PGA Pro Paul Howard from Childwall GC came for a round to review our course. He was so thrilled with what he found he made a beeline to find our Head Greenkeeper to tell him so. This is what Paul had to say:

‘’A course of surprises and I feel like I found it first. We all love surprises. None more so than a golfer experiencing a ‘new’ golf course. In my quest to play the Top 25 golf courses in North Wales my visit today took me to Mold Golf Club. I will hold my hands up and say I wasn’t expecting a great deal. I mean, even the name doesn’t inspire. Mold…

Yet parking up, my first impression was a surprise. Stripes as far as the eye could see, manicured mounds, defined fairways, sunshine and views, a manicured putting green and a very welcoming professional shop assistant.

To say I was overwhelmed would be summed up in that after my round I sought out and had to meet the genius who is able to prepare such a course to the highest of standards on what I can only imagine would be a modest budget. I found Colin Jones, the head greenkeeper of 26 years and just had to congratulate him for his artistry. For Mold is an absolute hidden beauty prepared to a standard very rarely witnessed at courses not demanding hundreds in green fees.

I could talk for hours about the lush carpet like fairways or the beautiful striped approaches. I could bore you with tales of bunkers, that were consistent and without a weed on show or a blade of grass overhanging the edges. The greens that rolled like a bowling alley or that not once did I see a discarded sweet wrapper or cigarette end. But eventually I need to talk about the architecture and an architect called Fred G Hawtree.

The course consists of 6 par 3s and just 2 par 5s. Length certainly isn’t a feature with only 2 of the par 4s touching over 400 yards and without a par 3 over 200 yards. If you are one who gains pleasure from just smashing a driver, here you need to learn finesse and accuracy. From the par 3s the most memorable has to be the 160 yard 6th hole from an elevated tee. It’s a hole that wouldn’t look out of place in a major championship. After that the par 5, 7th hole with a blind tee shot over a very steep incline and, if you are long enough, a blind second shot to a green below. It’s worth noting that on measuring my 4 iron second shot, on this hole, I found it to have gone 295 yards. Even when I found myself on the tee of the 13th, I actually thought I had found a bit of a poor hole. It appeared an uphill par 3 without a feature of a bunker. Yet reaching the green I had to appreciate the way the green had been shaped with a clever mound built at the back with an over-hanging tree. For a second I thought I had found fault…. yet once again Mold surprised me. I could tell you of so many great features. I loved how Hawtree has subtle mounds of slopes around nearly every green. The surrounding areas of each hole are undoubtedly a stunning feature.

The course does lack length at 5556 yards, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. From the 1st tee you can see just how narrow an entrance to finding a fairway it is. It demands precision. At every point one’s accuracy is tested. Most of the holes were defined by trees or on a couple of holes a lovely stone wall. Greens are narrow and well-guarded. If you miss a green you inevitably had a pitch or a chip with mounds or steep slopes challenging you. At every point it was fun and ultimately fair. A great short game clearly being an asset.

After leaving the course I have since rung back to query the green fee. At £40.00 during the week and £45.00 at weekends I can’t recommend Mold highly enough. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Every hole had something about it. A true test is, would you return? Absolutely I would. I’ve already posted on my golf WhatsApp group that this is a must visit.

We all want to be that person who discovers the new. Well I discovered this hidden gem today.

Mr Colin Jones and Mr Hawtree, please take a bow. You certainly caught me by surprise.’’