Southerndown Golf Club Mid Glamorgan

Originally designed by Willie Fernie in 1905 with later modifications by Herbert Fowler and Willie Park – and most recently by Donald Steel – Southerndown takes full advantage of its natural features. Undulating fairways and tight lies give the course a downland/links character. Bracken and gorse punish wayward shots and on windy days golfers need to negotiate the hazards with care.

There are many longer courses, but few with a finer set of par-threes. Equally memorable are the closing holes, usually played into the wind. The 18th in particular with its intimidating gorse and renowned split-level fairway will live long in the memory. The potential of Southerndown as a championship course has long been recognised.

Years ago Harry Vardon and James Braid predicted that it would become one of the best in the country. Having hosted the Piccadilly Masters and the Martini International, Southerndown annually stages the first of the Welsh Amateur Order of Merit events – THE DUNCAN PUTTER. The name of the tournament evokes the memory of Wales’s leading golfing family. Established by our late President, Colonel Tony Duncan, in honour of his father (John Duncan was one of the founders of the club), the tournament attracts the nation’s leading amateurs.

Past winners include Iestyn Tucker, Paul Way, Peter McEvoy, Gary Wolstenholme and Jamie Donaldson while Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose are among those competitors who tried but failed to clinch the title.