The Ryder Cup effect

Well, it took a while - eighty three years, to be precise.In 2010 The Ryder Cup comes to Wales for the very first time.

All eyes may be on the host course at Celtic Manor when the professionals tee off in October, but golf clubs throughout Wales are feeling "The Ryder Cup effect".

When you stand on the elevated 18th tee at Bull Bay Golf Club on Anglesey and look out beyond the rugged coastline, there is nothing between you and Ireland but a lot of sea. “The course follows the lie of the land so we have 11 raised greens,” explains director of golf, John Burns. “Bull Bay is not a true links course, so players are often forced to play the ball high. The wind off the Irish Sea can provide quite a challenge! It can play an awful lot longer than its 6,200 yards.”

It certainly impressed John Jermine, chairman of Ryder Cup Wales, who also took a shine to the other eight golf courses on the island. “Anglesey has something for everybody,” he said. “Wales can expect a surge in golfing visitors during 2010. There is nowhere more beautiful than the drive through Wales to Anglesey, where there is so much on offer to every golfer, both on and off the course."