126 - 140 Golf Courses
126. Le Golf National, France
This course became a household name after hosting the Ryder Cup in 2018. It has also been the venue for a European Tour event for many years. It has an excellent location and is only a forty five minute drive to the south west of Paris. It is a parkland course which was built with crowds in mind. The large club house is also the home of the French Golf Federation National Performance Centre. Read More
6 Best Holes: 18, 2, 12, 7, 17, 15
Best Par 3: 2
Best Par 4: 18
Best Par 5: 9
127. Marco Simone, Italy
Marco Simone became the first Italian course to host the Ryder Cup in 2023 and is only a handy thirty minute spin in the car from the Colosseum in the magnificent city of Rome. The course is bookable and the green fees are not extortionate. Read More
6 Best Holes: 15, 10, 16, 1, 8, 14
Best Par 3: 17
Best Par 4: 15
Best Par 5: 8
128. Formby, England
When people talk about the great golf destinations in the world, they will rightly talk about Melbourne, Long Island, Monterrey Peninsula and many others but the greater Liverpool area deserves a mention too. In this area you have Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Royal Liverpool, Hillside and Formby. If you are planning a trip to the area then Formby is certainly worth considering. It is a mere forty minute drive to the north of Liverpool city centre and Anfield. Read More
6 Best Holes: 15, 9, 7, 2, 6, 11
Best Par 3: 10
Best Par 4: 15
Best Par 5: 8
129. Shanghai Links, China
I went to China, Japan and New Zealand on a golf trip and this was the first course I got to play. I had never played in Asia before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Shanghai Links. I got to play with three locals who had decent English and we had a good laugh on the way round. It is only a thirty minute drive from downtown Shanghai. It is a huge and beautiful city where the people are friendly and polite. It is a very inexpensive place to visit. Read More
6 Best Holes: 14, 3, 9, 4, 18, 10
Best Par 3: 4
Best Par 4: 14
Best Par 5: 5
130. Ocean Dunes, Australia
If you are going to King Island, which is a short flight from Melbourne, to play Cape Wickham then I would recommend you also play Ocean Dunes. This is a wild and rugged golf course. It is run by a husband and wife team in their wee clubhouse and they are lovely people. We chatted for ages and I really enjoyed my time at Ocean Dunes. I was paired with three members and they were all great characters. We had a great laugh all the way round. I’m sure most of their stories were true! Read More
6 Best Holes: 3, 10, 1, 18, 8, 16
Best Par 3: 10
Best Par 4: 3
Best Par 5: 1
Playlist
131. Portstewart, Ireland
Playing Royal Portrush is a brilliant experience and is a must for all golfers but if you are venturing to the north coast of Ireland then playing Portstewart is well worth it. The two courses are only 15 minutes apart. The views from the first tee are magic and the first hole itself is one of the best opening holes you will play. It is a slight dogleg right and is 427 yards off the back tee. Read More
6 Best Holes: 8, 17, 5, 1, 2, 10
Best Par 3: 3
Best Par 4: 8
Best Par 5: 4
132. Golden Valley, Japan
I was fortunate enough to play four courses in Japan, namely Hirono, Naruo, Kawana Fuji and Golden Valley. Golden Valley was certainly the most difficult of the four, although the weather didn’t help. We had sunshine for the other three, but the day at Golden Valley was extremely wet. This course is rated the toughest in Japan and you must remember that Japan has over 3,000 courses and is second only to the US which has over 16,000. Read More
6 Best Holes: 18, 13, 7, 15, 2, 5
Best Par 3: 15
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 18
Playlist
Golden Valley, Japan
0:16Golden Valley, Japan
0:16133. The Machrie, Scotland
My cousin Sean and I went and played The Machrie and Ardfin on a short trip and it was quite the adventure. We flew to Glasgow and then flew to Islay. The Machrie is beside Islay airport which was handy but we had to get a ferry to get to Ardfin and back. Some of the best courses in the world are in quite remote locations and that is what helps to make them special. It can be an effort but it is almost always worth it. Read More
6 Best Holes: 5, 13, 2, 3, 16, 8
Best Par 3: 3
Best Par 4: 5
Best Par 5: 2
134. Gullane No. 1, Scotland
Gullane No.1 course is forty five minutes east of Edinburgh and has some famous neighbours including Muirfield and North Berwick. It is a brilliant area for links golf. There are three courses at Gullane and the No.1 course is the most famous. The 2nd hole here is well renowned. It is a beautiful uphill par 4 of 412 yards with large hills on both sides of the fairway. Accuracy is required for your second shot as the green is quite narrow. The 4th is a lovely par 3 where it is quite easy for your tee shot to fall off the green. Read More
6 Best Holes: 5, 11, 14, 2, 16, 10
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 5
Best Par 5: 15
Playlist
135. Jumeirah Earth, United Arab Emirates
There are two courses at Jumeirah namely the Earth and Fire courses. The Earth course, which opened in 2009 and was designed by Greg Norman, hosts the prestigious DP World Tour Championship each year which is the final event of the Race to Dubai. It is only a thirty minute drive from downtown Dubai. Read More
6 Best Holes: 18, 8, 16, 17, 6, 12
Best Par 3: 17
Best Par 4: 8
Best Par 5: 18
Playlist
136. Jacks Point, New Zealand
Queenstown is located on the south Island in New Zealand and it is world renowned for its scenery. Jacks Point is a short twenty minute drive from the town centre and the scenery will take your breath away, of that there is no doubt. The course opened in 2008 and since then it feels like a lot of property has been built and is continually being built close to the course. Read More
6 Best Holes: 11, 5, 18, 3, 15, 6
Best Par 3: 11
Best Par 4: 18
Best Par 5: 5
137. Machrihanish Dunes, Scotland
This course nestles along the coastline beside the pretty village of Campbeltown and is a three hour drive from Glasgow airport. It is next door to Machrihanish Golf Club and we ended up playing both courses on the same day. The green fees for both courses are reasonable and are worth the money. Read More
6 Best Holes: 4, 13, 2, 10, 7, 14
Best Par 3: 12
Best Par 4: 4
Best Par 5: 8
Playlist
138. Pinnacle Point, South Africa
This is a beautiful cliff top course in Mossel Bay and is a four hour drive east of Cape Town. I left Cape Town at maybe 7pm and drove to Fancourt. I played Fancourt Links and Pinnacle Point the next day and was back in Cape Town within 24 hours. It was quite a busy but brilliant day. The green fees were reasonable but then again most things are reasonably priced in South Africa. Read More
6 Best Holes: 7, 9, 18, 4, 13, 12
Best Par 3: 7
Best Par 4: 4
Best Par 5: 18
Playlist
139. Crans Sur Sierre, Switzerland
This is one of the picturesque golf courses in the world as its location is quite unique. It is set high up in the Swiss Alps beside the town of Crans Montana. It is a stunning village with postcard views. We stayed in a hotel called Chetzeron. It is like something you might see in a James Bond movie. Switzerland is expensive to visit but there are not many more beautiful countries to visit. Read More
6 Best Holes: 4, 2, 12, 7, 17, 13
Best Par 3: 13
Best Par 4: 4
Best Par 5: 14
140. Burnham & Berrow, England
This is a links course set in sand dunes that is located on the south west coast of England. We flew to Bristol Airport and it is just over a thirty minute drive from there. They use this course for qualifiers for the British Open and I remember watching highlights of Justin Rose qualifying here. It is quite traditional as it is almost 9 out and 9 back. The course opened in 1891 as a 9 hole course but was then re-designed by the brilliant Harry Colt in 1913. Read More
6 Best Holes: 14, 3, 16, 18, 5, 6
Best Par 3: 14
Best Par 4: 3
Best Par 5: 8
