as St Deiniol, perched above the cathedral town of Bangor with the Menai Strait and the mountains of Snowdonia forming the kind of backdrop that stops you mid-swing. The club takes its name from the 6th-century saint who founded Bangor's great cathedral, and that sense of deep history hangs comfortably over the place.

With a par of 68, this is a shorter layout by championship standards, but the terrain has no interest in making things easy. The hillside setting means significant elevation changes throughout the round, rewarding precise ball-striking and local knowledge over raw power. Views across to Anglesey and the Carneddau mountains are a constant and glorious distraction.

North Wales has a proud and sometimes underappreciated golf culture, with several fine courses within reach of Bangor. St Deiniol offers something a little different from the links tracks that dominate the region's reputation — an inland, elevated experience that earns its place firmly on the local golfer's circuit.