26 - 50 Golf Courses
26. North Berwick, Scotland
North Berwick was formed in 1832 and the course has had a big influence on many courses around the world since then. It reminds you a little of St. Andrews as you start at the edge of a town, play away from the town for two hours and then head back to the town for two hours. Read More
6 Best Holes: 14, 13, 15, 3, 16, 7
Best Par 3: 15
Best Par 4: 14
Best Par 5: 11
27. Royal Birkdale, England
Birkdale was established in 1889 but was redesigned in 1922 to give its current layout. It has held the Open Championship ten times which is a testament to its greatness. Ireland is famous for its large sand dunes but there is certainly no shortage of them here at Birkdale. There are so many courses in the greater Liverpool area but Birkdale is most people’s favourite from that great list. Read More
6 Best Holes: 13, 12, 9, 17, 1, 18
Best Par 3: 12
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 17
28. Hirono, Japan
Getting to play golf in Japan was a massive thrill. People in Japan are so calm, polite and friendly it is incredible. I was there for 5 days and I have to say that their culture is something to be admired. Read More
6 Best Holes: 14, 2, 16, 7, 3, 12
Best Par 3: 7
Best Par 4: 14
Best Par 5: 12
29. Pacific Dunes, USA
Bandon Dunes has five excellent courses and is a top class resort. The infrastructure here is on a massive scale. Everything is huge. Even the practice area might be the biggest in the world. We booked almost a year in advance and there was no accommodation available on site. We stayed in the town of Bandon which was good fun. Read More
6 Best Holes: 11, 13, 4, 17, 2, 5
Best Par 3: 11
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 3
Playlist
Pacific Dunes, USA
0:16Pacific Dunes, USA
0:1630. Swinley Forest, England
When you drive into Swinley Forest Golf Club, it’s like taking a step back in time. The car park was full of Jaguars and Range Rovers. Some of the members that we saw, wearing purple trousers and pink sweaters, brought their dogs out on the golf course and afterwards the dogs sat with them on the terrace outside this beautiful old clubhouse. It was brilliant and we loved every minute of it. It is a stunning place. Read More
6 Best Holes: 6, 4, 9, 12, 16, 7
Best Par 3: 4
Best Par 4: 6
Best Par 5: 15
31. Kiawah Island, USA
We played Kiawah the day before we went to Augusta to see Sergio win the Masters. It was a brilliant weekend. Kiawah is a very special place. When people talk about a course being in perfect condition, this is what they mean. The greens were extremely fast and were faultless. This course kicks off from the get go. The first five holes are superb. The second hole is a great par 5 that doglegs to the left while the 4th hole is index (handicap) 1 and for good reason. Read More
6 Best Holes: 13, 4, 17, 10, 5, 12
Best Par 3: 17
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 2
32. The Country Club (Brookline), USA
In 1894 The Country Club was one of the five charter clubs that founded the United States Golf Association along with Shinnecock Hills, Chicago Golf Club, Newport Country Club and St. Andrew’s New York. It has played a big role in US golf history. It has played host to a Ryder Cup in 1999 and has held four US Opens, most recently in 2022. Read More
6 Best Holes: 13, 11, 3, 18, 9, 16
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 11
Playlist
33. Cabot Cliffs, Canada
Cabot Cliffs is a tough place to get to but well worth it. After two flights we arrived in Halifax airport in Nova Scotia and we still had a three hour drive to the course. The fact that there are two great courses with accommodation onsite makes it a great resort for golfers. Cabot Cliffs is ranked the No. 1 course in Canada. You have to remind yourself that it only opened in 2015. A great achievement by all concerned. Read More
6 Best Holes: 16, 10, 2, 5, 7, 17
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 10
Best Par 5: 7
34. Lahinch, Ireland
What can you say about Lahinch! It’s a wild and wonderful course set in massive dunes in County Clare. Like St. Andrews and North Berwick it is located at the edge of a town which adds greatly to a trip here. The course is famous for a couple of blind shot holes, namely the 4th called Klondyke (a blind second shot on a par 5) and the 5th called Dell (a blind par 3, yes a blind par 3) but I think it should be more famous for the par 4’s that meander their way through these famous dunes. Read More
6 Best Holes: 6, 3, 14, 15, 7, 13
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 6
Best Par 5: 12
35. Barnbougle Dunes, Australia
In December 2004, Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania opened its doors and what had been a potato farm has since become one of the best golf courses in the world. It’s only right that the word Dunes is in the name as golfers have to navigate some massive sand dunes, particularly on the front nine of this links course. Read More
6 Best Holes: 7, 17, 6, 15, 18, 8
Best Par 3: 7
Best Par 4: 17
Best Par 5: 14
Playlist
36. Bethpage Black, USA
I have to say that I fell in love with Bethpage Black. I flew into JFK and went straight to Bethpage where on a Friday evening I played 14 holes. The following morning I woke up at 5.30am due to jetlag and thought I will go to Bethpage and see if I can get a tee time. It’s not easy to book in advance if you live outside New York. I arrived at 6.20am to find a massive queue of people thinking the same thing. The doors opened at 7.30am and I got a tee time on the black course for 9.40am which was brilliant. Read More
6 Best Holes: 15, 5, 11, 4, 17, 13
Best Par 3: 17
Best Par 4: 15
Best Par 5: 4
Playlist
Bethpage Black, USA
0:1637. Royal Troon, Scotland
I got to play Royal Troon twice and I thought it was excellent both times. The course starts out quite gently with some relatively straightforward holes early on. Things soon change. When you walk from the green on the par 5 6th up to the 7th tee, you get to see what’s in front of you for the next six holes which is a brilliant stretch of holes. Holes 7 through 12 are majestic. Read More
6 Best Holes: 11, 8, 17, 10, 9, 12
Best Par 3: 8
Best Par 4: 11
Best Par 5: 6
38. Oak Hill Country Club (East), USA
I arrived early and was allowed to play 9 holes of the West course before heading out to play the East course which was a lovely treat. This place is magnificent. The clubhouse, the practice area and the staff were all top class. A very welcoming feel to this course which is not always the case in some private clubs. Read More
The postage stamp is the 8th and we all know how brilliant that hole is from watching it on TV. It’s the green or nothing. Hole 10 when played off the back tee asks golfers to hit a blind shot over a massive sand dune. Hole 11 is one of the best par 4’s in the world. You have train tracks and out of bounds down the right. Off the back tee you have to play over a large area of gorse which makes it a blind shot. You cannot go too far left either so it’s a test for the best golfers on tour. The 17th is a brilliant par 3 also and the last finishes right in front of the windows of the old clubhouse.Â
I love old clubhouses. Royal Troon is special but don’t judge until you have played at least 12 holes. I played here with my pals Peter, Mick and Rob.[/read]
6 Best Holes: 7, 13, 6, 2, 18, 16
Best Par 3: 11
Best Par 4: 7
Best Par 5: 13
39. Maidstone Club, USA
This course was founded in 1891 and is located in East Hampton on Long Island which is about 2 ½ hours east of New York. The setting for this course is perfect and there are stunning views at times. The second hole is a par 5 with one of the most amazing greens you could ever wish to play. It has just the right amount of undulations and has sharp fall offs on two sides. Read More
6 Best Holes: 9, 2, 10, 14, 7, 6
Best Par 3: 14
Best Par 4: 9
Best Par 5: 2
Playlist
Maidstone Club, USA
0:16Maidstone Club, USA
0:1640. Royal Lytham & St. Annes, England
A stunning old world clubhouse is the first thing you notice when you arrive here. The second thing you notice is that the first hole is a par 3 of between 174 yards and 204 yards depending on which tees you play from. That must make things interesting at the weekend when the time sheet is quite full with Members. It’s a super par 3 by the way. Read More
6 Best Holes: 3, 9, 18, 12, 2, 14
Best Par 3: 9
Best Par 4: 3
Best Par 5: 7
41. Kingsbarns, Scotland
This beautiful links course sits upon 1.8 miles of shoreline and only opened in the year 2000. It certainly feels like it has been there a lot longer than that. Since then it has been one of the 3 courses that host the Dunhill Links Championship along with St. Andrews and Carnoustie. In 2017 it hosted the Women’s British Open. It has the most brilliant location as it is only a fifteen minute drive from St. Andrews itself. The clubhouse is discreet and is certainly not overbearing on the course.. Read More
6 Best Holes: 12, 15, 7, 18, 11, 4
Best Par 3: 15
Best Par 4: 7
Best Par 5: 12
42. Whistling Straits, USA
Whistling Straits is a public course and if you can, you gotta play it. It’s brilliant. When we played it the fog came in and as the round went on we could see less and less. Eventually, we asked the caddies to put down a towel in front of us so we knew where to aim. When we finished we asked the head pro David Albrecht if we could play the course again the next day as we had flown from Ireland and he said no problem which was very nice of him. David is a super guy. The following day was perfect with blue skies. We had a wonderful time. Read More
6 Best Holes: 18, 17, 4, 8, 7, 5
Best Par 3: 17
Best Par 4: 18
Best Par 5: 5
43. New South Wales, Australia
Melbourne gets most of the attention when it comes to the top golf courses in Australia as the sand belt courses there are excellent but it is nice to see Sydney get one on the map and New South Wales is deserving of its place on any list. It has a dramatic location on a headland and is not that far from both Coogee Beach and Bondi Beach. The views from parts of this course are amazing. Read More
6 Best Holes: 6, 5, 14, 1, 15, 16
Best Par 3: 6
Best Par 4: 14
Best Par 5: 5
44. Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand
Cape Kidnappers has become world famous because of the aerial photos of the coastal holes on the back nine. These holes are dramatic and your phone battery will be tested because of the amount of photos that you will take. However, I think that the front nine might have the better overall golf holes. The 6th hole for example is a brilliant par 3 that will test every golfer and you might be happy to settle for a 4. Other great holes on the front nine include 1, 3, 4 and 7. Read More
6 Best Holes: 12, 15, 6, 3, 1, 10
Best Par 3: 6
Best Par 4: 12
Best Par 5: 15
45. Sleepy Hollow, USA
This course is located less than an hour north of Manhattan in a lovely part of the world. It must have one of the biggest clubhouses that you will ever see. The mansion was purchased by William Rockefeller and Frank Vanderlip in 1911 and the following year the Sleepy Hollow Country Club was founded. Read More
6 Best Holes: 8, 16, 13, 15, 18, 11
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 8
Best Par 5: 6
46. Kawana Fuji, Japan
What a perfect location for a golf course. It is set on a headland overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The views from various parts of the course are simply stunning. This course is bookable once you stay in the hotel and if you are in Japan, I would highly recommend playing here. Like some other courses in Japan, the course has a rail that your cart drives on all the way round. The caddie has a remote control for the cart to bring it forward etc. It is a great way for your clubs to be carried around. Read More
6 Best Holes: 15, 17, 16, 7, 1, 14
Best Par 3: 16
Best Par 4: 17
Best Par 5: 15
Playlist
Kawana Fuji, Japan
0:1647. Castle Stuart, Scotland
Located in northern Scotland, this course is a handy 5 minute drive from Inverness Airport. It is beautifully located along the banks of the Moray Firth. The course opened in 2009 and was designed by two Americans – managing partner Mark Parsinen and the brilliant Gil Hanse. Gil is one of only a few modern designers who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as designers from 100 years ago. Read More
6 Best Holes: 11, 13, 7, 5, 15, 3
Best Par 3: 11
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 18
Playlist
48. Inverness Club, USA
Inverness Club is in Toledo, Ohio. I flew into Detroit and from there it is about an hour south. The course held the Solheim Cup in 2021. In 1916, the club made a great decision. They hired the brilliant Donald Ross to design them a course and two years later the course opened. What a wise thing to do. Read More
6 Best Holes: 7, 17, 4, 10, 16, 15
Best Par 3: 3
Best Par 4: 7
Best Par 5: 13
Playlist
Inverness Club, USA
0:1649. Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin), England
This is the home of the governing body for amateur golf in England, “England Golf” and is situated in mid-eastern England. We flew into Sheffield and from there it is about a 90 minute drive to the south east. It is a heathland course but it is one with a difference as the bunkers are huge with rather large eyebrows too. The course opened in 1905 and was originally designed by the famous Harry Vardon before being re-designed by Stafford Vere Hotchkin in the 1920’s. It came as a shock as to how great this course is, having not heard much about it beforehand. Read More
6 Best Holes: 12, 13, 7, 11, 4, 16
Best Par 3: 12
Best Par 4: 13
Best Par 5: 18
Playlist
50. Garden City, USA
This course has a brilliant location on Long Island. It is a 45 minute drive from Manhattan and only 20 mins from JFK Airport. The course was founded in 1899.
This course has all the charm in the world. It is a really old style club. The course is not particularly long but you have got to be accurate. The greens were excellent and were extremely fast. The first hole is a driveable par 4 but has a massive bunker to the front which catches the greedy average golfers like myself. Read More
6 Best Holes: 8, 11, 15, 10, 6, 14
Best Par 3: 12
Best Par 4: 8
Best Par 5: 13
