When Peter Johnson, the Wales national builder and former professional at the Cardiff club, designed Vale's other 18-hole layout, the 6,700-yard Lake course, he began the construction of golf within the former estate of Hensol Castle, a grade I listed 17th century stately home.

Following a trip to the United States, he returned to Wales with the belief that Wales wanted a harder, longer course to challenge today's golfer. As a result, the Wales National Course extends for nearly 200 acres and features five lake areas that come into play on half of the holes. The course's standard scratch score of 75 against a par of 73 suggests that it was built with serious golf in mind.

New golf technology has seen top golfers kill the prestige of some of our conventional courses with their big driving, Johnson says, adding that more demanding courses are required. Still, being a bit of a purist, I set out to form the course through the terrain, taking advantage of the land's natural contours, scenery, and waterways.

The course, which is set in some lovely Welsh countryside, features a combination of wooded areas, wide and narrow fairways, as well as some large water features and bunker complexes, with all putting surfaces designed to USGA specifications. Some consider the 495-yard 16th hole to be one of the best par fours in the UK, with an extremely undulating green that sees a lot of three putts.