RyanLavnerGC

All I knew about Nefyn was that it promised views of the sea from every tee. Boy, did it ever.

On an absolutely perfect day for golf – 70 degrees, sun, light wind – we were blown away by the views on this course, which reminds me a lot of Pebble Beach (and one of my colleagues said it recalled Ireland’s Old Head).

The 27-hole facility isn’t overly challenging. We started on the front side, which was highlighted by the par-4 second and par-3 fifth, which offer dramatic views. But if you’re making the trip and playing the course for the first time, make sure you play the nine-hole “Old” course, which is much more quirky and fun. The first hole on that side requires a completely blind second shot over a dune, and the fourth hole is a long, sharp dogleg left.

Some of these holes definitely are weird. The fifth is a 140-yard par 3 that is positioned next to the National Coastwatch tower, and you have to hit your tee shot off a mat to a green that offered nowhere to miss – left and long was gorse, right was the car park. The par-5 eighth was also a bizarre design, as it basically took driver out of your hands and rewarded a tee shot that went 200 yards.

Only the brave should play this side. At the uphill, drivable ninth, cars and people are JUST off the left side of the fairway. It's a nervy tee shot, for sure, though I somehow rifled a cut over a middle-aged man’s head and had 15 feet for eagle.

If you’re in the area, this is a must-play -- if only for the spectacular views.

Giving this course five stars doesn’t mean I put it on par with some of the other courses I’ve reviewed that receive top billing, but Aberdovey is, without question, one of the crown jewels of Wales.

On the back end of a 36-hole day, this course was just awesome – and made even better by the fact that we played in 70-degree weather, sunshine and modest, swirling winds.

The quality of this track was evident right away, with the short, par-4 second that could have been played with five different clubs off the tee. (I chose 4-iron, which would up in the adjacent fairway). The par-3 third is completely blind, and the sixth, seventh and eighth are definite birdie opportunities (as I showed!), but the course really begins to show off starting at the 12th hole. The 150-yard par 3 is one of the most picturesque on the course, as players are forced to shoot straight up the hill, into a gusty wind, making club selection a total guess. A couple of holes then hug the dunes, leading to the par-4 16th, which is drivable at 280 yards but not recommended. The preferred play is to lay back to 125 yards and wedge it onto a thin, narrow green. It’s a terrific design, and one of the two holes (the par-3 12th being the other) that I’ll remember most.

Play this course if you can.

Let’s just get this out of the way: For the first six holes, we played in an absolute downpour. We’re talking sheets of rain here. Not another soul on the course. By the time we reached the seventh tee, though, the rain had turned into a light drizzle, and it didn’t really bother us for the rest of the day. Good thing, because Royal St. David’s turned out to be spectacular.

It’s plenty tough as a par 74, and we were playing the only tees available to us at 6,600 yards. Maybe it was an opposite wind direction that day, but there were four par 4s that I couldn’t reach in two shots, and I’m not a short hitter by any means (270-yard average when I find the center of the clubface, which these days is pretty seldom). Nevertheless, the highlight of the course is the final five holes, which loop through dunes and feature a couple of blind shots (the 221-yard 14th is particularly interesting). The course ends on a par 3, which is unique, but it’s no doubt one of the best courses in Wales.

Many of the inland par 4s begin to feel the same – save for the long seventh hole, which offers dramatic views from an elevated tee and near the punchbowl green – but the par 3s here are a real treat. If you’re playing a match, as we were, the last six holes offer plenty of drama – a couple of short par 4s, a reachable par 5, a brutally difficult 17th and an easy home hole, if you find the fairway. It was the perfect course to play off the plane at the beginning of our Wales adventure.

Before playing MPCC's Dunes Course, I knew only about the other course on property, the Shore, which has been part of the AT&T Pebble Beach rotation for the past couple of years. Our round was cold, and we walked because of the heavy rain the area had received in February, but we had a blast. If you've played the Dunes before, come check out the incredible renovation done by David Kahn and Tim Jackson.

All of the par 3s are beautiful -- especially No. 7 and, in my opinion, the signature hole, No. 14, tucked hard against the Pacific -- but what struck me about the Dunes is that there isn't a single unmemorable hole. Seriously. Not one. I can't remember the last time I played a course and thought that.

There are reachable par 5s, and a drivable par 4, and plenty of elevation change, and ... did I mention how great the par 3s are? Kahn and Jackson understand what many modern designers do not: It's OK to have fun and make pars (and even a few birdies!).

The Dunes will be a part of the AT&T rota before long, perhaps as early as 2018. When it is, the pros are in for an absolute treat.

Talk about a beautiful club. The clubhouse, restaurant and locker room are absolutely stunning, and the course itself, designed by Tom Doak, shares that same attractiveness. We were joined by a great forecaddie, Callum, and I'd strongly suggest grabbing one so you can feel a little more confident plodding your way around. There were a number of really fun holes here -- in particular, the tiny-but-treacherous sixth hole, at just 115 yards, and the magnificent par-4 10th hole, which is tucked hard against the shoreline. One word of caution: Unlike most links courses, the greens here are huge with a lot of undulation, so positioning your ball is very important. A good choice if you're in the area.

This was my second time playing Berwick, and my appreciation for the famed links continues to grow. Though there are some good holes going out (the first hole is just too cool), where Berwick becomes an absolute must-play is on its last six holes. I challenge you to find a better stretch of golf holes anywhere in the world: They're short, they're quirky and, most importantly, they're fun. It starts with 13, the famous "Pit" hole with the wall guarding the green, and it continues with a blind approach into 14, a legendary tee shot on the Redan hole, an are-you-kidding-me? green complex on 16, a blind approach to 17 and the drive-me-if-you-can 18th hole, back toward town. Seriously, if you don't like these last six holes, then you don't like golf, and we can't be friends. It is, without a doubt, as good as it gets. I'd play this course every day if I could.

We've been intrigued by Gullane for a few years -- we passed the course every day on the way to cover The Open when it was at Muirfield in 2013. It exceeded my expectations. Make no mistake about it, this is a tough golf course, especially in a 25-mph wind. It seemed like every hole we played was into the wind, which made for a brutal round (and some high scores). The seventh hole, from high atop the hill, is one of the best views in Scottish golf, and the 17th hole -- a drivable par 4, straight down the hill, with bunkers guarding the green -- is one of the most fun holes I've ever played, anywhere. It's little wonder this place hosted the Scottish Open in 2015. Great track.

Old Macdonald is the newest and, to be blunt, the least appealing option for golf enthusiasts visiting Bandon Dunes. It's not that it's a terrible golf course -- far from it. But there are too many odd design aspects that bump Old Mac, though visually dramatic, down to fourth on my personal list. Let's start with the greens. They're massive -- one of our caddies said they're the largest green surfaces in North America. I believe it. You could conceivably hit all 18 greens and four- (or five-) putt all of them. They're that big. But honestly, I don't really mind that. It rewards good ball-striking and distance control. My biggest issue was that there were nine good holes and nine ... well ... not-so-good holes. Too often, it seemed, there were brutally long par 4s with greens that not only were elevated but also had severe false fronts. I'm not a short hitter -- my average drive is probably 270 yards -- but with a little bit of wind, I was hitting driver-4 iron into several greens. Instead of having a playable putting surface to accept what are lower, less spinning shots, the greens here harshly rejected them. My playing partner wouldn't even bother going for some of the par-4 greens in two, knowing that he couldn't even come close. Frankly, it's too penal for the average golfer, especially when it's windy (which it is almost all the time). It just seemed like a missed opportunity, when the greens could have been designed to accept and funnel balls into pockets on the greens, rather than send them into tight lies well below the putting surface. Let me be clear, there are some awesome holes here -- the third, seventh, eighth, 13th and 14th all come to mind -- but you can find better golf options at Bandon.

I was giddy to finally play here, after hearing all of the endless chatter from colleagues and friends ... and wow. Just wow. If, for some reason, you can only play one round at Bandon, tee it up at Pac Dunes. Though it's short from the green tees (6,142), it is still plenty tough. That's what makes it so fun to play -- there are 280-yarders that look like birdie holes (but turn into stressful pars) and 440-yard par 4s that you're trying not to make triple. You can reach the par 5s with two big hits. The consecutive par 3s to begin the back nine, with views of the water, are as good as it gets. A tip: Above all, you really have to be precise with your irons here, because your ball can trickle into some of the most dastardly greenside bunkers you'll ever encounter. Now, for the REALLY important stuff: Make sure you order the Crispy Oyster sandwich for lunch at the Pacific Grill. It is, no exaggeration, the best sandwich I have ever had. And secondly, make sure you play the 36-hole Punchbowl course, with a few cold beers handy. So fun.

A disclaimer: I had no expectations whatsoever for Trails. All I'd heard was that it "wasn't on the water" and that it was "different". After playing here for the first time, all I can say is this: If you're planning a trip to this area, make sure Trails is on your list. I loved it. All of it. Every hole. The par 3s, in particular, are terrific, a fun collection of short and long holes, even the brutish 12th, which was stretched out to 235 yards for us. (Made par!) What makes Trails such a treat is that it still plays like a links course, with plenty of bounce and roll and undulation, but it also winds through the forest. Visually, it is stunning. I can't imagine how beautiful it'd be to play here in the fall, with all of the leaves changing colors. We played this on the back-end of a 36-hole day and it was a hike -- there are several steep climbs and hills -- but it was well worth it once you got to the green. I would rank this as my second favorite course at Bandon, behind only the marvelous Pacific Dunes.

Recently, a colleague and I made a three-day stop at Bandon. It was my first visit to one of America's golf meccas, and it did not disappoint. Our first full round was at the original course, Bandon Dunes. As you might expect, the holes on the water are absolutely breathtaking. The fourth hole is one I'll remember forever. It's a short par 4, and as you walk down the fairway for your second shot, you turn the corner to look toward the green and -- wham! -- there's the Pacific Ocean. We played from very manageable tees (it was about 6,200 yards) and had a great time. The weather was perfect for both of our rounds here -- 65 and sunny, with light winds -- so it wasn't an overwhelming challenge, but in the summer, when the winds are fierce, it would be all you can handle.

This was the final stop on our pre-Open golf trip through Scotland, and though our feet were howling, we found that Nairn had a few fun quirks and several solid holes. One of my favorites is the par-4 fourth, nicknamed Bunker, and appropriately so, because depending on the hole location you could be playing to a semi-blind target that is surrounded by cavernous bunkers. Nearly the entire front side played back into a brutal wind, which made for a tough start, but I found the back nine to provide more of a fun challenge. It starts with the uphill, tree-lined, 430-yard 13th hole, followed by the downhill 14th that still plays about 190 yards. The 15th is probably my favorite hole on the course -- a straight-away par 4 that is only about 260 yards from the men's tee but features several greenside bunkers that can swallow tee shots. You could either have a reasonable chip for eagle (as I did), or a tough time making bogey (as some of my fellow playing competitors did). The finishing hole is a beefy par 5 that demands a good tee shot. Overall, this was a fun track to finish on, and a course that you could play over and over again and not get bored.

What a treat to be able to play here. The weather was absolutely perfect -- mid-60s, partly cloudy, 10-mph wind. The breeze picked up as the afternoon wore on, but it only made the experience more enjoyable. The most memorable aspects of Dornoch are the collection of par 3s -- none are overly long, but they're all very penal, with severe runoffs and bunkers surrounding every putting surface. I found the back nine to be much more difficult -- perhaps that was the fatigue of a 36-hole day kicking in? -- but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more eclectic trio of holes than Nos. 15-17, which are, in order, a blind short par 4, a drastically uphill par 4, and a blind par 4 that bends sharply to the left. If you're not playing here on a trip to Scotland, you're doing it all wrong.

To be honest, I didn't know much about Skibo Castle before I played there. A couple of my colleagues had teed it up there a number of years ago, but they didn't remember much about it. I was pleasantly surprised after playing a full round there. I thought there were several strong holes -- particularly the par-3 sixth and short par-4 seventh -- and the back nine is brutally difficult in a 25-mph wind. It's a fun course for a team match, and you can't beat the shot of scotch when you walk off the 18th green.

We played Cruden Bay in the late afternoon, on the back end of a 36-hole day. My expectations were high, and some of my writing colleagues had told me that they thought Cruden Bay was one of the best courses in Scotland. It didn't disappoint, even though the course was slightly soggy after a miserable summer season. (Not much they can do about that!) What really struck me about this place was the great diversity of holes -- some long, some short, some wide open, some blind. I could have done without the uphill climb to the ninth tee that felt like I was scaling Mount Everest, but the drivable par-4 eighth -- and the easy birdie -- made the trek slightly more palatable. Overall, this course definitely passed the walk-in-the-park test. Make sure you play here.

I had big expectations when I arrived at Trump's new course in Scotland -- and frankly, my experience exceeded them. The course is visually spectacular, with many holes shaped by massive dunes. I found the fairways plenty generous, but trouble lurks on almost every hole. On a windy day, it could be a bear to play. I will say, this course isn't well-suited for high-handicappers; you really have to golf your ball to enjoy the experience. My fellow playing competitors didn't play particularly well that day and were searching for balls on almost every hole. Because the turf is still new, it was harder than usual to perfectly compress the ball at impact. That'll get much easier as the course gets older. Overall, an absolute treat, and a must-play for anyone in the area.

Don't be fooled by the yardage -- it's only about 6,400 yards from the tips. It plays a lot longer, especially when the wind blows, which it always does. We played Murcar immediately off a long flight and it proved to be a tough opener. The rough was especially thick and juicy after a wetter-than-usual summer, and the number of lost balls in our group was plentiful. I didn't use driver more than two or three times, and on into-the-wind holes I simply played for par and wasn't too upset with bogey. Overall, a solid track.

This was the final leg of our English adventure, and boy, did we end on a high note. Our entire group struggled on the opening few holes, which meandered through tall rough and (seemingly) a million bunkers. We started to find our groove at about the same time that the holes got more visually appealing. Nos. 7-9 presented fun and contrasting challenges, and then we made the turn to the back nine, a nine-hole stretch that Gary Player called one of the best he has ever played. The par-3 10th is stunning -- 140 yards, up the hill, with a green the size of a placemat. That was followed by the long par-5 11th, which plays drastically downhill and on this day was into a three-club wind. Though I'm not sure it's the best nine-hole stretch I've ever seen, the entire course was spectacular and a must-play for any golf nut.

I watched the 2012 Open on TV and, honestly, didn't remember any of the holes afterward. They all kind of blended in, with the exception of 18, where Adam Scott dug his bunkered grave. We played Lytham on the back-end of a 36-hole day, and by the end of the round I wanted to play more. It was fantastic, from the par-3 opener to the sensational finisher. We played about half the round in a 30-mph wind, adding to the already immense challenge of the course, and it was fun to try and make par. The eighth hole is one of the best I've ever played, with a downhill tee shot setting up a drastically uphill approach, and you're rewarded on the green with one of the best views on the entire course. My experience was enriched, of course, by playing the last three holes par-par-par. Oh, what Adam Scott would have given two years ago. If you get a chance to play here, do it.