Golf Club Crag

Contents

South East Wales Sandstone

PREAMBLE

NB. This crag is now in someone's garden/car-park. As such, the inclusion of routes on this page are for historical purposes only.

A hole in the ground, this might be, but worthless it certainly is not. Whilst tucked way behind trees, it is not lichenous. There are some shorter routes on the left and right walls, but pride of place goes to the steep main back wall, with a sandstone classic. The exact seepage situation is not known as most of the development took place during the very dry summer of 1995. The bag of dead chickens will eventually decompose, which is a shame given their generally uplifting perfume. Please keep quiet when entering the quarry as you pass round the back of someone's garden.

ACCESS

Leave the A470 at the Pontypridd junction and take the Glyntaff exit from the roundabout. Go straight on at the cross roads and up the steep hill to a pillar box on the right. Turn left here off the main road and drive out of the built up area for about 1/4m until there is a track on the right leading off to the golf course. Ignore this track, and park about 100m further down on the left in a blocked off track. Walk down left with care to enter the quarry.

THE ROUTES

Left Hand Wall

1. Unnamed #1 - 9m, E2,5c
   The wall left of the short left arete of the left wall.
   
   
2. Caddy-Lack - 9m, E1,5c, Fr6a+
   The arete itself on its left-hand side, with a desperate knee lock to clip the BB.
   
   
3. Poisonous Little Toad - 11m, E3,6c, Fr7b
   Just round the arete is a prominent perched block. This used to be a heavily chipped 'project' of someone else, but was 'repaired' before the first ascent. One very hard move only and not really worthwhile.
   
   
4. Muck And Germs - 11m, HVS,5a
   The offwidth to the right.
   
   

Main Wall

1. Golf Syndrome - 11m, E4,6a, Fr7a *
   After the recessed bay is a short arete marking the left-hand side of the main wall proper. Start just right of this under a v-groove. Climb the lower wall to the v-groove and make hard moves up to gain a jam over the top. Pull through the roof to a BB.
   
   
2. Golf Bag - 12m, E4,6a, Fr6c+
   The thin lower wall to the right, the complex groove through the roof and the final rib.
   
   
3. Fairway To Heaven - 17m, E3,6a, Fr6c
   Start just to the right under the widest section of the overhang. There may be a pram in situ. Climb the wall up to the roof and surmount this to a diagonal crack, crux. If successful, saunter up the slab above this.
   
   
4. Time For Tee - 18m, E3,6a, Fr6c ***
   A sandstone classic, which is well sustained through a series of small overhangs. Start right of the last route, and climb the tricky lower wall through the roof. Continue upto a left-facing groove below the capping overhangs and take a pumpy line straight through them to a BB.
   
   
5. Money - 18m, E5,6b, Fr7b
   The wall between Time For Tee and Chip And Putt. The route is without much substance until the headwall and unfortunately detracts from Time For Tee, but the difficult sequence on the headwall makes the route worthwhile.
   
   
6. Chip And Putt - 17m, E3,6a, Fr6c
   An outrageous route on big hammered buckets, starting 5m up the banking.
   
   
7. Golf-Whore - 12m, E3,5c, Fr6b+ *
   Some 5m further up the banking is a left-facing shallow, square-cut groove. Climb this awkwardly to the easier upper wall.
   
   
8. Unnamed #2 - 14m, E2,5c
   The original route up this wall, now largely superseded. Start at the right facing flake corner right of the last route. Climb this to a junction with and finish as for Golf Whore, BR, BB.
   
   
9. Bunk-Her - 12m, E3,6a, Fr6c *
   A good route with one very hard move. Start up the flake corner as for the previous route, but continue straight up and slightly right to a powerful move and an easier upper wall.
   
   
10. Unnamed #3 - 12m, HVS,5b
    The thin crack to the right to a TB.
    
    
11. Unnamed #4 - 9m, E1,5c
    A route up the pocketed wall at the top of the banking. 3BRs to BB.
    
    
12. Nibble My Niblicks - 9m, E1,5c
    A pleasant little route up the obvious jam crack and wall on the final section of rock before the path. 2PRs, top out and belay.
    
    

FIRST ASCENTS

Left Hand Wall

1. R. Thomas - 1995
2. R. Thomas - 1995
3. G. Ashmore - 06.05.1996
4. S. James, S. Jones - 1997

Main Wall

1. R. Thomas, M. Hirst - 1995
2. R. Thomas - 06.07.1996
3. M. Learoyd, L. Foulkes - 1992
4. R. Thomas - 13.05.1995
5. G. Gibson - 30.06.1996
6. M. Learoyd - 1992
7. R. Thomas - 1995
8. L. Foulkes, M. Learoyd - 1992
9. R. Thomas 1995
10. L. Foulkes, M. Learoyd - 1992
11. L. Foulkes, M. Learoyd - 1992
12. R. Thomas - 06.07.1996