The Belfry - Brabazon

• GF: 18 holes £205
• W: thebelfry.com/golf

The Brabazon Course at The Belfry is in the Next 100 of the UK&I, and is probably best known for hosting a record four Ryder Cups. This Peter Alliss collaboration with Dave Thomas opened for play in 1977, since when it has benefited from regular and significant upgrading and redevelopment. Water hazards abound, with the excellent par-4 9th leading straight on to the iconic, driveable par-4 10th, one of the best examples of a risk-reward hole in England. The famous closing hole, scene of plenty of Ryder Cup drama over the years, works from right to left and over water. There are two further courses, the PGA National and the Derby, which along with a lively hotel make this a complete golfing resort.

Chapel-en-le-Frith

• GF: 18 holes £25-£50 all week
• W: chapelgolf.co.uk

Operating as a 9-holer from its foundation in 1905, it was only in the 1970s that the decision was made to invite the Alliss and Thomas partnership to redesign and upgrade to a full 18. Blessed with a fabulous setting on the western edge of the Peak District, it is now a course of two halves with nine parkland holes closer to the clubhouse and nine quite different but equally entertaining holes over the road.

Standouts include the 11th and 12th, both of which flirt with a burn, and the fine closing hole which works from left to right, again over a stream, back up to the friendly clubhouse.

Chobham

• GF: 18 holes £42-£68
• W: chobhamgolfclub.co.uk

Dating back to 1994, Alliss was by then working with Clive Clark, designer of the impressive Dumbarnie Links. This relatively short course in Surrey runs over a wooded plot featuring several ponds and lakes, all of which contribute greatly to the strategy and the visual entertainment.

Six short holes and three par 5s add to the variety, meaning good scores can be achieved if the course is played both sensibly and well. The par 3s at 15 and 18 are real crackers, and in an area packed with premium golf mostly at premium rates, Chobham offers an excellent alternative.

Hill Valley

• GF: 18 holes £45wd, £60we
• W: macdonaldhotels.co.uk/hill-valley/golf/course

A part of the Macdonald Hotels and Resorts chain, Hill Valley has not one but two Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas courses. They are located close to the England/Wales border on the western side of Shropshire, and enjoy a peaceful, very rural setting. Opening 50 years ago, both are tree-lined, with the Emerald being the more demanding at over 6,700 yards and with a par of 73.

Of similar nature but refreshingly shorter, the Sapphire has a solitary par 5 but seven short holes and several drive and pitch par 4s. With the onsite hotel, this is a fine venue for a golfing break.

King’s Lynn

• GF: 18 holes £100wd, £119we
• W: kingslynngolfclub.co.uk

Although the club dates back to 1923, it was not until the mid-1970s that the decision was taken to relocate to the north-east of this market town in Norfolk. Despite its relative youth, this tree-lined design is remarkably mature and looks substantially older. It is a long and demanding course where positional play from the tee is vital.

Doglegs feature regularly, but you also need reasonable distance if you hope to reach the longer par 4s in two. The turf is wonderfully free-draining, and this is a pretty and peaceful place to play with each hole discrete and separate from all others.

Just south of Manchester and situated in a beautifully peaceful location, The Wilmslow Golf Club was founded in 1889. It was originally on land that is now the home of the 9-hole course at Alderley Edge. Surprisingly, golf was only played in the Winter months as the grass was too long in the Summer! This may well be the reason that the club soon relocated to today’s idyllic and very attractive setting.

Through The Ages

The club’s first home was designed by George Lowe, a professional and acclaimed clubmaker who worked at both Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham and St Annes. In 1903, a move was made to Great Warford, and although early details of its design are hazy, its evolution has benefited from leading architects including James Braid, JH Taylor and Fred Hawtree.

In over 120 years, it has hosted many important events, both professional and amateur. From 1976 to 1981, the club was the home of the Greater Manchester Open, then a fixture on the European Tour. And in 1983, Nick Faldo, already an established Ryder Cup player, won the Martini International here. In recent times, the focus has been on a steady improvement in conditioning and presentation which is now really paying dividends.

From Tee To Green

Today’s constantly engaging round consists of two loops of nine, each with its own dramatic climax to greens below the clubhouse down by the snaking Mobberley Brook. Doglegs are a particular feature, and while the holes are generally tree-lined, these are never too intrusive or claustrophobic.

The opening two holes set the tone well, each working its way right to left and where it is easy to be blocked out. The first short hole comes at the 6th which shares its green with the par-5 3rd. The front nine closes with a very pretty but devilish par 3, down the hill and over the brook to a well-bunkered green.

A Sting In The Tail

The back nine is even more attractive and features two more par 3s that are played over the stream. The 14th and 17th each cross a sunken valley that is home to the brook, while the 18th is arguably the signature hole, a par 5 packed with options. Depending on the drive, you are likely to have a semi-blind shot down to the left and towards the green.

Anything too far left will find water, while the front-right bunker frames the approach perfectly and is sure to take many prisoners. This lovely course has challenge, beauty and plenty to interest all the way. Back in the well-appointed and spacious clubhouse, at The Wilmslow Golf Club you are sure to receive a friendly welcome.

• Stats: par 72, 6,639 yards
• GF: Round: £130 Mon-Thu, £150 Fri&Sun

Once a year, and a regular and extremely popular fixture on the Forum calendar since 2010, there is a charity day in aid of Help For Heroes. This is open to members and their guests, and so each year is a perfect combination of reuniting with familiar faces at the same time as making new friends.

At the heart (bad pun intended!) of all this is lynchpin and selfless organiser, Richard Hart. Recent years have seen the day hosted at the likes of Hankley Common, Hayling, Tandridge and West Surrey - this year it was the turn of the lovely Blackmoor Golf Club on the Hampshire/Surrey borders where Richard is a long-standing and rightly proud member.

He became involved in 2012 when the event made its first move from its original base, Aldwickbury Park in Hertfordshire, then the home club of the event’s founder Rick Garg. As the day grew in popularity and stature - it is now a guaranteed sell-out - Rick wanted to take it to different venues and make it a permanent fixture on the Forum calendar. He achieved this quite brilliantly, though cruelly and very sadly he suffered a fatal heart attack while playing at his new club, Centurion, in 2016. The event has now raised getting on for £190,000, a brilliant sum for such a worthy and vitally important cause.

Help For Heroes

This wonderful charity was founded in 2007 and runs under the ethos that “every member of our Armed Forces community should have the opportunity to live well after service.” The help it offers includes physical healthcare support, mental health counselling, financial grants, sport and social activities, welfare support and even a Recovery College whose online courses give people the knowledge and skills to make lasting improvements to key areas of their life.

Since its inception, the charity has helped many thousands of military veterans and its help is needed now as much as ever. For more information, please visit helpforheroes.org.uk.

Blackmoor - The Warmest Of Welcomes

I have been lucky enough to play Blackmoor a number of times over the years, and so was delighted to be back to see the recent changes. I was drawn to play with Andy Robb, a member at Sittingbourne & Milton Regis, and his son Steve and daughter Charlotte. They had kindly, some might say foolishly, paid extra towards the charity to play with a Golf Monthly writer.

They had clearly drawn the short straw with me, but nonetheless we had an extremely enjoyable round, neither disgracing ourselves nor threatening for the prizes. Poor Alan hit a superb opening drive, way beyond the obvious hazard of the new right-hand bunker, only to find his ball in a sneaky ditch hidden some way beyond.

Throughout the course, Tim Lobb’s changes to the bunkering have greatly improved the visuals, strategy and fairness. The course sits in the Next 100 of the Golf Monthly rankings, and although it occupies quite a compact plot of heathland, it uses every inch to full effect. To see and play the course when the heather is in its pomp is an absolute treat.

Words From A Hero

Following an excellent carvery lunch, we sat down to listen to Carl Shadrake, a young forces veteran who has benefited from the support of Help For Heroes and who had enjoyed playing in the event in the morning. He was able to relate the most harrowing stories but in a remarkably stoic and unsentimental way.

This is a man who has put his life on the line for his country, a man who was seriously injured in Afghanistan, a man who has who has been with friends as they died! Carl quite brilliantly conveyed the horrors of war before explaining how he had needed, and benefitted from the support of Help For Heroes.

His humility and gratitude were clearly evident, leaving all of us moved and in deep admiration. He is genuinely a hero, as are so many more who need and deserve the support of this great charity.

Going… Going… Gone!

As part of the fundraising activities, alongside a raffle with plenty of excellent prizes, there is always an auction comprising two strands. One is the silent auction where those in attendance can bid for prizes such as golf clothing and four-balls at popular clubs, and then the regular auction which with Simon Bratt at the helm again this year, is anything but silent!

There were plenty of great lots to be won, and Simon did a brilliant job which even included coaxing winning bids from Blackmoor members who were innocently enjoying a quiet drink out on the balcony. One of the star attractions was a Help For Heroes jacket presented by the charity’s local fundraising manager, John Carpenter who also spoke more about the varied and very active work of Help For Heroes.

And The Winner Is…

With the heather in bloom and its bright, new bunkering touting for business, Blackmoor is a fine test of golf and a proper challenge. It was therefore fitting that 36 points won the day, with the Forum’s Hugh McKinnon the only one to achieve this score and therefore clear winner of the Vickers Trophy. Runner-up on 35 points was Guy Hall, narrowly pipping Chris Dorsett on countback.

Best Stableford score off scratch was James Robinson, while the guest prize went to Martin Hendy, also on 36, edging it from Dhan Sharma on countback. Golf Monthly’s very own Nick Bonfield achieved the longest drive, something that those in the office will doubtless never hear the last of, while nearest the pin on the par-3 9th went to Phil Medley, and nearest the pin in two on the par-4 second hole went to Steve Tilley.

Not all prizes are won, some are earned, and each year the Rick Garg Memorial Trophy is awarded to a Forum member whose contribution is above and beyond. This year it went to Simon Bratt, and it was lovely to see Rick’s widow Karen in attendance to present the beautiful trophy. This was actually the first time that anyone in the Forum had ever seen Simon lost for words.

Learning New Skills

Many of the trophies, auction items and raffle prizes are the excellent handiwork of Military Craftmanship, CIO. This charity has been set up by veterans for veterans, to support individuals with severe mental health issues such as isolation, PTSD, low self-esteem, loneliness, depression and anxiety. Jodie Kidd is their patron and the principle is that by working with wood and learning new skills, they find new purpose. This in turn creates self-confidence, empowerment and improved well-being.

The organisation was formed by Ted Granger and Bob Taylor from the ashes of Veterans Woodcraft, a similar enterprise that is sadly no more since a dishonest associate forced it into liquidation. I was lucky enough in the raffle to win a Dambusters carving featuring a Lancaster Bomber. It is a beautiful piece of art, more of which can be seen at militarycraftmanship.co.uk.

Behind The Scenes

An event such as this takes a great deal of organising, and Richard Hart deserves all of our thanks for the huge amount of time and effort he puts in. He is greatly supported in this by his wife Vicky, and by enthusiastic members of the Forum such as Guy Hall, Phil Coumbe and Sean Wheatley.

The day at Blackmoor raised a further £8,000 for Help For Heroes, a terrific sum that will go a long way to helping people who really need that help! This annual event features golf, friendship, fun, and the worthiest of causes - a genuine win, win, win, win combination. Here’s to the next one!

I’d been to Spey Bay on the Moray Firth before, but not played due to 50mph winds and torrential rain.

After struggling to open the car doors that time, I’d sought refuge in the clubhouse and let manager Bert Mackay tell me about the ambitious plans to transform the course into a reversible links with up to five routings.

This time, the rain had relented, but as I tackled the ‘standard’ routing, the wind was still four clubs at times, pushing you relentlessly towards the Firth on the run for home.

It made for one or two interesting moments on this narrow, exposed links strip, with the greens glinting like emeralds against lighter-coloured fairways, framed by wispy grasses and the now more distant gorse after a major clearing operation.

The 3rd played tough due to the dogleg and bunkers, and I really liked the 4th, a tiddler of a par 3 that mixes up the generally out-and-back angles.

The 6th plays from a tee tucked back in the gorse with the green just beyond a burn, while the switchback par-3 8th played straight into the wind away from the shore to a green atop a ridge with effectively two false fronts.

Much club was needed to cover the 131 yards. Coming home, the 15th presented the opposite problem playing downwind towards the Firth, while my scorecard notes for the par-5 16th read, ‘What a par!’

I recall hitting it almost onto the beach, coming up short with a driver-off-the-deck third and getting up and down with an 8-iron chip and run. All great fun!

Away from the coast

Having previously played the big-hitters like Castle Stuart and Nairn in this part of the world, as well as many of the supporting cast like Cullen, Covesea and Moray, for my second round this time I headed inland to Elgin, where I was told the par-5 1st used to be a long par 4.

When the par was changed, the average score dropped markedly. Mind games, eh! It’s certainly a reasonably straightforward three-shotter with the drive landing on a downslope. But with the wind hard against, it was still far from a pushover.

The second par 5 at the 5th stood out, a majestic hole where the drive must thread the needle between bunkers and trees before you climb to the green, or through it in two in my case thanks to the strong tailwind.

The two par 3s that follow are 221 and 167 yards but played pretty much the same club in the wind. The fine long par-4 8th is then a kind of mirror image of the 5th... and precisely the same yardage as the par-5 1st.

The narrow entrance to 12 caught my eye coming home as did the green cut into the slope on the par-3 15th, plus the approach to 18, another long par 4 with prominent run-offs right of the green.

Scorecard in hand

Finally, a rare competitive outing away from home around the lovely James Braid course at Forres. There was an open competition on the day I was looking to play, so I gave it a go in the company of William from Inverness Golf Club and Stuart from Strathpeffer Spa.

I’m not sure I’ve ever deliberated for so long over what club to hit on the 1st, a short downhill par 4 into the wind with the OOB road on the right all too visible.

In the end I chipped a driver away and was going pretty well until a three-putt on the par-3 7th sparked a downward spiral, with a tree disaster following on the 8th, the second of two holes cut through a forest.

Before that, I’d made a nice par on the lovely 4th, which plays from an elevated tee before turning gently left to a narrow two-tier green.

The long downhill par-3 10th reminded me of 11 at my home club of Royal Ashdown Forest, albeit a yard shorter at 248.

I then fluked a birdie on 15 with a ridiculous bounce off a tree, mucked up the signature, risk-reward 16th and closed with a birdie on 18 for 82 blows – not brilliant, not disastrous but highly enjoyable.

Spey Bay
Par 70, 5,860 yards GF: round: £80; day: £120

Elgin
Par 71, 6,458 yards GF: £35-£85

Forres
Par 70, 6,236 yards GF: £25-£80

Stay
The Firth Hotel, Lossiemouth, IV31 6DJ
W: fhlossie.com

(prices correct at time of publication in November 2025)

Tain: par 70, 6,109 yards

The 1st tee of Royal Dornoch’s Championship links lies just 100 yards from Links House, and it was great to play the revered links again in September 2025 just a few months before the unveiling of its new £13.9 million clubhouse.

But in this article, I’m focusing on Tain’s Old Tom Morris links just a few miles away, which I had last visited 20 years ago.

In lovely autumn weather I thoroughly enjoyed my round, heeding the pro’s advice to take just enough club on the 2nd to get over the crest but also stay short of the burn.

I particularly liked 8 and 9 – a lovely self-enclosed par 3 then a clever, sharp-right dogleg. The famous 11th plays right down to the Firth, with its blind approach played over three pronounced hillocks (or on to the left-hand one in the case of my pulled 8-iron).

The back-to-back par 3s at 16 and 17 are beautifully varied – a lovely little downhiller over a burn then an altogether longer affair where water also gets involved if you leak it right.

Much work had taken place here for the better since my previous visit, with the clearing of gorse and scrub giving the middle parts of the links a much less claustrophobic feel overall.

The hotel

Links House is the ideal luxury base for any trip centring on the famous golf town of Dornoch.

The original, sand-coloured building is a former manse built in 1843, completely renovated under new ownership since 2011.

The new Glenshiel building arrived in 2013 to bring the total Links House accommodation offering up to 15 luxury rooms and suites.

The interior elegance and style is in keeping with the original building’s heritage while The Mara restaurant’s menu matches its ambience.

The focus in the restaurant is on what is labelled S4+0: Scottish, seasonal, sustainable and slow, with the admirable ultimate goal of achieving zero waste.

This is a genuinely beautiful and relaxing place to stay, and in the off-season spending a while over a whisky or two in front of a roaring fire takes some beating.

Perhaps best of all, its proximity to Royal Dornoch Golf Club means you can join in with the locals often seen arriving at the course on foot with clubs on their backs rather than in the boots of their cars.

Best deal

Links House’s ‘Highland Icons’ golf breaks on the acclaimed North Coast 500 in autumn 2025 and spring 2026 offer keen golfers a world-class experience while playing four of the Highlands’ top links – Royal Dornoch, Brora, Tain and Golspie.

Two-or three-night stay-and-play packages start from £600 per person based on double occupancy to include accommodation, golf, an excellent breakfast and welcome pack.

Optional enhancements include private whisky tasting at Carnegie Whisky Cellars, a golfer’s massage at Aspen Spa and private transfers to and from Inverness Airport and to the local courses.

Find out more or book at linkshousedornoch. com/offers/golf-offer.

(prices correct at time of publication in November 2025)

Royal Aberdeen, with its mesmerising outward half would be one example, as would Hillside near Southport, where a revamp of the back nine in the 1960s by Fred Hawtree took the inward half to a whole new level.

That’s not to say the other holes were poor, just slightly overshadowed by the majesty and drama of the standout nine.

In Hillside’s case, that has all changed in recent years, with excellent work by Mackenzie and Ebert raising the front nine’s game such that the distinction between the two halves is far less pronounced to the naked eye.

Greater separation between the 1st and 9th via newly created dunes has made for a stronger start and finish to the nine, but after the entertaining 3rd (almost a dead-ringer for the 3rd at Carnoustie), the holes from 4 to 7 have enjoyed the most eye-catching changes.

On all these holes there is now considerably greater visual interest between tee and green, especially on the two par 3s that bookend that run.

The back nine remains as stirring as ever, with the short par-3 10th rising to an amphitheatre green and leading into a thrilling ride through the taller dunes, with the sweeping par 5s at 11 and 17 among many highlights.

Little wonder Hillside has climbed from 34th to 30th in our Top 100 UK& Ireland course rankings since 2019.

Green fees: £130-£300wd, £155-£335 Sun
Stats: par 72, 6,830 yards

(prices correct at time of publication in November 2025)

Castlerock

• Par 73, 6,481 yards
• GF: 18 holes, £225
• W: castlerockgc.co.uk

The Causeway Coast is blessed withs two absolute giants, Royal Portrush and Portstewart. The former is a global superstar, while the latter continues to improve year on year. Not a million miles behind them and in the Golf Monthly Next 100, the Mussenden Course at Castlerock is a fabulous links which I had first played back in 1996. I remember liking it greatly, but surprisingly little of the detail had remained in my shrinking memory bank. Happily, shepherded around by caddy-master Gordon, it surpassed my expectations and is clearly a first-class links in every way.

The course dates back well over a century and was designed by Ben Sayers and then Harry Colt. More recent changes were made by Martin Hawtree, and it has hosted many important tournaments, professional and amateur. It opens with two left-to-right doglegs that work you round towards the railway line, before it really takes off following the birdie-able… yes, amazingly, we both did… par-5 3rd. From here on you have dunes, burns and the prevailing wind combining to create a thrilling challenge that is endlessly enjoyable.

The fun carries on right through to the closing hole with a drive through a gap in the dunes and then up to a lovely green site below the spacious clubhouse. I loved every minute, and somehow kept the same ball all the way despite the capricious breeze and my even more impulsive swing. I certainly won’t leave it another 29 years before playing again. Then in my 90s, even if I am lucky enough to make it that far, I am not sure I would make it all the way round!

Bushfoot

• Par 70, 5,994 yards
• GF: 18 holes, £40-£50
• W: bushfootgolfclub.co.uk

Following a modest intake of black liquid for lunch, we headed east through sweet Coleraine and past The Open stands to Bushfoot. Just down the road from the world-famous distillery at Bushmills and right by the Giant’s Causeway, this friendly 9-holer has a terrific course that punches way above its weight. Part links and part parkland, real wow-factor comes at both of the opening holes; a corker of a par 4 to an outrageously small green tucked into the dunes, followed by a sublime par 3 alongside the river with two distinct and very different tees. This pair would not be out of place on a championship links.

Survive them, and the next three skirt the river, though never too closely, before a lone par 5 leads you back to the linksy ground closer to the welcoming clubhouse where we enjoyed talking to the club’s manager, Ian Blair. Jeremy and I were equally impressed and had time allowed would very happily have headed round again.

Roe Valley Resort

• Par 70, 6,261 yards
• GF: £75
• W: roevalleyresort.com

For the second part of our stay, we were based about half an hour from Portrush at Roe Valley, a very comfortable, relaxing and friendly golf resort just outside Limavady. Spacious and peaceful rooms are complemented by the lively and relaxed Coach House restaurant where the servings are as tasty as they are generous. My excellent Caesar Salad starter on the first night would have been enough to act as a main course, though obviously I didn’t allow that to happen! A newer restaurant, Fratelli, has recently opened at this family-friendly hotel, while there is a spa, a pool and an adventure playground. The course itself is packed with interesting and different holes, and is beautifully presented despite the fact that big change is afoot.

Recently acquired by the Galgorm Collection, there are plans for significant upgrades both on and off the course, so my advice would be to go as soon as possible in order to experience the before, and then return in a year or two to compare with the upgraded after! This was my second visit and I have enjoyed it hugely both times.

Following several visits over many years, I can heartily recommend the Causeway Coast and Glens as an excellent golfing destination. It will also be fascinating to follow the progress of the changes and additions planned by the Galgorm Collection.

Cairndhu

• GF: 18 holes £35-£50wd, £40-£60we
• W: cairndhugolfclub.co.uk

Situated on the east Antrim coastline an hour to the north of Belfast, Cairndhu dates back to 1928 but relocated to its spectacular clifftop location 30 years later. John Morrison, an associate of Harry Colt, designed the course which he expanded from 9 to 18 five years later. It may only just reach 6,000 yards from the back tees, but it can play substantially longer due to the slopes and doglegs. The glittering highlight comes early on at the 2nd, a picture-perfect short hole with outstanding 360-degree panoramas, worthy of inclusion in any list of beautiful par 3s. Elsewhere, there are plenty of very enjoyable holes such as the dogleg 8th and the sweeping par-5 17th.

Eyemouth

• GF: 18 holes £45wd, £50we
• W: eyemouthgolfclub.co.uk

Just north of the Scotland/England border and a few miles from Goswick Links, Eyemouth spent its first century as a 9-holer before expanding 18 in 1997. This renaissance was courtesy of a new road to the harbour which now bisects the course. Little if anything remains of the original, and while the opening two holes are perhaps less remarkable, from there on the remainder are anything but!

The jewel among its more spectacular holes is the dramatic par-3 6th which is played across…hopefully all the way… an elevated, craggy inlet. The par 4 that follows along the cliff-edge is also a cracker, and there are plenty of memorable holes all the way.

Freshwater Bay

• GF: Day Rate £48
• W: freshwaterbaygolfclub.co.uk

If ever there was a course that is exposed to all the highs and lows that nature has to offer, this very attractive downland/cliff-top mixture on the Isle of Wight is it. The views are outstanding, and as with all of the courses this month, the green fee represents excellent value.

Golf is a game of two halves here as you climb gently eastwards up the downs on the front nine before slaloming back to the clubhouse in the opposite direction. If the wind is from the east, the par 5s at 11 and 12 may well offer the chance of a birdie.

Langland Bay

• GF: 18 holes £80 Mon, Wed, Thu - £95 Fri &Sun
• W: langlandbaygolfclub.com

Occupying a compact but very attractive and varied plot of land between two lovely beaches, Langland Bay is a friendly club with a very scenic, undulating course. There are thrilling drives and tricky approaches, outstanding views, and all that any golfer could wish for. This parkland/clifftop hybrid was effectively redesigned by James Braid in the mid-1930s.

The holes closest to the cliffs are the par-4 7th and 8th, and then the 15th green before the do-or-die short 16th, appropriately named Death or Glory. Ideal for holiday golf, it is also way more than that with plenty to test the low-handicap golfer.

Nefyn

• GF: 18 holes £59-£89 all week
• W: nefyn-golf-club.co.uk

Although all 27 holes here are very enjoyable, it is the Point nine that is the biggest draw. These unique holes run along the promontory, and there are four exciting short holes including the 7th which is played back over the famous blow-hole. The stunning views and eccentricity are guaranteed to make you smile, as will a stop-off at the Ty Coch Inn down by the beach.

The Yellow and Red clifftop nines have a few blind shots but plenty more outstanding sea views, and it is worth noting that the Point loop can only be played as part of a 27-hole package.

I am a huge fan of clifftop golf where the views, sea air and wild atmosphere will almost certainly add to the beauty of the course. Many such courses also offer excellent value for money.

Few courses of note don’t have some form of water-related feature that the golfer must consider at some point in the round, whether it’s an innocuous-looking burn or drainage ditch, or an in-your-face lake that could fit a pod of blue whales. Our oldest and most revered links nestle by the sea, and while the water itself may come and go, the coastal margins are still a source both of wonder and anguish for most of us.

Why Have Water On A Course?

Given that playing a golf ball out of water successfully is nigh on impossible, why is water such an important and regular feature in course design? The answer falls into three overlapping categories; strategic, visual, and psychological. With regard to the first, courses need obstacles to challenge the golfer. The most obvious is everyone’s favourite (not!), the bunker. Aside from that you have rough, trees and other foliage, and of course, water. Water is ultimately the trickiest of the lot as an unsuccessful encounter will not only lose you a shot, but usually also your ball.

However, particularly on sites lacking trees, water is an obvious and relatively low-maintenance strategic challenge which can often define the ethos and feel of the place such as the Albatros Course at Golf National near Paris, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Moving on to visual, and there is no doubt that judicious use of lakes and ponds can help to turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse. Rather than a succession of sand-protected holes that can look very similar, water features can be as subtle, soothing, scary, or as over-the-top as the architect desires and the budget allows.

In its early days, the Brabazon Course at The Belfry, which has hosted more Ryder Cups than anywhere else, had a reputation as being a bit, how can I put it, farmer's-fieldy? Dave Thomas made substantial changes in the late 90s with the water a prime beneficiary, and it has looked so much better since. Finally, and relevant to the vast majority of golfers, water has a brilliant but deliberately daunting psychological impact. The architect doesn’t really want you to duff your approach, and deep down you know you can easily hit the ball the relevant distance through the air, but put a pond in the way and suddenly the shot is twice as hard. The fear and the potential cost of failure are enough to shred nerves or at least sow some seeds of doubt.

Natural Versus Manmade

I must confess that when it comes to water features, or indeed most cosmetic surgery, I am a huge fan of those that nature has already provided way before the architect turned up. What could be lovelier than playing alongside a natural, freshwater lake such as Lough Muckno which laps up against most of the Next 100 course at Concra Wood, an hour to the north of Dublin?

And how pretty are the ponds that protect the monster par-3 6th at West Sussex, originally a short par 4 played round the marshy area, and then at the 15th? Having said that, obviously beauty can be created, and not in a Victor Frankenstein way. The burns and marshes at the highly-rated Dumbarnie Links were no such thing ten years ago. In terms of a marriage of natural and manmade, who would argue that the water at Adare Manor, host of the 2027 Ryder Cup, is not picture perfect?

Rivers and Streams

The most natural water feature, away from the sea, is surely a river or sizeable stream that crosses or flanks the course. Surprisingly few of the Golf Monthly Top 200 courses benefit from them very significantly although the lovely par-3 4th at Cruden Bay runs alongside the fast-flowing Water of Cruden. The Palmer North Course at the K Club, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup, has the famous River Liffey running through it.

On the fabulous par-5 8th, the green is on an island in the river. Many top courses instead have burns and ditches, more of which later, but it is often at the less well-known that rivers are to the fore. At Ilkley in Yorkshire, the 2nd and 3rd greens are on an island in the River Wharfe, while Galgorm Castle in Northern Ireland is blessed with two rivers, the Maine and the Braid, that meet down by the 13th green.

Ponds and Lakes

Perhaps the most common water feature incorporated into the golf course architect’s work is a lake or pond. They are effectively just size variations of the same thing, an expanse of water designed to influence the strategy for playing that hole at the same time as adding visual interest. This also seems to be a more modern development, perhaps over the last 50 years or so. If you look at our classic and oldest courses, they are far less in evidence. Some protect the green such as on the famous 17th at Real Valderrama.

Elsewhere, lakes are used to separate holes and come into play for wayward shots on either. Modern designs such as those at Formby Hall and The Kendleshire have used them to great effect to provide interest and challenge throughout the course. One of the greatest and of course scariest innovations that goes with lakes is the island green. The most famous is Pete Dye’s creation at TPC Sawgrass, but you will find them everywhere at courses such as The Shire London and Rockliffe Hall, and they never lose their drama.

Ditches and Burns

Many of our older courses, especially links, are blessed, and perhaps a little cursed, with irrigation ditches and burns. A pair of very famous examples occur on two of our most storied links, the Old Course at St Andrews and the Championship Course at Carnoustie. The Swilcan Burn should comes into play on the opening hole of the Old Course, but it’s such a short and otherwise simple hole, that it really shouldn’t! However it does, as its psychological impact and proximity to the green can unnerve the steeliest resolve.

The Barry Burn at Carnoustie is even more imposing and deadly. Just ask Jean Van de Velde or Padraig Harrington. Neither is likely to have a picture of it in their living-room. Many if not most links have burns and ditches, partly for strategy and partly for irrigation, but considering the percentage of the course that they take up, they tend to punch way above their weight!

The Sea

The original and ultimate water hazard… sorry, penalty area! Whether we are talking beaches or actual H2O, the sea lines many of the finest courses in the world. It is a joy to behold, it lifts the spirits, and it swallows golf balls. At some links, such as the opening holes at Top 100 favourite Nairn, you can play from the beach. At the moody and atmospheric Royal West Norfolk, the far end of the course changes every few hours along with the tide. If you are lucky, you may even get marooned at the club as the exit road becomes inaccessible.

In Wales, the modern links at Machynys is effectively on a marsh and again changes all the time. In sunnier climes, the exciting course at Tierra del Sol on Aruba has a sublime par 3 played over a lagoon fed by the sea. Globally, there are countless interactions between golf courses and the sea.

I mentioned that away from irrigation, there are three basic reasons for having water on a course; strategic, visual and psychological. Well these may be three separate reasons, but of course they are not mutually exclusive. In fact quite the opposite. They join forces at almost every instance. The choices we have to make about laying up or going for it, or playing safely away from the water, the beautiful vistas and tranquility we enjoy while approaching the water, and the anxiety we feel when confronted with challenge, are mainly all there, every time.

Water is an important tool of the golf course architect and a key ingredient of the game we love. At the magnificent Fancourt estate in South Africa, its three courses have every type, natural and manmade, and are all the better for it. Water is beautiful to behold, but for the sake of your golf ball, it’s best to keep your distance!

Par 70, 6,143 yards

Nowhere does the soul-soothing delights of free-flowing, crystal-clear rivers and streams on golf courses as well as the front nine here. Not far from Okehampton, it ranks among the best golf courses in Devon and was originally designed by highly regarded architect, JF Abercromby.

You start on a tempting, downhill par 4, where water awaits if you attack and don’t quite catch it, as it does again just short of the 2^nd green as you gaze up to the hotel. If you play the par-3 3^rd from the tips, take your ‘A’ game as the green is closely flanked by more water 200 yards away.

On the par-4 7^th, you cross rivers and streams which then close in on you left and right up near the green. After the 9^th, you climb out of the valley for a different-feeling back nine, which closes with six varied par 4s, with the 13^th or 14^th by the entrance road potentially drivable depending on conditions.

The 18^th is a brute, doglegging awkwardly left against the camber to a green 433 yards away.

The hotel

This haven of tranquillity is idyllic if you get the weather my wife and I enjoyed. But there’s much more than just golf on offer, with off-roading, fly-fishing, archery, clay-pigeon shooting and more, plus a sizable indoor pool in the spa.

The bedrooms and public areas are just as they should be in a building of this character, and our room, looking out over the terrace and golf course, was a perfect place to just be.

We crammed in time in the pool, walks in the woods along the front nine, cocktails on the terrace and excellent meals in both the elegant Great Western Grill (it was once a railway hotel) and the more informal Smith’s Brasserie.

There are also 22 high-class, self-catering lodges on the estate. Oh, and the falconry display was hugely entertaining.

Best deal

The ‘Time To Golf’ break includes two rounds per person on the championship course plus accommodation for two nights with full English breakfast. Prices are from £369 per room, per night.

The ‘Time To Relax’ golf break offers a one-night stay, inclusive of full English breakfast, dinner in either restaurant and a round of golf per person from £464 per room, per night. Both offers are based on two sharing a Classic room.

(prices correct at time of publication in October 2025)

Bovey Castle, North Bovey, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, TQ13 8RE
T: 01647 445000
E: info@boveycastle.com
W: boveycastle.com

A staple of any trip to the Highlands has been for some time, Castle Stuart, a reasonably new course that has, since its opening in 2009, become one of the finest links tracks in the country.

Situated within ten minutes of Inverness Airport, the course is the perfect gateway to the feast of golf the area has to offer. While as a standalone course, Castle Stuart is a must-visit, it has recently been joined at Cabot Highlands by the Old Petty.

This brand new track was designed by esteemed architect Tom Doak, famous for his work on notable courses, including Te Arai Links in New Zealand, Pinehurst No. 10 in North Carolina, and numerous other notable designs.

The addition of a new course on the property is thanks to the 2022 acquisition of Castle Stuart by Canadian developers, Cabot, who made their name in the golfing world with award-winning properties, including Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, and Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida.

Cabot has long been renowned for having not only a fine eye for acquisitions but also for elevating their properties to the next level.

I was lucky enough to visit Cabot Citrus Farms only last year for the preview play, and it was one of those golf days that lives long in the memory - not just because of the course, but for everything else that makes up a memorable golfing experience. The attention to detail and visitor experience was second to none.

Arriving at Cabot Highlands, you’re immediately greeted with a warm Scottish welcome, and the facilities on offer at the clubhouse deliver premium comfort and cuisine, featuring the traditional details lovers of Scottish golf will appreciate.

A special mention has to go to the men’s changing room, which has undoubtedly got the best changing room view I’ve seen anywhere in the world. The panoramic windows give you a near 360-degree view of the property, with stunning landscapes and crashing waves giving you a delicious taste of what lies ahead.

Castle Stuart

As previously mentioned, Castle Stuart is one of the best courses in Scotland and it offers everything you could want from a links course, the design will challenge any level of golfer while still offering a level of playability that keeps the game fun.

Reaching the halfway point at Castle Stuart, I took some time to reflect on the round while eating a superb pie, and the overwhelming emotion I felt was pure joy.

In terms of memorable holes, the third certainly sticks out. The short par 4 winds down to the water’s edge, providing absolutely stunning framing for the green. There’s something truly special about playing golf by the sea, and on this particular hole, it almost completely surrounds you when standing upon the putting surface.

Heading into the back nine, the initial stretch from 10 through to 13 is perhaps the strongest on the course. With water flanking the left side of all the holes, you are treated to all of the natural beauty the course has to offer.

Towering dunes, undulating fairways, and intricate greens make it one of the finest stretches of golf anywhere in Scotland, as far as I’m concerned.

Much like my visit to Cabot Citrus Farms, I walked off Castle Stuart with a very similar feeling. It was one of real adoration. Golf is a game to be enjoyed, and while it can at times test even the strongest willed amongst us, Castle Stuart is a course that gets the balance absolutely spot on.

Charming, entertaining, beautiful and challenging all in equal measure, it’s one of those courses that will have you gagging to return.

Old Petty

During my time at Cabot Highlands, I was also lucky enough to play the new Old Petty course, which has been open for preview play in anticipation of the grand opening in 2026.

Designed by Tom Doak, the course is situated slightly further inland than its sister course and offers a very different experience. Old Petty has retained the natural charm offered by the landscape but delivers slightly more refined, toned-down visuals compared to the physical drama of Castle Stuart.

The course offers outstanding views of the coast and also provides fantastic opportunities to take in the local history, most notably the 400-year-old Castle Stuart, which takes centre stage on the par-3 3rd hole.

Much like its sister course, Old Petty provides plenty of room off the tee, making it thoroughly enjoyable for golfers of all abilities. The undulating fairways and elevation changes deliver plenty of intrigue, and the clever routing means the prevailing wind will be hitting you from multiple different directions during the round.

Playing out along the coastline, the course threads its way alongside the tidal estuary, with the standout holes, in my opinion, coming at 10, 13, and 14. The 10th, a long par 5, doglegs gently round to the right and requires pinpoint accuracy off the tee so as to open up the hole while navigating the middle bunker.

With a solid drive, you leave yourself with an inviting approach, however a large mound does guard the left side of the green, making for an enticing marker point or a potential pitfall for a wayward strike.

Perhaps my favourite hole on the course is the 13th. The drivable par-4 hugs the western perimeter of the property, and wind-dependent, it provides an excellent opportunity to go for the green in one.

The sloping fairway will gladly kick any poorly struck effort into the rough down the right-hand side, but if you can get a solid one away, it’s a fantastic scoring opportunity that also provides one of the best views on the property, allowing you to look right back to the clubhouse along the coast.

The 14th is another excellent hole. Typically, I’m not a huge fan of long par 3s; however, thanks to the green being below you and the general prevailing wind helping, it offers up a sumptuous test of both club selection and ball striking, while also providing one of the best vantage points on the course to take in the view.

A five-star experience

Old Petty is a superb addition to Cabot Highlands and elevates the property to the next level. There is still 'bedding in' to do on the course, and like any good track, it will take time to hit its full stride. However, from what I’ve seen, the Highlands has just added another jewel to its crown.

Tom Doak’s less-is-more approach to design perfectly complements the high-octane drama of Castle Stuart, and the pair make up one of the best two-course combos I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.

Another fine feather in Cabot Highlands’ cap are the three cottages that are dotted around the property, offering luxurious accommodation for groups. We were fortunate enough to stay in the Golf Lodge during our visit, which has everything you could ever need for a comfortable and enjoyable stay.

Cabot Highlands is also building five additional cottages on the 18th hole at Castle Stuart, which, from the plans I’ve seen, look to take the destination to the next level with premium real estate.

Cabot Highlands is a fantastic place to play golf - it’s as simple as that. The courses, the accommodation, the location, and the customer service are all five-star, and I would highly recommend anyone who hasn’t ventured north to the Highlands to do so as soon as possible.

With the addition of Old Petty, Cabot Highlands has become without a doubt one of the most desirable destinations in Scotland, and with Cabot at the helm, it’s destined to go from strength to strength in the future.

Dating back to 1898, Church Stretton is blessed with a stunning and remote location that is both its blessing and its curse. With regard to the former, it is entirely natural and unspoilt, with wonderful panoramic views over the Long Mynd, 20 square miles of very beautiful rolling heathland and moorland in the Shropshire hills.

As for the latter, its very isolation results in less footfall, and hence not so much to invest in the bells and whistles that many golfers have come to expect at our leading courses. Happily, this does not detract in any way from the experience, as the whole atmosphere, ethos and feel of the place is totally aligned to nature and unfussiness. It is one of the very best golf courses in Shropshire.

Architectural Background

The original nine holes of this instantly recognisable course were laid out by Jack Morris, nephew of Old Tom, who also designed the excellent Next 100 links at Conwy Golf Club. It was expanded into 18 six years later, following which Harry Vardon advised on the layout. What really put Church Stretton on the map was the visit by the prolific James Braid in the mid-1930s who advised on a number of changes that have resulted in today’s excellent rollercoaster of a ride. The sand may now be gone from his bunker work, but the spirit of Braid lives on throughout.

Unique Configuration

Not too many courses of note weigh in at just over 5,000 yards, but do not be misled! Here, it matters not one jot as there is challenge all the way provided by the elevation changes and side slopes, the swirling wind, small greens that are often hard to find and harder to read, as well as the endlessly distracting views. It opens with three straight par 3s leading you to higher ground.

The 1st is a brute with the only sand bunker on the course, while the 2nd is a tiddler that plays deceptively longer but where a mishit can come back down to your feet, while the 3rd is blind, ironically to a beautifully-sited green. Further short holes occur at the 5th and 12th, as well as the closing hole which is a parachute drop back down the hill to a green with the market town beyond.

The toughest of the two-shotters are the 4th which is played left to right over a deep drop, and the 9th which is up the hill at the far end of the course and will play like a par 5 for most. With its friendly, pavilion-style clubhouse, Church Stretton Golf Club is a genuine one-off and should be on the radar of anyone interested in golf course architecture or who values setting as a key factor.

• Stats: par 66, 5,030 yards
• GF: Round: £35wd, £40we

Royal Lytham & St Annes

England’s renowned golf coast in the north-west had a strong, formative role to play in the Ryder Cup with Lytham first hosting the match in mid-October, 1961. The format that year was four foursomes morning and afternoon on day one, and eight singles both morning and afternoon on day two; a gruelling schedule over such a tough and strategic test of golf. Arnold Palmer made his debut and was leading points scorer as the visitors won 14½-9½. They won again when it returned in 1977, this time with a young Tom Watson making his debut. Despite its slightly more enclosed nature with the railway bordering several holes, Royal Lytham & St Annes is a classic links that has hosted the Open Championship 11 times.

• GF: 18 holes £280-£460
• W: royallytham.org

Muirfield

Renowned for its hosting of The Open Championship, not so many golfers are aware that Muirfield has also hosted the Ryder Cup. This was back in 1973 when the USA prevailed 19-13. This Harry Colt and Tom Simpson design is quite simply one of the purest and most perfect tests of golf anywhere.

Its subtle, flowing and very classy design is packed with some of the finest bunkering anywhere as well as excellent greens. Rather than one or two exceptional holes at Muirfield, there are eighteen. For fans of golf course architecture, this most elegant of designs is a living master-class.

• GF: 18 holes £150-£365
• W: muirfield.org.uk

Royal Birkdale

Prior to Muirfield, Royal Birkdale hosted the Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969. The latter match resulted in the event’s first tie culminating in the famous Jack Nicklaus concession of Tony Jacklin’s final putt for a half. With recent changes improving the test and balance still further, this is widely regarded as the leading course in England.

Next year, it will host The Open for an eleventh time. This wonderful and very engaging links is blessed with some of the finest dunes in the country and despite the strength of the challenge is still extremely enjoyable for all golfers.

• GF: 18 holes £370-£495
• W: royalbirkdale.com

Southport & Ainsdale

Separated from Birkdale simply by the fabulous links at Hillside, S&A as it is familiarly known has also hosted two Ryder Cups. The first of these was ten years after James Braid designed this classic inland links in 1923. The home side squeezed a one-point victory in 1933 with the USA gaining revenge four years later.

Opening with a strong par 3, the feature hole is the par-5 16th which calls for a blind second over the hill to a long narrow green in front of a high dune. In an area packed with pristine golf, Southport and Ainsdale is one of the best and most memorable links.

• GF: 18 holes £150-£275
• W: sandagolfclub.co.uk

Walton Heath

With two strategically very strong courses in the Top 100, it is the Old Course at Walton Heath that was home to the Ryder Cup in 1981. The Americans fielded a particularly strong line-up featuring the likes of Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino and Crenshaw, and eased to a comfortable victory.

Both courses were designed by Herbert Fowler and the club has hosted numerous other top-flight championships including the AIG Women’s Open and European qualifying for the US Open. A real feature of the golf here is that there is wonderful strength in depth with some scenic short holes, some super-tough par 4s, and some manageable par 5s.

• GF: 18 holes £275-£350
• W: waltonheath.com

At first, I didn’t take too much notice of their two beaming faces near the 1st tee of some Scottish golf course somewhere, but eventually I was intrigued to see who they were and how far they’d got.

Then, despite me not being a member of a Scottish club and unable to reciprocate, I got in touch to see if I could meet them on my next Scottish trip to find out more about their quest.

Before long, plans were being hatched to find somewhere new to all three of us so they could play their 240th Scottish course and I, by coincidence, my 200th, following a quick tot-up of my ‘courses played’ spreadsheet.

They live in Glasgow and one of their suggestions was Glenbervie, north-east of the city and close to the M9, which was ideal for me as I was heading on up to the Moray Firth afterwards.

I don’t know a huge number of Scottish golf club managers, but by chance, it transpired that I did know Glenbervie’s Alan Reid from a previous club he’d been at, and he kindly agreed to host our meet-up.

One thing you can’t rely on in Scotland (nor anywhere really) is the weather, and as we chatted about their quest before heading out, the elements could at best be described as changeable. When a Scottish pro says “it’s looking a bit dreich”, it’s best not to get your hopes up too much.

Sadly, we were treated to fairly persistent and, at times, quite heavy rain, until it finally eased with a few holes to go. But that dampened neither spirits nor banter on a course with very good and surprisingly quick greens (given the moisture) that starts with a fairly accommodating opener.

The tough par-4 9th, with its attractive downhill approach, is a real front-nine highlight, while the nicely framed greens on 12 and 13 caught my eye coming home.

We each had a par-3 moment to savour. Mine came on the 4th, with its false front and narrow entrance, where my 8-iron nearly pitched in the hole en route to birdie; for Billy it came on the tough 7th, where he slotted home a 20-footer for a two; and for Kenna it was the 10th, where a sharply breaking six-footer saved an excellent par.

The couple are easy to talk to and incredibly enthusiastic about their quest... and everything really. Billy is from Glasgow, plays off 23.6 and works as a school janitor; Kenna is from South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, plays off 20.4 and works in the NHS.

“We first met on a walk,” Billy tells me. “We went to the same gym in Glasgow and it was during lockdown. They put on this walk and we met there. The next time we met was on the golf course.”

“The guy taking the class hadn’t long started golf,” Kenna adds. “There was another couple of people, too, and we had our first game at Knightswood, a municipal course in Glasgow.”

“We got paired together and just hit it off,” Billy grins. “We’ve been pretty much inseparable since then. It’s just golf, golf, golf.”

All on a whim

Golf, golf, golf, indeed, but why the quest? “We started in September 2020 at the Wee Demon course at Cameron House where I played,” Kenna explains. “Billy just randomly had the idea.”

“Yes, I’d only been playing golf roughly since we met,” Billy goes on. “Kenna was at the point where she was going to give it up and I was at the point where I was just starting, so it was ideal timing.”

“I was struggling because none of my pals played, so I joined the Wee Demon,” Kenna explains. “But I had an incident with a guy who point-blank refused to play with me in a medal because I was female! I wasn’t playing enough either, so I thought I either needed to play more or just give it up.”

She went for the ‘play more’ option, but with Glenbervie number 240, I ask how many more they have to go. “We use a map produced by David Jones, the UK Golf Guy,” Billy explains. “The figure on that is 569 courses, but I think a few have closed since then.”

The ones they’ve played that have now closed are both courses at Caird Park in Dundee, Lethamhill – a 100-plus-year-old 18-hole Glasgow municipal that’s now reopened as the nine-hole Golf it! facility with The R&A’s backing – and Torrance Park in Motherwell.

Ones that closed before they got to play them are Linn Park, Ruchill, Isle of Eriska, Hirsel and North Gailes.

Despite being restricted by Monday-to-Friday jobs, they’ve managed to average around 50 a year, so how do they decide where to go? “We don’t really have a rhyme or reason – it’s just what comes up,” Kenna says, “We’ve got a few mixed opens we do in the summer and that’s a good way to get a few courses ticked off.”

I speculate that at the current rate they’ll be done in about six years. “Yes, but there’s no specific rush,” Billy replies. “We’ll take it as it comes, enjoy it and go where the opportunities take us.”

Kenna tells me that they just love playing with anyone. “We played a couple of courses in Dunoon with my old priest from South Uist,” she recalls. “We’ve played with people from a range of occupations. We played Gullane last time with an 81-year-old and he was from the Isle of Lewis.”

“And deadly on the greens,” Billy chips in.

I ask what their biggest accomplishment has been so far in playing somewhere a little harder to get on. “Probably Western Gailes,” Kenna answers. “Or Royal Troon,” Billy says. “It’s often through messages on Twitter. People have been in touch and said, ‘I really like what you’re doing – have you played Royal Troon?’ ‘No.’ ‘Would you like to play it?’”

“That was just before they had The Open,” Kenna adds. “They just treated us and looked after us the full day. Fantastic!”

Taking it as it comes

What about exclusive courses like Loch Lomond, Ardfin or Skibo Castle? “We don’t worry about that,” Billy replies pragmatically. “We just tend to see what happens. We don’t want to rush it and we’ve been so lucky.

Things have just happened naturally. We don’t force anything and good things seem to come our way. We nearly played Ardfin with the UK Golf Guy as part of some charity event.

“He put it out on email and I was just about to book me and Kenna on and phoned Kenna to double-check. She said, ‘That’s your friend’s wedding that weekend.’ We went to the wedding instead!”

As for the lack of rush, it seems 36-hole days are now a no-no. “We’ve only played two 18s in a day once on the Isle of Arran,” Billy says. “We nearly fell out! It was two quite hilly courses and really hot and it was just no fun. We thought, ‘We’re doing this for fun!’ We’ll never do that again.

We’ll maybe play 18, stop for lunch and do another nine, but never again two 18s in a day.” Despite this near falling out, there is no hesitation when I ask if they have to play together for it to count. “Yes!” says Kenna instantly.

“Absolutely,” agrees Billy. “If someone invited me on to Loch Lomond and not Kenna, I would have to say, ‘I’m sorry.’”

As for the weather, there’s also little hesitation over the worst they’ve played in, and sadly, it came at one of Scotland’s most revered links – Royal Dornoch. “It was awful,” Kenna flinches at the memory. “You could hardly see in front of you – it was just wild.”

One of the questions I’m asked most is, ‘What is your favourite course?’ – an impossibly difficult question. So I turn the tables for once and ask the same question to them. “It changes all the time,” Billy admits, before going on to pick out Royal Troon. “I just love it.”

“I love Western Gailes, which we played recently, but before that it was The Machrie on Islay,” Kenna adds.

As for how much they’ve spent on the quest, Billy’s reply is precise. “To date we’ve spent £5,502.46 on green fees, but due to lots of very kind people, we’ve been lucky to play many courses for free.”

The Old Course at St Andrews has been their most expensive, with a member using some points to get it down to £196 each. Have they tried totting up petrol and hotels too? “No, never,” Billy smiles. “If you were to count golf clothes, balls, tees, I wouldn’t know the price... golf balls especially!”

We chat about courses we’ve both played, including Durness, Barra, Benbecula, Stornoway, Harris, Glencruitten, Dalmally, Strathtay, Lochcarron and many more, all in their own way typifying that ‘something different’ about the game in this greatest of golfing nations.

As I finish uploading this article, I check X to see how many they’re now up to since Glenbervie in late June 2025. The answer is 249, following rounds at Langlands, Beith, Gleneagles King’s, Gleneagles PGA Centenary (on Billy’s 50th birthday), Gullane No.1, Pollok, Gourock, Fort William and Leslie.

So just 320 to go based on that map...

Galgorm Castle: par 72, 6,581 yards

The course here has gained fame as, first, the host of the NI Open on the now HotelPlanner Tour from 2010, then on the main DP World Tour via the ISPS Handa Invitational on four occasions plus the Irish Open in 2020, won by American, John Catlin.

Most recently, it hosted the Black Desert NI Legends event on the over-50s Legends Tour, with Austrian Markus Brier claiming the trophy.

A reasonably generous dogleg-right kicks things off, albeit with OOB lurking down the right, before a tempting short par 4 where the green complex slopes down markedly from the left.

Before long you discover that the main challenge is water in the form of lakes, ponds and the Rivers Maine and Braid. On the cheeky par-4 4^th you flirt with a pond off the tee before crossing the Braid on the approach.

On the back nine, two strong par 4s flank the Maine at 11 and 13, before the Braid returns on the par-3 14^th. Missing right is an issue on all three. But, if you choose your tees wisely, you will still have a chance to score.

The hotel

I was perhaps a little taken aback by just how good the resort is in terms of not only its extensive facilities, away-from-it-all feel and varied eateries but also by its superb setting above a beautiful weir on the River Maine.

Its fairly central location makes it the ideal base for exploring a number of the very best golf courses in Northern Ireland.

The Thermal Spa Village is set by the river and is the perfect place to unwind after a day’s golf. As for eating, the food and service were excellent at both Gillies Restaurant and the Castle Kitchen and Bar at the golf club, as was the pre-dinner Guinness – as you might expect – at Mckendry’s authentic Irish pub. And I do mean authentic.

We stayed in the comfortable and spacious cottage suites, with other accommodation options including hotel rooms and suites plus log cabins and shepherd’s huts.

Best deal

Galgorm’s ‘Tee it up’ stay-and-play package starts from £330 per room per night based on two sharing.

This includes an overnight stay in a resort guestroom, relaxation time in the Thermal Spa Village from check-in until check-out for each guest, a round of golf each on Galgorm’s Castle course and a full Irish breakfast on the morning of departure. Valid from Sunday to Friday and subject to availability.

(Deals and prices correct at time of publication in September 2025)

Galgorm Resort, Fenaghy Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT42 1EA
T: 028 2588 1001
E: reservations@galgorm.com
W: galgorm.com

Prior to them, the most recent addition was the Clive Clark creation at Dumbarnie Golf Links on the Firth of Forth on the south Fife coast, which recently celebrated its fifth birthday.

Despite a slightly difficult birth during Covid, the links has quickly garnered a big reputation for being both a visually stirring golf course and for providing a professional but suitably informal off-course experience under the guidance of highly experienced general manager, David Scott.

What this links does particularly well is to set both your pulse racing and your brain whirring, the former via clever use of the terrain, with several eye-catching holes playing down towards the Firth, including the all-important 1^st and memorable par-3 8^th.

That’s not to say other holes playing in different directions aren’t also blessed with strong visuals, for example, the uphill par-5 2^nd.

As for the brain whirring, you face more risk-reward options here than on just about any course. Several holes demand decisions based on ability, form, choice of tee and wind direction, among them the 3rd, 5th, 11th, 15^th and 17^th.

The dogleg-right 17^th, crossed by a dry stone wall, is particularly interesting, as even the safe route doesn’t appear overly easy.

Further tweaks often take place early on, and in Dumbarnie’s case that has meant filling in a burn crossing the 10^th fairway at around driving distance downwind on perhaps the toughest par 4.

In addition, the new halfway hut – The Wee Barn – is both excellent and very well appointed by the 9^th tee, another hole that plays dramatically down towards the Firth.

● Stats: par 72, 6,421 yards
● Green fees: £335 (replay rate within seven days: £168)

(correct at time of publication in September 2025)

Founded not long after WWII and situated 400 feet up above Grange-over-Sands overlooking the Cumbrian coast, Grange Fell is an archetypal feelgood course packed with warmth and charm. Something of a family affair, its current young captain Daniel is the great-grandson of its founding father, AB Davy.

There are six par 4s of modest length with the opening pair playing a little longer due to the early climb, a par 5 that is a brute when played into a southerly breeze, and two fine short holes including the 9th which plays down to a green beside the clubhouse. Glorious views accompany you every inch of the way and the round is packed with joie-de-vivre. Run by the members, the clubhouse is a welcoming and informal place to relax at the end of your round.

• GF: 18 holes £20wd, £25we
• W: grangefellgolfclub.co.uk

Dunnerholme

A few miles west of Grange Fell but remarkably different in nature, the 10 holes at Dunnerholme configure to make an 18-hole round that is a proper test of links golf with two extremely distinctive and memorable holes at the far end. The 6th is a genuinely unique par 3 played from sea-level up to a green atop Dunnerholme Rock from where the 360-degree views are sublime.

This is followed by a variation of the Pit Hole at North Berwick, a short par 4 whose green is hidden behind a drystone wall. Elsewhere, an invasive stream will keep you on your toes, and this all adds up to a proper test of golf in a wonderful and very different environment.

• GF: 18 holes £35
• W: dunnerholme.co.uk

Aldeburgh - River Course

The Championship Course at Aldeburgh in rural Suffolk is a strong Top 100 test that is rightly proud to be England’s second oldest maritime heathland course. Soon to reveal some exciting changes, it is accompanied by the very attractive 9-hole River Course, just over the road and closer to the Alde.

There is no need for bunkering to protect the 4 short holes and 5 par 4s, but with its gorse, pine trees and sloping greens, it is playable by golfers of all standards as well as a fine short-game test for the lower handicapper. Completely different from the Championship Course, it is also very pretty and more than worth a game when in the area.

• GF: 18 holes £34
• W: aldeburghgolfclub.co.uk

Portmahomack

Formerly known as Tarbat Golf Club, this relatively short course on a promontory to the east of Tain is just a few miles across the Dornoch Firth from one of the most popular courses in the world. With its gentle undulations and relatively small greens, it has something of a hybrid links and moorland feel.

With more sea views to the Moray Firth on the eastern side, wind will often be a key factor to scoring well here. There are two par 3s at 5 and 7, with the longest of the par 4s, Sandy Banks, coming at the 3rd.

• GF: 18 holes £35
• W: portmahomackgolfclub.com

South Bradford

Surrounded by suburbia and the M606, the 9-holer at South Bradford offers an oasis of attractive, testing and fun golf. The club was founded in 1906 and moved to its current location close to the Odsal Stadium, home of the Bradford Bulls, during the First World War.

Opening with a gentle, sloping par 5, the course runs down and back up a tree-lined hillside and includes a cracking par 3 at the 2nd as well as tough par 4s at the 4th and 8th. This inclusive and friendly club offers an excellent alternative to the nearby premier league courses such as Alwoodley and Moortown.

• GF: 18 holes £25wd, £30we
• W: southbradfordgolfclub.co.uk

It then moved to an 18-hole layout at Emmer Green north of town in 1910, at which point it became known as The Caversham and South Oxfordshire Golf Club before reverting to Reading Golf Club in 1940.

But perhaps the biggest change of all came in 2018 when initial plans to extend the course met with opposition, so the club instead went down the route of selling its land for housing and relocating to Caversham Heath Golf Club ten miles away, which was less than 20 years old at the time.

Canadian architect Tom McBroom was enlisted to radically rework and transform the layout, with the new course, christened The Eyston, opening in April 2021. The club now goes by the full name of The Caversham, Home of Reading Golf Club.

Notable changes

Among his transformations was a realignment of the 1st hole into a reasonably generous, short uphill par 4 that turns right rather than left up to a new green, with the 2nd hole now a long par 3 playing down to the old 1st green site.

This, of course, meant that there was then one hole too many, and the one to go was the old par-3 13th. The 13th is now a good par 4 playing in the opposite direction.

Before that, the 8th is a testing par 3 over water that can stretch up to 230 yards, and then you’re into a particularly good run of holes around the turn, starting with the excellent par-4 9th, a dogleg round to the left, where a cluster of trees and a big bunker guard the apex as the hole bears left towards a testing green.

Strong start to the back nine

‘Testing green’ is a common refrain around the turn, with that theme continuing on both the 10th and 11th holes, which serve up visually attractive driving propositions from the tee, although getting out of position will make subsequent shots on both significantly harder.

On the par-5 11th, some – perhaps many – will no doubt be tempted into spurning the ‘official’ fairway route and taking things over the corner across the rough, bushes and bunker on a direct line to the green in the hopes of a birdie or better.

The course closes with a strong, but not overly long par 4, where a new green cut into the hill just below the excellent clubhouse will test both your accuracy and clubbing proficiency skills as you play up to it.

Miss right and you may well roll back down on to the surface; miss short or left and you will almost certainly end up in sand.

Essentials
The Caversham, Mapledurham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 7UT
Stats: par 72, 6,445 yards
Green fee: £105 a round; £60-£70 twilight rate (as at August 2025)

Far rarer are the clubs which have three 18-hole courses. Some actually have even more such as the St Andrews Links Trust with six and a 9-holer, and the Manor and Ashbury Resorts in Devon with their mind-boggling 103 holes.

Others such as Killarney used to have three but no longer do. So for the sake of this article, we are looking exclusively at clubs with 54 holes, and by that I mean clubs that welcome green fee golfers; sorry Wentworth! By my reckoning, there are ten, and I am lucky enough to have visited them all.

Portstewart

Having played its three remarkably different courses this Summer, I am going to kick off with the ever-improving Portstewart Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Just a hop along the coast from this year’s Open host Royal Portrush and its own pair of excellent links, this extremely welcoming club is one that is very much heading in the right direction.

In its 131 years it has developed into one of the finest golfing set-ups in the UK&I. It is also blessed with a glorious expanse of mountainous dunes now occupied by its premier course, The Strand. This has hosted plenty of prestigious events, none more so than the 2017 Irish Open which was won by former world number one, Jon Rahm, who said, “The golf course is amazing. It’s probably one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever seen, if not the most.”

It would be hard to argue with this with the sea on one side and the expansive River Bann on the other. I hadn’t been here for almost 30 years and was very taken indeed. I also enjoyed the more forgiving and tranquil Riverside Course which had been expanded into a full 18 since my last visit. It would be wrong to mention my 70-foot putt for birdie on the closing hole, but that won’t stop me!

On the other side of town is the chalk and cheese Old Course with eight of the original holes played along by the rocks and the remainder over the road. At £15, I wonder if there is a better-value 18-holer anywhere? Everyone in the clubhouse was extremely friendly and helpful, and I really couldn't have enjoyed it more.

Rosapenna

Just across the border in County Donegal, Rosapenna has three excellent courses, two of them in the Top 100 including its newest addition, Tom Doak’s dreamy St Patrick’s Links. Sandy Hills Links is also right up there, but that’s not to detract from the fun and challenge of the Old Tom Morris Links. I have stayed here a couple of times and think it is a brilliant place to base yourself with a fine hotel, excellent cuisine and a very golfy ambience in one of the loveliest locations in the country.

Woburn

England has four sets of golfing triplets, including the only club whose lucky members can boast three courses in the Top 100. Having only opened for play in 1976, Woburn is a relative youngster that has built itself an enviable reputation. The jewel in its triple crown is the Marquess' Course, its youngest course which has hosted the British Masters four times as well as the Women’s British Open twice.

The courses have all been carved out through thick pine, at times with scarily little room for manoeuvre, and as the Duke's and Duchess' courses each have their own charms, there will be differing opinions about which is best. The Golf Monthly view has the Marquess’ leading the way at 77, but as we often say, we would encourage everyone to play them all in order to make up their own mind.

The Belfry

Just over an hour away, The Belfry has three strong courses including the one that has hosted more Ryder Cups than any other, The Brabazon. This is something of a slice of Americana imported to the Midlands, and is a challenging and exciting course with a pair of very famous holes. The 10th is a short par 4 protected by water that is drivable by some - not me - and has produced great drama in tournament play.

The closing hole is a tough right-to-left dogleg with a long approach over water. I remember playing it once with the then Director of Golf, going for the green with my second, heeling it almost through my own legs, narrowly missing my playing partner, but finding the 3-tier green with my third and just missing the most unlikely and undeserved par.

Frilford Heath

Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire has a fine pedigree and would probably be better known if it was closer to other big names. The Red is a traditional and challenging heathland test that calls for both length and accuracy. The Green was expanded to a full 18 by Cotton and Pennink in the late 1960s, and local architect Simon Gidman designed the Blue in the mid-1990s. Each is among the best golf courses in Oxfordshire.

Minchinhampton

Our least well-known club with three courses is Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. This is also unusual in that while its Old Course is up on common land near the village, the two newer additions, the Avening and the Cherington, are a couple of miles the other side. They are the work of father and son with Fred Hawtree designing the former in 1975, and Martin adding a fine parkland course about 20 years later.

Celtic Manor

The only 54-holer in Wales is the host of the 2010 Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor. Huge change took place at this time with the creation of The Twenty Ten, the first course to be specifically designed for golf’s greatest team event. Roads were moved, the hotel was expanded and upgraded, and no expense was spared in creating a complete resort.

Alongside every conceivable practice and training facility, the Roman Road and Montgomerie courses complete the set-up, and at under £100 in the Summer, you are unlikely to play a Ryder Cup venue for less. There are plenty of thrilling holes, perhaps some less so, but with its hotel and the chance to play three different courses this makes for a perfect destination for short breaks for golfing groups.

Carnoustie

Last but certainly not least we head to Scotland and its trio of trios; nine courses of which four are in the Top 100 and two in the Next 100. The Championship Course at Carnoustie is the only Open host that is a triplet, and it’s a real beast with its lethal sting in the tail at the last three, but all the better and more memorable for it. Part of any keen golfer’s education, you will want the ubiquitous wind to be behaving. The Burnside and Buddon courses are also very good indeed and with the onsite accommodation, this is a first-class golfing destination.

Gullane

Three or four years ago I played the courses at Gullane as part of an ambitious plan to play all of the courses in East Lothian in less than a fortnight. Each of these - Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3 (where do they get these names?!) has so much to enjoy. In a fortnight of amazing golf, these were highlights among the highlights.

Gleneagles

I have saved a personal favourite for last; Gleneagles. I have visited this amazing place a few times and honestly cannot think of a finer golf resort. There are three terrific courses, especially the King’s and Queen’s though that is not to decry the more modern appeal of the PGA Centenary, and it’s a home from home you simply never want to leave.

Having never really thought about this topic before, I was surprised to find just how high-level our clubs with three courses really are. Of the 30, we have 10 in the Top 100, and a further 4 in the Next 100. Only Frilford Heath and Minchinhampton, just an hour apart by car, aren’t represented in these upper echelons. But that is not to take anything away from them at all as they both have a great deal to offer the discerning and curious golfer. Well-known for hedging my bets, I would recommend them all!

Premier: par 71, 6,517 yards
Championship: par 73, 7,018 yards
Arderne: par 31, 1,916 yards

I had played the Championship course here 11 years ago so on this visit tackled the short Arderne nine-holer as a warm-up, then the Premier course a short drive up the road early next morning. The Arderne is compact and pretty with mostly tiny greens that are handsomely protected by testing slopes.

The Premier layout eases you in before really coming alive on the 4th, which drops steeply before turning 90˚ left up to a tricky shelf green. You stay at this lower level for two more strong holes before climbing back towards an exposed rockface beyond the green on the excellent par-3 7th.

Coming home, the 15th is a belting drop-hole par 3, especially from 200 yards off the right-hand tee hitting through a funnel of trees, while 17 is a lovely short hole over water.

As for the Championship layout that I had played previously, this can stretch to over 7,000 yards if so desired, with many strong holes like the back-to-back, down-and-then-up par 5s on three and four.

There are splendid all-round views from the higher holes such as the 7^th and 11^th, while the par-3 14^th, which plays to a green across a walled pond guarded by trees, is perhaps the prettiest hole you'll play here.

The hotel

Driving down through the Championship course, you get an inkling for the away-from-it-all feel this hotel, near Tarporley, possesses in abundance.

The rooms, ranging from Standard to Deluxe Suite, are well-equipped and a good size and there are very pleasant grounds to explore. The spa, gym and pool are of a high standard, while the Lounge and Bar is a great spot for pre-dinner drinks with views out over the countryside.

Salt Brasserie offers a varied and interesting menu (the stone bass was exquisite) and I was very grateful to the staff for kindly accommodating me for breakfast here following my early-morning round on the Premier course after their clear-up had already begun.

Best deal

Hot Eagle Breaks at Macdonald Portal Golf and Spa Resort offer a two-night stay with dinner, bed and breakfast plus three rounds of golf from £249pp in August 2025 based on two sharing a room, for example.

The Ryder Cup Weekend Hot Eagle Special offers a one-night stay from September 26-27, 2025 with dinner, bed and breakfast plus two rounds of golf from £164pp plus a free drink, based on two sharing a room.

For groups of nine or more, one in 12 goes free and you will get 10% off drinks. For more information on the latest Hot Eagle Breaks at Portal, visit macdonaldhotels.co.uk/portal/golf/hot-eagle-breaks.

(prices correct at time of publication in August 2025)

Macdonald Portal Golf and Spa Resort, Forest Road, Tarporley, CW6 0DJ
T: 0344 879 9048
E: enquiries@ macdonald-hotels.co.uk
W: macdonaldhotels.co.uk/portal

Windermere

• Par 67, 5,122 yards
• GF: £75
• W: windermeregolfclub.co.uk

Our first supermodel of a course was the undulating, twisting and turning beauty at Windermere Golf Club. A mile to the east of England’s largest lake, it is packed with individuality and charm. Sadly the cloud was low and the waterproofs were on, so we couldn’t enjoy what are normally panoramic views, but the course itself kept us fully engrossed. There are six par 3s, three of them monsters depending on the wind, and some drive and pitch par 4s that will give hope of getting a shot back.

There is also a super-tough finishing trio, all back up the hill, that completely belie their yardage. The 16th is the only par 5 and has a blind approach, the 17th plays left to right towards the clubhouse, while the closing hole is allegedly a par 3 to a narrow, 2-tier green. There are no sand bunkers at Windermere, nature itself provides more than capable defence. It is absolutely delightful and easy to see why it was chosen as one of Golf Monthly's 100 Hidden Gems not so long ago.

Kendal

• Par 69, 5,792 yards
• GF: 18 holes, £45-£59
• W: kendalgolfclub.co.uk

Happily, the sun returned the following day and we enjoyed Kendal on the balmiest of blue-sky afternoons. Set way up in the hills to the west of this market town, it’s a more demanding walk but easily pays that investment back with dividends. Again the overall yardage is modest, but the slopes and breezes mean that it plays every inch and more. From the far-reaching views that come into focus on the second tee, it’s a veritable rollercoaster of thrills and spills with four par 3s on the front nine as well as the vertiginous par-4 6th, possibly the longest 331 yards in world golf.

The sweeping par-5 12th takes you to the northernmost part of the course as the panoramas simply get better and better. If there was a ranking for tee locations, the next would be right up there.

The penultimate hole, the shortest on the course, is a beauty played over, hopefully, a huge, limestone outcrop. I was very relieved to hit the green and walk off with par, and it was easy to see why my colleague Jezz Ellwood selected this as one of the most memorable par 3s he has ever played. We were all extremely impressed by the variety of golf, the friendliness, and most of all by those outstanding and ever-changing views.

Ulverston

• Par 71, 6,259 yards
• GF: £60
• W: ulverstongolf.co.uk

On the final day of the trip, admittedly aided by the use of buggies, we played two rounds over the excellent Harry Colt parkland course at Ulverston. Originally designed by Sandy Herd, to my mind this is the strongest and purest test of golf in the area. It is certainly one of the best golf courses in Cumbria. Yet again there is plenty of variety, and the generally more gentle elevation changes add to the challenge at the same time as allowing more fine views internally and out over Morecambe Bay.

There is a fine set of short holes, especially the 5th which is played over a valley, and as at Kendal, the feature hole is the 17th. This time it’s a par 4, with a drive up and over an old quarry and a long approach into a southerly to the green overlooked by the eerie Bardsea Monument. The captain and president both took time to come and say hello, and we all felt this was a very friendly and homely place to play.

It’s easy to see why this remote and gob-smackingly beautiful county is a massive draw to holidaymakers. There are also more than enough fascinating courses to keep any golfer who values location and views very happy. I am not sure why it isn’t more on the radar for golfing holidays and would recommend it to anyone. While it’s more than 300 miles from home, I am already planning to go back again… this year!

I’ll admit that, over the course of the years, I have probably written “a fine quartet of short holes” or “a cracking collection of par 3s” a few too many times for literary comfort, but in my defence, it is precisely because they are so often a course’s most memorable holes.

As for that figure of nearly 5,000, I applied similar maths to those I used when I wrote this story for Golf Monthly a little while ago: I've Played 19,200 Golf Holes Around The World And This Is My Favourite Of The Lot.

Assuming roughly a quarter of all holes I've played have been par 3s, then somewhere between 4,500 and 5,000 should be about right, but it's not a precise science and I have neither the time nor inclination to work out the exact number!

Par 3s come in all shapes, lengths and sizes, from the well-protected to the seemingly defenceless, boasting targets that range from large and inviting to virtually invisible.

Yet despite their 1,001 different guises, the scoring prospects generated by good or bad tee shots on the most cleverly designed par 3s can be poles apart. Strike it well and a birdie putt awaits; miss it in the wrong place and you can kiss goodbye to not only par, but bogey as well.

Clearly this is very much the case on the treacherous 12th – Golden Bell – at Augusta National. I’ve not had the pleasure, but we all know what havoc this hole wreaks every year as the swirling breeze, Rae’s Creek and a dauntingly shallow green sow a degree of doubt that even the very best players struggle to filter out, despite only being armed with a short iron.

It's a similar story on the shorter, island-green 17th at TPC Sawgrass, which needs no introduction for even the most infrequent PGA Tour watcher, with fans perhaps guilty of gleeful rubbernecking if the wind is up as the leaders head down the stretch.

The shortie

Again, that’s a hole I’ve not yet had the pleasure (if that’s the right word) of playing, and this article is really a lookback at some of the most memorable par 3s I have played, so where better to start than with Royal Troon’s world-famous ‘Postage Stamp’ 8th, which represents perhaps the most hazardous 123 yards in Major Championship golf.

I’m not the best short-iron player for my handicap, but for me, the difficulty level is compounded by the tee being a little more elevated and exposed than you might realise if you’ve never been.

Add that drop from tee to green to an extremely narrow putting surface, challenging surrounds and a collection of traps so devious that one even goes by the ominous name of Coffin Bunker, and it’s a wonder I’ve ever hit the green – but I have two or three times in five or six attempts.

The 6^th hole at my home club of Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex is in the same bracket and just two yards longer. Appropriately named ‘Island’, its narrow two-tiered green is effectively just that, with anything short or left ending up in a stream and anything right among the awkward hollows and mounds with the green set above you.

Most shots that fail to find the green or its modest fringe will leave you battling for bogey let alone par.

Another shortie I love is Royal Porthcawl’s 7^th, this time a yard shorter than the Postage Stamp. It’s perhaps not quite as punishing as those other two, but is blessed with a heavily bunkered, rollercoaster, hourglass green that means missing in the wrong place can still sometimes render even bogey a bit of a tall order.

My final ‘shortie’ – though a few more short holes will yet get a mention – is the 12^th at Harry Colt’s Denham in Buckinghamshire. After dropping steeply on the approach to 11, the course remains in a bowl at the low point for the next 131 yards, playing gently up to a shelf green cut into a slope.

There are slight shades of the Postage Stamp in that there is a raised bank on the left, while things fall away on the right. Catch a bare or tight lie down here and getting safely back up the steep bank on to the green will test all your short-game skills, while bunkers and that hanging bank await on the left if you shy away from the right too much.

Drop holes

A category of par 3 that is often particularly memorable is the drop hole, where you fire down from higher ground to a green set in a valley or bowl.

I’ve played many such holes blessed with varying degrees of drop, with the ones at Bridport, Sheringham, The Carrick and Hopeman among those for which I have instant visual recall.

There is something so much more dramatic and exhilarating about firing a ball down to a target well below you than one set above you, where you can perhaps only see the top of the flag. Have you clubbed down enough? Have you fully factored in the wind?

These things matter more than ever when your ball is effectively re-entering earth’s atmosphere from orbit and sometimes landing absolutely vertically.

There’s a drop hole at Brighton and Hove in East Sussex where I was a member for a couple of years on which judging the wind was very tough, for the land sloped up again beyond the green meaning that the wind would sometimes funnel up or down the valley to your right along which the 7^th hole then played to your left. If not quite every club in the bag, I certainly used most of them at some stage.

The most dramatic drop hole I’ve played is the 15^th at Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles – about 150 yards long and 150ft down! It plays from a tiny ledge of a tee looking down to the turquoise ocean beyond Anse Georgette beach. My first attempt here abjectly failed to factor in the critical drop-hole calculations mentioned previously, airmailing the green by about three clubs!

Running it close for drop height is the par-3 5^th at Cotswold Downs, but before you rush down to Gloucestershire to play it, I should point out that this one involves a 12-hour flight as it’s in South Africa.

Again, it must be 150ft down to the green, a descent you negotiate via multiple hairpins. I remember photographer Kevin Murray’s ball being almost fully plugged in the green courtesy of that vertical decent angle.

Something different

My first one here is actually another drop hole – the 4^th on the 12-holer at Shiskine on Arran. Those who know the course may have expected to see the 3^rd hole – Crows Nest – included here, a short hole played straight uphill to a hidden green.

But the one that sticks in my mind from my first ever golf holiday 42 years ago is the 4^th, which plays back down towards the sea with the distinctive and spectacular Drumadoon cliffs just to your right. I just remember being awestruck by both the vista and hole in front of me.

On that same holiday we stopped at Kendal in Cumbria on our way home, playing the town’s golf club, which boasts a par 3 the like of which I’ve never encountered anywhere else.

It’s christened ‘Battleship’ on account of the tall limestone outcrop just short of the green that you have to play over from 129 yards. Get it wrong and you could either suffer a wicked ricochet or find yourself having to play at right angles or backwards.

The 1^st at Church Stretton in Shropshire is one of a trio of distinctive opening par 3s, this one playing up a steep bank with OOB tight right. Suffice to say it plays considerably longer than its 181 yards.

I’ve written about Dalmally at the far end of beautiful Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute before in an article hailing certain holes as being worth the green fee alone and stand by that with regard to its superb 172-yard 3^rd. It’s a simply superb hole playing across, or along, a kink in the River Orchy to a green dwarfed by the towering backdrop of mighty Ben Cruachan – a real one-of-a-kind.

A couple of holes over the 200-yard mark live long in my memory. The 10^th at Temple in Berkshire is unusual in that the green, some 240 yards away, is hidden in a deep hollow.

I’m pretty sure that when I first played it, the front bank was left at rough height meaning balls didn’t roll down and on to the green, potentially leaving you an awkward chip off a downslope. But when I played last year it was cut to running height and a drive that I thought was miles left actually caught the left side of the bowl and finished in a decent two-putt position.

Finally, it’s on to Anstruther in Fife with its world-famous 5^th - The Rockies – which, at 245 yards, is to par 3s as the 17^th at St Andrews is to par 4s, in that for most mere mortals, working to one more than the par is pretty wise… and even then not hugely easy.

As if the length alone were not enough, you also have to contend with a partly hidden green and a fairway, blessed with rock outcrops, that slopes down towards the Firth of Forth on your left. Unless the power fade is your forte, play safe, make four and get out of there quick!

What makes a great par 3?

Par 3s range from under 100 yards to the very threshold of par-4 length, playing uphill, down dale, across slopes, valleys, lakes or even the sea.

Length may increasingly be a par-3 factor on tour or at championship venues, but many analysts feel that creating challenge and difficulty through length alone is a one-dimensional, sledgehammer approach.

Other than very occasionally, what fun is it, really, when the only way to reach a par 3 is via the removal of your biggest headcover?

Is it not far better and more inclusive if the test is one that golfers of all abilities are capable of meeting?

Great par 3s are those where the challenge is more about accuracy in not only avoiding the carefully placed greenside hazards, but also in finding the right part of the green to create a genuine birdie chance, or in working out the best miss if things don’t quite go to plan or the direct route to the flag is too risky for how you flight the ball.

Great par 3s should not be about brute force but rather about having the vision and creativity to pick the right club, and the skill and nerve to execute.

And great par 3s invariably offer stirring visuals that are easy to recall when you look back.

Whether or not you like the idea of a signature hole, it’s a safe bet that it will be a par 3 at 90% of clubs who do choose to extol one for either its sheer photogenic beauty or cunning complexity of design.

As golfing counties go, Fife might just be Scotland’s equivalent of Surrey; packed with quality and quantity and several courses in the Golf Monthly Top 100 UK&I. Founded in 1895, Aberdour is one of its less well-known clubs, and it moved to its current parkland home on the northern shore of the firth in 1905. Seemingly of modest length, the real reason is that there are six varied short holes offset by a lone par 5 at the 13th, Ash Tree. Unusually, the course is bookended by par 3s, with the opener a chance to get off to a flyer if you can ride the wind without falling off! The 11th is both beauty and beast, skirting Barnhill Bay at the far end of the course.

• GF: 18 holes £60wd, £70we
• W: aberdourgolfclub.co.uk

Abbeydale

Also dating back to 1895, Abbeydale is to the south-west of Sheffield and moved to its current site just over a century ago. Here, it benefited from a design by the great Herbert Fowler, famed for his Top 100 courses at Walton Heath, Saunton and The Berkshire. It uses the gently rolling landscape to great effect and has recently benefited from renovations and substantial bunker improvements by Jonathan Gaunt.

The greens are large and undulating, and there is an unusual but very enjoyable imbalance to the two nines with two par 5s on each but just one short hole going out and four coming home.

• GF: 18 holes £80 all week
• W: abbeydalegolfclub.co.uk

Ashford Manor

Although you will glimpse Heathrow’s arrivals and departures while playing, such are the flightpath angles and the protection offered by the many specimen trees that you would never know you are just minutes from the busiest airport in Europe. This oasis of golf runs over a level, free-draining course that dates back to 1902, and is one of the best golf courses in London.

Key to scoring is positioning from the tee, and there are some very tough par 4s such as the 7th, 10th and 16th. Harold Hilton, two-time Open champion and founding editor of Golf Monthly was a member, and there is a lovely clubhouse with fine views out over the course.

• GF: 18 holes £100 all week
• W: amgc.co.uk

Ashridge

Not far from the M1 to the north-west of London, this beautiful and remarkably peaceful course is distinguished by the wonderful space between its holes. The opening pair ease you gently down a wide valley before things tighten up a little and the front nine closes with a fabulous drive and pitch par 4 to a green that is tricky both to find and read.

The back nine on this excellent Next 100 course has even more variety and fun with the 16th the prettiest of five diverse and intriguing short holes. The modern clubhouse is light and airy, with excellent views over the course.

• GF: 18 holes £110 Mon-Wed, £125 Fri
• W: ashridgegolfclub.ltd.uk

Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands

Close to the three Top 100 courses at Woburn, the original nine holes of this undulating parkland course were designed just before WWI, appropriately enough by the 1902 Open champion, Sandy Herd. It was expanded to 18 around 50 years ago, and while not long, it is packed with variety and interest.

Not until the 12th does a hole head in the same direction as the one before, and although the trees offer protection from whatever breeze may be present, you can never be quite sure of the impact. Stand out holes include the par-3 10th, played over a sea of ferns, and the left-to-right dogleg 16th.

• GF: 18 holes £70wd
• W: aspleyguisegolfclub.co.uk

It’s the handiwork of Jorge Santana da Silva, a Portuguese architect who cut his design teeth under the mentorship of Robert Trent Jones Senior in Madeira in 1981.

The layout is a sensible playing length for holidaying golfers, set out in two separate loops either side of a residential development.

The back-to-back par 3s at 4 and 5 will catch your eye heading out, while the short, downhill par-4 18^th will bring hopes of a closing birdie if you can safely negotiate the sand.

Surrounded by rolling hills, olive groves and beautifully clear streams, the course has achieved GEO-certified status for its dedication to sustainable practices including the restoration of the river habitat, the planting of 700 oak trees, the use of solar and geothermal energy and more.

The clubhouse is home to the Case E Fora restaurant, which serves classic bar food with a Portuguese twist.

From the castle-top terrace, you can relax under the warm Algarvian sunshine and soak up glorious sunsets and mountain views, while enjoying one of the extensive range of cocktails, craft beers or fine local wines.

And the beautiful, newly opened Viceroy at Ombria Algarve hotel means you can now stay right by the golf course and enjoy six further restaurants and bars serving regional wines and locally inspired dishes – complete with home-grown produce – or relax in the Spa by Viceroy with its indoor thermal pool.

Hebden Bridge

• Par 34, 2,582 yards
• GF: £16 (9 holes), £24 (18 holes)
• W: hebdenbridgegolfclub.co.uk

My first game took me up an exceedingly pretty hill to Hebden Bridge for a game with Jim Mosley, a university friend of Golf Monthly’s former editor Mike Harris. Jim helps with the marketing at this member-run club where Craig, their one-man greenkeeping team and only full-time employee, presents a course in remarkable condition. With occasional help from one or two members, he should be very proud of what has been achieved on this outrageously scenic 9-holer.

Despite the vertiginous setting, it’s a relatively easy walk, and its nine holes include two real crackers; the opening par 4 which rolls its way to a green that’s hard to hit ,and the par-3 8th which is at the highest point of one of the most elevated courses in the country.

The views to 270 degrees around the course are genuinely breathtaking and I would have happily stopped here all day had it not been time to head off to my second port of call.

Otley

• Par 70, 6,275 yards
• GF: £47wd, £58we
• W: www.otleygolfclub.co.uk

I had been invited to Otley by their manager, Mark Moore, a PGA Advanced Professional with whom I had liaised when he was at his previous club. Joining him for a spot of lunch before playing, he told me about the changes happening on and off the course at this bustling and very friendly club. Suitably refreshed, we headed out onto the parkland design which is known for its opening handful of distinctive and demanding holes which include stroke index 1, 3 and 5, as well as two strong and testing par 3s.

Keep your score going here, as Mark did and I didn’t, and you are on for a good round. A pair of very pretty streams, or becks, come into play on several holes, and these make an already attractive course even prettier, as well as more interesting and strategic.

The two fine par 5s at 6 and 8 offer the possibility of redemption though each is protected by Gill Beck, and while the back nine may be shorter, it is not necessarily any easier. I greatly enjoyed my visit, and it seemed to me that this is a club whose stock is set to rise.

Sand Moor

• Par 71, 6,360 yards
• GF: £125
• W: sandmoorgolf.co.uk

My final invitation had come not from a manager, but from John Winter, a very keen Top 100 assessor for Golf Monthly who is a member at Dunstable Downs. He has family in West Yorkshire, so had recently taken up country membership at Sand Moor. Adjacent to Moortown and Alwoodley, it makes for a trinity just about as holy as the three Ws in Surrey, and is a course that had been on my radar for years. We were lucky enough to play with Chris Brown, the club’s general manager, who could not have been more welcoming or engaging.

This heathland/moorland mix is packed with interest and variety, frequently changing direction, and with that perfect amount of elevation change to create interest, views and strategy without straining the leg muscles too much.

Extensive tree clearance and bunker work over recent years has transformed the Alister Mackenzie design from good to great, and it’s the kind of design that will ask all the right questions, but not beat you up if you get the answers wrong. I’m aware that I often make reference to a particularly strong selection of par 3s, but there is no avoiding that here; they are all top drawer!

John is clearly a huge fan as he has joined the club, and I have to say that were I to live in the area, I would be more than happy to do the same… despite him being a member here! Sand Moor is indeed an excellent club with a course to match.

There is just so much golf in all of Yorkshire that you could never run out of new, different, and very enjoyable courses to play.

Par 70, 6,293 yards
The golf course is 33 years old this year and plays over two quite contrasting nines either side of the meandering Puckrup Lane. The first seven and last two holes are the hotel side, with the opener asking you to carry trees crossing the fairway before climbing to the green.

The 3^rd is a big par 4 down the hill while the 4^th will probably force you to lay up short of the water before an uphill approach over much sand. The par-5 5^th is an attractive downhiller flanked by water on the left for half its 561 yards.

Across the road, the short par-4 8^th could be in range off the yellows, while the par-3 11^th – christened Malvern View - plays downhill to a wide green semi-enclosed by trees. Back across the road, the fiendishly tight, dogleg-left 17^th will grab your full attention before a fine long par 3 over water back to the hotel.

The hotel

The hotel is built around the grade-II listed Puckrup Hall on the edge of the Cotswolds just outside Tewkesbury and only 15 miles or so from the Malvern Hills, Cheltenham racecourse and Cleeve Hill Golf Club, home to one of the best and most natural courses in Gloucestershire.

The other Hilton hotel with a golf course in England is the Hilton Southampton - Utilita Bowl with its Boundary Lakes golf course.

There are 112 rooms and suites, with 16 in the old manor house, making it ideal for weddings and large family get-togethers. For dining and drinks, you can choose between Coopers Bar, Restaurant and Tea Room depending on mood, occasion and time of day.

There’s a gym and good-sized indoor pool that has to be one of the warmest I’ve ever had the pleasure of swimming in, at least when we stayed – no bad thing for aching backs, with the sauna and steam room also helping on that front.

Best deal

The ‘Golf, Stay & Play’ package at Puckrup Hall includes a room for the night, one round of golf per person on the parkland course and the Hilton buffet breakfast in the morning.

Prices for this package start from £205 per room per night for two people. Make sure to select the ‘Golf, Stay & Play’ option when choosing your dates to ensure that you are booking the correct offer.

(prices correct at time of publication in July 2025)

Hilton Puckrup Hall, Puckrup, Tewkesbury, GL20 6EL
T: 01684 296200
E: events.tewkesbury@hilton.com
W: hilton.com/en/

With two very fine courses, Enville enjoys a tranquil setting that belies its proximity to Birmingham. Opening in 1935 as a 9-holer, more holes were added at various times allowing the club to reconfigure them all in the 1980s as two full-length and very enjoyable tests of golf. The Highgate is in the Golf Monthly Next 100, and each nine is bookended by a par 5.

Between them are plenty of demanding par 4s as well as a quartet of varied short holes including the scenic 16th, played over the only water feature on site. The Highgate is one of the best golf courses in The Midlands. The Lodge is also very strong, the welcome is excellent, and a day comparing both courses is thoroughly recommended.

• GF: 18 holes £110 Mon-Fri, Sun after 14:00
• W: envillegolfclub.co.uk

Craigielaw

Opening in 2001 and designed by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, the modern links at Craigielaw Golf Club is mature way beyond its years. It hosted the Scottish Senior Open in 2018 and 2019 and is packed with interesting and at times challenging golf. Depending on the wind, the four par 5s are either birdieable, or par 6s.

There is a 6-hole, par-3 academy course, extensive practice facilities, and some very comfortable and well-priced accommodation. Rubbing shoulders with Kilspindie in the heart of Scotland’s Golf Coast, Craigielaw is both a very enjoyable test its own right, and a perfect resort for visiting the region’s golfing treasure chest.

• GF: 18 holes £120wd, £150we
• W: craigielawgolfclub.com

Barassie Links

Formerly better-known as Kilmarnock (Barassie), this 27-hole links is in prime golfing real estate, effectively bordering Top 100 big names such as Western Gailes and Dundonald Links. Originally 18, nine new holes were added just over 30 years ago which were combined with nine of the older holes to make up Barassie Links, a true championship test that has been used by The R&A for many important tournaments.

Further improvements were made prior to Covid, and along a coastline packed with big names, this is an excellent but less well-known test of golf that stands shoulder to shoulder with its neighbours.

• GF: 18 holes £125-£140
• W: kbgc.co.uk

Fulford

In an earlier life and a different world, this very attractive heathland/parkland hybrid close to York was host to no fewer than 23 European Tour events. It was also home to the inaugural Women’s British Open in 1976. More recently, Mackenzie and Ebert have been in to reinvigorate the course with the building of some new tees, bunker work and welcome tree clearance.

It occupies an unusual footprint with 10 holes out and back along a narrow parcel of land before you cross the A64 to play the middle eight through woodland on the other side. This excellent mix of parkland and heathland golf serves up an extremely enjoyable round of golf.

• GF: 18 holes £125 Mon-Thu, £145 Fri & Sun
• W: fulfordgolfclub.co.uk

Lindrick

Host of the 1957 Ryder Cup and a rare win in those days by GB&I, this excellent test in South Yorkshire is a lovely combination of moorland and heathland. Its gorse-lined fairways are home to a rich history that has included the staging of many prestigious championships including the Curtis Cup and the English Amateur.

Its original 9 holes were designed by Old Tom Morris, since when several leading architects have influenced its evolution including Harry Colt, Willie Park Junior and Alister Mackenzie. Most recently, new tees were added and the bunkering revamped by Ken Moodie in 2016.

• GF: 18 holes £135
• W: lindrickgolfclub.co.uk

Knole Park

Like Jeremy, I shall start close to home, and Knole Park is one of four English clubs in my selection. I first played its unique, expansive, endlessly varied Abercromby design way before I joined a club. On the outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent, it runs through a beautiful, pastoral, gently undulating deer park. Celebrating its centenary last year, it grabbed me from day one with its intoxicating mix of four par 5s and six varied short holes. Two of the prettiest of these are the 5th, which is played over a valley and up to a perfectly-sited green, and the lovely, downhill 8th, flanked by ponds and bracken. Fully deserving of its place in the Golf Monthly Next 100, I will happily keep going back for as long as they will have me!

Cowdray

My second pick, also driving distance from home, is the greatly improved Cowdray in West Sussex. Set in the scenic South Downs, it was substantially upgraded by Tom Simpson more than a century ago, and then again just a couple of winters ago when William Swan completed a comprehensive and visually appealing bunker upgrade. The hillside site offers up panoramic views, and there are plenty of interesting design features such as the rollercoaster double green shared by the 8th and 16th. The opening is particularly testing featuring three tough par 4s punctuated by a lovely downhill short hole, and its promotion into the Next 100 this time round is fully warranted.

Cavendish

Moving up to the middle of the country, and I am very much looking forward to returning to Cavendish in Derbyshire this Summer. I first encountered its deceptively short Alister MacKenzie design in 2014 and came home raving about it. The lack of overall length is simply down to just one par 5 in its par of 68, but there are half a dozen two-shotters in excess of 400 yards and it is jam-packed with charisma and charm. Three of the short holes may be tiddlers, but the super-tough par 4s that bookend the back nine are par 4½ for most of us. The setting is blissfully unspoiled and the green fee has to be one of the most reasonable in the Next 100.

Goswick Links

My final English selection is so far north that it’s only just in England. Goswick Links in Northumberland offers a really interesting game of two nines, the first of which has been enjoying some reinvigoration from Mackenzie and Ebert since I last played it between the first two Covid lockdowns. There is great variety here, with plenty of memorable holes. The course is a legacy of Tom Dunn and James Braid with later work by Frank Pennink, and I remember particularly enjoying the opening seven and the exciting loop from 12 to 15. This is a supreme links in a peaceful and unstuffy setting that should appeal to all links’ lovers.

Conwy

I always enjoy my trips to Wales, and last Summer I made it back to Conwy, midway along its busy north coast. This is the best links on the north Wales coastline and enjoys a fabulous setting by the estuary and the beach. It is overlooked by mountains to the west and the Great Orme to the east and north, and is a serious test when the wind is up. The course has been used for countless professional and amateur championships, most recently the 2021 Curtis Cup. There are two loops from the clubhouse, of 10 and 8, with frequent changes in direction meaning the wind can go from your friend to your enemy in the blink of an eye. None of the par 3s is particularly long, but the wind can have a huge impact on club selection. This is especially so on the back 9 pair which are usually into the wind. The 13th is played to tricky, 2-tier green, while the 15th is shorter but has a cluster of bunkers peeping at you from the front. Each is a beauty with Conwy Mountain serving as an imperious backdrop.

Elie

Visiting various family members over the years, I have now played well over 100 courses in Scotland. The two I have selected are both are on the east coast, with Elie this year celebrating its 150th anniversary. Before playing it, I think I had been put off by the dauntingly dull configuration of sixteen par 4s and just two short holes. As someone who craves variety, I thought this would be its undoing for me. How wrong can you be! The fours vary in length from 252 to 466 yards, and are so very different from one another that any thoughts of similarity never crossed my mind.

Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance

And while this is old-school golf of the highest order, just on the other side of East Fife, the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews is an excellent example of something new and different. One of two courses here, it runs on slightly higher ground with holes 6 to 9 looping round the impressive hotel. The back nine has some panoramic views towards the Auld Grey Toun and features a pair of signature holes at 16 and 17 that run down to and along the cliff edge. I’m not suggesting you would bypass the Old Course and come to St Andrews just to play here, but I am very much suggesting that it makes for a different and fun golfing experience.

Portsalon

Last year I enjoyed a fantastic week in Ireland, and have selected one that I visited for the first time, and one that had undergone very substantial changes since I last played it. Portsalon had been high on my hit-list since seeing some aerial photographs. The course benefited from a substantial Pat Ruddy redesign in 2000. Ruddy, who recently sold his pride and joy, the European Club, has designed or remodelled many wonderful courses. This is no exception and it serves up a thrilling ride through the dunes with plenty of elevation changes and rumpled dunes. I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say that any list of golf’s most spectacular holes would be incomplete without the monster, par-4 2nd here. You drive from an elevated tee and are teased into biting off as much of the dogleg, i.e. the beach, as possible. Even if successful, there’s a substantial approach over the river, and a par here might just feel like an eagle.

Narin & Portnoo

Staying in County Donegal but this time on its wild, west coastline, Narin & Portnoo is the beneficiary of a comprehensive and extremely spicy upgrade by Gil Hanse, co-designer of the Castle Stuart course at Cabot Highlands, and Jim Wagner. They have really elevated this wonderful, engaging and exciting links that works its way out into the dunes. The highlight is a sensational stretch of holes that gyrate their way around the headland in the middle of the round and would not look out of place on a fantasy golf calendar. It may be remote, but I would make the effort to get back here anytime.

Ardglass

For my final selection, we are heading over into Northern Ireland. The last time I visited our number one course at Royal County Down, I was also lucky enough to play just along the coast at Ardglass. With a 15th-century castle as its clubhouse, this is a friendly club with a course that is both scenic and challenging. It contains my two essentials, variety and views, by the bucket load. There is a thrilling opening with five holes running along the cliffs, but also great diversity thereafter, especially from the long 9th round to the picturesque par-3 12th. Ardglass is undoubtedly one of my favorite courses in the Next 100.

So there we have it, a somewhat selfish and unapologetically personal selection of ten exceptional courses that I would happily recommend to anyone. As Jeremy said in his Next 100 choice, we are all different with our own preferences and tastes. Your choices would almost certainly be different from mine, and that is the beauty and joy of being an ardent golf course fanatic. In fact, ask me again in a year or two’s time, and I might well come up with ten completely different courses.

Rob’s Next 100 picks

The ten courses and his favourite holes at each

Ardglass, County Down - the par-4 1st - a gentle climb to a beautifully-sited green with glorious views back to the castle

Cavendish, Derbyshire - the par-3 4th - a picture-perfect drop hole with a pond to the left and a bunker either side

Conwy, County Conwy - the par-4 7th - a strong two-shotter parallel to the beach with a punchbowl green

Cowdray, West Sussex - the par-5 5th - sweeping from left to right, downhill, and over a hidden dip short of the green

Elie, Fife - the par-4 13th - a medium-length two-shotter played up to an angled green beneath steep cliffs

Fairmont St Andrews (Torrance), Fife - the short 17th - an attractive par 3 played beside and over a drystone wall to a large, undulating green

Goswick Links, Northumberland - the par-4 14th - a classic Braid hole, a left to right dogleg at the far end of this tranquil course

Knole Park, Kent - the par-3 8th - a seriously pretty downhill hole with old ponds to the left and run-offs

Narin and Portnoo, Donegal - the par-4 7th - down the slope to a hidden, wow-factor green in an outstanding location on the promontory

Portsalon, Donegal - the par-4 2nd - a sensational hole alongside the beach with an elevated drive and a long approach over a burn

The wilds of County Kerry – home to the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 courses at Ballybunion Old and Waterville – mixed with ocean winds and untamed landscapes, are home to a links that teases you with its low, humpy dunes, smooth-edged subtleties and constant guile.

From here, everything is on show, from the peaks of the Three Sisters, strutting high above the course, to mountains interrupting the horizon.

This is links golf that demands every ounce of thought and joy. Holes glide up, down and across gentle slopes where they entwine with a burn that is not to be trifled with.

Wide and deep, it adds a taunting twist to the art of bump-and-run, and it is in play on 11 holes. Now toss in the wind and constant changes in direction, and Dingle rewards intelligent play, especially on approach.

The land folds and buckles at will. The par-4 17th green is a mystery of slopes and shoulders, while the 190-yard par-3 10th is the signature hole.

It is one of Ireland’s toughest par 3s, the green slightly above you, with ledges and run-offs wreaking havoc. Love every shot you take.

Dingle Links
GF: €150-€200 (50% off second green fee within seven days)
Par 72, 6,373 yards

(prices correct at time of publication in June 2025)

Although small, the county does boast the very fine Harry Colt/Charles Alison heathland creation at Luffenham Heath, where golf has a real middle-of-nowhere feel to it. The course has long been a mainstay of Golf Monthly's 'Next 100 courses in the UK&I'.

A comprehensive bunker upgrade programme in recent years has enhanced both visuals and strategy but, such work aside, the layout has barely changed since World War II when the then 9^th to 11^th holes had to be given over to agriculture. When peace returned, the 9^th and 10^th holes were reworked with new 11^th and 12^th holes coming into play.

A cracking start

Three excellent doglegs start things off, left to right on the opening duo, then right to left on the 3^rd. The memorable 4th, with its fine distant views, takes a bit of ‘knowing, for it drops down dramatically at the end of the fairway. It can be easy to overclub off the tee here, especially in firm summer conditions, leaving a tricky short shot in off a downslope of rough.

The first par 3 at the 5th is a pretty, short- to mid-iron hole, very well-protected by sand, which plays across a broad dip. The long par-4 13^th midway through the back nine will come as a bit of a shock, covering 481 yards off the tips via a fairly significant right-to-left dogleg. A drawing drive will be a significant advantage here.

Stars of the show

Heading out, the 7th is a stunning hole boasting a gorgeous uphill approach to its long, well-bunkered green, with further bunkers set into the upslope that set it all off beautifully.

The standout hole coming home is the long par-3 17^th that stretches to over 200 yards and drops steeply to a target heavily defended by sand, mounds and hollows. You almost certainly won’t require your normal club for the yardage but working out which one you do need is far from easy. If you err long and safe, the putt or chip back down will be quick.

You finish on the second of just two par 5s, which, despite measuring 544 yards even off the yellows, is downhill, so getting on or close in two may still be possible if wind and ground conditions are favourable.

* Essentials
Luffenham Heath Golf Club, Stamford Road, South Luffenham, Rutland, PE9 3UU
Stats: par 70, 6,418 yards
GF: Mon, Wed, Thu: £75-£110; Fri-Sun: £85-£130; Day: £110-£165

(prices correct at time of publication in June 2025)

It lies just north of Shannon and about 45 minutes inland from the links at Doonbeg and Lahinch, both of which feature in the Golf Monthly Top 100 Courses UK&I rankings.

The baronial castle sits centre stage as holes, ancient trees and one large lake bring colour and beauty to 16th-century stone walls. There have been considerable upgrades in recent years as efforts to bring the lake more into play – and view – have reaped rich rewards. Two magical par 5s wrap tightly around the lake, including the 18th with its famous Monterey Cypress towering in the fairway and defending the green.

Three short risk-and-reward par 4s promise plenty of thrills and there are four excellent par 3s. The 157-yard 7th plays from a great height, the castle framed as the backdrop, while the 198-yard 17th is a lesson in controlled aggression.

The women’s event proved such a success it was held here again, in 2023.

The hotel
The baronial castle dates back to the 1500s and was converted into a hotel in the 1960s. This is five-star luxury, through and through, and it is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s premier hotels.

It would be easy to say that this is the way the ‘other half’ live, and the opulence of the grand hallways and luxury of the accommodations would prove you right, but visitors can also choose to stay at the resort’s second hotel – The Inn at Dromoland – which overlooks the 5th and 6th holes.

This is perfect for golfers, with relaxation at its centre and a friendlier price point, too. There aren’t many high-end venues boasting two hotels on site.

Best deal
The Inn at Dromoland has a stay and play package from €150 per person sharing, for a one-night stay which includes dinner in Shannigan’s Gastro Pub, bed and breakfast and a round of golf on the championship course.

Other offers can be found at theinnatdromoland.ie/offers.html. Packages are also available with castle accommodation - see the website for details.

(prices correct at time of publication in June 2025)

Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland
T: +353 61 368444
E: golf@dromoland.ie
W: dromoland.ie

Army

Golf in England was very much in its infancy in the early 1880s, but its popularity was beginning to spread thanks to the influence of Scottish expats such as those serving in the Army. The 1st Battalion, the Cameronians, were based in nearby Aldershot, and in 1883 proposed the creation of a new club, just the second and still one of the best golf courses in Hampshire. Over the years it has had five clubhouses, six titles and eight courses, with its current design dating back roughly half a century. The par-71 layout stretches to 6,631 yards from the purple tees and opens with the first of just two three-shotters. It runs through pine and birch on beautiful, crisp, sandy soil.

• GF: 18 holes £85 Mon-Thu
• W: armygolfclub.com

Whittington Heath

Dating back to 1886 and originally known as Whittington Barracks, this is also one of the oldest clubs in the country. Its original 9-holer was laid out over the heath that was once the only race track in Staffordshire. For some time, golf was exclusively for services personnel and Harry Colt redesigned and extended the course to a full 18 in 1927.

The course was purchased from the Ministry of Defence just over 30 years ago, and now has five new holes and a very smart new clubhouse on the back of the proposed High Speed 2 rail link. It is still without doubt one of the best golf courses in the Midlands.

• GF: 18 holes £85wd, £90 Sun pm
• W: whittingtonheathgc.co.uk

Southwick Park

Peacefully situated a few miles inland from the historic docklands of Portsmouth, Southwick Park is a very friendly club that was founded as recently as 1977. Its relatively short course was originally opened as a source of recreation for Navy personnel.

It runs over an easy-walking plot of attractive parkland running either side of a lake. This then emerges into a stream that comes into play on the 4th and 9th holes. The club became autonomous in 1994, and is adjacent to Southwick House, home to the training centre for the Service Police of the British Armed Forces.

• GF: 18 holes £24-£42
• W: southwickparkgolfclub.com

Tidworth Garrison

Situated right next door to the military camp of the same name, the club was founded in 1908 with the construction of the garrison between the village and the plain taking place between 1900 and 1910. As at Whittington, this lovely and quite varied course was designed by Harry Colt who had it in mind to keep it as natural and undeveloped as possible.

As a result, it is not heavily bunkered and looks pretty much as it would have done a hundred years ago. Its signature hole is the final par 3, the 13th, played over a side-slope to a well-bunkered green.

• GF: 18 holes £57 Mon-Thu, £66 Fri-Sun
• W: tidworthgolfclub.co.uk

Upavon

Just a few miles from Tidworth Garrison, Upavon dates back to 1912 when it was founded by a group of airmen. The land was originally owned by the RAF, and a close connection remains to this day. Pilot training commenced that same year, the oldest such school in the world.

At the start of WWII, Douglas Bader was stationed at Upavon and played the course which went into civilian ownership in 1993. Since then, it has been devolved into a full-length par 71 downland test where the elevation means that wind is often a factor and which rewards with fine views.

• GF: 18 holes £30-£60
• W: upavongolfclub.co.uk

None of our Next 100 courses will disappoint and, of course, some golfers will say a number of them very much deserve a place in our premier league.

We don’t actually rank our Next 100 courses numerically for the honest reason that we readily admit we just don’t have the resources to undertake a full assessment of any more than our current Top 100 plus the 30-40 courses from our Next 100 that we feel have the best chance of one day breaking through.

This leaves you free to come up with your own ranking order if you so desire, but in the meantime, I will attempt to apply some degree of differentiation by picking out my ten personal favourites from the current Golf Monthly Next 100 list.

By starting close to my West Sussex home just across the border into East Sussex, some might accuse me of whatever the geographic equivalent of nepotism is. My response would be that surely it’s only right that you love, at least in some way, any course at which you have been a member?

Crowborough Beacon and Royal Ashdown Forest’s Old course lie just eight miles apart and, historically, most would have rated the latter above the former. Having been a member of Crowborough for eight years a decade ago and now an artisan member at Ashdown, I’m not sure it’s as clear-cut as that.

Both rank among the UK&I's finest heathland courses playing over rolling countryside with splendid views, right down to the South Downs in Crowborough’s case.

I never tired of playing Crowborough, other than perhaps having to face the toughest finishing hole in Sussex on a weekly basis, and only really left as my circumstances changed and I wasn’t 100% sure what my income would look like going forwards.

But the decision was made, and, in some ways, it was very sensible, for Crowborough is 25 minutes from home and Ashdown only five.

Main club membership would be unaffordable for me at Ashdown, but two years ago I signed up for the artisan club and am thoroughly enjoying it. Ashdown’s equivalent of Crowborough’s long par-4 18^th comes a hole earlier on the 17^th, a mere 486-yard par 4 off the tips. Mercifully, the drive does at least land on a downslope (if accurate), although the green is still a daunting target from any range.

I’m going to sit on the fence and reserve judgment as to which is the better and head a little further west to Hampshire for the heathland beauty at Blackmoor and then Hayling, a rare true links along the south coast.

I’d played the former a handful of times over the years and thought it was decent enough, but a game last year following completion of a Tim Lobb renovation showed me that the course had now been elevated to a new level both strategically and visually, with some very strong bunkering headlining the changes.

It looked a picture on what was, admittedly, a beautiful day for golf. There’s no doubt it has edged closer to fully emerging from the shadows cast by some of its illustrious heathland neighbours at Liphook, Hankley Common and Hindhead.

As for Hayling, many may be surprised at just how little true links golf there is once you’ve moved west from the three Open Championship clubs in Sandwich and Deal, and passed Littlestone, the one-of-a-kind, old-school links at Rye and Littlehampton, where a number of the holes play over pure links terrain.

Hayling is the standout exception, offering a wonderful true links experience on an island accessed via a bridge just south of the A27 not far from Portsmouth.

It starts with a par 3 and ends with a run of strong holes – very strong in the wrong wind – but it is perhaps the middle part of the round that really shines, from the par-3 5^th, with its hard-to-hit green, round to the par-5 14^th.

Despite what my colleague, Rob Smith, might tell you, there is no truth in the rumour that Hayling is only on my list because on our last outing there I somehow managed to make two eagles in four holes – it’s far too good a course anyway to allow such shallowness to prevail (the par-5 7^th and short par-4 10^th, in case you’re interested!).

Let’s head further west now to Devon, Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. I confess I knew precious little about East Devon Golf Club until my first game at this Herbert Fowler course in Budleigh Salterton a few years back.

It’s one of the undoubted stars of the south Devon strip, perched atop the distinctive red cliffs on this beautiful stretch of the Jurassic Coast. It offers enviable variety among its holes, which blend a strong heathland feel in places with occasional more tree-lined, tighter-feeling tests such as the 7th and then a splendid run for home following the cliffs.

The Nicklaus course at St Mellion just across the border into Cornwall has certainly divided opinion over the years, mainly on account of its well-reported difficulty.

I’ve played it a few times and, while conceding that it is, indeed, a stern test, for me there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had in at least giving it a go, even if it gets the better of you.

Its hard-man reputation stems from the steeply sloping terrain, but it is as unrelentingly beautiful as it is demanding and you’ll come away with vivid memories of the splendid holes Nicklaus carved out of the rolling Cornish countryside, among them the 3rd, 4th, and 14^th, cut dramatically into the slopes.

Switching to Wales, I’ve savoured several enjoyable visits to the links at Tenby, sometimes staying in the on-site dormy house that has been extended and upgraded in recent times.

For the most part, this is links golf at its purest, with the rumpled terrain adding to the enjoyment of those able to see both sides of the rogue bounce debate! Excellent and varied holes dart this way and that all the way out to the stunning 9^th tee where the views back along the South Beach to the ancient walled town are wonderful.

Venturing up to Lancashire, Pleasington is a course I’d heard about but never played until a few years ago. I was hugely impressed, especially with the holes from the 6^th to the 11^th the other side of the railway, where its heathland credentials are at their strongest.

But that first visit more or less coincided with the club embarking on an improvement programme christened ‘Good2Great’ under the guidance of architect, Ken Moodie. Subsequent visits have revealed more rich treasures as hole after hole has been improved, especially the unique, split-level par-5 7^th and superb par 3 that follows.

My selections thus far might bely the fact that I’m an avowed links lover at heart, but I’m hoping it also shows I can still be open-minded when asked to select personal favourites from a specific list.

We’re back to the links for Kilspindie, though, a lovely little course next to a vast expanse of sand and a bird sanctuary near Aberlady in East Lothian.

It’s shorter than other courses nearby, but well defended by well-placed bunkers on its seemingly drivable par 4s, of which there are several, among them the 4^th, a straightforward-looking hole off the tee, where the approach up and over mounds is far from a picnic even if only chip-and-run distance away. Don’t let Kilspindie’s modest yardage put you off – it’s a great little course

Finally, it's across the Irish sea to the Nick Faldo course at Lough Erne. I often feel the true test of a course’s quality is how well you can mentally work your way round the layout some time after playing it and here I still have almost total recall, even though my last game was some years ago.

Some have labelled it Northern Ireland’s Loch Lomond, and while the sentiment is understandable, for me the two feel very different, with Lough Erne a little less enclosed and with more wide-ranging views.

You may well now be shouting at the screen, “How could you not include this course?” and that’s absolutely fine for we’re all different, aren’t we, with our own preferences and tastes. And that, surely, is the beauty of it all when it comes to favourite golf courses.

Jeremy Ellwood’s Golf Monthly Next 100 picks

Where are they and what are his favourite holes at each?

Blackmoor, Hampshire
Par-3 9th – gorgeous short hole playing slightly up to an attractively bunkered green.

Crowborough Beacon, East Sussex
Par-5 14^th – generous driving hole with fine views on its downhill approach over heather.

East Devon, Devon
Par-4 17^th – clifftop beauty where the drive must stay short of a heathery downslope.

Hayling, Hampshire
Par-4 12^th – strong hole with a slightly raised green, handsomely framed by shallow dunes.

Kilspindie, East Lothian
Par-3 8^th – lovely little hole called Gosford Bay, where you may end up if you push it over the adjacent fence.

Lough Erne, County Fermanagh
Par-5 16^h – a fine long hole that plays from a launchpad tee close to Castle Hume Lough.

Pleasington, Lancashire
Par-3 8^th – magnificent uphill par 3 towards the now more visible railway viaduct it’s named after.

Royal Ashdown, East Sussex
Par-5 12^th – the longest par 5 but sometimes the most reachable due to its topography.

St Mellion (Nicklaus), Cornwall
Par-3 11th – beautiful hole playing downhill over water to a shallow green from up to 202 yards

Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Par-4 3^rd – modest in length but its raised, plateau green is hard to find even with a wedge.

Not long after designing Worplesdon, JF Abercromby turned his attention to a beautiful plot of land just to the south of Richmond Park in London. After much deliberation and planning, the fruits of his fertile imagination were revealed when the course at Coombe Hill opened for play in May 1911. Winston Churchill was an early member of the club, as were other luminaries such as David Lloyd George, W Somerset Maughan and Ian Fleming. They were all drawn to this wonderfully peaceful, lush green haven in leafy suburbia, just 8 miles from the centre of the capital as the parakeet flies. It is one of the very best golf courses in London.

Struggling for members in the aftermath of WWII when the course and its surroundings had been heavily battered and bruised, Coombe Hill was bought by businessman Lou Freedman. He had a more welcoming philosophy than was then the way at many private clubs, with the committee soon announcing that “this club is open to anyone, of any colour or creed.” As well as attracting many celebrities to its fairways, the club has also managed to recruit a succession of leading professionals to its ranks. No fewer than four were Open Champions; Sandy Herd, Arthur Havers, Henry Cotton (three times) and Dick Burton.

Design Genius

While the Abercromby design portfolio is not exactly bursting at the seams, it is nonetheless packed with quality and distinctive flair. As well as Worplesdon, he was responsible for the likes of The Addington and Knole Park, and he is remembered for making the best-possible use of the tapestry on offer. He was lucky enough to have Willie Park Junior to offer assistance, a prolific architect who had designed the Old Course at Sunningdale in 1901. This lovely course is not long by modern standards, constricted as it is by its prime real-estate neighbours. But this is of no matter, Abercomby’s subtle and scenic design has endured extremely well and provides a proper test happily balanced with a generous dose of fun.

Holes of Distinction

As you would expect at a tree-lined course, there is a benefit to being able to drive well. Here, with few very long par 4s and just a trio of three-shotters, accuracy from the tee will be the key to scoring well. Keep the ball in play and you then contend with some well protected and at times subtly sloping greens. The four par 3s are a particular joy; none particularly long, and nor do they need to be. Particularly when the rhododendrons are in flower, this is a very beautiful place for a game at the same time as being a challenging and fair test of golf.

But for golfers, just a few miles south of town lies the top seaside offering in any 'best courses in Lincolnshire' ranking. Seacroft, a thoroughly deserving mainstay of our Next 100 courses list, plays over a sometimes slender links strip down to Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, though the sea is rarely visible.

The 2nd hole’s narrow tiered green must be hard to find in any sort of crosswind, and I was humiliated by the steep drop-off right of the 3^rd green that sits atop one of the dune ridges that frame many holes here.

Only a long accurate drive will open up the green tucked away to the right on the long 7^th, while from the 8^th tee there really doesn’t seem to be much fairway at all to aim at between the dune ridge on the left and the road down to Gibraltar Point on the right. Slicers must dread this hole in a left-to-right wind!

The run for home
You turn for home via the par-3 10^th with its surprisingly long pulpit green, before a stretch that will prove testing all the way home if the wind is the wrong way, much as at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent. On the plus side, a number of back-nine fairways are gently valleyed to coax slightly wayward shots back into play.

The 13^th is a cracker, playing from a slightly elevated tee down and over a dune ridge, before turning right and playing back up to a green perched on that ridge.

The exposed par-3 14^th continues along the ridge, while at the 16^th green, a giant appears to have taken a bite out of the front-right quarter, a mirror image of the 4^th green at Royal St George’s almost next door to Cinque Ports.

Heading inland
For my second game, I ventured an hour west to Blankney near Lincoln, where the distinctive clubhouse caught my eye as did the sweeping uphill par-5 3^rd, a genuine three-shotter for all but those who can conjure up the slinging hook with a long club.

The unusual crater left of the 6^th fairway will catch your eye too, no doubt the result of a discarded bomb, with the first par 3 at the 7^th a good one playing across a shallow dip to a steeply sloping, well-bunkered green.

The 9th is a brute of a par 4 into the wind, with the 11^th boasting an attractive approach to a green with trees to the left and a drystone wall as the backdrop.

The 190-yard par-3 16^th was then one of those holes that looked much longer when I first caught sight of its green, but actually played a little shorter, thus proving that… well, old people don’t have great eyesight, I suppose.

Finally, the 115-year-old James Braid course at North Shore in Skegness is part links, part parkland. The opener is a relatively gentle par 5 but standing on the 4^th tee – the first true links hole – you see but a sliver of fairway.

The 5^th along the beach is then a toughie, with a bank at driving distance all but ensuring a long approach to a perilously narrow target. There is then a blind or semi-blind element to every hole from 11 to 17 on the back nine, though sometimes concave greens may gather in the odd miscue.

For this trip, I actually stayed at Butlins as my wife’s work takes her there for a week every year. Mentioning the famous family resort chain on this website is definitely a first for me!

But they offer four-night breaks midweek and three-nighters over the weekend, and, with lots to do on site, it might just be the ideal base for a golfing group or if you’re trying to squeeze a game or two in on a short family break.

Seacroft
Par 71, 6,492 yards
GF: £70-£90wd, £85-£105we; Twilight: £50 (after 2.30pm)

Blankney
Par 72, 6,661 yards
GF: £20-£50

North Shore
Par 71, 6,216 yards
GF: £42 Sun-Fri, £47 Sat

(green fees correct at time of publication in June 2025)

Stay
Butlins Skegness Resort
Ingoldmells, Skegness PE25 1NJ
W: butlins.com

The Carrick - Hole 14

This beautiful course is a combination of classic Scottish heathland with some elevated holes offering panoramic views over Loch Lomond and mountains, and holes that have a slightly more modern and American-style look and feel. The course actually sits astride the Highland Boundary fault-line which means that nine holes are in the Lowlands and nine are in the Highlands. It is named after its Canadian designer, Doug Carrick, and opened in 2007. The par-3 14th - Tappet Doon - stretches to 199 yards from the back tee and is a gorgeous short hole played down to a green surrounded by a necklace of bunkers. There are excellent views out over the loch and up to the Trossachs.

• GF: £120 (£80 resort resident, £70 Scottish)
• W: cameronhouse.co.uk

The London Club - International - Hole 12

This modern, downland course opened for play in 1993 and hosted the final Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2014. It is in the Golf Monthly Next 100 and is kept in first-class shape throughout the year. It is also one of the very best golf courses in Kent.

Opening with a terrific par 5 that works its way down to a green protected by a lake, its most memorable holes feature water including the short 8th and the beautiful par-5 13th which follows this dramatic and very scenic drop hole. The 12th has a bail-out area short and left, and the green slants meaning a back-right pin position calls for extreme bravery.

• GF: 18 holes £195-£225
• W: londongolf.co.uk

Bridport & West Dorset - Hole 6

Many not so well-known courses have a stand-out hole that warrants the green fee on its own. This is the case at this charming clifftop design on the Jurassic coast which is full of fun and interesting golf. The location came to the public eye when it featured in ITV’s Broadchurch, and although this is the oldest course in Dorset, it has moved with the times.

Its drop hole is the extremely pretty par-3 6th - Port Coombe - just 126 yards down into a lovely valley and right next to the South-West Coast Path meaning there are often spectators, not to mention moving targets. Not so long ago it was selected by Golf Monthly as one of twelve beautiful golf holes worth the green fee alone.

• GF: 18 holes £60
• W: bridportgolfclub.co.uk

Chesterfield - Hole 8

This course has been on its present site for way over a century and has evolved into an engaging and varied test of golf. There are plenty of strong and memorable holes with the 2nd and 3rd asking early questions despite running downhill.

Stroke index 18, you would be forgiven for thinking its drop hole, the 8th, might be a breeze. At just 148 yards from the back tee it is the shortest hole on the course and certainly looks welcoming enough, but there is a narrow green and there are bunkers either side to gather up anything but the perfect shot.

• GF: 18 holes £60
• W: chesterfieldgolfclub.co.uk

Sheringham - Hole 6

This lovely clifftop course is one of the best golf courses in Norfolk and offers a fine and testing contrast to the county's premier league links. Also in the Golf Monthly Next 100, its most dramatic and scenic holes come in the run from the 3rd to the 7th, the stretch closest to the cliffs.

Following the sublime par-4 5th comes a beautiful drop hole which stretches to a full 210 yards from the very back. Here, the capricious sea breeze can make a huge difference. The secret is to make sure you take enough club to clear the two bunkers protecting the front of the green.

• GF: £145 Sun-Fri
• W: sheringhamgolfclub.co.uk

I’m not going to lie, I had very slightly mixed feelings. Why? Well, 20 or so years ago, inspired by various golf travelogue books I’d read, I had the bright idea for a trip to play every links in the UK&I, then write a book with the godsend of a title: No missing links.

Of course, it never happened – wrong time of life what with kids and a mortgage, insufficient funds, and then all the other practical reasons that prevent the vast majority of people with aspirational ideas from ever seeing them through.

Cooper, based in north-west England, had no kids and youth slightly more on his side, but he did have a wife and a job in residential real estate, and his life was no doubt edging, seemingly inexorably, towards that ‘now or never’ point when it comes to doing something radically different. But do it he did in a camper van and his LinkedIn page bears the following entry for September 2020 to December 2021…

Professional development - career break: “Over a two-year period, I left my former life of residential real estate to pursue a career in golf. I played every links course in Great Britain (225 in total) over the period, documenting the process. I now have a number of roles in the golf industry.” His main role now is as a golf course architect.

Ultimately, my curiosity and desire to find out more about his trip overcame any tinges of envy that he had been able to realise what I hadn’t. A while ago I sat down with him for over an hour on Zoom to hear his story…

How long after the idea did you think, ‘I’m going to do this’?

I spent probably more time trying to convince my wife, Harriet, that it was a good idea. I probably convinced her before I convinced myself.

On a scale of one to ten, how on board was she initially?

Well, it wasn’t very high up that scale - I’m going to say as close to the bottom as you could possibly get. Probably a one; marginally above a zero. But because it was Covid, there was that bit of escapism to it. If it wasn’t for Covid, it would have been negative territory.

How did it all come to fruition?

It was the most ridiculous idea in the world but we were living with the most ridiculous imposed lockdowns and all the rest of it. We’d gone on a trip in 2019, which I think was part of the attraction, without realising it at the time. We’d driven round the North Coast 500 in Scotland for two weeks that summer. There was this juxtaposition between having had this great adventure in the Highlands and then being subjected to several lockdowns.

We realised just how nice it was to be up there, the freedom you got from it and how much else there was to explore. I played at Dornoch, my favourite course, and at wonderful Durness and Brora as well. It wasn’t really a golf trip but we were driving past all these courses thinking, ‘Oh, it would be nice to stop there.’

How did it all get started?

The first leg was from mid-September 2020 to the week before Christmas. I played 75 courses over that three-month spell, but probably about 105 rounds – so quite a few courses multiple times. East Lothian was one of the places we were allowed to go to with the Covid tiers in operation at the time.

I had a couple of friends at places I particularly liked, and because they lived locally and a lot of their friends lived in Edinburgh and weren’t allowed to come down, they invited me for games perhaps more often than they might have done otherwise. I benefited from a couple of extra invitations to North Berwick and Muirfield.

How much of the trip was planned and was it largely clockwise?

I live in Hoylake but we started in Kintyre. If we’d got to mid-September, when we began, and started at the courses two minutes from my front door, that would have felt like we were probably wasting a nice window of weather we had in front of us.

It was beautiful that September and, as it turned out, October and November as well. We started in Kintyre because we thought we may as well drive up to the north of Scotland while it’s as nice as it is. From that point, we did go pretty much clockwise.

What was the first course on that first leg?

It would have been Carradale and then Dunaverty, Machrihanish, Machrihanish Dunes and Tarbert as well, which isn’t a links but we played it on the way through. We didn’t do any of the Outer Hebrides courses then - we went back and did those the following year.

But we did then go pretty much clockwise on the mainland for that three-month stint and certainly did it properly all the way to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The reason we skipped Angus and Fife was the Covid tiers, which were different in East Lothian at that time.

Did you sometimes wait for decent weather to get the best photos?

Yes, and that was the beauty of the campervan. The beauty of links golf for me is often in the contours, shapes and bumps that you just don’t see if it’s cloudy or the middle of the day with the sun shining straight down. But I did want to have nice photographs, so it did lead to a lot of waiting around.

If we had been booked into a hotel or Airbnb we wouldn’t have had that flexibility to hang on for those windows of weather. With a lot of those courses in the north of Scotland, for example, they aren’t booked up from dawn to dusk, so if it was chucking it down, we could just take a view on it.

Where was the worst weather you played in?

Southerndown in south Wales. I was by myself for this section. Harriet had a family get-together or something, so she left me to get my head down and play all the courses from Bristol up to Aberdovey, I think - 14 in about a week.

I was planning on playing Southerndown just after lunch but the weather was absolutely awful, and wasn’t getting any better the later I was leaving it. It was quite late in the day when I ended up playing. I went to drown myself in the showers afterwards to try and warm up because I was absolutely frozen and there was no indication the clubhouse was in danger of being locked up until I got out of the shower and all the lights had been extinguished.

I had to dry myself, get my clothes on and race downstairs, and there was this porter walking around by himself. I don’t know if he realised I was up there alone but I might have spent the night in Southerndown’s clubhouse!

What was the best shot you hit?

I holed a shot on the 16^th at Furness with a 4-iron, I think. A lot of people say their enjoyment of the golf course comes from how well they play and I absolutely understand that. But if I’m not playing well, I don’t really care because all I’m interested in is the golf course to the point where I can’t really remember how I played.

I can remember the course, the holes, the walking round, but I couldn’t tell you whether I played good, bad or indifferent. There are many different reasons we enjoy golf but, for me, it’s about the golf courses and the people you play with.

Which courses proved the biggest surprise packages?

Good question. I’ve grown up playing in north-west England and know how fortunate we are on our stretch of coast, but I don’t think anyone ever talks about the Northumberland coast or north-east coast of England as a golf destination.

In terms of surprises - so being impressed with the quality relative to expectation – probably the biggest was just how good all of that section is from Seaton Carew up to Goswick. There are probably a dozen courses you could play on any golf trip and you would struggle to find better value.

I really enjoyed Warkworth up there where the first four holes are fantastic even if it then goes a little off the boil…

Probably one of the big takeaways for me is that, if you’re looking for 18 holes of pure links golf, then more often than not you’re going to be disappointed - even the very best links in the world have two or three holes that aren’t quite up to the standard of the others, and that’s just the inherent nature of linksland.

But if you accept that you’ll get nine or a dozen holes that are really exceptional - pure links golf - there will be a lot of places that surprise you and are wonderful, but there might be a few slightly less exhilarating spells within them. The same could be true at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea up there or Hartlepool.

Yes, Hartlepool really comes alive after the first six or seven, doesn’t it…

I mean, it’s brilliant, isn’t it? But how many people know anything about Hartlepool as a golf course?

Did you get flak from people saying certain courses weren’t really links on social media?

Absolutely. To be honest, that’s part of the reason I wanted to do it and part of the reason I ended up playing 225 courses. Categorically, all those courses I’ve played are not links. Some would have been included because someone on social media or by email said, ‘You must play such and such - that’s a links course.’

It was good to err on the side of caution and make sure I didn’t miss anywhere. But that’s what I wanted to do and that’s a big part of what the accompanying book series, Links from the road, is about.

What about somewhere like Iona? People will either ‘get it’ or turn their noses up and say, ‘That’s not really a golf course...’

Can they not both be right at the same time? That’s one of the beauties of golf, especially in this country. I think in other countries, what a golf course is, is probably a little more formulaic, whereas the breadth, variety and number of courses we have - especially the Scots - throws all of that out the window.

It shows you that a golf course is something that has a teeing ground - even then, it can be a very informal teeing ground – so somewhere to throw your ball down, and somewhere for you to pick your ball out of, and there can be any number of those holes along the way and everything else is up for grabs.

You can have a beautifully manicured, gorgeous, interesting course with the most extraordinary clubhouse and facilities, but it just so happens that Iona lives at the opposite end of the spectrum, with no clubhouse, no car park and nothing else. But they are both golf courses and, to different people, each is perfect.

What did you most learn about yourself from the trip?

From a golfer’s perspective, when I said earlier that I really don’t care so much about how I play, I think that really did start to develop on the trip, to the point now where I hardly play card-and-pencil golf at all. I play a lot of club matches, society matches and I love playing golf - don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any less passion for playing golf but it really did help me dissociate my level of enjoyment on the day from how I played.

Might there be an Ireland follow-up, or maybe a heathland one?

My focus right now is on building this Links from the road series, and there’s plenty to be getting on with. But if people continue to enjoy it as much as they seem to have enjoyed volume one, which took me by surprise, once all 18 volumes have been exhausted there’s plenty that could be written about and explored still, so who knows?

The other thing I can’t quite believe is how lucky I am to now be working as a golf course architect. It’s one thing to write about courses but another to actually be able to influence them. I do have quite a few ‘pinch myself’ moments when I’m consulting at places that I often played for the first time on my tour.

I’ll be walking along holes with the greens chairman, general manager and course manager, with work going on, and will often just stop and think about when I was there with Harriet and our two dogs, living in a van. It’s a kind of circular feeling and I can’t believe it has all led to this.

Links from the road

Sam’s adventure with his wife, Harriet, two cocker spaniels and enough golf clothes for all seasons in a hastily purchased camper van spanned 225 links golf courses across Great Britain. Sam has now turned his travels around the coast into a stunning series of journals.

Over 18 volumes, the Links from the Road series will document Sam's journey and love for links golf through photographs, illustrations, essays and memories from this experience. Volume 1 is available to purchase now from linksfromtheroad.com for £17, with subscription offers also available.

One of the club’s great joys is possessing two links layouts that share the same land but are of different persuasions. The Pat Ruddy-designed Glashedy is big and muscular, and sways like the rhythm of the tide, while the Old course teases more out of your game and entertains with an old-school bump-and-run groove.

A trip into the heart of the Inishowen Peninsula takes you to the village of Ballyliffin from where glimpses of the dunes stretch out to sea, and Glashedy Rock stamps its presence in deeper waters. It is a striking sight, as is the clubhouse which sits proud in the low-lying dunes, surrounded by golf holes. (There’s a nine-hole par-3 course here, too.)

A big course for the big occasion
Ballyliffin's Glashedy Links hosted the Irish Open in 2018, and the Amateur Championship in 2024. That tells you its scale and quality. It also emphasises the sort of challenge it can present to the humble amateur.

Bunkering is voracious, hiding low in pools of shadow, especially around greens. You will quickly learn that to succeed here your approach play must be excellent. Greens are big but slopes around the edges can be treacherous, tugging balls towards sandy depths. The clever routing sees each loop of nine returning to the clubhouse, with both visiting the biggest dunes in one corner of the course.

This is when you’ll appreciate the grand scale of the place, especially on the par-3 5th, which hits down towards Glashedy Rock, and the par-3 7th which plays from the highest point in the dunes to a green far below, squeezed up against a pond. It is yet another par-3, the 14th, that might just steal the plaudits for best hole as, once again, you hit down from the high dunes, playing towards the sea, to a shallow, wide green. The swells and slopes around it are hypnotic.

Faldo’s landing
When the Old course opened as an 18-holer in 1973, in a part of Ireland separated from the rest of the country by the Northern Ireland border, it was completely unheralded.

Little wonder then that when Nick Faldo visited in 1993, and made an offer to buy it, the membership was caught in a quandary. Instead of selling to the Open Champion, they decided to double-down and build a second course. It was only when the Glashedy opened that many Irish golfers heard about it. The rest is history.

Ballyliffin Old plays over the lower dunes, where you are more exposed and teased by the wind. There’s still plenty of swing to the landscape, and some fairways are positively blistered with bumps, but here the art of bump-and-run can be embraced – so much so that it may even cloud your thinking when it comes to shot selection.

And that is the beauty of a links like this. Key to the Old course’s thrills is the stretch of holes (13-16) that runs alongside the beach. Here, the sound of the ocean is a magical backing track to a well-struck drive.

A debate rages as to which course is better – or, at least, which you prefer. I have always leaned towards the Old, but I would never turn down an opportunity to play either. Neither should you.

Thirteen miles south lies another links. North West, affectionately known as the St Andrews of Ireland, is subtle and cunning. Much of it is visible from the main road as you drive into Buncrana town, but only when you play it will you understand its true charms.

Ballyliffin Glashedy Links
Par 72, 6,847 yards
GF: €60-€300

Ballyliffin Old Links
Par 71, 6,445 yards
GF: €60-€280

North West
Par 70, 6,187 yards
GF: €75-€150

Ballyliffin House
Mainstreet, Ballyliffin, Co. Donegal
W: ballyliffinhouse.ie

(prices correct at time of publication in May 2025)

Lovingly, painstakingly and sympathetically restored earlier this century, its feel and vibe are the kind that make you never want to leave. My wife took an irrational shine to everything in our room – name Cwtch, Welsh for ‘cuddle’ - but with theft still being a crime I managed to persuade her to depart with just ideas and inspiration instead.

The food is exceptional whether in the Artisan Rooms or Fernery Restaurant, where we joined a jazz night dinner on our first evening. As for the cooked-to-order breakfast, it was next-level and the perfect way to start the day.

The golf
Tenby: par 72, 6,530 yards
One of the best golf courses in Wales, the fine links at Tenby Golf Club starts with a rollercoaster par 5, then dots about this way and that en route to the farthest point at the 9^th tee, a fine par 4 doglegging gently right that affords you cracking views along the South Beach and back to town.

You’ll remember the table-top 3^rd green, as anything missing it will leave a testing up and down, but the links gives back straightaway, with the punchbowl 4^th green more generously disposed to slight miscues.

There are 15 holes set between the railway and the South Beach, with the 5th, 9^th, 12^th and 13^th tees overlooking the sea. The three other holes from 15 to 17 lie across the railway, with the downhill par-3 17^th gazing out to sea the pick of the trio.

Best deal
You can add golf as an activity to enhance your stay as part of the booking process at Grove of Narberth, with the team organising the golf for you (subject to availability).

Room prices are dynamic and the overall rate will vary with season and room price/level. Stays in May 2025, for example, started from £310 per room per night B&B, with golf experiences then available at £65pp.

(prices correct at time of publication in May 2025)

Grove of Narberth,
Grove,
Molleston,
Narberth,
Pembrokeshire,
SA67 8BX.

T: 01834 860915
E: reservations@grovenarberth.co.uk
W: grovenarberth.co.uk

Situated just 20 minutes from St Andrews, the modern phenomenon is a must-visit for any serious golfer visiting the east coast of Scotland looking to experience the best of links golf in the British Isles.

The links features stunning views of the golden sands of Largo Bay on Fife’s historic southern coastline from its elevated position on the beautiful Balcarres Estate to ensure that you've got a smile on your face no matter how you play.

The layout was designed by former Ryder Cup player and now-renowned architect Clive Clark, who has designed 35 golf courses across the United States and Europe. Clark transformed the 345 acres of coastal linksland into a fun and thought-provoking design that is always kept in pristine condition.

The course sweeps back and forth with a strong variety of holes that test golfers with differing wind directions coming in off the sea. It offers up a modern challenge that every true lover of the purest form of the game cannot afford to miss.

The course stretches out to a mighty 7,620 yards from the tips but can be played all the way down to 5,300 yards and in between thanks to five different teeing options, making it playable for all abilities of golfer.

As well as its world-class golf course, which is ranked inside the top 40 of Golf Monthly UK and Ireland Top 100 Courses list, Dumbarnie is also now famous for its friendly, heart-felt welcome to guests and the fun atmosphere that makes golfer wish to come back.

Dumbarnie has won the ‘Best Scottish Golfing Experience’ award in 3 out of the last 4 years and is open from April to the end of October with tee times available 7 days a week.

So if you're thinking of visiting Scotland's east coast or already have a trip planned, make sure to add Dumbarnie Golf Links to your must-play list.

Head to the Dumbarnie Links website for more.

Spanning hundreds of acres of beautiful, rugged coastal terrain, the new course boasts panoramic North Sea views and awe-inspiring golf holes.

Constructed to the highest specifications and standards, the new 18-hole layout weaves together three distinct topographical areas – expansive wetlands, heather-clad heathland and sand dunes on an epic scale.

With devilish sandy-scrapes and meandering ancient burns to jaw-dropping sand domes with elevated tees atop windswept golden dunes, golfers will be enticed over pristine playing surfaces on a journey that rises and falls within this majestic coastal dunescape that is laden with breathtaking moments.

Featuring the world’s largest natural bunker, cavernous sandy hollows, mountainous sand peaks and infinity greens perched along the coastal dunes, the New Course, as it will be known, promises to take golfers to new heights of challenge and exhilaration.

Building on the triumphant success of the existing multi-award-winning 18-hole links which entered the world of golf some thirteen years ago to international applause, this latest addition to the Trump portfolio is testament to the family’s unwavering commitment to investing in the great game of golf.

Behind the scenes, a world-class group of distinguished architects, engineers, environmentalists and industry specialists have been commissioned to bring the project to life.

Many key members of the design and development team worked on the first course and brought a wealth of industry knowledge and know-how to this latest phase of development. Esteemed links golf architect, Dr Martin Hawtree has maintained a role as master architect, working alongside a team of specialists including Swedish golf architect, Christian Lundin and Canadian golf architect, Christine Fraser.

At the heart of the design and construction methodology is the protection and enhancement of the land’s natural features. The outstanding ecological and geomorphological attributes of the site have been preserved and play an integral part in the overall design success.

An innovative environmentally friendly freshwater and drainage system has been engineered to provide long-term sustainable irrigation for all 36 holes, utilizing the wetlands, ponds and water collected from across the site.

More than one million sprigs of native marram grass have been planted, and six tons of marram seeds were cultivated across the new course. Over ten hectares of natural vegetation has been successfully translocated allowing indigenous plant habitats to thrive and expand, with many new wildlife habitats emerging within the new wetlands and dune-slack areas.

Both courses have become exemplars for the successful translocation of indigenous grasses, native vegetation and habitat, resulting in two world-class links courses that blend effortlessly into the landscape.

Designed to complement the existing golf course to form what is being hailed, The Greatest 36 Holes in Golf, this visionary golf resort brings together extremely rare components – incredible land, great vision, endless talent and unlimited resources.

This golf property has the X factor!

For more information or to book a tee time:

Tel: +44 (0)1358 743300

Email: bookings@trumpgolfscotland.com

Website: www.trumpgolfscotland.com

The historic links, designed by the legendary Old Tom Morris, dates back to the 1870s and is famous for its iconic opening hole that sees the very first tee shot played over the Atlantic Ocean.

18-time Major winner Jack Nicklaus once described the 1st hole as “one of the best opening holes in golf” - and he certainly isn't wrong.

Founded in 1876, Machrihanish Golf Club celebrates its 150th anniversary next year so there has never been a better time to play the rugged, natural links and immerse yourself among the dunescapes and next to the Ocean.

Old Tom Morris designed some of the world's greatest courses, from St Andrews' Old Course to Muirfield, Royal Portrush, Prestwick and Carnoustie, and Machrihanish must not be missed for those looking to play Tom Morris tours.

Situated on the Kintyre peninsula around a three-hour drive from Glasgow, the club is well worth the journey thanks to its spectacular scenery, world class Championship golf course and the friendly welcome visitors receive.

The club is one of many standouts on the west coast of Scotland and is once again included in Golf Monthly's UK and Ireland Top 100 Courses rankings.

Regular feedback from first-time visitors often results in a return trip or even membership, with the club now boasting members from Europe, the USA and Asia. That says it all.

There's 27 holes at Machrihanish, making it perfect for golfers of all ages and abilities. The Championship 18-hole course, which plays as a par 70, is the star of the show along with the nine-hole Pans layout that is great for improving your game or just having a fun, quick knock while still enjoying the incredible scenery.

The Championship course is a traditional out-and-back links that heads out away from the village and along the stunning Machrihanish Beach before turning back for home.

The course offers up plenty of variety fom subtly compelling to dramatic and exhilarating holes, and it certainly poses a stern test on all areas of your game - especially when the prevailing winds gets up.

While your skills will be challenged, you're guaranteed to have a smile on your face as you take in the natural beauty of the setting at what is considered to be one of the world's greatest unaltered links courses.

It's as natural and rugged a links course you'll find that is a true delight for golfing purists.

Visitors often describe Machrihanish as spiritual - go and experience it for yourself.

A very warm welcome to the 2025/26 Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 and Next 100 course rankings in association with Peter Millar.

This is now the 11th of our biennial lists, which we strongly believe have evolved to be an honest, representative and trustworthy ranking of the best 200 courses that are open to all. Initially featuring 120 courses, we made the decision in 2009/10 to switch to a more logical Top 100 at the same time as adding a second tier, the Next 100.

At Golf Monthly, we take great pride in the fact that our Top 100 is compiled by regular, knowledgeable, enthusiastic club golfers. Our reader panel includes one or two who have been with us since the start as well as a couple who made their debuts this time round. They, along with the staff panel, have between them visited every course in the new Top 100 in the two years since the last list was compiled.

Senior panellists Rob Smith and Jeremy Ellwood have been involved in the rankings since 2009, and this has enabled consistency while so much around has changed.

As ever, standards have continued to rise. You rarely see a course in the Top 100 or Next 100 in anything but fine condition, which is perhaps why there has been less change this time round than ever before.

There are few big jumps or falls and just two re-entries, with a couple of other candidates very narrowly missing out. For any course to maintain position within the Top 100 calls for improvement.

With few exceptions, those that have dropped a few places have not declined, they have simply been overtaken by others. Each and every one of our Top 100 courses is still exceptional and comes thoroughly recommended.

No golfer will agree with all of the positions in our new Top 100, but we have always acknowledged that subjectivity is at work, while striving to make it as objective as possible. What we ultimately love about it is that it serves as a source of endless debate and enjoyable discovery.

We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Peter Millar, one of the world’s leading and most dynamic premium apparel brands. Its products are stocked at almost every course in the Top 100, which makes them a perfect fit with our rankings.

Top 100 Courses UK&I: The Top 10

1. ROYAL COUNTY DOWN GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

• Location: Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland
• Founded: 1889
• Designed by: Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry Vardon and Harry Colt
• 25/26 ranking: No change

A combination of the towering Mountains of Mourne in the backdrop on many holes and the Irish sea flanking the opening three makes for visual appeal that arguably puts Royal County Down as the most spectacular setting of any of the UK and Ireland's traditional links

Now over a century and a quarter old, this fabled links in Newcastle on the County Down coast is not only one of the best links courses in the UK but also one of the best on the planet.

- Royal County Down review and key info

2. ST ANDREWS LINKS OLD COURSE

• Location: St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
• Opened: 1552
• Designed by: Old Tom Morris and Daw Anderson (1850s)
• 25/26 ranking: No change

Playing The Old Course is an experience completely different from any other in golf. It is one where atmosphere and ambience is paramount as just about every legendary golfer has competed over this historic, iconic stretch of links.

With its double greens and crossovers, challenging slopes and world-famous bunkers, there is nothing quite like it.

- St Andrews Old review and key info

3. TRUMP TURNBERRY RESORT AILSA COURSE

• Location: Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
• Founded: 1902
• Designed by: Archibald Kennedy and William Fernie (Martin Ebert redesign 2016)
• 25/26 ranking: Up 1

The beautiful but testing Ailsa first hosted The Open almost half a century ago in what turned into one of the all-time classics, the Duel in the Sun. In the end, Tom Watson just edged it by a single stroke from the great Jack Nicklaus.

Since then, The Open has been here on three further occasions, so it was a bold move to subsequently make substantial changes in a quest to improve it further. Martin Ebert had made some changes prior to the 2009 Open, and he was called back in but with a far wider remit and greater resources. It has now moved on very dramatically since the original post-war restoration by Philip Mackenzie Ross and is one of the very best golf courses in Scotland.

- Trump Turnberry Ailsa review and key info

4. MUIRFIELD

• Location: Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland
• Founded: 1744 (course opened: 1922)
• Designed by: Old Tom Morris, Harry Colt and Tom Simpson
• 25/26 ranking: Down 1

Muirfield is a near-perfect links, delivering superb variety and a firm but fair test. The unusual two-loops routing means the golfer will never face a succession of holes with a consistent wind direction.

It’s simply a fabulous design providing a stringent examination of every aspect of the game, both physical and mental. We believe the course is the fairest Open test of all, with everything laid out in front of you.

- Muirfield review and key info

5. ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

• Location: Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland
• Founded: 1877
• Designed by: John Sutherland/Old Tom Morris/George Duncan
• 25/26 ranking: Up 1

The earliest confirmed evidence of golf in Dornoch dates from 1616 meaning over 400 years of the sport in the town.

The Golf Club was founded more recently, in 1877, and in 1886 the members invited Old Tom Morris to lay out a more formal course over the links. He was responsible for creating Dornoch’s famous plateau greens with their perplexing upturned saucer shaping. Royal Dornoch is a captivating place that will leave an indelible imprint on the memory.

- Royal Dornoch review and key info

6. ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF CLUB

• Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
• Founded: 1889
• Designed by: Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor
• 25/26 ranking: Down 1

Royal Birkdale is a sublime and endlessly varied links that is simply the best course in England. It somehow manages to excel not only as a test of golf, but as a treat to the eye, as a lesson in course architecture and as an experience to savour and remember.

It hosted its first Open in 1954 and has now staged the championship ten times, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won in a thrilling climax. Although the individual holes play along generally level ground, the course is blessed with some of the most impressive dunes in the country that frame and separate the holes beautifully for the golfer.

- Royal Birkdale review and key info

7. ROYAL PORTRUSH GOLF CLUB DUNLUCE COURSE

• Location: Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Founded: 1888
• Designed by: Harry Colt
• 25/26 ranking: Up 1

Royal Portrush's Dunluce Links was designed by the godfather of golf course design, Harry Colt, and even before the changes that were applied in preparation for hosting the 2019 Open, there were plenty who felt it was a contender for the best course in the whole of Ireland.

It's a wonderfully natural and extremely good-looking links that is completely at one with its environment. Much is done at Royal Portrush to encourage a diverse ecosystem where flora and fauna flourish, all of which adds to the enjoyment of an already wonderful round of golf.

- Royal Portrush Dunluce review and key info

8. CARNOUSTIE GOLF LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

• Location: Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
• Founded: 1842
• Designed by: Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris and James Braid
• 25/26 ranking: Down 1

There’s a strong case for saying that Carnoustie’s Championship Course may be the most challenging in our entire top 100 list.

There may be no views of the sea around the course but the terrain is pure links with firm and sandy turf over natural bumps and hollows. The narrow fairways are protected by gorse, streams and magnetic bunkering as they pick their way carefully towards the vast, supremely maintained, greens.

- Carnoustie review and key info

9. SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB NEW COURSE

• Location: Sunningdale, Berkshire, England
• Opened: 1923
• Designed by: Harry Colt
• 25/26 ranking: Up 1

Opened for play in 1923, Sunningdale’s New Course has stood the test of time to deliver an exacting examination of the total game. It is the highest-ranked inland course in our top 100 list.

The fairways are fairly generous but offline drives will probably require a hack out either from heavy rough or Sunningdale’s notoriously punishing heather. The greens are fast but receptive, though anything struck poorly or slightly off line will run off. If the test had to be summarised in a sentence, we'd say: Good shots will be rewarded and poor shots punished: The sign of an excellent layout.

- Sunningdale New Course review and key info

10. SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB OLD COURSE

• Location: Sunningdale, Berkshire, England
• Opened: 1901
• Designed by: Willie Park Jr
• 25/26 ranking: Down 1

Sunningdale's Old Course is a classic heathland layout that stands as one of the world's best inland courses. Playing up the 18^th towards the clubhouse and the famous oak tree will cause the hairs to stand proud on the necks of all golf lovers.

The course dates from 1901 and is a Willie Park Jnr design. Set across undulating heathland, its fairways are lined by pines and heather with a slightly more rugged feel than its younger brother. The greens are famously fast and true with some perplexing borrows to negotiate. A day at this stunning venue is about as good as it gets as a golfer.

- Sunningdale Old Course review and key info

• Full List: Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 Courses 2025/26

“Seven sounds about right to me,” came the reply. It sounded about right to me too until I sat down to try and whittle it down to just that number!

My colleague, Rob Smith, wrote the equivalent feature two years ago and, after an early brainstorming session, I looked back on his article to find he’d written about four of the five holes I’d jotted down so far – the 1st at Doonbeg, 14th at Trump International Scotland, 13th at Hollinwell and 11th at Turnberry.

Subliminal vague recollection or testament to them, indeed, being four of our most spectacular holes?

I’ll leave you to decide but in the interests of variety I’m revisiting just one of those holes this time round, the par-5 1st at Doonbeg, which remains a kind of epiphany or eureka moment in my golfing journey.

I’d played a number of links courses before first visiting Doonbeg in 2003 but had never experienced anything quite like Greg Norman’s County Clare creation.

‘Amphitheatre green’ may now be a slightly overused term at some of our modern links, but it’s the only apt one for the 1st green complex at Doonbeg, where you imagine every blade of wispy grass on the steep banks standing to applaud as your carefully crafted approach lands just beyond the hole and zips back a couple of feet... in my dreams at least!

Let’s stay with par 5s and jump on a hole from another Rob included last time (the par-3 5th at Sunningdale New) and go for the magnificent 6th there.

It plays from an elevated tee and keeps sweeping round and round to the right via a slight kink at about 300 yards as its two-tiered, well-protected green gradually comes into view. It is simply majestic.

Par 3s often hog the limelight in any spectacular hole contest, but I’m sticking with par 5s for one more. If you’re looking for strategy choice, few par 5s do it better than the 7th on the Marquess’ at Woburn, with its split fairways separated by a cluster of trees.

Do you go for the slightly safer left-hand route or the shorter right-hand one knowing your Sunday best might give you a shot at the green in two over a wide gully?

Get it wrong going this way, though, and your lay-up options will be limited, leaving you a long third shot. Of course, you could say the club golfer’s best option might be to aim for the central trees, see which fairway you hit and take it from there.

As for par 4s, there’s something about the 422-yard 2nd at Burnham and Berrow in Somerset that has always resonated with me. Perhaps not as dramatically striking as my other selections, its beautifully framed, rumpled fairway encapsulates everything I’m looking for as I gaze down a links hole.

There's always a slight tinge of disappointment that such a cracking hole has been and gone so early in the round whenever I visit.

St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna could offer up several candidates here but for pure unadulterated thrills, the dogleg- right par-4 14th takes some beating.

Named Sheephaven Bay after the stirring view that greets you on its elevated tee, it plays to a maximum of 399 yards, turning right quite sharply after a big bunker on the apex. Commit to the power fade and steer your ball round it is probably the best bet, before the hole narrows down towards a green set very close to the shallow cliff edge.

As you climb to the next tee, you won’t be able to resist turning back for a photo or two.

For par 3s, my longer pick is the cracking 7th at Hankley Common, which can play up to 206 yards across a relatively shallow, heather-filled dip to a green with lots of fascinating movement, protected by front bunkers both left and right.

It sits slightly higher than much of the course and you feel miles from anywhere, with the hole a tantalisingly glorious prospect from the tee.

My par-3 tiddler is the second of two new short holes at Prince’s, the 5th on the Shore nine. It plays from 103 to 158 yards over large expanses of sand to a tricky, undulating green with run-offs and bunkers all around.

Like its sibling short par-3 newcomer on the Himalayas nine, it plays straight towards the sea, the kind of hole Prince’s used to lack. It is everything that a beautiful par 3 should be.

Jeremy Ellwood's top 7 most spectacular holes in our top 100 list:

• Trump International Golf Links, Doonbeg: Par 5 1st
• Sunningdale New: Par 5 6th
• Woburn Marquess': Par 5 7th
• Burnham and Berrow: Par 4 2nd
• Rosapenna St Patrick's Links: Par 4 14th
• Hankley Common: Par 3 7th
• Prince's Shore: Par 3 5th

Full Top 100 Courses UK&I List

• 1. Royal County Down Golf Club Championship Course, Northern Ireland - no change
• 2. St Andrews Links Old Course, Scotland - no change
• 3. Trump Turnberry Resort Ailsa Course, Scotland - no change
• 4. Muirfield, Scotland - no change
• 5. Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course, Scotland - up 1
• 6. Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England - down 1
• 7. Royal Portrush Golf Club Dunluce Links, Northern Ireland - up 1
• 8. Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course, Scotland - down 1
• 9. Sunningdale Golf Club New Course, England - up 1
• 10. Sunningdale Golf Club Old Course, England - down 1
• 11. Royal St George's Golf Club, England - no change
• 12. Woodhall Spa Golf Club Hotchkin Course, England - up 1
• 13. Royal Liverpool Golf Club, England - down 1
• 14. Kingsbarns Golf Links, Scotland - up 1
• 15. Trump International Golf Links Scotland - up 3
• 16. Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, England - down 2
• 17. Royal Aberdeen Golf Club Balgownie Course, Scotland - down 1
• 18. The European Club, Ireland - up 1
• 19. Ballybunion Golf Club Old Course, Ireland - up 4
• 20. Royal Troon Golf Club Old Course, Scotland - down 3
• 21. Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales - no change
• 22. Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart Golf Links, Scotland - down 2
• 23. Waterville Golf Links, Ireland - down 1
• 24. Lahinch Golf Club Old Course, Ireland - up 2
• 25. St George's Hill Golf Club Red & Blue Course, England - no change
• 26. Portmarnock Golf Club Red & Blue Course, Ireland - up 2
• 27. The Golf Course at Adare Manor, Ireland - down 3
• 28. North Berwick Golf Club, Scotland - up 1
• 29. Burnham & Berrow Golf Club Championship Course, England - down 2
• 30. Hillside Golf Club, England - up 1
• 31. Hankley Common Golf Club, England - down 1
• 32. Ganton Golf Club, England - up 2
• 33. Swinley Forest Golf Club, England - up 2
• 34. Old Head Golf Links, Ireland - down 2
• 35. Walton Heath Golf Club Old Course, England - down 2
• 36. Gleneagles Golf Resort King's Course, Scotland - no change
• 37. Dumbarnie Links, Scotland - up 3
• 38. Nairn Golf Club Championship Course, Scotland - down 1
• 39. Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort St Patrick's Links, Ireland - up 22
• 40. Formby Golf Club, England - up 2
• 41. St Enodoc Golf Club Church Course, England - down 2
• 42. The Berkshire Golf Club Red Course, England - down 1
• 43. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, England - up 2
• 44. Prestwick Golf Club, Scotland - down 1
• 45. Tralee Golf Club, Ireland - up 3
• 46. Western Gailes Golf Club, Scotland - no change
• 47. Hollinwell The Home of Notts GC, England - down 9
• 48. Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg, Ireland - down 1
• 49. Royal St David's Golf Club, Wales - no change
• 50. Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort Sandy Hills Course, Ireland - down 6

• 51. Silloth on Solway Golf Club, England - no change
• 52. The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links, Scotland - no change
• 53. Alwoodley Golf Club, England - up 1
• 54. Saunton Golf Club East Course, England - up 1
• 55. Liphook Golf Club, England - down 2
• 56. Gleneagles Golf Resort Queen's Course, Scotland - down 6
• 57. The Berkshire Golf Club Blue Course, England - down 1
• 58. Cruden Bay Golf Club Championship Course, Scotland - up 8
• 59. Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, England - up 4
• 60. County Louth Golf Club, Ireland - up 2
• 61. Rye Golf Club Old Course, England - up 4
• 62. West Sussex Golf Club, England - down 4
• 63. Worplesdon Golf Club, England - down 3
• 64. Walton Heath Golf Club New Course, England - down 7
• 65. Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club, England - down 6
• 66. Gullane Golf Club No.1 Course, Scotland - down 2
• 67. Ballyliffin Golf Club Glashedy Course, Ireland - up 3
• 68. Machrihanish Golf Club Championship Course, Scotland - down 1
• 69. Moortown Golf Club, England - down 1
• 70. Hunstanton Golf Club, England - up 2
• 71. West Hill Golf Club, England - down 2
• 72. The Island Golf Club, Ireland - down 1
• 73. Prince's Golf Club Shore & Himalayas Course, England - up 1
• 74. Parkstone Golf Club, England - up 7
• 75. West Lancashire Golf Club, England - up 2
• 76. St Andrews Links New Course, Scotland - down 1
• 77. Woburn Golf Club Marquess' Course, England - down 4
• 78. Carne Golf Club Wild Atlantic Dunes Course, Ireland - down 2
• 79. Woking Golf Club, England - up 4
• 80. Aldeburgh Golf Club Championship Course, England - no change
• 81. County Sligo Golf Club Colt Championship Links Course, Ireland - up 5
• 82. Aberdovey Golf Club, Wales - up 5
• 83. Trevose Golf Club Championship Course, England - down 4
• 84. Enniscrone Golf Club Dunes Course, Ireland - up 8
• 85. Wallasey Golf Club, England - up 4
• 86. Woburn Golf Club Duke's Course, England - down 1
• 87. Saunton Golf Club West Course, England - down 9
• 88. Druid's Glen, Ireland - re-entry
• 89. Sherwood Forest Golf Club, England - up 1
• 90. Blairgowrie Golf Club Rosemount Course, Scotland - down 8
• 91. Murcar Links Golf Club, Scotland - no change
• 92. Portstewart Golf Club Strand Course, Northern Ireland - up 6
• 93. Ferndown Golf Club Old Course, England - down 5
• 94. Royal North Devon Golf Club, England - down 10
• 95. St Andrews Castle Course, Scotland - re-entry
• 96. Tandridge Golf Club, England - up 1
• 97. Broadstone Golf Club, England - down 1
• 98. Woburn Golf Club Duchess' Course, England - down 5
• 99. Mount Juliet Golf Club, Ireland - down 4
• 100. Dundonald Links, Scotland - down 1

Here, we’ve selected those venues where you’ll particularly enjoy a post-round tipple, or a coffee if you’re driving, of course!

With tremendous views up the Moray Firth and across to the Black Isle, the art deco-inspired clubhouse at Cabot Highlands may just offer the best views of any in the Top 100. With panoramic windows, comfortable seating and upstairs balconies, it’s a beautiful spot in which to unwind after your game.

Another club in a wonderful setting is Aberdovey. Sitting on the terrace there in the late afternoon sun is hard to beat. One of the great things there is that the clubhouse is basically at the train station, just a minute away. Ideal if you want to enjoy a pint or two of the local ale.

Prestwick’s clubhouse is also right next to the local station. It’s a historic club with amazing artefacts and original features to take in. The now unused ash trays remain in the ‘smoking room’ and pints are served in pewter tankards.

There’s also great history to be found at Royal Liverpool. The club’s collection of memorabilia is one of the most important anywhere. You can really feel the golfing gravitas of the place as you sip on a creamy pint.

Many clubhouses on our list are packed with character. A couple of the most interesting are Royal Porthcawl (below) and Royal West Norfolk.

At both, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time heading into the bar. Both offer an extremely friendly welcome and a cosy, fascinating post-round experience.

Sunningdale’s clubhouse exudes classic style, with an unpretentious, classy vibe to soak in whether inside or outside on the terrace.

Kingsbarns on the Fife coast offers a small but perfectly formed clubhouse, totally in keeping with its surroundings. It’s a very cosy spot for a wee dram after what is always a thoroughly enjoyable 18 holes of links golf.

Nairn, Gleneagles and Prince’s all provide a great post-game clubhouse experience, with the versatility to accommodate groups of any size or type.

There are many more fabulous clubhouses to be found within the list but these are just a few of our favourite post-golf drinking holes. Cheers!

If you want to experience one of the tracks towards the pinnacle of our Top 100 golf courses in association with Peter Millar at a peak time, you’re going to face a hefty bill.

But there are ways to get a tee time at many venues on the list for a more reasonable price. Clubs and courses sometimes offer deals to locals, deals out of season or reduced fees towards the end of the day.

There are deals for multiple rounds, while some courses in the Top 100 simply remain relatively affordable.

Here are five money-saving strategies to consider with examples...

Twilight deals

One of the very best deals comes from Woodhall Spa, the home of England Golf. The superb Hotchkin course at the Lincolnshire venue has climbed to No.12 in the 2025/26 rankings. After the two layouts at Sunningdale, it’s our top- ranked inland track.

This summer, members of golf clubs affiliated to England Golf can play a twilight round on the Hotchkin for just £110, a discount of £120 on the standard summer green fee. Twilight times start from 3pm in mid-summer, 2pm in September and 1pm in October.

Shoulder-season rates

Playing in the spring and autumn can save you money.

At Nairn Golf Club this year, a round in March or November costs just £120, that’s a saving of £180 on the summer rate of £300.

Combination tickets

A good way to tick off two of the courses on our list and get another round at a low price is to buy the three-links ticket available at Rosapenna.

Between April 11 and October 20, international visitors can play the St Patrick’s, Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris Links for a total of €550, a discount of 20% on the individual green fees. For Irish residents, it’s just €250 – that’s a fabulous bargain.

Two rounds in a day

If you’re prepared to play twice in a day, there are some good deals to be found. One of the best comes from Sherwood Forest Golf Club.

The standard summer green fee is £145 but if you play 36 holes in a day, it’s only £165. That effectively means you’re paying just £20 for 18 holes of golf.

That might just be the cheapest 18 holes available in our Top 100.

Less expensive courses

There are some courses in the Top 100 where the rack-rate summer green fee remains fairly low, close to the £100 mark.

Royal North Devon is £100 Sunday to Friday; Aberdovey is £110 Sunday to Thursday; Silloth on Solway, ranked 51st, is £110 all week this summer – possibly the best-value rack rate in our Top 100.

Generally, if you want to experience the very best, you have to pay for it. But if you think creatively and do some research, you can still play a Top 100 course without breaking the bank.

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Peter Millar has grown through the years to become a complete golf and lifestyle clothing brand, producing luxury performance sportswear, active and golf apparel, plus casual and formal tailored garments.

Like all the courses in Golf Monthly’s Top 100 list, Peter Millar delivers superb variety plus high-quality design and presentation, using the very best in materials and craftsmanship. Put simply, both have an overarching objective of delivering the best products possible.

This commitment to excellence could be the reason Peter Millar is stocked in 94 of the Top 100 courses. There’s a synergy driven by the customer relationships forged with the clubs.

The brand offers quality, crested embroidery and, above all, exemplary service.

Face the elements

We know that on the golf courses of the UK and Ireland, the golfer can face all weathers.

Peter Millar has you covered. If the sun is shining, there’s a huge range of lightweight polos in a selection of vibrant and more muted colours, depending on your taste.

If the weather isn’t so kind, exceptional, high-performance rain gear will protect you and allow you to continue to perform your best. The Rain Walker suit (5 stars from Golf Monthly) was designed specifically to meet the technical needs of the Walker Cup team. It’s now available on general sale. It delivers unbelievable mobility and is highly waterproof, windproof and breathable.

In colder or windier weather, like you might encounter on one of the great links courses in the Top 100, layering is the key to comfort and performance. Peter Millar can offer a broad range of pullovers, quarter-zips, gilets and hoodies to help keep you swinging with confidence.

Collections

Peter Millar has three distinct men’s collections, each offering different expressions to suit different requirements and occasions.

Crown Sport offers fine-tuned designs with technical fabrics. It is best-in-class outerwear, inspired by classic golfing style but evolved for today.

Crown Crafted is about subtle elegance and refinement. It’s more understated and seamlessly blends performance and luxury.

Then there’s Crown, which is clean, classic and versatile. It’s designed for dressing up or dressing down and uses cotton sourced from the worlds finest mills.

On and off the course

Peter Millar’s depth of product range ensures that you have options for on and off the course. There’s great choice, be it for a one-off special purchase or the majority of your wardrobe.

The Albatross range features a selection of cotton- blend polos and quarter-zips that are perfect crossover garments. They perform superbly on the course but also offer that relaxed vibe that will suit the post-round wind-down on the terrace.

For the more traditional clubs in the Top 100 list, Peter Millar can offer beautifully tailored shirts and blazers that will be ideally suited.

Elsewhere, there are sweaters ranging from the finest cashmere to the most technical designs. There are trousers offering sporty performance, then jeans and shorts. From sneakers to loafers, belts to bags, Peter Millar has it all.

Travel in style

A visit to one of the iconic courses in the Golf Monthly Top 100 is going to be a highly memorable experience for a golfer and Peter Millar can provide the complete wardrobe to enhance the whole day.

Golfers want to travel to, and arrive at, the venue in style and comfort, and Peter Millar has an exceptional range of options to help you do that.

The Bingham blazer, trousers and shorts offer a great example. The ultra- lightweight performance fabric with stretch properties makes for the ultimate smart-casual travel option. Paired with a tailored-fit cotton shirt, you’ll arrive feeling fresh and ready to hit the fairways.

If you are playing a Top 100 venue, you want to look and perform your best. From casual or crossover travel wear to arrive in, through stylish high- performance golfing wear to play in and on to a choice of relaxed or more formal post-round attire, Peter Millar delivers the quality and versatility to perfectly accompany and complement Golf Monthly’s Top 100 courses list.

Visit www.petermillar.co.uk to discover the collection

Druids Glen Key Information

Druids Glen

Druids Glen took a brief rest away from the Golf Monthly Top 100 last time round while it was treated to a comprehensive upgrade and so was closed for most of the review period. One of the most beautiful inland courses I have played, it is now back with a bang!

Journalist-turned-golf course designer, Pat Ruddy, is perhaps best-known for his creation of and enhancements to a great number of Ireland’s spectacular modern links such as his very own European Club. But this County Wicklow course he created alongside Tom Craddock is one of the country’s very finest parkland courses, packed with challenging holes and great visual beauty.

Just a couple of miles from the coast, Druids Glen is a lush golfing oasis, complete with majestic tree-lined fairways, many thought-provoking water features, and considerably more than a splash of colour at the right time of year. It is unquestionably one of the best golf courses in Ireland.

Four Irish Opens have been played here since it opened in 1995, and it also staged the Seve Trophy in 2002. It is a layout ingeniously designed to test every facet of your game.

Consecutive holes dogleg the opposite way twice during the front nine, therefore favouring neither the fader nor the drawer. There is also water to consider on no fewer than eight of the eleven closing holes, often very dramatically.

The 8th and 12th - the latter with its famous floral Celtic cross - are both mid-length par 3s where water will be very much on your mind on the tee. Then there’s the mighty par-4 13th, one of the very toughest two-shotters you might ever face. Teeing off from way up high near the hotel, you drive down to a fairway set between a stream on the right and trees on the left. Even if you find it, you’ll still face a daunting long approach over water to a narrow green. It scared me, but I still loved it!

For good measure, there’s then a Sawgrass-style island-green at the 17th with more water defining the glorious closing hole, a super-tough par 4 that weaves its way up towards the clubhouse with a final approach over gently cascading waterfalls. The panellists who have seen the improvements were all impressed, and I very much hope to see them for myself before too long.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...

This is a really lovely place to come and play golf. The fabulous mature parkland setting combined with a very challenging, but very playable, golf course all adds up to a treat.

This is now one very special parkland venue. Originally booked for four Irish Opens even before Pat Ruddy had built it, the latest reincarnation, after a 16 month closure, has surely fulfilled its earlier promise. An inspiring venue and my favourite holes included the new fourth, to a green which juts out into a pond, and the beautiful par 3s.

The course has been recently renovated. Layout wise, there are minimal changes, excepting number four which has a relocated green shouldered by a new reduced level pond. The conditioning has been vastly improved and there are new greens to 4, 9, 10, 14 and 18.

Druids Glen Location

Druids Glen scorecard

Best Courses Close to Druids Glen

Best Places To Stay Close to Druids Glen

Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort - Book now via the Resort

Simply the most obvious and perfect base for a golfing visit to the area with its excellent accommodation, its rooms overlooking the course or the Wicklow mountains, its spa and comprehensive leisure facilities.

Glenview Hotel & Leisure Club - Book now at Booking.com

With stunning panoramic views and a beautiful, peaceful setting, this 4-star hotel offers superb leisure and relaxation facilities. There are 70 elegant and individually designed rooms, along with the Conservatory Bar, an award-winning leisure club and the Woodlands Restaurant which holds an AA Rosette award.

Druids Glen Course Gallery

Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

• 2025/26 - 88
• 2023/24 - N100
• 2021/22 - 82
• 2019/20 - 77
• 2017/18 - 73
• 2015/16 - 76
• 2013/14 - 71
• 2011/12 - 68

Frequently Asked Questions