Something’s wrong with us. We started late again! I think the problem is that the tour guide (me) was having a bit of trouble getting a wish list from the tourists (Johns). They had made it very clear that today had to be a golf “off” day because of so many scheduled rounds coming up. Then they were stuck in a loop like the vultures from “The Jungle Book.” “I don’t know. What do you want to do?” Finally, we came up with a plan. Castles!
We planned a day that included one castle that we would tour together, followed by a game of golf that I would play alone. The perk there was that Pennard Golf Club had an excellent restaurant and a castle on the course. I mean, how perfect is that for this crowd!
Our hosts very kindly baked our breakfast quiches in their kitchen oven and brought them to us. Granted, we are used to being served a proper English breakfast in Scotland (hmm?), but we haven’t had one yet while here in England or Wales. We think that the tourist climate is quite a bit different from the EU so close, but we’re not complaining and are managing cheerfully.
Our drive took us through Swansea, along the coast, where people really were out with spades digging for “cockles and muscles” alive, alive ho. I saw a shop of the same name in town. Just up the road was the castle, Osytermouth. It’s called a frontier castle because it was constructed by William the Conqueror’s men on the Welsh frontier. Then it was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. And, like the three little pigs, gradually it was built with better and better materials while negotiations continued. After 40 years, and then 300 years, the Welsh and English were able to live in peace together. And we haven’t seen a single warrior on this trip, yet! I just loved the recent restoration of this castle with the thick glass floors and walls in the main building so you can climb high but still see down and through. We went through all the rooms and across all the ramparts like kids at play! (See video below to hear a bit of Welsh.)
Next, was Pennard, a James Braid designed course. It had started raining at the castle, but by the time we arrived at the golf course, it was really coming down. I needed all the gear I’d packed. I checked in with the starter in the pro shop, who, after talking with me for a minute, gave me a discount on the round! And since the ladies I’d chatted with at Pyle and Kenfig warned me that this is a hilly course, I decided to take an electric trolley that included GPS. Throw in a Pennard marker and I was ready to go!
The guys waved goodbye and went upstairs to watch me play while eating a nice warm lunch. On the fairway, I had just hit my second shot on the opening par 5, when my phone binged. It was my Pasadena neighbor. Our home alarm was sounding. Oh no. Trying to manage the game in the rain while maintaining the pace of play and dealing with a possible crisis at home was a trick. Hit the ball, text Katie, Hit the ball, text John2. Hit the ball, text the neighbor. Then Katie called. While talking to her, I tried to chip one handed. It usually works, but on this dead, thin grass, it did not. I’m making light of the situation because, after Katie checked all the doors and found no broken glass or missing items, we decided it was just a malfunction of the system. All parties are delighted that the crisis is over and that we have such wonderful friends, family, and neighbors. All good on the home front. So far…
Back to the game. This is a fabulously beautiful course. Oh, to see it on a green day. It’s hilly and has a castle that I would be playing by soon. The GPS function on the trolley was useless in the rain, so I got a bit lost. Indeed, the #2 tee crosses behind the #1 green, and the #3 tee is on the other side, going down, down, down. I had to ask directions of the group in front of me, finally brush the rain from my glasses, and find the way. Shots were flying nicely,but putts were missing by inches. I was picking up my ball and hurrying forward. On #4, I hit a dandy shot, kept it in view, but because of the hard fairways, it bounced or rolled out of sight…just as John and John2 appeared, walking towards me! Golf courses in the UK are public thoroughfares so it’s okay for anyone to walk on a golf course. They were yelled at by my friends ahead, but when they explained they were looking for me, they nodded, “We know who you mean. She was lost earlier.” So the boys joined me for a few shots, then wandered off to the castle in the distance, had a good look around while taking loads of photos, then wandered back to me. Rain was still coming down. All parties were quite damp, so they wished me a good time and left to tour around this part of Wales.
Pennard is nicknamed “The Links in the Sky” because fairways reach off cliffs with secluded beaches far below. With the hard conditions and crooked fairways, I was lucky my ball didn’t fly off a cliff! Too bad for the gray weather and rain. I could have taken some stunning photos. And with the weather and the fellows (now behind me), I somehow missed hole #15! Funny, really. There are arrows pointing the way, but I didn’t see #15 until I was at #16. By then, I decided to skip it. It was par 3 on a hill, so put me down for a bogey. 17 is a dogleg left up the hill. 18 is a crazy, narrow, slanted fairway with lots of gorse on the downward side. It must be teaming with lost balls these days. I hit mine to hold the bit of rough on the up side and somehow managed to hit a purposefully short shot from there, arriving at 18 with the same ball I’d started with— hooray! I turned in my trolley, joined the boys upstairs for a Guinness, and off we went back to our little house. Today is our last day in Wales. Tomorrow, something new. Good night!