Who is Jim Frank you ask? Jim is the former editor of Golf Magazine and editor-in-chief of Golf Connoisseur as well as the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books on the game of golf. He knows a little about the game.

Read Jim's blogs at www.visitwales.com/jimfrank
 
Earlier this month, after arriving at Manchester Airport and driving less than one-and-a-half-hours, Jim was in the medieval walled town of Conwy – a perfect location for checking out several of North Wales' most iconic golf clubs. He started with nearby Conwy Golf Club where: "Conwy Mountain hovers over the back nine while the front plays toward Conwy Bay."
 
A few days later, Jim experienced what Wales likes to call: 'golf as it should be' at Nefyn & District Golf Club: "now one of my favorite courses in the world. Totally unprepared for what I encountered, I was blown away by the beauty of the location, hard against the Atlantic, and the naturalness of the holes as they ran along the sea, back inland, then back out again on a long, skinny finger of rock and turf."
 
Jim concluded his whirlwind tour of Wales by playing the Twenty Course at the Celtic Manor Resort which is set to host the Ryder Cup tournament very soon. The resort actually boasts three championship courses however it's the Twenty Ten, set overlooking the Usk river valley, which was created especially for the tournament.
 
Throughout his trip, Jim, like many other visitors, discovered that what make's golf in Wales special is the combination of great courses and unique off-course experiences from domineering castles, coastline and mountain vistas to a friendly welcome from the locals and the unique character of the accommodations.

As former editor of Golf Magazine, Jim was the perfect choice to send to Wales. Before the trip, he confessed having been before and deciding "that Wales was a real sleeper, just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by golfers from around the world."