The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales has opened the third of its championship layouts. The Montgomerie stands alongside the original Roman Road and the new Ryder Cup courses, a fitting tribute to the man who holed the winning putt in the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills.

Colin Montgomerie’s 6,371 yard, par 69 design makes the most of the dramatic valley landscape with a handful of spectacular tee shots and challenging descents.“What I wanted to achieve was challenge enough for the members, but not too challenging that they don’t come back,” said Montgomerie.

“There’s no point building an Augusta here, but you want there to be risk reward and certain shots you might not hit normally. It is a members’ golf course, and the average handicap of a club member is 18.”

Monty has already created a host of celebrated courses across the world, from his native Scotland to more obscure destinations in Vietnam and China. The Montgomerie at Celtic Manor – his first in England or Wales – takes many of the best attributes from those worldwide courses, including the Scot’s characteristic deep pot bunkers.

The European Open champion’s bunkering evokes his Scottish roots, lending the course an almost links feel. Nevertheless, the trademarks of the designer have been sensitively blended into their surroundings, creating a layout that compliments the Roman Road and Ryder Cup courses – the latter of which will entertain the Ryder Cup in 2010.

“My design will provide a different challenge to the other two courses at The Celtic Manor resort. I’m more of a pot bunker fan than the big wide areas of sand that you see on many modern golf courses. They might look spectacular but they’re not really a penalty. I believe you should have to plot your way around them like a game of chess.”Celtic Manor is offering a unique Championship Membership that entitles golfers to play both the Roman Road and new Montgomerie courses.

For more information call 01633 410300 or visit www.celtic-manor.com, or to book a round on The Montgomerie call 01633 410262.

Monty’s Signature

Hole 11       Par 4       377 Yards

The 11th doglegs to the right, with pot bunkers lining the fairway and the front of green. Steep contours to the right of the putting surface make for a difficult approach.

Hole 16       Par 4       421 Yards

The masterpiece of the back nine, the tee shot at the 16th has to traverse a wide valley to find the fairway. A wayward shot in to the three-tiered green risks running off the back of the putting surface or dropping down the hill to the left.