Those are so many delightful areas of the country, and each has it?s crop of golf courses that demand to be played, the only problem is which of the many to play. Shropshire certainly has it's delights, Shrewsbury Golf Club at Condover, Church Stretton, Hill Valley, Llanymynech with it's spectacular views, Patsull Park and my old favourite, the Old Course at Hawkstone Park, one I can never resist playing on any visit.

The purpose of my travels is usually the single pursuit of golf, but the motivation on this occasion for the visit to the far south west of Wales was slightly different, but one that often goes hand in hand with golf. Ornithology is the reason, and the season to see the puffins, shearwaters and gannets runs until the end of July.

The call of the links course is always easy to answer, particularly when located in South Wales, home to some of the finest links courses in the world, and with a recent addition to add to the famous catalogue. It was to be an interesting visit, to see how Machynys Peninsula would compare with the existing masterspieces at Porthcawl, Pyle & Kenfig, Ashburnam and Tenby.

For some considerable time, P&K as it affectionately known in the region, has been on my 'must play' list. As a lover of the challenge of links golf that is a given, add the bonus that the course was designed by the legendary Harry S Colt, and the justification is complete. The course lies on a very special piece of land in South Wales that is home to some of the best courses in the land. This was how golf was born, on links land before the game inevitably spread into the rest of the countryside.

Ashburnham Golf Club has been given double reason to celebrate after being chosen to host two of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in Wales. The Carmarthenshire course has beaten off competition from a strong list of contenders to be selected by the Golf Union of Wales (GUW) as a future venue for the Welsh Open Strokeplay Championship - the union's flagship event - and the Home Internationals.

There is a course that has gone missing. Its not been swallowed by a housing estate, its in sensibly rude financial health, the sea hasn?t washed away its fairways, nor has its grass succumbed to a fungus which will blight the UK in the coming years.

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