Modern flight connections to Birmingham and Manchester are good (Continental serves both from Newark), allowing the option to start a trip in either North or South Wales. From Manchester a 90 minute drive will bring you to Bodysgallen Hall near Llandudno, a majestic 17th century house standing in 200 acres of parkland with spectacular views of Snowdonia. As a member of the Historic House Hotels Group it has been sympathetically restored and is furnished with fine antiques and pictures, and the main house has 19 comfortable en-suite bedrooms. Log fires and oak panelling add to the ambiance, as do beautiful walled gardens. Two dining rooms, a bar, an attractive library and a feature first floor drawing room all contribute to the character of the hall and a fully-equipped Spa provides opportunities to relax after your journey.

The best local golf is at Conwy, home of the Caernarvonshire Golf Club. Recent changes to the course mean that the new finishing holes wind through trees and gorse, placing a premium on accuracy while giving some welcome respite from the prevailing wind, to which the largely flat linksland is fearfully exposed. Fine views of the Conwy estuary and surrounding hills are to be had from all parts of the course.

A visit to the town of Conwy is worthwhile. The ancient castle was built between 1283 and 1289 by Edward I and helped to complete the conquest of the Welsh princes in North Wales. James of St George, the most famous military architect of his era, supervised the construction, which features eight beautifully proportioned towers and a great hall measuring 125 feet in length. The town walls - over three-quarters of a mile in length, with 22 towers and 3 original gateways - still ring the old village, in which narrow alleys and cobbled passages dart between attractive shops and inns.

A circular tour of scenic and mountainous Snowdonia is possible from anywhere in North Wales with a stop in Betws-y-Coed a recommended option. Yet, traveling west from Conwy the expressway brings Anglesey quickly into view with the temptation to visit Bull Bay, a coastal heathland course designed by Herbert Fowler or Holyhead, a James Braid design.

Dramatic castles at Caernarfon and Penrhyn attract the sightseer, the former witnessing the investiture of the Prince of Wales, while Penrhyn, with its collection of Old Masters, is an art-lover's paradise. Just across the Menai Strait on Anglesey Plas Newydd, an elegant 18th century country house by James Wyatt, commands magnificent views of the Strait and mountains of Snowdonia, as well as housing exhibitions about the work of Rex Whistler and the Battle of Waterloo. Beaumaris Castle is considered the most sophisticated example of medieval military architecture in the British Isles. Now a world heritage site it is a concentrically planned castle with an 18 foot wide moat and a curtain wall with 16 towers and 2 gates providing 300 firing points for bowmen.

A little further on is Nefyn and District, a classic seaside holiday course, where Ian Woosnam holds the course record of 67. After a lengthy downhill opening hole the course runs along the cliff tops before turning back towards the clubhouse. Holes 11 to 18 are perched on a headland with outstanding views and the tiny Ty Coch Inn nestles in a cove below the 12th green. When the wind is blowing the attraction may prove overpowering!

Abersoch and Pwllheli are local alternatives but the attractions of Harlech and Royal St David's will prove irresistible to the serious golfer. Even serious golfers need sustenance, however, and where better to break the journey to Harlech than at Portmeirion. The complex here is unique and represents the vision and drive of a remarkable man, architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who died in 1978. His dream was to prove 'that one could develop even a very beautiful site without defiling it, and given sufficient loving care one could even improve on what God had provided'. The tiny peninsular on which the village stands is heavily wooded and hilly, with sandy coves washed by the tidal estuary. Apart from rebuilding the original house and converting it into a hotel Ellis built an entire village, which would look at home in Bavaria or in the Italian Alps. There can be few more enchanting spots!

To reach Portmeirion from the north you will have passed a toll bridge (the charge is 5 pence!) and a more expensive one confronts your journey southwards (25 pence this time!). Harlech is the golfer's destination, and the car park for Royal St David's Golf Club requires a walk across the old railway tracks to reach the course. This is by common consent the best course in North Wales - a classic links, which curiously, has no views of the sea other than from the elevated 16th tee. Although a ridge of dunes shields a glorious sandy beach from all parts of the course the views are dominated by the massive peaks of Snowdonia, which rise majestically to the north and east. The ancient castle stands high above the course and, like Conwy and Beaumaris, is the work of James of St George for Edward I. It is a seemingly impregnable fortress, protected on three sides by cliffs and defended by concentric lines of mutually-supporting fortifications. Harlech was the very last Royalist stronghold to fall during the English Civil War and the Welsh Lancastrians who fought there were the original 'Men of Harlech', immortalised in the famous song.

Today, the little town retains its old-world charm and the golf course adds to its reputation with every visitor who plays it. Cecil Leitch won the last of her British Open Championships here in 1935 (the tournament returned without her in 1949, 1960 and 1967) and the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) accepted the honor of the Club Captaincy in 1935.

The par of 69 is misleading, since the standard scratch score is 72. There are only two par 5's, which come at the 7th and 8th, so scores must be protected at the five par 3's. All the holes have their charms, but our favorite stretch is the finish. The 14th is a great par 3 - 218 yards from the back to a green nestling in the dunes with a variety of humps and bumps to clear from the tee, and the flag only partially in view. The green will gather the ball - if the wind allows it anywhere close! This is followed at the 15th by a mighty par 4, which doglegs right from the tee and requires a long carry across a narrow neck of fairway to another pretty little green. The task at the 16th is to gain position for a mid iron second to a raised green surrounded by bunkers while at the 17th, another long par 4, only a long drive will allow the option to take on the carry over cross bunkers to the green. The nine ends, as does the front nine, with a par 3 and at over 200 yards through a cross wind will normally test the mettle of the best players. As you would expect of a club like this the 19th does not disappoint either!

Nearby is the excellent Hotel Maes-y-Neuadd, which has a glorious rural setting and is patronised by locals and visitors alike. Menus combine Welsh, English and French influences to good effect and the rooms are well-appointed, if a little small. From Harlech a short and scenic drive brings you to the Mawddach River, one of Wales' best salmon rivers, and the recently refurbished Penmaenuchaf Hall, which overlooks the estuary. Fourteen lovely bedrooms, charming public rooms and fine cuisine await you here and one of the best pubs in Wales (George III Hotel) is virtually at the bottom of the drive. This has two bars, with the first floor lounge bar serving excellent food and enjoying delightful views of the estuary which is just feet away.

Nearby Dolgellau has a charming 9-hole course which is ideal for an easy day, but Aberdovey will prove the stronger attraction for most. The drive south skirts the coast with the single gauge railway, which runs parallel to the road, at times almost on the beach. No wonder the noted golf writer Bernard Darwin felt his pulse racing each time he took that train ride: the station is in the golf club car park and those arriving by car must again cross the railway tracks to reach the clubhouse. This is a fine new edifice, recently completed.

Not many golfers stand on the first tee peering through a herd of grazing cattle at the distant flag but all those playing Aberdovey can add that experience to their golfing memories. We must thank Colonel Arthur Buck, a member of Formby Golf Club, for his foresight in seeing the potential here in 1886, which led to the founding of the club in 1892. His brother, Major-General R M Buck, assisted in this and later became President of the Welsh Golf Union. The Bucks had a nephew who could write a bit. His name? You've guessed it - Bernard Darwin! Darwin described Aberdovey as his "best-loved place in all the world." Visit and you'll understand why.

Aberdovey may not be a 'great' golf course but it has a number of excellent holes, and playing there is a most enjoyable experience. The outward nine reach out to the northern end of the course, with the land levelling out after the first three holes (the 3rd is a gorgeous, blind short hole over dunes and bunkers). Turning for home generally means facing the wind - and it's now a different course. The short 12th, reminiscent of Troon's "Postage Stamp" but longer and harder, can be almost impossible into a strong breeze. Little respite follows as the railway is tight to the fairway on the left of the last few holes, with water and sand additional distractions and the 18th, at 443 yards off the back tees, can be a monster!

Aberdovey has a number of good hotels. Plas Penhelig Country House stands in 14 acres up a winding drive at the far end of the village. Fine dining, award-winning gardens, superb views over the Dyfi (Dovey) estuary and splendid architecture promise to guarantee a relaxed and enjoyable stay here. Alternatively, The Penhelig Arms is right on the water's edge and has a wood-panelled Fisherman's Bar and a celebrated restaurant.

South Wales is famous for Royal Porthcawl, Southerndown and Ashburnham. But, to this list should be added Tenby and St Pierre, the latter having hosted the Solheim Cup, Pennard, and Celtic Manor, a new course with justifiable ambitions near Newport. From Aberdovey, the choice is to follow one of two routes - either the coast road south through Aberyswyth (A487) cutting over on the A482 towards Lampeter and South Wales or the A470, which meanders through rural Mid-Wales towards Brecon and Cardiff. Either provides pleasurable motoring, although the scenery never matches the grandeur of the area you are leaving behind.

The golf, on the other hand, is every bit as memorable. Few courses offer golf in more spectacular settings than Tenby and, for history buffs, it offers the added bonus of being the oldest constituted golf club in the Principality. Ashburnham, too, is as well-known for golf as the nearby towns of Swansea and Llanelli are for rugby, while Royal Porthcawl is arguably the finest course in Wales.

The sea is visible from every hole here and, while the first three holes run alongside the beach, many of the others climb high above sea level to afford panoramic views of the Bristol Channel and across to Exmoor. The greens are considered to be some of the best in Britain. Southerndown, perched on a headland across the river, looks down on Porthcawl and has even better views. It also requires shot-making of a high order to negotiate narrow, gorse-lined fairways in the inevitable wind that accompanies play. A more natural course would be hard to find and it remains a "hidden gem" in that it does not enjoy the fame and reputation outside Wales, which it deserves. On our recent visit, members were poking fun at an elderly millionaire who has the most expensive clubs that money can buy but invariably plays with an assortment of old, well-worn golf balls. Few players here will see their golf balls deteriorate - they will lose them long before that happens!

Pennard has charm and challenge in equal measure with a majestic coastal setting, undulating fairways, fierce rough and often howling winds. Pyle and Kenfig is another cracker - again, little known outside Wales. The back nine here has been described as astonishing and the club enjoys the benefit of a renowned 19th hole.

A convenient place to stay is Coed-y-Mwstwr, at Coychurch near Bridgend. Now part of the entrepreneur Richard Branson's empire, this imposing country house occupies a secluded position up a long, narrow lane and is only 15 minutes drive from Southerndown. Rooms and food are excellent, and the inevitable wedding parties attracted to the hotel are catered for in a separate function room, away from the main building, which means you can admire the bride without being kept awake by the dancing. An additional benefit is the new golf course, which affords an opportunity for gentle practice between the sterner challenges described above. Miskin Manor near Cardiff is baronial, with superb rooms, as is the aptly named Great House at Laleston. For those who prefer the modern look, with leisure center and related amenities, Celtic Manor fits the bill.