Formed in 1994, Eastern Cape lies on the south coast of South Africa and it shares internal boundaries with four other provinces as well as a border with three districts in the land locked country and enclave of Lesotho. The conurbations around the coastal cities of Port Elizabeth and East London are where many of the seven million people in the province have gravitated to and these busy ports play a central part in the region’s economy.
Amateur golf in Eastern Cape is administered by the Eastern Province Golf Union (with 7,000 members in 26 clubs) and Border Golf Union (which has around 3,000 members in 23 clubs). The Eastern Cape Women’s Golf Association looks after female golfers, and this governing body oversees the golfing affairs of members in 26 affiliated clubs.
Humewood is said to be the only true links layout in the whole country and it dates back to the late 1920s when SV Hotchkin set out the course whilst on a visit from England. He also, during the same trip, had a hand in the design of the East London course on a site that the club had moved to in 1923. Of more recent vintage, Robert Trent Jones Jnr’s Wild Coast course near Port Edward and the Jack Nicklaus St Francis Links layout hold lofty positions in the national ranking charts.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 2,"2018-09-01 04:40:19","Free State","Formerly known as Orange Free State, the Free State province – with tens of thousands of farms laid out on the relatively flat plains in the heart of the country – is known as the granary of South Africa. British Army Major Henry Douglas Warden founded Bloemfontein, the largest provincial city, in 1846 and it’s now home to a population of around a third of a million people.
The Free State Golf Union is the governing body for amateur golfers who are in membership of the 37 clubs in the Free State province. Twenty-four of the courses are 9-hole layouts whilst the fairways at Kroonstad number ten in total. The course at Harrismith was laid out in 1887 therefore it claims to be the third oldest in the nation.
The best two courses in the province are new millennium offerings that lie within six miles of each other on either side of Parys, a small town located on the Vaal River, which forms the boundary with North West province. The 18-hole layout at Parys Golf & Country Estate debuted in 2007, shortly before the Nick Price-designed course at Vaal de Gráce Golf Estate opened for play.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 3,"2018-09-01 04:40:28",Gauteng,"Measuring a mere 7,000 square miles in area, Gauteng is the smallest of South Africa’s nine provinces but it’s also the most densely populated, with an estimated eleven and a half million residents. Much of its landmass is classed as Highveld – an inland grassland plateau that sits more than 5,000 feet above sea level – where golf balls fly a lot further than down on the Indian Ocean coastline to the south.
Three governing bodies are responsible for promoting the amateur game for male golfers in Gauteng: Central Gauteng Golf Union (26,000 members in 34 clubs), Ekurhuleni Golf Union (7,000 members in 18 clubs) and Gauteng North Golf Union with 19,000 members in 25 clubs. GNGU was also the first provincial Union to amalgamate with a women’s golf authority in 2005.
A couple of Gauteng’s old courses from the mid-1930s have stood the golfing test of time and they are Bob Grimsdell’s Royal Johannesburg & Kensington (East) and the CH Alison-designed Glendower in Bedfordview. Of similar quality, the pair of mid-1960s layouts at River Club and Johannesburg (Woodmead) are also highly regarded in the province. Fast forward to shortly after its debut in 2007 and Gary Player’s Blair Atholl layout leapfrogged this quartet of classic courses to very near the top of the national rankings.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 4,"2018-09-01 04:40:41","Kwazulu Natal","Kwazulu-Natal occupies an area of around 36,000 square miles and it lies to the east of South Africa, bordering three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. Durban, the largest provincial city and busiest port in the country is also a well-developed tourist centre that markets its sub-tropical climate and long, sandy beachfront to potential visitors.
The KwaZulu-Natal Golf Union is the governing body for male amateur golfers in the province and its 91 member clubs are spread throughout the five districts of Zululand, Northern Natal, Midlands, North Coast and Southern Natal. Female golfers have their own provincial authority, the Kwazulu-Natal Ladies Golf Association, an organisation that can trace its roots back to 1918.
Any list of top tracks in KwaZulu-Natal has to include three terrific Peter Matkovich courses at Prince’s Grant, Cotswold Downs and San Lameer. Hugh Baiocchi’s Champagne Sports course at Winterton and the 18 holes of Tom Weiskopf’s Zimbali course are wonderful late 1990s designs, but the “Best in Province” tag still belongs to the old Durban (Country Club) layout that was first played in 1922.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 5,"2018-09-01 04:40:50",Limpopo,"Limpopo – which changed its name from Northern Province in 2003 – lies in the north east corner of South Africa where it shares international boundaries with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. One of the poorest regions in the country, Limpopo is doing its best to develop an eco-tourism industry, attracting visitors to the likes of the 5,800 square mile Waterberg Biosphere, a UNESCO-designated reserve.
The Limpopo Golf Union is the smallest of the fourteen South African provincial unions with only fifteen affiliated clubs and a membership of around two and a half thousand male golfers. Its female counterpart, Limpopo Ladies Golf Union, caters for a smaller number of members attached to the same fifteen golf clubs.
Bob Grimsdell’s Hans Marensky course in Phalaborwa was, for many years, the number one course in the province but three new millennium layouts have overtaken it in the rankings. The mighty Legend layout at Sterkrivier is the first of these modern offerings, measuring an incredible 8,500 yards from the back tees. The other two tracks, Zebula and Elements, are highly acclaimed Peter Matkovich designs located within twenty miles of each other, near Bela Bela.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 6,"2018-09-01 04:40:57",Mpumalanga,"The province of Mpumalanga – formerly Eastern Transvaal – sits to the north east of South Africa where it borders four other provinces as well as Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. The spectacular Drakensbeg Escarpment separates the Highveld west of the region from the Bushveld east, where the Kruger National Park game reserve attracts tourists in great numbers.
Around 7,000 male golfers in the province are governed by the Mpumalanga Golf Union, which oversees the golfing activities of thirty-seven clubs, from Volksrust Country Club in the southwest to Chrome Golf Club in the northeast. Female golf activities in the province come under the umbrella of Women’s Golf Mpumalanga.
A couple of Mpumalanga courses stand out from all the others. The first of these is Nelspruit, a Bob Grimsdell design from 1968 that was upgraded by Peter Matkovich at the end of the 1990s. The second is Gary Player’s sensational Leopard Creek course, which has appeared at or near the top of the national rankings ever since it was first unveiled in 1996.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 7,"2018-09-01 04:41:03","North West","Founded in 1994, North West province occupies an area of 40,000 square miles to the south of Botswana, forming boundaries with four other South African provinces. Gold, uranium, platinum and diamond mines form the backbone of the North West’s economy, providng many jobs for its population of three and a quarter million people.
North West Province Golf Union and North West Women’s Golf are the two provincial governing bodies that look after the golfing interests of male and female golfers in the region and they each provide an administration service to over 5,000 golfers in around 30 clubs. Golf at seventeen of these clubs is played on a 9-hole course with members at one club, Venterspost, having the use of a 10-hole layout.
Orkney and Goldfields West are a couple of much-admired old Bob Grimsdell designs in the province but it’s a trio of newer, more polished tracks that take the ranking honours in the North West. The first of these is Pecanwood, an engaging Jack Nicklaus Signature course that opened in 1999. The other two courses are found at the Sun City resort, where the Gary Player Country Club and Lost City layouts are amongst the best in the country.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 8,"2018-09-01 04:41:22","Northern Cape","Extending to over 140,000 square miles, Northern Cape is both the largest and – with a population of around a million people – the most sparsely populated province in South Africa. This vast area stretches inland from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, sharing boundaries with four other domestic provinces, as well as bordering Namibia and Botswana in the Kalahari Desert region to the north.
Two bodies govern amateur golf in the Northern Cape province. The first of these is the Northern Cape Golf Union, which has around 6,000 members in 62 clubs, spread over two provinces with 25 clubs in the Northern Cape section. The other regional golf authority is Karoo Golf Union and its 20 affiliated clubs are located within an area that extends, clockwise, from Upington to De Aar to Beaufort West to Calvinia.
Kimberley, one of the oldest clubs on the African continent, was founded in 1890 and its members play today on a fine 18-hole layout where the putting surfaces have evolved from sand browns to diamondiferous tailings to the Elliot grass greens that are now in use. However, by far and away the best course in the region is found at Sishen, where eighteen lush green fairways have been routed around a Camel Thorn forest.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 9,"2018-09-01 04:41:49","Western Cape","The Western Cape province in the south west of South Africa covers an area of 50,000 square miles and its population amounts to around five and a quarter million people. It shares two land borders with Northern Cape and Eastern Cape whilst its southern and western boundaries are formed by the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Cape Town, the provincial capital, occupies a stunning location at the foot of Table Mountain and it’s easy to see why this vibrant city ranks as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
Amateur golf in the Western Cape is governed by three different bodies: Western Province Golf Union (14,000 golfers in 21 clubs), Southern Cape Golf Union (6,000 members in 21 clubs) and Boland Golf Union, which has around 12,000 members in 42 clubs. Each of these independent authorities is in turn affiliated to the South African Golf Association in Johannesburg.
Peter Matkovich is South Africa’s most prolific modern golf course architect and a number of his designs feature prominently in the regional rankings for Western Cape: Arabella made a stunning debut at the end of the 1990s and a couple of new millennium tracks – Pinnacle Point and De Zalze – have also attracted high praise. Gary Player’s 54-hole complex at Fancourt is easily the best golf resort in the country with the Links, Montagu and Outeniqua courses consistently ranked in the upper echelons of the national golf course ratings.
",47,"2018-09-01 04:45:55","South Africa","The term “Rainbow Nation” was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-1994 South Africa when apartheid rule officially ended. We’re now two decades on from the troubles and it’s brilliant to see this remarkable country blossom year on year. Long may it continue.
According to the South African Golf Association, there are more than 450 affiliated golf clubs serving more than 125,000 golfers. Surprisingly, the growth in the number of courses has remained relatively static over the last few years. Most new courses tend to be of the residential type and the recent majority have been built in the Western Cape.
In 2012, we extended our South African golf course rankings to a Top 100. To read our latest 2018 news release detailing the Top 100 Golf Courses of South Africa, simply click the preceding link or scroll down to see the current list.
",1,"2018-03-21 04:56:38",Africa 10,"2018-09-01 04:41:56","Eastern India","The Eastern India region covers a vast area of more than 680,000 square kilometres, where an estimated population of 270 million people live within thirteen states and territories. Kolkata, which changed back to its original name from Calcutta in 2001, is the main educational, cultural and commercial centre in the region and it’s here that golf first took root outside of the United Kingdom.
The birthplace of golf in the subcontinent was Calcutta in 1829 and it seems that British Army officers and expatriates formed the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (there are no formal records available prior to 1874) which was originally named Dum Dum Golfing Club. The club then moved to the Maidan for a short time before relocating to its present site in the leafy southern suburb of Tollygunge in 1910.
Today, there are around twenty clubs in East India affiliated to the Indian Golf Union. Tollygunge is one of the better tracks, dating as far back as 1895, and it’s a short, tight layout that features old-fashioned design traits such as double greens and shared fairways. Pacific Coast Design has worked there in recent years, reviewing and updating both green complexes and bunkers.
Other courses of note include the hill station of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya (originally built as a 9-holer in 1898 then extended to 18 holes in 1924) and Digboi in the northeast state of Assam (as far east in India that you can play golf) – this 1930s 18-hole layout was carved from the Deihing forest, which is home to a variety of wild animals including elephants, boars and even leopards.
",63,"2018-09-01 04:49:29",India,"Golf in India goes back a long way. In fact, it goes back a very long way because the first golf club established outside the British Isles was Royal Calcutta (originally named Dum Dum Golfing Club) in 1829. The now defunct Royal Bombay Golf Club followed in 1842 then Cosmopolitan Club and Bangalore Golf Club were founded during the 1870s. Madras Gymhkana was formed in 1884 before places like Shillong and Royal Western India appeared around the turn of the century.
On the tournament front, the All-India Amateur Championship was first held in 1892 so it’s said to be the second oldest international golf event in the world (after the Open) because it preceded the US Open by three years. More recently, the Indian Open was inaugurated in 1964, when Peter Thomson won the first of his three Indian titles, and it’s been a co-sanctioned event on the European Tour since 2015.
The Indian Golf Union was founded by six clubs – Bombay Presidency, Delhi, Madras Gymkhana, Royal Calcutta, Tollygunge and Willingdon Sports Club – in 1955 and this national governing body now tends to the administrative needs of more than two hundred clubs around the country. It’s one of 149 organizations affiliated to the International Golf Federation, sending teams to compete in the World Amateur Team Championships every two years.
On the professional side of things, the Professional Golf Tour of India was formed in 2006 and this body, with more than 300 professional golfers as members, now organises around 25 tournaments a year within the country. Incredibly, at the end of 2016, 22 Indian professionals had won no fewer than 75 international events around the world, with Jeev Milka Singh leading the way on 13 victories, followed by Arjun Atwal on 10 wins.
Diversity is the keyword for golf in India; from desert plains to the tea estates and Hill Stations in terms of terrain, from traditional parkland to modern resort golf regarding layouts. Some courses, such as Madras Gymkhana in Chennai, are located inside a horse racing track and others, like Patna in Bihar and Bhatinda in Punjab, are situated close to wildlife compounds – the 1st fairway at Patna lies next to the lion enclosure at the nearby zoo and there’s a protected deer paddock inside the Bhatinda layout.
Of course, while there’s still a place for old-fashioned quirk in Indian golf – be it the magnificent sight of the Qutub Minar brick minaret backdropping the west side of the Qutub course in New Delhi or, twenty kilometres further east, the Battle of Delhi monument on the 16th tee at the Noida course – there remains plenty of scope for new designs to flourish in modern residential developments where the international brands of Nicklaus, Norman and Player lead the way.
Our Indian Top 20 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
The ten States and Union Territories within our Northern India region cover an enormous area of more than one and a half million square kilometres in which more than 500 million people live. Many residents live on the Indus-Gangetic Plain, avoiding the less hospitable Himalayas to the north and the Thar desert to the west, where it forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan.
The largest city in this region, Delhi, is home to around 25 million people and it’s reckoned to be one of the biggest urban areas in the world. It contains more golf facilities than any Indian city so it’s an obvious “must visit” destination for any visiting golfer, who will experience both old and modern design influences within a reasonable distance from the central business district of New Delhi, the capital.
Delhi Golf Club was formed in 1951, though golf had been played on a municipal course at the same site since the 1930s. The original 18-hole layout was redesigned by Peter Thomson in the late 1970s, when he fashioned a new 18-hole course called the Lodhi and a 9-hole course called the Peacock. Monuments and tombs are dotted around the property, affording it a rather unique atmosphere.
Of a more recent vintage, the new millennium developments at Jaypee Greens and ITC Classic were fashioned by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, respectively, so the construction components of these courses are right up to date. Another modern 27-hole facility, DLF Golf & Country Club, has been designed by Arnold Palmer and Gary Player so there’s absolutely no shortage of big name designers in and around New Delhi.
Further afield, the tree-lined track at Chandigarh Golf Club dates back to 1962, the 18-hole layout at Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur which overlooks the Moti Dungair Palace and Nahargarth Fort was set out even earlier in 1944, and the course at Agra Golf Club (with its 10 greens and 18 tees) was first established in 1904 as a green buffer to restrict development near the Taj Mahal.
",63,"2018-09-01 04:49:29",India,"Golf in India goes back a long way. In fact, it goes back a very long way because the first golf club established outside the British Isles was Royal Calcutta (originally named Dum Dum Golfing Club) in 1829. The now defunct Royal Bombay Golf Club followed in 1842 then Cosmopolitan Club and Bangalore Golf Club were founded during the 1870s. Madras Gymhkana was formed in 1884 before places like Shillong and Royal Western India appeared around the turn of the century.
On the tournament front, the All-India Amateur Championship was first held in 1892 so it’s said to be the second oldest international golf event in the world (after the Open) because it preceded the US Open by three years. More recently, the Indian Open was inaugurated in 1964, when Peter Thomson won the first of his three Indian titles, and it’s been a co-sanctioned event on the European Tour since 2015.
The Indian Golf Union was founded by six clubs – Bombay Presidency, Delhi, Madras Gymkhana, Royal Calcutta, Tollygunge and Willingdon Sports Club – in 1955 and this national governing body now tends to the administrative needs of more than two hundred clubs around the country. It’s one of 149 organizations affiliated to the International Golf Federation, sending teams to compete in the World Amateur Team Championships every two years.
On the professional side of things, the Professional Golf Tour of India was formed in 2006 and this body, with more than 300 professional golfers as members, now organises around 25 tournaments a year within the country. Incredibly, at the end of 2016, 22 Indian professionals had won no fewer than 75 international events around the world, with Jeev Milka Singh leading the way on 13 victories, followed by Arjun Atwal on 10 wins.
Diversity is the keyword for golf in India; from desert plains to the tea estates and Hill Stations in terms of terrain, from traditional parkland to modern resort golf regarding layouts. Some courses, such as Madras Gymkhana in Chennai, are located inside a horse racing track and others, like Patna in Bihar and Bhatinda in Punjab, are situated close to wildlife compounds – the 1st fairway at Patna lies next to the lion enclosure at the nearby zoo and there’s a protected deer paddock inside the Bhatinda layout.
Of course, while there’s still a place for old-fashioned quirk in Indian golf – be it the magnificent sight of the Qutub Minar brick minaret backdropping the west side of the Qutub course in New Delhi or, twenty kilometres further east, the Battle of Delhi monument on the 16th tee at the Noida course – there remains plenty of scope for new designs to flourish in modern residential developments where the international brands of Nicklaus, Norman and Player lead the way.
Our Indian Top 20 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
The five States and three Union Territories that constitute the Southern India region account for around 20% of India’s land mass and it’s here that more than 250 million people live. Peninsular in shape, the region’s coastline runs from the Bay of Bengal in the East, past Kanyakumari (formerly Cape Comorin) in the south to the Arabian Sea in the West, with an astounding 89 ports situated along this seaboard.
Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) in the state of Karnataka, Chennai (once known as Madras) in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad in Telangana are where the largest groups of inhabitants live in South India and each of these three sprawling cities has a metropolitan population of more than seven million people. Unsurprisingly, most of the courses in the region are located around these large conurbations.
The course at Bangalore Golf Club is the oldest outside the British Isles and Continental Europe, having been established in 1876 on a site that was previously used as a rifle range by the Pioneer Regiment stationed in the city. The original 12-hole layout was recorded as a full 18-hole course in 1919 and it underwent a major new millennium makeover by Pacific Coast Design, with the fully grassed course reopening in 2002.
There are three top tracks around Bengaluru currently listed in our Indian Top 20 chart. Karnataka is a Peter Thomson-designed layout located near the city centre, Eagleton is a late-1990s Pacific Coast Design creation situated an hour’s drive southwest of the central business district and the semi-private course at Prestige Golfshire, which lies in Nandi Hills, some 50 kilometres north of downtown Bengaluru.
",63,"2018-09-01 04:49:29",India,"Golf in India goes back a long way. In fact, it goes back a very long way because the first golf club established outside the British Isles was Royal Calcutta (originally named Dum Dum Golfing Club) in 1829. The now defunct Royal Bombay Golf Club followed in 1842 then Cosmopolitan Club and Bangalore Golf Club were founded during the 1870s. Madras Gymhkana was formed in 1884 before places like Shillong and Royal Western India appeared around the turn of the century.
On the tournament front, the All-India Amateur Championship was first held in 1892 so it’s said to be the second oldest international golf event in the world (after the Open) because it preceded the US Open by three years. More recently, the Indian Open was inaugurated in 1964, when Peter Thomson won the first of his three Indian titles, and it’s been a co-sanctioned event on the European Tour since 2015.
The Indian Golf Union was founded by six clubs – Bombay Presidency, Delhi, Madras Gymkhana, Royal Calcutta, Tollygunge and Willingdon Sports Club – in 1955 and this national governing body now tends to the administrative needs of more than two hundred clubs around the country. It’s one of 149 organizations affiliated to the International Golf Federation, sending teams to compete in the World Amateur Team Championships every two years.
On the professional side of things, the Professional Golf Tour of India was formed in 2006 and this body, with more than 300 professional golfers as members, now organises around 25 tournaments a year within the country. Incredibly, at the end of 2016, 22 Indian professionals had won no fewer than 75 international events around the world, with Jeev Milka Singh leading the way on 13 victories, followed by Arjun Atwal on 10 wins.
Diversity is the keyword for golf in India; from desert plains to the tea estates and Hill Stations in terms of terrain, from traditional parkland to modern resort golf regarding layouts. Some courses, such as Madras Gymkhana in Chennai, are located inside a horse racing track and others, like Patna in Bihar and Bhatinda in Punjab, are situated close to wildlife compounds – the 1st fairway at Patna lies next to the lion enclosure at the nearby zoo and there’s a protected deer paddock inside the Bhatinda layout.
Of course, while there’s still a place for old-fashioned quirk in Indian golf – be it the magnificent sight of the Qutub Minar brick minaret backdropping the west side of the Qutub course in New Delhi or, twenty kilometres further east, the Battle of Delhi monument on the 16th tee at the Noida course – there remains plenty of scope for new designs to flourish in modern residential developments where the international brands of Nicklaus, Norman and Player lead the way.
Our Indian Top 20 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Western India extends to just over half a million square kilometres, with around 150 million people inhabiting the four states and two territories that comprise the region. The coastal city of Mumbai, which was known as Bombay up until 1995, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and it’s the largest city by population in the country with more than 20 million inhabitants.
Royal Bombay Golf Club was founded in 1842, thirteen years after Royal Calcutta was established, but it didn’t survive. Two of the older clubs in the region that still exist are Willingdon Sports Club, formed in 1917, and Poona Golf Club, which was founded just a few years later.
Courses in the West include Oxford, a Phil Ryan of Pacific Coast Design layout that’s located in the Sahyadri Hills to the south of Mumbai, Aamby Valley, which David Hemstock established on a site near Pune, overlooking the Shayadri Ranges of the Western Ghats, and Bombay Presidency, where Nelson & Haworth redesigned the original late-1920s course in more recent times.
",63,"2018-09-01 04:49:29",India,"Golf in India goes back a long way. In fact, it goes back a very long way because the first golf club established outside the British Isles was Royal Calcutta (originally named Dum Dum Golfing Club) in 1829. The now defunct Royal Bombay Golf Club followed in 1842 then Cosmopolitan Club and Bangalore Golf Club were founded during the 1870s. Madras Gymhkana was formed in 1884 before places like Shillong and Royal Western India appeared around the turn of the century.
On the tournament front, the All-India Amateur Championship was first held in 1892 so it’s said to be the second oldest international golf event in the world (after the Open) because it preceded the US Open by three years. More recently, the Indian Open was inaugurated in 1964, when Peter Thomson won the first of his three Indian titles, and it’s been a co-sanctioned event on the European Tour since 2015.
The Indian Golf Union was founded by six clubs – Bombay Presidency, Delhi, Madras Gymkhana, Royal Calcutta, Tollygunge and Willingdon Sports Club – in 1955 and this national governing body now tends to the administrative needs of more than two hundred clubs around the country. It’s one of 149 organizations affiliated to the International Golf Federation, sending teams to compete in the World Amateur Team Championships every two years.
On the professional side of things, the Professional Golf Tour of India was formed in 2006 and this body, with more than 300 professional golfers as members, now organises around 25 tournaments a year within the country. Incredibly, at the end of 2016, 22 Indian professionals had won no fewer than 75 international events around the world, with Jeev Milka Singh leading the way on 13 victories, followed by Arjun Atwal on 10 wins.
Diversity is the keyword for golf in India; from desert plains to the tea estates and Hill Stations in terms of terrain, from traditional parkland to modern resort golf regarding layouts. Some courses, such as Madras Gymkhana in Chennai, are located inside a horse racing track and others, like Patna in Bihar and Bhatinda in Punjab, are situated close to wildlife compounds – the 1st fairway at Patna lies next to the lion enclosure at the nearby zoo and there’s a protected deer paddock inside the Bhatinda layout.
Of course, while there’s still a place for old-fashioned quirk in Indian golf – be it the magnificent sight of the Qutub Minar brick minaret backdropping the west side of the Qutub course in New Delhi or, twenty kilometres further east, the Battle of Delhi monument on the 16th tee at the Noida course – there remains plenty of scope for new designs to flourish in modern residential developments where the international brands of Nicklaus, Norman and Player lead the way.
Our Indian Top 20 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Bali is located to the east of Java – spanning a largely mountainous landscape that extends to over 2,200 square miles – and it’s one of thirty-three provinces that collectively form the country of Indonesia. Once largely agricultural based, the island’s economy has since diversified in a big way into tourism and large numbers of mainly Australian, Chinese and Japanese visitors arrive annually to surf the white sandy beaches, explore the dense jungles or visit the wonderful array of temples. Of course, golf plays its part in providing recreational options for tourists and there are a handful of courses in play around the island.
The 9-hole Balibeach Golf course is situated within the grounds of the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel in the south coast resort of Sanur and it’s a testing track that features only one par three. Forty miles inland, the course at The Handara Golf Resort, formerly Bali Handara Kosaido, sits inside the crater of an extinct volcano at an altitude of more than 3,500 feet above sea level. The New Kuta course sits atop limestone cliffs within the Pecatu Indah Resort and the fairways of this 18-hole layout overlook The Dreamland resort and Balangan Bali surf camp. The course at Bali Golf & Country Club closed in February 2012 for refurbishment and it reopened in 2013 with a new name – Bali National Golf Club. Finally, with three holes running along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, Greg Norman’s 1997 design at Nirwana Bali was recognised as the best in region, but in July 2017 it closed for a complete revamp under the architectural stewardship of Phil Mickelson. When it reopens it will be a Trump branded property.
",64,"2018-09-01 04:49:35",Indonesia,"Almost 18,000 islands make up the country of Indonesia and the island of Java is one of the most populated regions in the world. The geology of Indonesia subjects these islands to the greatest volcanic activity on earth but many visitors are attracted here and for good reason: the laid-back lifestyle, sun-kissed beaches and some of the world’s most incredible ancient temples.
Indonesia has so much to offer and it will definitely satisfy all types of travellers with its rich and gentle culture. Indonesia really is a heavenly place on earth. With almost 150 golf courses to choose from, Indonesia is also a heavenly place for golfers.
Many of the courses are in the resort mould with the majority of foreign golfers heading for the tropical island of Bali where there are five very good 9-hole and 18-hole layouts, including the once glorious Greg Norman layout at Nirwana Bali Golf Club, which is currently closed for a complete remodel.
But if you find yourself in Papua on the western half of New Guinea then you must check out Rimba Irian, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s remotest design, which is literally located in the middle of a rainforest jungle.
Our Indonesian Top 30 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Situated between Sumatra to the west and Bali to the east, Java – with an estimated 140 million residents – is the most populated island in the world. It was heavily involved in the struggle for independence against British and Dutch forces after World War II, with the country finally overcoming colonial rule from the Netherlands in 1949. The capital city of Jakarta lies on the northwest coast of the island and the Big Durian, as it’s sometimes called, is at the cultural, political and economic heart of the nation.
Golf in Jakarta can be traced back to 1872 when British businessmen (involved in building the railways) formed Batavia GC and this club was subsequently named Jakarta Golf Club when it was reconstituted sixty years later. The course at Jakarta Golf Club, lying right in the heart of the city centre, has contracted somewhat in the modern era due to the encroachment of other building developments but membership of the club itself is still highly desired.
There are around 35 golf courses in and around Jakarta with all the top tracks located inside an hour’s drive from the city centre. To the south, there’s the “Grand Old Lady” of Indonesian golf, the Old course at Jagorawi Golf & Country Club which debuted in 1979. To the north west, lies the 36-hole charms of Damai Indah Golf, where the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Dami course and Robert Trent Jones Snr’s Pantai Indah Kapuk layout were unveiled in 1992 but located some 20 miles apart. Back close to downtown Jakarta, the modern 27-hole complex at Royale Jakarta has made a big impression since it arrived in 2008 with the West & South nines hosting the Indonesian Masters in 2011 and 2012.
",64,"2018-09-01 04:49:35",Indonesia,"Almost 18,000 islands make up the country of Indonesia and the island of Java is one of the most populated regions in the world. The geology of Indonesia subjects these islands to the greatest volcanic activity on earth but many visitors are attracted here and for good reason: the laid-back lifestyle, sun-kissed beaches and some of the world’s most incredible ancient temples.
Indonesia has so much to offer and it will definitely satisfy all types of travellers with its rich and gentle culture. Indonesia really is a heavenly place on earth. With almost 150 golf courses to choose from, Indonesia is also a heavenly place for golfers.
Many of the courses are in the resort mould with the majority of foreign golfers heading for the tropical island of Bali where there are five very good 9-hole and 18-hole layouts, including the once glorious Greg Norman layout at Nirwana Bali Golf Club, which is currently closed for a complete remodel.
But if you find yourself in Papua on the western half of New Guinea then you must check out Rimba Irian, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s remotest design, which is literally located in the middle of a rainforest jungle.
Our Indonesian Top 30 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Papua is the most easterly province in Indonesia and it occupies an enormous 123,000 square mile region that encompasses the western half of New Guinea. The rugged landscape of Lorentz National Park epitomises much of the terrain in Papua and this ecologically diverse area of mangrove, swamp, rainforest and alpine tundra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Grasberg, one of the largest mines in the world, is situated near Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Papua, producing prodigious quantities of gold, silver and copper on an annual basis. In the mid-1990s, the mine owners enlisted the services of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore to design a golf course for the recreational use of its employees and they somehow managed to carve the fairways out of dense rainforest jungle close to the mine. The remote Rimba Irian layout was never built with visitors in mind but we’re sure any intrepid golfer who does take the time and trouble to travel to such an isolated location will be well rewarded with a memorable round on one of Asia’s most unusual golf courses.
",64,"2018-09-01 04:49:35",Indonesia,"Almost 18,000 islands make up the country of Indonesia and the island of Java is one of the most populated regions in the world. The geology of Indonesia subjects these islands to the greatest volcanic activity on earth but many visitors are attracted here and for good reason: the laid-back lifestyle, sun-kissed beaches and some of the world’s most incredible ancient temples.
Indonesia has so much to offer and it will definitely satisfy all types of travellers with its rich and gentle culture. Indonesia really is a heavenly place on earth. With almost 150 golf courses to choose from, Indonesia is also a heavenly place for golfers.
Many of the courses are in the resort mould with the majority of foreign golfers heading for the tropical island of Bali where there are five very good 9-hole and 18-hole layouts, including the once glorious Greg Norman layout at Nirwana Bali Golf Club, which is currently closed for a complete remodel.
But if you find yourself in Papua on the western half of New Guinea then you must check out Rimba Irian, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s remotest design, which is literally located in the middle of a rainforest jungle.
Our Indonesian Top 30 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Situated an hour’s ferry ride to the south east of Singapore, Bintan is the largest island in Indonesia’s Riau archipelago with a land area of approximately 900 square miles. It was an important trading post for many centuries due to its position on the route between China and India but, in the modern era, it’s tourism potential is being developed in much the same way as Bali's.
The Bintan Resorts project in the north of the island now boasts three excellent golf facilities which all opened for play in the late 1990s. Laguna Bintan (formerly known as Banyan Tree) is a Greg Norman design laid out in two returning loops of nine, each of which flirts with the waters of the South China Sea.
The Ria Bintan 27-hole complex from Gary Player’s design company consists of the short, tight 9-hole Forest circuit and the more expansive 18-hole Ocean layout. Finally, the 36-hole Bintan Lagoon resort offers two contrasting courses with the Jack Nicklaus-designed Sea View course preferred by many to the tighter, more challenging Woodlands layout from Ian Baker-Finch.
",64,"2018-09-01 04:49:35",Indonesia,"Almost 18,000 islands make up the country of Indonesia and the island of Java is one of the most populated regions in the world. The geology of Indonesia subjects these islands to the greatest volcanic activity on earth but many visitors are attracted here and for good reason: the laid-back lifestyle, sun-kissed beaches and some of the world’s most incredible ancient temples.
Indonesia has so much to offer and it will definitely satisfy all types of travellers with its rich and gentle culture. Indonesia really is a heavenly place on earth. With almost 150 golf courses to choose from, Indonesia is also a heavenly place for golfers.
Many of the courses are in the resort mould with the majority of foreign golfers heading for the tropical island of Bali where there are five very good 9-hole and 18-hole layouts, including the once glorious Greg Norman layout at Nirwana Bali Golf Club, which is currently closed for a complete remodel.
But if you find yourself in Papua on the western half of New Guinea then you must check out Rimba Irian, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s remotest design, which is literally located in the middle of a rainforest jungle.
Our Indonesian Top 30 rankings were last updated in March 2018. Click the link to read the story.
Noted for its most famous landmark, Mount Fuji, the Chubu region is located in the central area of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, between the Kanto and Kansai regions, and it boasts coastlines along both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Residing within nine prefectures, the population of over twenty million people is spread over an area extending to approximately 28,000 square miles.
The Fuji course at the Kawana Resort is a truly world class layout that C.H. Alison designed back in the mid-1930s and it has featured in World Top 100 listings for years now. The resort’s other 18-hole course (the Oshima) was actually in play a decade earlier but its elementary design leaves a lot to be desired, unfortunately. The Karuizawa course is another Golden Age resort layout that features in our Japanese rankings and it’s a relatively short track which lies at altitude about 100 miles to the northwest of the capital. The Wago course at Nagoya also dates back to the late 1920s and it has featured as an annual stop on the Japan Golf Tour for more than half a century now.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
The Chugoku region is situated in the southwest corner of Honshu, the largest of Japan’s islands, and it’s bounded to the north by the Sea of Japan, with the Seto Inland Sea running along its southern coastline.
Around seven and a half million people live within Chugoku’s five prefectures, the largest of which is Hiroshima. The Hiroshima prefecture is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Genbaku Dome, a memorial to the tens of thousands killed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima city on 6 August 1945 and The Itsukushima Shrine, a 16th century Shinto shrine where the iconic torii gate appears to float on water at high tide.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
The second largest of Japan’s islands, Hokkaido is the also the most northerly of the nation’s forty-seven prefectures. The island is connected to Honshu by the Seikan Tunnel, which allows trains to run under the Tsugaru Strait. Around two million of Hokkaido’s five and a half million people live in Sapporo, the fourth largest city in Japan.
We currently feature three ranked courses from this region, including Otaru Country Club, which is located in the Ishikari Bay of the Sea of Japan, half an hour’s drive from downtown Sapporo. A modern design from Kokichi Yasuda, it opened for play in 1974 and has since hosted the Japan Open a couple of times.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
The Kanto region lies on the east side of Honshu, the largest of the Japanese islands, and it embraces the Greater Tokyo Area, along with seven other prefectures. Over forty-two million people are estimated to live here, accounting for a third of the total population in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The course at Tokyo Golf Club is undoubtedly the best in Kanto, and recent restoration work by Gil Hanse has gone a long way to consolidating the layout’s position within our World Top 100 ranking chart. Both the East and the West courses at Kasumigaseki are fine old tracks from the early 1930s that seem to improve with age, as does the course at Oarai, which was laid out by Seichi Inoue a couple of decades later. Like Tokyo, an American architect has recently upgraded Abiko’s course. This time, the person involved was Brian Silva and his work entailed replacing the old double greens for a single, top spec putting surface on every hole.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Located in the south-central part of Japan’s main island, Honshu, the Kinki or Kansai region of Japan is considered to be at the heart of the country’s history and culture. Five UNESCO World Heritage Listings put Kansai at the top of any Japanese region. Kansai, specifically the city of Osaka, is the food centre of Japan with popular dishes that include kitsune udon, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu.
In terms of golf courses, the Kinki region boasts around 350 facilities but, without a shadow of doubt, the premier golf course in Kansai is the venerable Hirono Golf Club which was laid out by Englishman Charles H. Alison in 1932. Hirono has headed most Japanese ranking lists since ratings began and it’s unlikely to be knocked off the top spot any time soon. Naruo Golf Club dates back to 1920 and it too was shaped by the intrepid English architect and has occasionally appeared within the World Top 100 rankings.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Extending to almost 14,000 square miles, Kyushu is Japan’s third largest island and it’s the most southerly of the country’s four main islands. Home to Mount Asa, the most active volcano in Japan, it’s also home to a population of more than thirteen million people, many of whom live in the northwest of the island, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu.
Top-flight golf is a little sparse in Kyushu. The course at Koga is recognised as the best in the region and it’s one that has undergone a couple of extensive upgrade programs in the last two decades, resulting in it hosting the Japan Open after each renovation. The Phoenix Country Club course extends to three loops of nine holes and the two longest circuits, Yakachiho and Sumiyoshi, form the championship 18-hole layout which takes it into our Japanese course rankings.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Comprising hundreds of small islands in a chain that stretches over six hundred miles, Okinawa is the most southerly of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures.
The region is probably best (and most infamously) known for the role it played in the bloodiest conflict of the Pacific War, when almost a quarter of a million people were killed in fighting between the Allied and Japanese forces at the Battle of Okinawa.
After World War II ended, Okinawa remained under the administration of the United States until 1972, when the islands finally reverted to Japanese rule. That wasn’t to be the end of American interest in the islands, however, and more than a dozen military bases, covering almost a hundred square miles, still operate in the region.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Located to the south of Honshu and to the east of Kyushu, Shikoku is the smallest of the four main Japanese islands, covering an area of around seven thousand square miles. The population of approximately four and a half million resides in four prefectures, with most people living in the less mountainous north side of the island.
Since the late 1990s, Shikoku has been connected to Honshu by three expressways - using a total of nineteen bridges to span the Inland Sea of Japan - and these modern links to the main island have a gone a long way to dispel the isolation that was once felt by the people of “the four provinces”.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Consisting of six prefectures in the north east of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, the Tohoku region is a rather remote, mountainous area covering around twenty-five thousand square miles, with a population of approximately nine and a half million people.
It was this region that suffered most from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which occurred on 11 March 2011, with the epicentre located around forty miles east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku. More than ten thousand people perished when the inrushing wall of water drowned them and severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will take many years to repair.
",65,"2018-09-01 04:49:43",Japan,"Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.
Japan consists of four main islands, Hokkaido in the north, Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and southernmost Kyushu. Additionally, there are many smaller islands, notably Okinawa.
There are more golf courses in Japan than the rest of Asia put together. With nearly 2,500 courses (and many more driving ranges), the Japanese are serious golf lovers and they have built some of the world’s finest courses. The entire tapestry and the full legacy of Japanese golf courses is hard to unravel, but thanks to our contributors from the Land of the Rising Sun, we are able to showcase a selection of the finest courses in the country.
We updated Japan's rankings in March 2018. Full details are here: Top 50 Golf Courses of Japan 2018
Malaysia is divided into two separate parts, separated by the South China Sea: Peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia) is where the capital city of Kuala Lumpur is situated on the Malay Peninsula and where most of the Malaysian people live, and East Malaysia (comprising the states of Sabah, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan) in the northern reaches of the island of Borneo.
The region shares borders with Indonesia to the south and with the tiny enclave of Brunei to the north. Although East Malaysia is larger in size than West Malaysia, it contains only 20% of the national population. It may not be as well developed as its western counterpart but it does have the distinct advantage of an abundance of more marketable natural resources in its oil and gas reserves.
There are more than two dozen golf clubs in East Malaysia affiliated to the Malaysian Golf Association, including a couple of offshore clubs on Labuan Island, in Brunei Bay. The 18-hole course at Labuan International Golf Club is an impressive Parslow & Winter design that opened for play at the end of 2013 and, although it’s not currently ranked in our Malaysian listings, we’re keeping a very close eye on it in relation to its future ranking prospects.
There are two discreet parts to Malaysia which are separated by the South China Sea – East Malaysia and West Malaysia. Both territories have similar geographical features, with sweeping coastal plains and densely forested mountain interiors but it’s the country’s multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual attributes, along with a broad range of diverse cultural and gastronomic customs, that are most admired around the world.
The Malaysian economy is one of the most vibrant in all of Asia and its GDP has shown steady growth for decades now, with tourism reckoned to be the nation’s third largest source of foreign exchange income. Nevertheless, revenue from oil and gas still underpin the government’s annual budget via the national oil company Petronas, which operates from the tallest twin-tower structure in the world in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian Golf Association dates back to 1928 and one of its main annual functions nowadays is to oversee the running of the Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship, an event that started out in 1894 as the Straits Championship. The quality of Malaysian courses is high and as we now feature what we consider to be the Top 40 golf courses in the country you’ll be well advised to pack your clubs if you’re planning a visit.
Our Malaysian Top 40 rankings were last updated in February 2018. Click the link to read the story.
The South China Sea divides Malaysia’s two distinct geographical regions: East Malaysia on the island of Borneo and West Malaysia, also known as the Malay Peninsula or Peninsula Malaysia. West Malaysia comprises of eleven states and two federal territories in an area covering just over 50,000 square miles. The Thai border forms a boundary to the north and the island of Singapore lies immediately to the south, separated from West Malaysia by the Johore Strait.
Around 25 million people live in this region, a large proportion reside in and around the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, which is one of Southeast Asia’s most progressive metropolitan areas. The thickly wooded Titiwangsa Mountains form the backbone of the Malay Peninsula, running north to south, with the Straits of Malacca off the west coast acknowledged as one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Almost one hundred and twenty West Malaysian clubs are affiliated to the Malaysian Golf Association (more than 80% of its membership) so it will probably come as no surprise to learn that the vast majority of courses featured in our national chart are also from the same geographical location, with 18-hole layouts around the capital claiming most of the highest ranking positions.
There are two discreet parts to Malaysia which are separated by the South China Sea – East Malaysia and West Malaysia. Both territories have similar geographical features, with sweeping coastal plains and densely forested mountain interiors but it’s the country’s multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual attributes, along with a broad range of diverse cultural and gastronomic customs, that are most admired around the world.
The Malaysian economy is one of the most vibrant in all of Asia and its GDP has shown steady growth for decades now, with tourism reckoned to be the nation’s third largest source of foreign exchange income. Nevertheless, revenue from oil and gas still underpin the government’s annual budget via the national oil company Petronas, which operates from the tallest twin-tower structure in the world in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian Golf Association dates back to 1928 and one of its main annual functions nowadays is to oversee the running of the Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship, an event that started out in 1894 as the Straits Championship. The quality of Malaysian courses is high and as we now feature what we consider to be the Top 40 golf courses in the country you’ll be well advised to pack your clubs if you’re planning a visit.
Our Malaysian Top 40 rankings were last updated in February 2018. Click the link to read the story.
The Central Thailand region is where most of the nation’s golf action takes place, whether it’s in or around the capital or a little further south in either the Hua Hin district or in Pattaya, on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Of the sixty Thai courses that we now feature in either our regional or national lists, two thirds of them are found within this very golf-orientated part of the country.
For example, conveniently located less than a 1-hour drive from downtown Bangkok, you’ll comfortably be able to reach the very highly regarded layout of Thomson & Perrett’s Ayodhya Links, Ron Garl’s accomplished course at Alpine Golf Club or the Dennis Griffiths-designed track at Thai Country Club, though getting a game at the first two is problematic as they’re both very private facilities.
There are no access issues to worry about at either of Hua Hin’s top rated venues at Banyan Golf Club or Black Mountain. In Pattaya, all three of Siam Country Club’s layouts (Old, Plantation and Waterside) are all available for visitor play, as are the three Jack Nicklaus-designed nines at nearby Laem Chabang International Country Club, where night time floodlit golf is also available to green fee paying guests.
The exotic Kingdom of Thailand lies at the heart of Southeast Asia and for many visitors Thailand is closer to a life-changing experience than a vacation. Nothing prepares you for the cultural phenomenon of the capital city, Bangkok. There’s something for everyone in the steamy, cosmopolitan metropolis, from ancient temples, Thai massages, tuk-tuks, kickboxing, nightlife and eclectic markets that stimulate all the senses. You'll also find around 60 golf courses in close proximity to the capital.
The country is divided into four natural regions; the mountainous area of the Thai Highlands to the north, the Khorat Plateau to the northeast, the mainly flat Chao Phraya river valley in the middle of the country and the narrow Kra Isthmus to the south, which widens into the Malay Peninsula. Such is the geographical diversity of Thailand, it can be truly said that each and every course – from Santiburi in the north to Red Mountain in the south – is uniquely designed.
Thailand’s golfing heritage dates back to 1923 when King Vajiravudh The Great became interested in golf and agreed to the construction of Royal Hua Hin Golf Course. The Thailand Golf Association dates back to 1964 and it set about organising the Thailand Open for professional golfers the following year. It took twenty-seven editions of the flagship competition before a native golfer, Suthep Meesawat, claimed the national title in 1991. Extraordinarily, his winning performance was matched the following year by another Thai pro, Boonchu Ruangkit, who would go on to win the event again in 2004.
There are reckoned to be over two hundred and fifty golf courses in Thailand and it’s our intention to showcase the very best of these. We inaugurated a Thai Top 10 in 2009 and since then we’ve continued to add more courses, creating a Top 30 chart in 2012, a Top 40 listing in 2015 and now a Top 50 at the start of 2017. We’ve also split the country into three regions, maintaining separate ranking lists for each one, which allows us to feature a total of sixty Thai tracks.
Our Thailand Top 50 rankings were last updated in January 2017. Click the link to read the story.
More than half the nation’s seventy-six provinces are located in Northern Thailand, where this region shares a border with Myanmar to the northwest and with Laos to the northeast. It’s an expansive area that’s characterised by a landscape of densely forested mountains and a number of indigenous hill tribes still live here, each with its own language and culture.
Golf is quite thin on the ground in this region but the quality is very good so we now feature a Top 10 chart for Northern Thailand. Many of the top-rated tracks are clustered around the ancient cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, close to Myanmar, with the Robert Trent Jones Jnr course at Santiburi Country Club and the Schmidt-Curley design at Chiangmai Highlands acknowledged as the best two in this locality.
Further east, on the other side of the Phetchabun Mountains, lies the Isaan region and its premier layout is Singha Park Khon Kaen, set out on the site of the Singha Beer company’s old wastewater disposal plant. Three hundred kilometres southwest of here, only a 3-hour drive from the capital, Toscana Valley is the best of a small bunch of closely grouped golf facilities in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The exotic Kingdom of Thailand lies at the heart of Southeast Asia and for many visitors Thailand is closer to a life-changing experience than a vacation. Nothing prepares you for the cultural phenomenon of the capital city, Bangkok. There’s something for everyone in the steamy, cosmopolitan metropolis, from ancient temples, Thai massages, tuk-tuks, kickboxing, nightlife and eclectic markets that stimulate all the senses. You'll also find around 60 golf courses in close proximity to the capital.
The country is divided into four natural regions; the mountainous area of the Thai Highlands to the north, the Khorat Plateau to the northeast, the mainly flat Chao Phraya river valley in the middle of the country and the narrow Kra Isthmus to the south, which widens into the Malay Peninsula. Such is the geographical diversity of Thailand, it can be truly said that each and every course – from Santiburi in the north to Red Mountain in the south – is uniquely designed.
Thailand’s golfing heritage dates back to 1923 when King Vajiravudh The Great became interested in golf and agreed to the construction of Royal Hua Hin Golf Course. The Thailand Golf Association dates back to 1964 and it set about organising the Thailand Open for professional golfers the following year. It took twenty-seven editions of the flagship competition before a native golfer, Suthep Meesawat, claimed the national title in 1991. Extraordinarily, his winning performance was matched the following year by another Thai pro, Boonchu Ruangkit, who would go on to win the event again in 2004.
There are reckoned to be over two hundred and fifty golf courses in Thailand and it’s our intention to showcase the very best of these. We inaugurated a Thai Top 10 in 2009 and since then we’ve continued to add more courses, creating a Top 30 chart in 2012, a Top 40 listing in 2015 and now a Top 50 at the start of 2017. We’ve also split the country into three regions, maintaining separate ranking lists for each one, which allows us to feature a total of sixty Thai tracks.
Our Thailand Top 50 rankings were last updated in January 2017. Click the link to read the story.
Fourteen of Thailand’s 76 provinces are located in Southern Thailand, strung out in a narrow strip down the narrow Isthmus of Kra which connects the country with the Malay Peninsula. To the west lies the Andaman Sea, to the east the Gulf of Thailand, and there’s been talk for some time of building a canal to connect the two, providing an alternative shipping route to the Straits of Malacca.
The main golfing centre of excellence in this region is found off the west coast, on the island of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, which is one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations. Here, half a dozen international standard resort courses are dotted around the island, with the Blue Canyon Country Club near the international airport recognised as one of the nation’s best 36-hole golf facilities.
Off the opposite coast to the east, the island of Samui is home to a fabulous 18-hole layout at Santiburi Samui Country Club whilst, back on the mainland, the course at Southern Hills Country Golf & Country Club is a well-regarded Perry Dye design which is set out in a narrow river valley in the deep south of the country, close to the Malaysian border.
The exotic Kingdom of Thailand lies at the heart of Southeast Asia and for many visitors Thailand is closer to a life-changing experience than a vacation. Nothing prepares you for the cultural phenomenon of the capital city, Bangkok. There’s something for everyone in the steamy, cosmopolitan metropolis, from ancient temples, Thai massages, tuk-tuks, kickboxing, nightlife and eclectic markets that stimulate all the senses. You'll also find around 60 golf courses in close proximity to the capital.
The country is divided into four natural regions; the mountainous area of the Thai Highlands to the north, the Khorat Plateau to the northeast, the mainly flat Chao Phraya river valley in the middle of the country and the narrow Kra Isthmus to the south, which widens into the Malay Peninsula. Such is the geographical diversity of Thailand, it can be truly said that each and every course – from Santiburi in the north to Red Mountain in the south – is uniquely designed.
Thailand’s golfing heritage dates back to 1923 when King Vajiravudh The Great became interested in golf and agreed to the construction of Royal Hua Hin Golf Course. The Thailand Golf Association dates back to 1964 and it set about organising the Thailand Open for professional golfers the following year. It took twenty-seven editions of the flagship competition before a native golfer, Suthep Meesawat, claimed the national title in 1991. Extraordinarily, his winning performance was matched the following year by another Thai pro, Boonchu Ruangkit, who would go on to win the event again in 2004.
There are reckoned to be over two hundred and fifty golf courses in Thailand and it’s our intention to showcase the very best of these. We inaugurated a Thai Top 10 in 2009 and since then we’ve continued to add more courses, creating a Top 30 chart in 2012, a Top 40 listing in 2015 and now a Top 50 at the start of 2017. We’ve also split the country into three regions, maintaining separate ranking lists for each one, which allows us to feature a total of sixty Thai tracks.
Our Thailand Top 50 rankings were last updated in January 2017. Click the link to read the story.
With only 24 affiliated golf clubs, the Bedfordshire County Golf Union is one of the smallest counties in the English Golf Union but its foundation dates back to 1923. Bedfordshire, Dunstable Downs, South Beds and Mid Beds (now Bedford & County) were the four founding Bedfordshire clubs and each of these golf courses feature prominently in our Best in County rankings.
Bedfordshire Ladies’ County Golf Association has 19 clubs affiliated to the association and its main objectives are to a) uphold the rules of England Golf, b) further the interests of girls’ and ladies’ golf, c) give support and advice on the running of ladies’ sections, and d) organise county matches and competitions.
The Bedfordshire Golf Club is now 120 years old and it’s the oldest club in the county but its course is one of the county’s newest – opening for play in 2000. The renowned British golf writer, Henry Longhurst, was an active member of the Bedfordshire Golf Club in the 1930s.
According to Wikipedia, the traditional nickname for the people from Bedfordshire is “Clangers”. The name is not derived from the cult BBC children’s TV series of the same name, but a local dish comprising a suet crust dumpling filled with meat or jam or both. Sounds Yummy?
Our Bedfordshire golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 33,"2018-09-01 04:48:11",Berkshire,"The Royal County of Berkshire is home to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and it’s the Queen’s favourite weekend home. From a golfing perspective – largely due to its heathland – Berkshire is also a favourite county for thousands of golfers.
The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Union of Golf Clubs have administered golf in Berkshire since 1924 and this is the only golf union in England comprising of three counties. Newbury & Crookham Golf Club is one of the oldest golf clubs in England and is Berkshire’s eldest, founded in 1873 – although the club’s current course opened fifty years after its formation.
In total, there are 44 golf clubs in the Royal County and the Berkshire Golf Club is one of only three clubs that can boast about having two heathland courses positioned in the Britain & Ireland Top 100. Many will wonder why Sunningdale is not featured in our Berkshire county rankings. The reason is that despite Sunningdale Golf Club having a Berkshire postal address, the club is affiliated to the Surrey County Golf Union.
The Berkshire County Ladies’ Golf Association was established in 1922, when Sonning, East Berks, Maidenhead and Temple formed what was then called the Berkshire Ladies' County Golf Club. The name change to the present title occurred eight years later, when “Club” was dropped for “Association”. Lady Mary Crichton was the first President of the fledgling association, becoming the first of twenty-three women to hold the position since its foundation.
Our Berkshire Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 34,"2018-09-01 04:48:21",Buckinghamshire,"The county of Buckinghamshire in south east England is one of the more affluent counties in England and its proximity to the capital is such that Eton College’s Dorney Lake, in the South Bucks district, was used as the rowing venue for London’s 2012 Summer Olympics.
The forty golf clubs in Buckinghamshire are affiliated to the Berks Bucks & Oxon Union of Golf Clubs and this body was founded in 1924, comprising 11 clubs from Berkshire, 12 from Buckinghamshire and 7 from Oxfordshire. Today, the total number of clubs in membership of the Union has more than quadrupled from the original 30 to 122.
The Bucks County Ladies’ Golf Association was founded in 1923, with Lady Astor becoming its first President. As was the case with many associations back then, the Presidential position was automatically renewed on an annual basis and so Lady Astor remained in post until handing over the reins to her successor in 1965. Today, the association looks after the interests of female golfers in 42 member clubs, organising a number of annual competitions throughout the county.
The three championship courses at Woburn are far and away the best in the county. The Marquess was the newest layout to open at this wonderful golf facility in 1999 and it’s also the highest rated, featuring regularly in our rankings of the Top 100 Golf Courses in Britain & Ireland. The Duke’s course debuted in 1974, five years before the Duchess appeared, and both courses complement the Marquess at Woburn’s very classy 54-hole complex.
Our Buckinghamshire Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 35,"2018-09-01 04:48:38",Cambridgeshire,"Noted as one of the lowest lying areas in England (Holme Fen lies 9 feet below sea level), Cambridgeshire is divided into six administrative districts, with the university town of Cambridge as its administrative centre.
The Cambridgeshire Area Golf Union is the governing body for the approximately 10,000 male golfers in the county who are members of 29 affiliated clubs. The Union is one of ten that form the Midland Golf Union – a body established in 1897 – and CAGU was the last to join in 1950.
The Cambs and Hunts Ladies County Golf Association looks after the interests of female golfers who are in membership of one the 20 clubs affiliated to the association. It has four stated main aims: to run county teams, to organize a county championship, to organize competitions between clubs and to carry out tasks such as handicapping on behalf of England Golf and the LGU.
The region doesn’t exactly bristle with world-class golf courses but the 36-hole complex at Gog Magog, the delightful parkland course at Saffron Walden and the unique Links Newmarket, stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Gog Magog's Old and Wandlebury courses are both challenging and the Old is a genuine centurion that has hosted the Lagonda Trophy since 1975 with Lee Westwood and Luke Donald among the previous winners.
Our Cambridgeshire golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 36,"2018-09-01 04:48:50",Cheshire,"Covering an area of just under a thousand square miles, and with a population of around one million people, Cheshire is a largely rural county that sits between the hills of North Wales and the Peak District of Derbyshire. Due to the proximity of Liverpool and Manchester, a sizeable number of Cheshire residents commute to these big cities from affluent areas in the county.
Over 100 golf clubs are members of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs, which itself is affiliated to the Northern Counties Group, a body comprising the six most northerly golf unions in England, along with the Isle of Man. The Cheshire Union does a fine job organizing annual competitions for boys, men and senior men within the county and its representative men’s team has won the Northern Counties league on four occasions since 1990.
The Cheshire County Ladies’ Golf Association came into being in 1949, some twenty-nine years after male golfers in the county formed their golf union. Today, the association organises a number of competitions throughout the season for members of its 99 affiliated clubs. It also selects representative teams for inter county matches as well as running a busy Junior section which is geared to developing young female talent in the county.
There are many fine inland courses to be found in Cheshire – including Delamere Forest and Sandiway – but the Royal Liverpool links at Hoylake on The Wirral is far and away the top track in the county. One of only nine courses currently on the Open rota, it first hosted the famed championship back in 1897. Following a 39-year absence, the event returned to Hoylake for the 11th time in 2006 and it was held over the links again in 2014.
Our Cheshire Best in County rankings were updated in August 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 37,"2018-09-01 04:49:01",Cornwall,"There are 33 golf clubs affiliated to the Cornwall Golf Union, which was founded in 1901. The oldest golf club in the county is West Cornwall at Lelant, dating back to 1889. St Enodoc, Newquay and Bude and North Cornwall were all inaugurated soon after.
The Cornwall Ladies' Golf Championship dates back to 1896, though we don’t know who organised the annual event up until the Ladies’ Cornwall Golf Union was established in 1912. A rival group called the Cornwall Ladies’ County Golf Association was formed in 1928 then, a couple of years later, the two organisations merged to form the Cornwall Ladies’ County Golf Association and this governing body continues to provide golf administration and development services to female golfers in Cornwall today.
Although there are relatively few golf courses on the Cornish peninsula, the quality of golf on offer is excellent. The glorious costal settings of many Cornwall courses coupled with fresh, local cuisine – popularised by Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant in Padstow – combine to make Cornwall a glorious golfing destination.
The best golf courses can be found strung out along the northern coast from Bude in the north to Lelant in the south. But for those wanting to play golf at the extremities of England, Cape Cornwall (England’s most westerly course) and Mullion (England’s most southerly course) will fit the bill. Cape Cornwall narrowly missed our biennial Cornish Best In County rankings but it’s a course that once played will never be forgotten.
Our Cornwall Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 38,"2018-09-01 04:49:31",Cumbria,"Cumbria lies to the north west of England and its main tourist attraction, the Lake District National Park, covers a sizeable acreage of this region. One of the most sparsely populated counties in England, Cumbria is predominantly mountainous with towering peaks and sparkling lakes that draw millions of visitors to the county every year.
The Cumbria Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1910 so it has provided golf administration to local clubs for over a century now. Currently, there are 34 such clubs affiliated to the Union and, to switch to some boxing parlance, it has to be said that the county team has punched way above its weight in recent years.
Cumbria Ladies’ County Golf Association was formed in 1925 and there are currently 27 clubs affiliated to the association. Its stated aims are to further the interests of ladies’ golf, maintain the CONGU handicap system, comply with EWGA rules governing county golf administration and administer a county championship along with other associated competitions.
In a Northern Counties League consisting of seven districts – including such heavyweights as Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire – Cumbria has won the annual round robin matchplay competition between these teams twice (2002 and 2009) during the last decade.
Our Cumbria Best in County rankings were updated in August 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 39,"2018-09-01 04:49:35",Derbyshire,"The county of Derbyshire is situated in the East Midlands – it has Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, Staffordshire and Cheshire to the west – and a sizeable portion of the Peak District National Park lies within its boundaries. The remote landscape around three large reservoirs at Howden, Derwent and Ladybower provides plenty of opportunities to pursue au natural leisure options for those who want to get away from it all.
Established in 1913, the Derbyshire Union of Golf Clubs organises Junior, Gents and Senior competitions that are open to around 10,000 members of 31 affiliated golf clubs. The Union itself is one of ten regional governing bodies that comprise the Midland Golf Union. In 1999, the Derbyshire team qualified as the Midlands representatives for the EGU County Championships at Rothley Park.
Derbyshire may not spring to mind as an English golfing hotspot, but there are some good golf courses to savour and a few charming little 9-hole courses to be discovered at slightly off the beaten track locations, such as: Alfreton, Pastures and Stanedge, where golfers just might rediscover what a fun game golf really is.
Our Derbyshire golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 40,"2018-09-01 04:49:59",Devon,"Devon is the only county in England to have two separate coastlines. To the north there’s the largest sand dune system in England, numerous sandy surfing beaches and the highest and most rugged coastline in southern England where Exmoor tumbles down to the sea. The south coast is equally diverse with pebble and sandy beaches and red sandstone cliffs that are now part of England’s first natural World Heritage Site, known as The Jurassic Coast. Throw Dartmoor into the equation with a few Devon cream teas and you have a heavenly golfing destination.
The Devon County Golf Union was established way back in 1911 and now there are 47 affiliated clubs that play across 58 courses. Golf began in Devon in 1864 when the venerable Royal North Devon was laid out on the Northam Burrows at Westward Ho! Royal North Devon is the oldest golf course in England still playing along its original fairways and Westward Ho! is the only town in the British Isles to have an exclamation mark in its name.
Since those early beginnings, many fine golf course architects from the “Golden Age” have left their impressions on the Devon landscape. Herbert Fowler at Saunton, Yelverton and East Devon, Harry Colt at Thurlestone, John Abercromby at Bovey Castle and Alister MacKenzie at Teignmouth.
Female golfers in Devon founded the Devon County Club in 1900 and, in that inaugural year, a representative team played a home tie against Surrey and away matches in Kent and Surrey. Three years later, the fledgling county team won its first County Finals competition, beating Kent and Worcestershire at Sunningdale. The governing body changed its name to Devon County Ladies’ Golf Association in 1929 and its county teams and interclub competitions are still going strong today.
Our Devon Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 41,"2018-09-01 04:50:08",Dorset,"The Dorset County Golf Union was founded in 1923 and there are now 34 member clubs affiliated to the Union. Dorset is therefore one of the smaller golfing counties in England, but despite the relatively modest number of county golf courses, the quality in Hardy Country is remarkably high.
Dorset Ladies County Golf Association was founded twelve years before the county’s male golf union and it has promoted the welfare and interests of female amateur golfers ever since. Today, nineteen clubs are affiliated to the association, with a combined membership in excess of 1.600 individual lady golfers.
Bridport & West Dorset, Isle of Purbeck, Lyme Regis, Sherborne, Came Down and Broadstone were among the early Dorset golf clubs, all of which were founded in the 1890s. Broadstone (1898), Ferndown (1923) and Parkstone (1909) are all located within a mile or so of each other and it’s these three clubs that continually vie for the moniker of Dorset’s Best In County golf course. But there’s a new kid on the Dorset block which is located half a dozen miles further north that is beginning to threaten the old guard. Remedy Oak was designed by John Jacobs and its setting in 250 acres of mature woodland gives the new kid a sense of maturity way beyond its tender years.
Dorset is a lovely county to visit for a short break, with numerous picture postcard seaside resorts, which are strung along the World Heritage Coast, and many fabulous golf courses. We wonder why Dorset is not more widely acclaimed as a golfing destination?
Our Dorset Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 42,"2018-09-01 04:50:12",Durham,"County Durham flourished in the 19th century with the growth of the mining industry when large numbers of pit villages were founded throughout the region. With the modern day demise of the coal sector, Durham is undergoing a process of regeneration as it reinvents itself as a tourist destination.
The Durham County Golf Union celebrated its centenary in 2008 so it predated the English Golf Union by sixteen years, as the national governing body wasn’t formed until 1924. Today, the Durham County Union oversees the activities of 45 clubs in the north east of the country.
Durham County Ladies’ Golf Association was formed in 1922 and many of the early committee members were in post for long periods of time, beginning with the Marchioness of Londonderry, who held the inaugural Presidency until 1959. A number of long serving founders are remembered today by having county competition trophies named in their honour.
The Union’s Junior Coaching programme has produced an exceptional golfer, Graeme Storm, in recent years. Although he never won a County Championship, Graeme was the first Durham County golfer to win the Amateur Championship (in 1999) and compete in the Walker Cup for Great Britain & Ireland the same year.
Our County Durham golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 43,"2018-09-01 04:50:16",Essex,"The stereotypical “Essex Girl” and the political “Essex Man” have nothing in common and, from a golf course perspective, those who think that Essex is flat have never teed it up at Chelmsford or Boyce Hill. The reality is that Essex is not only diverse topographically, but also an important and historical golfing county.
In 1896, James Braid became the professional at Romford Golf Club and the five-time Open Champion should take much credit for popularising golf and designing many fine Essex courses. Sir Henry Cotton designed numerous courses in his lifetime too, but his first and last legacies are here in Essex. Incredibly, two members of Thorpe Hall Golf Club, Sir Michael Bonallack (perhaps England’s finest amateur) and Peter Dawson became secretary of the R&A.
The Essex Golf Union was inaugurated in 1924 with twenty-three founding clubs. Today, there are 80 golf clubs affiliated to the Essex union, playing over approximately 90 golf courses. Essex won the Boys County Championship in 1997 and then tied with Yorkshire in 2004. In 2009, Essex won the English Men’s County Championship.
Essex Ladies’ County Golf Association celebrated its centenary in 2000, so it was looking after the interests of female golfers in the county some twenty-four years before the men’s Union was formed. Nowadays, the association runs a number of competitions throughout the year, including the Silver Shield, Bronze Shield, Silver Trophy and Munroe Foresomes. Inter club matches are played in the Harris Bowl leagues and the ECGA operates very active Senior and Junior sections.
Our Essex golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 44,"2018-09-01 04:50:27",Gloucestershire,"The Gloucestershire Golf Union celebrated its centenary in 2006, only the eighth county union in the EGU to attain a hundred years of age at that time. The union represents golfers in around 50 clubs within the county – though, interestingly, the Gloucestershire website details 19 other clubs that have come and gone down the years.
The county, which comprises parts of the Cotswold Hills, the River Severn valley and the entire Forest of Dean, is one of six counties in the south west of England that form the South Western Counties Golf Association and it has triumphed in 27 of the 80 Inter Counties Team Championships played within the Association. Gary Wolstenholme, six-time Walker Cup player and one of the all-time greats of the English amateur game, was Gloucester county champion for four of the five years between 1992 and 1996 and in two of these years (1994 and 1996) he also won the title of English Champion of Champions.
Female golfers in the county were actually a little quicker than their male counterparts at organising themselves as they founded the Gloucestershire Ladies' County Golf Association in 1903 when a handful of clubs attended an inaugural meeting to establish the governing body. Nowadays, there are 38 clubs affiliated to the association, with club delegates meeting every quarter to help form policies and determine county spending.
Our Gloucestershire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 45,"2018-09-01 04:50:40",Hampshire,"The Hampshire County Golf Union promotes golf not only across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but also the Channel Islands. We separately feature the best golf courses in Jersey and Guernsey, so our Hampshire county rankings omit courses from these two lovely Channel Islands.
In 1893, the Hampshire County Golf Union was established, becoming the first county union in England. The first County Championship match was held at Royal Winchester Golf Club the following year. Golf in Hampshire first began at Brook in the New Forest fifteen years prior to Bramshaw Golf Club’s inauguration in 1880. Today, there are 66 golf clubs in Hampshire and another 8 on the Isle of Wight.
Although Hampshire Ladies’ County Golf Association was formed in 1900, for some reason it took until 1923 before the first County Championship tournament was hosted by the association. Nowadays, HLCGA runs eleven competitions throughout the year for around five and a half thousand female members and five tournaments for affiliated clubs. The association also selects representative teams to play friendly and trophy inter-county matches.
The variation of golf courses in the Hampshire region is second to none, ranging from the true links of Hayling to the classic heathlands of Liphook, Blackmoor and North Hants. The downlands of Hockley meld with the coastal cliff edge courses of Freshwater Bay and Barton-on-Sea. Combine the aforementioned with the New Forest course at Brokenhurst Manor and then add a sprinkle of parkland brilliance in the shape of Stoneham and you have a veritable golfing smorgasbord.
Our Hampshire Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 46,"2018-09-01 04:50:47",Herefordshire,"Herefordshire is half the size of its partner county Shropshire when it comes to the number of golf clubs affiliated to the Shropshire and Herefordshire Union of Golf Clubs. The SHUGC administer golf for 36 clubs, one third of which are in Herefordshire.
Herefordshire is one of England’s most rural and sparsely populated counties but it’s a tourism hotspot with numerous castles and floriferous gardens. Some follow the Herefordshire Cider Route where you can sample the delights of the county’s cider-making, which goes back some 350 years.
Alternatively you could seek out a few of England’s unsung golf courses, headed by Kington, which is not only England’s highest 18-hole golf course, but also one of the country's true hidden gems, described eruditely by one of our regular contributors as an inland-super-mare.
Our Herefordshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 47,"2018-09-01 04:50:52",Hertfordshire,"The Hertfordshire Golf Union was established in 1924 with 10 member clubs. There are now 57 affiliated Hertfordshire golf clubs and approximately 65 golf courses in the county. The Herts County Ladies’ Golf Association looks after the interests of female golfers in the county, organising a number of annual competitions for members of its 51 affiliated clubs. Golf in Hertfordshire began at Berkhamsted in the 1870s but it wasn’t until 1890 that Berkhamsted Golf Club was founded.
Since those early beginnings, many fine golf courses sprung up in the county that takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, meaning deer crossing. The ruminant deer appears prominently in many Hertfordshire county emblems, including the county flag, so it seems appropriate that Ashridge Golf Club, one of the finest courses in the county, is renowned for its deer, which surely have life membership at this enchanting club. Many Hertfordshire golfers consider Ashridge to be the best golf course in the county, but a number of excellent new courses have been laid out in recent years, including The Grove, host to the 2006 World Golf Championships, won by Tiger Woods.
Situated to the north of London, Hertfordshire is one of the prettiest Home Counties and the parkland courses that dominate the county represent perhaps the finest parkland collection in England.
Our Hertfordshire golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 48,"2018-09-01 04:51:01",Kent,"Kent lies to the southeast of England and it acts as something of a “buffer zone” between London, the capital, and the continent of Europe. Millions of passengers pass through the county each year as they travel to and from France via the Channel Tunnel which links Calais to Folkestone in the UK.
Founded in 1925 when 20 clubs decided to affiliate, Kent Golf Union organises annual competitions at Junior, Youth, Gents, Senior and Veteran levels for eligible golfers who are members of a county club. The Union also participates in the round robin league for unions in the southern section of the South Eastern Group, along with Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Hampshire.
Kent County Ladies Golf Association was founded in 1900 as Kent County Club, with eight clubs affiliated to the organisation. In its inaugural year of operation, a representative team of female golfers from the county played matches against Devon, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. The first County Championship took place twelve months later and from that point on there was no stopping the female golfers of Kent. Today, there are 80 clubs affiliated to the county association, representing more than three and a half thousand lady golfers.
There are almost 100 clubs in Kent so there’s plenty of choice when it comes to playing in “the garden of England”. Of course, the very best of these courses are the three that have hosted the Open Championship down the years: Royal Cinque Ports (1909 and 1920), Prince’s (1932) and Royal St George’s (1894 then 13 times since).
Our Kent Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 49,"2018-09-01 04:51:18",Lancashire,"The Red Rose county of Lancashire made its mark during the early 19th century as a commercial and industrial powerhouse in the northwest of England. Half a dozen mill towns emerged during this time, their army of workers processing cotton from all around the world. For recreation, these cotton mill employees would head to the coast and so Blackpool became a popular seaside resort for Lancastrians and many more besides.
Golf evolved as the participation sport of choice for an increasing number of people so a great number of courses sprung up by the beginning of the 1900s. Today there are over 140 in the region, administered by the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs, and this body represents tens of thousands of golfers in the area. Liverpool and Manchester were removed from the county in the mid 1970s – forming Merseyside and Greater Manchester – and clubs in those regions can be found split across both Lancashire and Cheshire on the Top 100 website.
Lancashire Ladies’ County Golf Association looks after the interests of female golfers in the county and it has been in operation for over a century, with its County Championship established in 1907. The association’s inter-club scratch Championship Shield actually predates this competition by a couple of years, when club select teams from Formby, Hesketh, Lytham St Annes, West Derby, West Lancashire and Worsley all participated in the inaugural event.
A quartet of magnificent courses are strung out on Lancashire’s “Golf Coast” and they dominate the county list which is only right and proper because Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Formby and Hillside are all world class golfing venues. Not far behind these iconic layouts in quality, links layouts like Southport & Ainsdale, West Lancashire, Fairhaven and St Annes Old Links offer golfers a top-drawer game by the sea. And so it continues inland, with plenty more gems to be discovered the further away from the coast that you venture.
Our Lancashire Best in County rankings were updated in August 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 50,"2018-09-01 04:51:21","Leicestershire & Rutland","The county of Leicestershire is home to over half a million people in an area that covers around 800 square miles and it borders seven other counties in central England. Because foxhunting is widely regarded to have originated in Leicestershire, you’ll find a bushy tailed mammal on the logo of the main sporting organizations in the county (such as the county cricket club and Leicester City Football Club) so it’s no surprise to find such a vulpine image on the crest of the Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union.
One of ten unions affiliated to the Midland Golf Union, Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union celebrated its centenary in 2010 and it carries out an organisational function for around 12,000 amateur golfers in membership of 33 golf clubs in the area. Since 1955, the Union’s 6-man team has qualified eight times – four of those appearances since 2003 – for the English County Finals, representing the Midland Group in the annual competition.
Leicestershire and Rutland Ladies’ County Golf Association is the governing body for female amateur golfers in the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland and there are 29 clubs affiliated to this governing body. The association runs a number of representative teams that compete in inter-county matches and it also organises championship tournaments and social open competitions for members with valid handicaps.
Our Leicestershire & Rutland golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 51,"2018-09-01 04:51:32",Lincolnshire,"Situated on the east coast of England, Lincolnshire is a largely flat, rural area where residents enjoy a pace of life that is somewhat slower than that found in other, more bustling parts of England. Covering an area of over two and a half thousand square miles, the county stretches from the Lincolnshire fens in the south to the more industrialised Humber Estuary around Scunthorpe and Grimsby in the north.
The Lincolnshire Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1900 – ten years after Burghley Park, the first club in the county, was founded – when thirteen clubs affiliated. Today, there are 51 clubs in membership of the Union, which itself is a member of the Midland Golf Union (joining in 1921). The Lincolnshire Union currently looks after the golfing interests of around 20,000 male golfers, organising competitions for a variety of age groups within the county.
Lincolnshire Ladies’ County Golf Association is the governing body for female amateur golfers in the county and its stated objectives are to a) uphold the rules of England Golf, b) enforce the CONGU system of handicapping, c) promote the interests of women’s golf in Lincolnshire and to encourage young golfers, and d) maintain, administer and regulate a County Championship and other competitions or leagues.
England Golf has its headquarters in the lovely little village of Woodhall Spa in the East Lindsey district and it’s here that you’ll find one of the finest inland courses in all of England. Named after its former owner, Colonel Stafford Vere Hotchkin, the Hotchkin comprises 18 holes of a wonderful 36-hole golf complex that really should be sampled by each and every EGU member at some time.
Our Lincolnshire golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 52,"2018-09-01 04:51:49",Middlesex,"One of the smallest English counties by area, Middlesex lies close to London, bounded by Hertfordshire and Surrey to the north and south, Berkshire and Essex to the west and east. Its coat of arms depicts three notched short swords beneath a Saxon Crown on a red background.
A number of golf clubs operated in the county around the start of the 20th century but it took until 1924 before a district union was formed. Although eight of the 26 clubs attending the inaugural committee meeting of the Middlesex County Golf Union no longer exist, there are now 36 clubs in membership, ten of which play on public courses.
Sixteen different clubs have claimed the Middlesex Club Championship in the 80 years that it has been contested. Muswell Hill won 8 of their 11 titles between 1929 and 1948 and Ealing triumphed in 9 of their 10 victories between 1981 and 1995. Clubs with singular success in this competition are Hampstead (1925), Brent Valley (1953), North Middlesex (1971) and Highgate (1999).
Our Middlesex Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 53,"2018-09-01 04:51:55",Norfolk,"Norfolk is best known to many as the flat, low lying county in eastern England where The Broads form a network of navigable, lock-free rivers and canals, providing many with a wide variety of leisure pursuits, from those “messing about on boats” to twitchers searching for rare birds among the many acres of wetlands.
Norfolk County Golf Union was formed in 1908 so it has been the administrative authority to clubs in the county for over 100 years. Today there are more than thirty clubs – from Eagles GC in the west to Great Yarmouth & Caister GC in the east – in membership of the Union, which itself is affiliated to the South Eastern Group of Unions (even though Norfolk competes annually against Suffolk and four counties from the Midland Golf Union in the Anglian League).
Norfolk Ladies’ County Golf Association celebrated its centenary in 2012 and it currently presides over 31 affiliated clubs in the region – quite an improvement in membership, considering only five clubs were represented at its inaugural meeting back in 1912. Norfolk ladies take part in competitions against other associations with two county teams, a junior team and a senior team.
The county is blessed with a number of top golf courses, two of which – Royal West Norfolk and Hunstanton – are rightly ranked amongst the Top 100 18-hole layouts in Great Britain and Ireland. The two links courses are located within seven miles of each other so there’s absolutely no reason for serious golfers to not play both when visiting Norfolk.
Our Norfolk golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 54,"2018-09-01 04:52:06",Northamptonshire,"Northamptonshire is located in the East Midlands and it’s bordered by eight other counties, one of which – Lincolnshire – has a mutual boundary that extends to all of 21 yards. The county was once well known for its leather and shoemaking industries but nowadays its main claim to economic fame is the Daventry rail freight terminal located close to the junction of the M1 and M6 motorways.
The Northamptonshire Golf Union was founded in 1921 and it’s the governing body for around 10,000 male golfers who are members of 27 clubs in a region that ranges from Cherwell Edge GC in the west to Peterborough Milton GC in the east. The county is also one of ten Unions affiliated to the Midland Golf Union.
Females in 29 clubs come under the umbrella of the Northamptonshire Ladies County Golf Association. which has been looking after the interests of women golfers since 1930. In addition to organising the annual County Championship, the governing body promotes a number of other competitions, including the Bouverie Bowl, Cecil Leitch Trophy and Swannell Salver.
Several courses are worthy of consideration if visiting the area and most are centred around the county town of Northampton: Northamptonshire County, Collingtree Park (two-time host of the British Masters), the little known Northampton Golf Club at Harlestone and the near century-old Alison and Colt design at Kingsthorpe.
Our Northamptonshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 55,"2018-09-01 04:52:41",Northumberland,"The northernmost county in England, Northumberland is also one of the least densely populated regions. It’s a largely rural area that was once at the heart of the industrial revolution when its coal mines fuelled the many emerging industries in other parts of the country.
The Northumberland Union of Golf Clubs oversees the activities of 41 member clubs located between Magdalene Fields in the north and Allendale in the south. Members at three of these clubs – Slaley Hall, Longhirst Hall and Close House – are fortunate enough to have two courses at their disposal.
Northumberland Ladies’ County Golf Association was founded thirteen years after the inauguration of the county union for male golfers, in 1920. Its aim is to promote and encourage golf throughout the county within the framework of the R&A’s rules of golf, the Ladies’ Golf Union and England Golf. Currently, there are 42 clubs affiliated to the association.
Because the county is bounded by the North Sea on its eastern flank, there are a number of fine seaside courses to be found in Northumberland, the best of which is Goswick Links at Berwick-on-Tweed. Inland, the Colt course at Close House and the Hunting course at Slaley Hall are the pick of the parkland layouts.
Our Northumberland Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 56,"2018-09-01 04:52:52",Nottinghamshire,"Bounded by South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, the county of Nottinghamshire is home to around a million people and many of them live in and around the city of Nottingham, which sits on the banks of the River Trent. The county is inextricably linked to the 15th century tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men in Sherwood Forest but – whisper it – some contend the legend may actually have its origin further north in Yorkshire.
The Nottinghamshire Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1899, when three clubs – Bulwell Artisans, Ravensdale and Notts – met to form the inaugural county committee. The Nottinghamshire Amateur Strokeplay Championship was first organised by the Union in 1906 and if you take a look at the list of winners, it reveals that a certain L.J. Westwood of Worksop Golf Club won the title in 1992 and 1993. Today, there are 32 golf clubs affiliated to the county union.
Nottinghamshire County Ladies’ Golf Association was founded in 1908 and, in over a hundred years of operation, it has only ever had 16 Presidents and 7 Secretaries. Two ladies each served as President for 21 years and the longest serving secretary was in post from 1912 to 1950. Currently, there are 31 clubs affiliated to the association, with members eligible to participate annually in the county championships and three other major competitions during the summer.
For a small county, Nottinghamshire can boast a number of excellent golf courses, but all are overshadowed by the wonderful 18 holes at Hollinwell – the course of Notts Golf Club. Notts is not just the best in Nottinghamshire, it’s also one of the finest in England and is consistently ranked as one of the Top 100 Golf Courses in Britain & Ireland. The venerable Notts co-hosted the Boys Amateur Championships in 2012 with Coxmoor Golf Club, which resulted in a win for England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick who went on to make the cut in the 2013 Open Championship, finishing as low amateur.
Our Nottinghamshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 57,"2018-09-01 04:53:02",Oxfordshire,"Occupying an area that broadly lies between the Cotswolds to the west and the Chilterns to the east, Oxfordshire in south east England is laid out around the historical county town of Oxford. A major draw for tourists, the “city of dreaming spires” is where the oldest university in the English-speaking world was established in the mid-12th century.
The Berks Bucks & Oxon Union of Golf Clubs was established in 1924 when 30 clubs from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire formed the first committee. The number of clubs in membership today has increased fourfold to 122 – 28 of which are from the county of Oxfordshire – and these are spread out over a 60-mile range between Feldon Valley in the north and Henley in the south.
Oxfordshire Ladies’ County Golf Association was established in 1921 and it provides administration for female golfers attached to 29 clubs in the county of Oxfordshire. Its stated aims are to a) encourage and promote the interests of all female golfers, b) arrange and regulate a county championship and other competitions, and c) select and support county teams in inter-county matches.
American architect Rees Jones shaped the Oxfordshire course and this very modern design opened for play in 1993, quickly establishing itself as one of the top ranked courses in the region. For those who prefer their golf a little more traditional, Willie Park Junior’s heathland layout at Huntercombe is perhaps a more appropriate venue.
Our Oxfordshire Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 58,"2018-09-01 04:53:13",Shropshire,"Shropshire is twice the size of its partner county Herefordshire when it comes to the number of golf clubs affiliated to the Shropshire and Herefordshire Union of Golf Clubs. The SHUGC administer golf for 36 clubs, two thirds of which are in Shropshire.
Shropshire Ladies’ County Golf Association was inaugurated in 1921, when six clubs joined forces to form the association. The county championship trophy, The Lady Forester Cup, was first played for in 1923, and it’s named after the first President of the association.
The Salop county is easily accessible from just about anywhere in England but Shropshire is far enough away from the madding crowd that it has remained peaceful and unspoilt and the golf is actually rather good and should be closely inspected.
Golf in Shropshire first started at Ludlow Golf Club in 1889 although reports suggest that Bridgnorth Golf Club was founded in the same year. Which club is the oldest we wonder? Since those early beginnings, many fine courses have been developed but few are known outside this unsung golfing county.
Our Shropshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 59,"2018-09-01 04:53:24",Somerset,"Described by the ancient Britons as the Land of the Summer People, Somerset is a popular West Country county, with cider making at its heart.
The Somerset Golf Union was inaugurated in 1907 and W.H. Fowler was duly elected as the Union’s first president. Golf in Somerset dates back to 1880 when Bath Golf Club was established, Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club was founded two years later. There are now 31 clubs affiliated to the Somerset Golf Union but visiting golfers tend to motor through this small but beautifully formed county on their way to play golf further west, along the peninsula.
Golfers in the know stop at Burnham & Berrow, which is certainly the premier course in Somerset, but careful and more detailed inspection of Somerset’s courses would pleasantly surprise even the most avid golf course aficionado. Brian Barnes is perhaps the most famous golfer produced in Somerset. Although he was born in Surrey, Barnes learnt golf from his father who was then the Secretary at Burnham & Berrow. Somerset has produced many fine county players but none finer than Colin Edwards of Bath Golf Club who has broken virtually every County Championship record.
Interestingly, female golfers in the county were a little quicker off the mark when it came to forming a governing body as they established the Somerset Ladies County Golf Association in 1901, six years ahead of their male counterparts. The association hosts a number of competitions throughout the year and these are open to all members who have a valid handicap, with gross and nett prizes awarded at all events.
Our Somerset Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 60,"2018-09-01 04:53:30",Staffordshire,"Surrounded by seven different counties, Staffordshire in the West Midlands is sub divided into nine districts with Stoke-on-Trent as its main city. Famed worldwide for its pottery manufacturing since the 17th century, the conurbation of Stoke sits half way between Manchester and Birmingham in what was once the engine room of industrial England.
On the sporting front, eight clubs formed the Staffordshire Union of Golf Clubs back in 1923. Seven of those clubs remain part of the present day Union, which has an office in the clubhouse of Brocton Hall Golf Club to oversee the activities of some fifty clubs.
Female golfers in the county were even quicker at organising themselves, with Staffordshire Ladies County Golf Association founded in 1907. Geoffrey Marks – one of several Walker Cup golfers to have played county golf with Staffordshire – was captain of the first GB & Ireland team of amateur golfers to win on American soil (at the 16th attempt) when his team defeated the hosts at Peachtree in 1989 by the narrow margin of twelve and a half points to eleven and a half points.
Our Staffordshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 61,"2018-09-01 04:53:35",Suffolk,"Situated on the east coast of England, the low-lying county of Suffolk is bounded inland by Cambridgeshire to the west, Norfolk to the north and Essex to the south. In a part of the country where the economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, the region known as Suffolk Coast and Heaths is designated as one of England’s Areas of Outstanding Beauty.
Although Suffolk County Golf Union is a member of the South Eastern Group of Unions, it organises competitions for male golfers in the county against Norfolk and (in the case of the Anglian League) Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire & Rutland from the Midland Golf Union. The Union is also a participant in the Suffolk County Golf Partnership, along with the local Women’s Golf Association and the PGA.
Suffolk Ladies’ County Golf Association has come a long way since it was founded in 1926, when six clubs representing ninety female members established the governing body. As of 2014, the association, which changed its name from “club” to ”association” in 1965, had a total of 30 affiliated clubs, with almost two thousand lady members.
Aldeburgh is one of the oldest courses in the county and it bears the design stamp of a number of golfing greats, including Willie Fernie, Willie Park Jnr and J.H. Taylor. A heathland course that lies within a mile of the coastline, it’s often ranked best in the county, but the delightful Ipswich (Purdis Heath) currently heads our latest Suffolk table.
Our Suffolk golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 62,"2018-09-01 04:53:51",Surrey,"Surrey is the premier county in English golf with more golf courses in the Top 100 than any other county. It’s also one of the biggest counties in English golf with 115 golf clubs affiliated to the Surrey Golf Union. The Surrey Ladies’ County Golf Association was founded in 1929, six years after the men formed their golf Union. Nowadays, the women’s governing body looks after the interests of around 7,500 female golfers in 99 clubs.
One of the Home Counties to the west of London, Surrey is fortunate from a golfing perspective to have a swathe of sand running through the county, which was first exploited by Woking Golf Club. This sandy heathland provided free-draining ground for those London golfers who didn’t fancy travelling to the coast or the downs to play golf. These early “stars of sand and heather”, as described by Bernard Darwin, included Woking (1893), New Zealand (1895) and Hankley Common (1896), but golf was played in Surrey much earlier than this.
Golf was probably played on Wimbledon Common in the early 19th century. Records go back to 1864, suggesting that some of the London Scottish Rifle Volunteer Corps, who were posted nearby, met on Wimbledon Common to form the London Scottish Golf Club. Golf then spread to the chalky North Downs of Guildford in 1886 and then to Epsom and then Banstead when heathland golf was still a twinkle in the eye.
Some golfers will wonder why Sunningdale, which has a Berkshire postal address, is listed in Surrey. The reason is simple, Sunningdale Golf Club is affiliated to the Surrey Golf Union and therefore features at the top of the Surrey County rankings.
Our Surrey Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 63,"2018-09-01 04:53:58",Sussex,"The Sussex County Golf Union provides administration for 66 golf clubs across the county. “Sussex by the Sea” is the county anthem and for very good reason because Sussex’s lengthy English Channel coastline stretches for almost 100 miles from Camber in the east to Chichester in the west.
Sussex County Ladies’ Golf Association was formed in 1900 as Sussex County Ladies’ Golf Club, with representatives from Ashdown Forest, Bexhill, Crowborough, Hastings, Royal Eastbourne and Seaford in attendance at the inaugural meeting. Today, the association has sixty affiliated clubs under its jurisdiction, with over 4,000 female members. Its aims are to provide a framework for amateur ladies’ golf in the county, promote and encourage play at all levels, identify and nurture talent, develop elite golfers and select teams to represent Sussex.
Despite the lengthy coastline, Sussex can boast only two true links, spread-eagled at either end of the county. Rye in the east is a famous name in links golf, but few golfers will have heard of Littlehampton in the west. Ironically, Littlehampton was founded in 1889, five years before Rye. The coastal golf between these two links is very much in the upland mould and a number of fine downland courses sit proudly on the cliffs.
Heading inland you’ll find a collection of the finest courses in England. If you go down to the woods today at Royal Ashdown Forest, the only surprise you’ll get is that there are two excellent courses there. If you want to stay and play, 36-hole golf is available at both Mannings Heath and East Sussex National. But it would be remiss not to go to Pulborough to play West Sussex, a genuine star of sand and heather.
Our Sussex Best in County rankings were updated in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 64,"2018-09-01 04:54:04",Warwickshire,"The landlocked county of Warwickshire is situated in the West Midlands of England and it’s sometimes referred to as Shakespeare’s county, due to the Bard’s association with Stratford-upon-Avon. The county emblem is rather unusual, dating back to the 14th century, and it depicts a muzzled and chained bear standing on its hind legs as it supports a ragged staff.
The Warwickshire Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1906 so it’s been looking after the interests of golfers in the region for over a century. There are currently 51 clubs affiliated to the Union which itself is one of ten Unions in membership of the Midland Golf Union. The Warwickshire team has a good record in Midland Qualifying for the EGU County Championships, winning 18 of the 57 annual tournaments that have taken place since 1955.
Warwickshire Ladies’ County Golf Association was established in 1900, with eight clubs represented on the inaugural committee. The following year, there were fifteen regions participating in county golf throughout England and Wales and Warwickshire ladies played matches against Gloucestershire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, Surrey and Yorkshire. Nowadays, there are 24 clubs within the county affiliated to the association.
The 18 holes that stand head and shoulders above all others in the county are the Brabazon at The Belfry, scene of four Ryder Cup matches between 1985 and 2002. Often ranked within the Top 100 courses in Great Britain & Ireland, the layout is one of three courses that are set out within the 550-acre grounds of a 324-bedroom hotel.
Our Warwickshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 65,"2018-09-01 04:54:11",Wiltshire,"The Wiltshire County Golf Union was founded in 1924 and there are now 26 clubs affiliated to the Union with around thirty courses across the county. Wiltshire is one of the smaller English golfing counties, but it has some wonderful courses that are not as well known outside the local area as they should be.
Wiltshire Ladies’ Golf Association was formed in 1910, so female golfers in the county were well ahead of their male counterparts when it came to collectively promoting the game just over a century ago.
The Manor House and its near neighbour Bowood Golf & Country Club are the premier golf courses in Wiltshire and these two modern 1990s layouts are supported by some fabulous old fashioned courses which predate them by more than 100 years. Kingsdown Golf Club is a fine example of Wiltshire's quality; founded in 1880, this is the oldest club in Wiltshire and the second oldest in the West Country behind Royal North Devon.
The two clubs of Marlborough and Salisbury & South Wilts were both formed in 1888 and North Wilts and West Wilts were established soon after. The vast Salisbury Plain is at the very heart of Wiltshire with Tidworth Garrison (1908) and High Post (1922) representing two of England’s finest downland golf courses. But any article on Wiltshire would be incomplete without mentioning the prehistoric Stonehenge with its age estimated at 3100 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it remains to this day an important setting for serious archaeological study.
Our Wiltshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 66,"2018-09-01 04:54:15",Worcestershire,"The rural county of Worcestershire is located in the West Midlands of England with a population of just over half a million people. Many’s the Welsh rarebit, Caesar salad or Bloody Mary cocktail that’s been flavoured by a few drops from a Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce bottle – and the condiment has been made in Worcester since 1837.
The Worcestershire Union of Golf Clubs was founded in 1905 – two years after the ladies had formed their own county association – to look after the interests of male golfers. Nine clubs attended the inaugural meeting of the County Union and today there are 34 affiliated clubs.
Worcestershire & Herefordshire Ladies’ County Golf Association continues to promote the game to female golfers in the region, regardless of their age or ability, and events that the association organise are intended to bring lady golfers together in a social environment, with competitions conducted in the best spirit of the game.
Worcestershire is one of ten Unions in membership of the Midland Golf Union and its representative team has an indifferent record in Midland Qualifying for the EGU County Championships, winning only 6 of the 60 events contested since 1955.
Our Worcestershire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 67,"2018-09-01 04:54:22",Yorkshire,"The white rose of York is the main symbol of identity for the largest county in England and it’s worn with pride by every Yorkshire man or woman – especially, some would say, by those who represent “God’s Own County” in sport. The county covers a vast area that stretches inland from the North Sea coast to the Pennines, bounded to the north by the River Tees and the Humber estuary to the south. Historically, it was divided into three ridings of East, West and North.
The Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1894 and it’s the largest of the county unions affiliated to the EGU, with 191 club members divided into eight district unions. The Yorkshire Union is a member of the seven member EGU Northern Counties Group where it has won the annual round robin league in 13 of the last 27 years.
Yorkshire Ladies’ County Golf Association started out in 1900 as Yorkshire County Golf Club, with 47 members affiliating that year. It didn’t take long for the women to get into their stride as a County Challenge Bowl was played for the following year then a County Championship took place the year after that when the Men’s Union donated a trophy for competition. The association has come a long way since those early days, flourishing into the successful governing body that now operates in the modern era.
Four county courses stand out as Top 100 tracks in Great Britain and Ireland, three of which have hosted the Ryder Cup, they are Ganton, Alwoodley, Moortown and Lindrick. These courses are at the very top of a Yorkshire play list that should extend to at least a dozen others if real justice is to be done when golfing in this region.
Our Yorkshire Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2017. Click here to read the story.
",87,"2018-09-01 04:53:00",England,"When the unmarried Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James VI of Scotland moved court to London, taking up residence at the Royal Palace in Greenwich becoming James I of England. His royal entourage is thought to have contained a number of golfers and they found the perfect ground at Blackheath on which to play their beloved game. In 1608 Blackheath Golf Club was instituted, but documentary evidence has yet to be discovered.
Today there are approximately 700,000 golfers affiliated to England’s 1,900 or so golf clubs. There are more golf courses in England than Ireland, Scotland and Wales put together. The topographical variation of England’s golf courses is perhaps totally unique the world over but the vast majority of overseas visitors head to Scotland and Ireland rather than choosing to play golf in England. We think the English Tourist Board are missing an opportunity. To see our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of England, simply scroll down this page.
We last updated our England Top 100 rankings in November 2017. Click the link to read the story.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 68,"2018-09-01 04:54:38",Carlow,"One of twelve counties in the province of Leinster, Carlow is a land locked county – bordered by Laois, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford and Kilkenny – in the sunny south east of the country where it occupies the second smallest area of any county in all of Ireland.
County Carlow has only a handful of golf clubs affiliated to the GUI through its Leinster Branch and two of those, Borris and Killerig, are new clubs that were formed since 1999. Carlow Golf Club, the oldest in the county, boasts a 27-hole golf complex and its Deerpark course held the Irish Amateur Close Championships in 2002, the third time that the club has hosted the event. The Lancome Irish Women’s Close Championship was also played at Carlow in 2011 when home player Karen Delaney, the 2007 winner, was 2 up with two holes to play in the Final but ended up losing at the 19th hole to Dannielle McVeigh from Royal County Down Ladies.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 69,"2018-09-01 04:54:54",Cavan,"The agricultural county of Cavan is one of three in the Republic of Ireland that, along with six counties in Northern Ireland, form the province of Ulster. The topography of Cavan – whose motto is “manliness and truth” – is characterised by a myriad of drumlin hills and loughs and it’s the source of a number of major waterways, including the mighty River Shannon.
There are only eight registered golf clubs from County Cavan in the Ulster Branch of the GUI and, for the best part of the last two decades, the best course in the region was the 18 holes set within the 300-acre estate of the Slieve Russell Hotel Golf and Country Club. That was until the Jeff Howes-designed course at Farnham Estate came along in 2008 and suddenly the fairways of this meadowland cum woodland layout are challenging Slieve Russell for the title of best in the county.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 70,"2018-09-01 04:55:09",Clare,"Located to the north of the River Shannon, County Clare covers an expanse of over 1,300 square miles in Ireland’s mid-west region with a sizeable portion of the landscape dominated by The Burren, one of the largest areas of exposed limestone rock in Europe.
Lahinch is the top golf club in County Clare and its Old course has been the venue for the South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship since 1895. Lahinch member John Burke managed to win an incredible total of 11 out of 12 finals contested between 1928 and 1947. Many of Ireland’s modern day golfing heroes have done well in the South Open. Darren Clarke (Dungannon) won it in 1990, followed by Paul McGinley (Grange) the following year. Padraig Harrington (Stackstown) was runner up in 1994 and 1995 then Graeme McDowell (Rathmore) claimed the title in 2000.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 71,"2018-09-01 04:55:17",Cork,"Bordered by four other counties – Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford – in the province of Munster, Cork is Ireland’s largest county by area, with a coastline that extends to an incredible 680 miles. The seaport town of Cobh in Cork Harbour was once the main embarkation point for many Irish emigrants as they set off to find a new life in North America or Australia.
More than thirty County Cork clubs are affiliated to the GUI through its Munster branch and the most senior club, Cork, dates back to the 1880s, to a time when there were fewer than a dozen clubs in all of Ireland. The club has hosted the National Finals week twice, the last time in 1988 and its gents teams have won four of the five major Irish trophies – ironically, the only major piece of silverware that has eluded Cork is the Jimmy Bruen Shield, inaugurated in 1978 and named after one of the club’s finest players and administrators.
The top ranked course in the county is Old Head and it’s a GB & I Top 100 ranked course that will get the golfing juices flowing like hardly any other. For the sheer excitement and visual drama of its location, there are not many courses in the world (never mind Ireland) that can match it. Truly, it’s a must-play venue for any serious golfer.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 72,"2018-09-01 04:55:25",Donegal,"Ancestral home to the once powerful O’Donnell Clan, County Donegal is the most northerly county in Ireland – sharing a border with Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and Leitrim in the Republic – and its topography is the most rugged in Ulster, lying as it does between the Derryveagh Mountains in the north and the Bluestack mountains in the south.
Organised golf has been played in Donegal for well over a hundred years and two of the county clubs, Portsalon and Buncrana, were part of the nine-club committee that founded the Golfing Union of Ireland in 1891. More recently, the North West club won its first ever Senior Cup at Rosslare in 2005, the year after two of its members, Brian McElhinney and Michael McGeedy, faced each other in the Final of the Irish Close Amateur at Murvagh.
The 36-hole facilities at Ballyliffin and Rosapenna are amongst the very best in Great Britain & Ireland and they are ably supported by fine 18-hole links layouts at Donegal, Portsalon and Narin & Portnoo. Throw into the mix the grand old courses at North West and Bundoran, plus the charming little 9-holer at Cruit Island, and you have a week’s worth of reasonably priced, top class golf that will be hard to match anywhere else in Ireland.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 73,"2018-09-01 04:55:34",Dublin,"The Irish capital is situated in County Dublin on the east coast of Ireland and it’s home to around one and a quarter million residents, making it the most populous county in Ireland. The county shares boundaries with Meath, Kildare and Wicklow around the periphery of an area that extends to over 350 square miles.
A third of Leinster’s 168 golf clubs are located in County Dublin with Portmarnock and Royal Dublin standing head and shoulders above all the others in seniority, as both have been hosting national and international competitions for over a hundred years. The Irish Amateur Open, Irish Amateur Close, Irish Open and Irish PGA have all been held at Portmarnock and Dollymount since 1894. In addition, Portmarnock was also the venue for the Canada Cup (now the World Cup) in 1960 and the Walker Cup in 1991.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 74,"2018-09-01 04:55:47",Galway,"Situated in the west of Ireland, County Galway is one of five counties that comprise the province of Connacht. Home to a population of around quarter of a million people, it’s the largest Irish-speaking region in Ireland and the county capital of Galway is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Europe, promoting it behind Dublin and Cork to the position of third largest city in Ireland.
Galway Golf Club hosted the end of season inter-club Cups and Shields week in 2002 when almost 500 male golfers from all over Ireland played semi-final and final matches for five different trophies. The main prize was the Senior Cup (established in 1900) and Galway have been Connacht provincial winners five times since 2000, claiming the national title at Enniscrone in 2006 and Tullamore in 2009.
The course at Galway and its near neighbour at Galway Bay feature regularly in Irish Top 100 rankings but both these top tracks are surpassed in quality by the tough Connemara links layout at Ballyconneely. An Eddie Hackett design from the early 1970s, this remote course extends to 27 holes, laid out in three distinct 9-hole circuits.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 75,"2018-09-01 04:55:55",Kerry,"Bounded by counties Limerick and Cork, County Kerry lies in the south west corner of Ireland with Dunmore Head on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula acknowledged as the most westerly point in the country. Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and the Atlantic coastline around the Ring of Kerry attract visitors in great numbers every year with Killarney the focal point of this tourist activity.
The Old course at Ballybunion dates back to 1893 and it’s widely regarded as one of the most venerable links in all of Ireland. Tom Simpson upgraded the layout in 1936, the year before the club hosted the Irish Amateur Close Championship and the All-Ireland Finals and these prestigious national competitions have been played on the course several times since.
The courses at Waterville and Tralee have undergone something of a renaissance in recent times and both born again links layouts now feature prominently in GB&I Top 100 ranking lists. And don’t forget the three 18-hole circuits at Killarney or the engaging courses at Dooks and Dingle because, quite frankly, golfers are spoilt for choice in County Kerry.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 76,"2018-09-01 04:56:12",Kildare,"County Kildare is located in the Mid-East region of Ireland and it’s one of the most prosperous areas in the country. Land locked by six other counties in the province of Leinster, Kildare is probably best known in sporting circles for its horse racing and breeding as it boasts three major racecourses, numerous stud farms and Goff’s equine auction house.
On the golfing front, 20 clubs are affiliated to the Golf Union of Ireland via its Leinster Branch and two of these – the K Club at Straffan and Carton House in Maynooth – operate a pair of premier parkland courses with all four of these 18-hole layouts featuring prominently in the Top 50 rankings of Irish golf courses.
The Curragh is one of the most historically important clubs in Ireland as its course, dating back to 1852, is regarded as the oldest in the country. The club itself celebrated its centenary in 1983 making it the second oldest in the land (after Royal Belfast). However, the Curragh's historian established in 2013 that the club was actually founded in 1858.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 77,"2018-09-01 04:56:35",Kilkenny,"Situated in the South-East Region of Ireland, County Kilkenny extends south for about 45 miles from its border with County Laois and the River Suir bounds it to the west and the River Barrow to the east. Tourists are spoilt for choice when it comes to visiting architectural sites in Kilkenny, as there are numerous Ring Forts, Round Towers, Abbeys, Priories and Castles to explore.
A mere half dozen Kilkenny clubs are in membership of the GUI and four of those have only been in existence since the 1990s. One of these, Mount Juliet, is a lush Jack Nicklaus parkland course where the Irish Open was held for three consecutive years, beginning in 1991. Founded in 1896, Kilkenny is the oldest club in the county and it moved to its present site in 1923. The club was honoured to have its course used for the national inter-club Cups and Shields Finals week in 1985.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 78,"2018-09-01 04:57:04",Laois,"Because it doesn’t border any other county that has a coastline, some regard Laois as the most land locked district in Ireland. Formerly known as Queen’s County, Laois is one of the smallest counties in Leinster province with a population of around 80,000 people.
There are seven golf clubs located in Laois and the oldest of these, Abbeyleix, was formed in 1895, one of an incredible ninety seven clubs that were established during Ireland’s first real period of golfing growth between 1892 and 1900.
The course at The Heritage Golf & Spa Resort was inaugurated in 2004 and it quickly featured in published lists of Ireland’s top tracks. Three years after opening, the course hosted the fifth series of matches in the Seve Trophy, with the Great Britain and Ireland team defeating Europe 16 ½ to 11 ½.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 79,"2018-09-01 04:57:17",Leitrim,"County Leitrim is one of five Connacht counties in the west of Ireland. It borders the UK with county Fermanagh and has shared boundaries with five other counties in the Republic of Ireland. It also has the shortest length of coastline – less than 3 miles – of any Irish county that comes into contact with the sea.
Leitrim takes its title from the village of the same name located close to the River Shannon. Once a stronghold of the O’Rourke clan in times gone by, the village of Leitrim was an important settlement because the river could easily be crossed at a narrow, shallow part of its course.
For a county that has the smallest population (just over 25,000) of any in Ireland, it’s perhaps not surprising to learn there’s only one golf course in the entire region at Ballinamore. Founded in 1934, Ballinamore Golf Club had its 9-hole course redesigned by Dr Arthur Spring and this revised layout officially opened for play in 2004.
",89,"2018-09-01 04:53:16",Ireland,"During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 80,"2018-09-01 04:57:30",Limerick,"Limerick is one of half a dozen counties that make up the province of Munster in south west Ireland and its main city of Limerick is situated on the River Shannon. To the east of the county lies the “Golden Vale,” an area of fertile land that provides a substantial amount of Ireland’s dairy produce.
The book “Golfing Union of Ireland 1891-1991” lists Limerick as one of the 28 “greens” or golf courses, that were in play during the year that the Union was formed. Most likely, the establishment of Limerick Golf Club was as a result of the Blackwatch Regiment arriving in the city around that time.
The county is not exactly bursting at the seams with golf courses, however. In fact, they’re in pretty short supply as there are only seven County Limerick clubs affiliated to the Munster Branch of the GUI. The number one course is undoubtedly Adare Manor, which only opened in 1995, and this Robert Trent Jones-designed course quickly forced its way into the national Top 100 ranking list.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 81,"2018-09-01 04:58:15",Longford,"With a population of around 40,000 people spread out over a 420 square mile area, Longford, in the Midlands Region of Ireland, is the second most sparsely inhabited county in the country. Much of it lies in the River Shannon basin with loughs, bogs and wetlands characterising Longford's generally low-lying landscape.
There’s only one golf outlet to be found in this district, the appropriately named County Longford Golf Club. Formed in 1900, for some reason it took the club ten years before it affiliated to the national governing body, the GUI. Located just south east of Longford, on the old R393 Dublin Road, the course at County Longford Golf Club was extensively redesigned in recent years, reopening for play in 2005. A floodlit driving range was also added to the facility in 2011.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 82,"2018-09-01 04:58:25",Louth,"Located in the Border Region, on the east coast of Ireland, County Louth covers an area of 319 square miles, making it the smallest county in the Irish nation. Most of its inhabitants live in Dundalk, the county town, or the historic old town of Drogheda, scene of one of the most significant armed skirmishes in Irish history at the Battle of the Boyne.
There are only seven golf clubs in the county registered with the GUI and the most important of these, by far, is County Louth, or Baltray as it’s often called. Founded in 1892, the club has hosted the prestigious East of Ireland Amateur Championship since 1941. The legendary Joe Carr won the inaugural event, the first of twelve titles he would claim over a twenty-nine year period. The County Louth course has also been used for the Irish Amateur Close Championship three times (in 1950, 1962, 1990) and the Irish Open has also been played over the links twice in more recent times. Shane Lowry won the 2009 tournament as an amateur, the first time this had ever happened in the history of the event.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 83,"2018-09-01 04:59:14",Mayo,"County Mayo is situated in the west of Ireland and it’s the second largest county by size and population in the province of Connacht. Extending to over two thousand square miles, Mayo’s diverse topography stretches from the barony of Erris and Killala Bay in the north to Lough Corrib and the long narrow fjord of Killary Harbour in the south and within these boundaries you’ll find lakes and quartzite peaks, rugged cliffs and tracts of blanket bog.
Mayo is one of five counties that are affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland through its Connacht Branch. The four Irish provinces take their turn to host the inter-club Cups and Shields week at the end of the season – when nearly 500 golfers in 20 teams win through to the semi- final and final stages – and Mayo’s Castlebar Golf Club was chosen to hold the event in 2010. The following year, the Claremorris team defeated Forest Little from Dublin by three points to two in the Jimmy Bruen Shield All-Ireland Final at Castlerock, a win that made up for the Mayo club losing in the same event to The Island nine years earlier in Galway.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 84,"2018-09-01 04:59:21",Meath,"One of the larger counties in the province of Leinster, County Meath is situated in the Mid East Region of Ireland with Navan as its county town. Once the seat of the High King of Ireland at Tara, County Meath is also famous for the Abbey of Kells, founded by Saint Columba in the 6th century, from where the historical Book of Kells originated.
There are fifteen GUI-affiliated golf clubs in the county (ten of which didn’t exist before 1984) and the oldest of these is County Meath, founded in 1898. Another of the long-established clubs, Headfort, offers golfers two fine 18-hole layouts and its New course – in operation since 2001 – is one of the best parkland tracks in Ireland.
Another new course, Killeen Castle, has been making something of a name for itself in recent years. The course was chosen for the Ladies Irish Open in 2010 and 2011 before it then hosted the biennial Solheim Cup series of matches between Europe and USA with the home team winning a memorable contest by a margin of 15 points to 13.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 85,"2018-09-01 04:59:32",Monaghan,"Birthplace of poet Patrick Kavanagh and artist George Collie in 1904, County Monaghan is one of the smallest and least populated of the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland though the County Museum is well worth a visit to view an interesting collection of historical rarities that include the 14th-century Cross of Clogher.
County Monaghan has only five golf clubs in membership of the 120-club Ulster Branch of the GUI and the most successful of this quintet in recent years has been Castleblaney. The club’s 7-man team captured the Ulster Cup three times within the space of ten years, starting in 1989. Then, in 2005 and 2006, its 10-man teams reached the national finals of the Pierce Purcell Shield and Jimmy Bruin Shield, winning the former and finishing runners up in the latter.
Castleblayney GC spawned the formidable new Concra Wood club and its new 18-hole course at Lough Muckno in 2008. This stunning new facility – the layout was designed by the two Christy O’Connor’s – is destined to climb the Irish ranking charts as more golfers discover just how good it is.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 86,"2018-09-01 04:59:37",Offaly,"With an area of more than 770 square miles, Offaly is the largest county in the Midlands Region of Ireland. The Esker Riada, a series of glacial sand and gravel ridges, runs through the county, with a sizeable proportion of the remaining landscape dominated by peat and bogland.
There are only five golf clubs from Offaly in membership of the Golfing Union of Ireland, the most senior of which is Tullamore, founded in 1886. The club was given the honour of hosting the annual inter-club Cups and Shield Finals in 2009, when teams from Galway, Malone, Kilkenny, Nenagh and Letterkenny lifted the trophies on offer.
The newest club in Offaly, Esker Hills, was formed in 1994 and it was one of its members, Shane Lowry, who made his name as a top amateur when he first won the Irish Close Championship in 2007, then the West of Ireland Championship and North of Ireland Championship the following year. To top it all off, he then claimed the Irish Open in 2009, becoming only the third amateur to ever win a European Tour event.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 87,"2018-09-01 05:00:14",Roscommon,"One of five counties that make up the province of Connacht in the West Region of Ireland, Roscommon – motto “steadfast Irish heart” – is one of the least populated areas in the country but, according to a report in 2008, the good news for those who live there is that they enjoy the longest life expectancy of any resident in Ireland.
Half a dozen golf clubs operate in Roscommon today and by far the most important of these is the oldest, Athlone. The club was originally founded as Athlone Garrison in 1892, the year after the GUI was established, though it did not affiliate to the national association for another seven years. To mark the 100th year of its GUI membership, the club hosted the All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals in 1998.
For a relatively modest golf club, Athlone has acquitted itself very well in competitions down the years, winning provincial honours in the five main annual competitions (Senior Cup, Barton Shield, Junior Cup, Pierce Purcell Shield and Jimmy Bruen Shield) on more than 40 occasions. The club’s finest golfing achievement came in 1959 at Portmarnock when its 4-man Barton Shield team lifted the trophy at the All-Ireland finals.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 88,"2018-09-01 05:00:28",Sligo,"County Sligo sits on the west coast of Ireland and it’s one of Connacht’s five constituent counties. Poet and playwright W.B. Yeats spent many of his formative years in County Sligo and the rugged landscape in this part of Ireland was the inspiration for much of his work, evidenced by one of Yeats’s last poems, “Under Ben Bulben”.
County Sligo Golf Club – better known to many as Rosses Point – is, appropriately enough, the oldest and most prestigious club in the county. Formed in 1894, the club affiliated to the GUI eight years later and its Championship course has played host to a wide range of regional, national and international tournaments down the years.
Since 1923, County Sligo has been the venue for the West of Ireland Amateur – an event dominated during its first half century by Cecil Ewing, Joe Carr and John Burke – and it has also been used for a combined total of almost twenty Cups & Shields Finals and Irish Close Amateur competitions. The Home Internationals were also held here in 1991 and 2011.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 89,"2018-09-01 05:00:31",Tipperary,"Located in the southern midlands of Ireland, Tipperary is one of six counties that comprise the province of Munster. The north of the county is administered from Nenagh while Clonmel serves the population in the south. The “Golden Vale” region lies in Tipperary and this swathe of fertile land produces much of Ireland’s dairy goods. There are only ten golf clubs in Tipperary and they’re all affiliated to the GUI through its Munster Branch. Roscrea is the oldest club in the county, dating back to 1892 with Tipperary founded four years later. County Tipperary Golf Club is listed on the GUI website but the website link to the club page points to the Dundrum House Hotel so the entry for the course on the Top 100 site is Dundrum. We’re not exactly sure when the change of name occurred but we are certain the course is one of the top tracks in Ireland.During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 90,"2018-09-01 05:00:40",Waterford,"County Waterford is located in the sunny south east of Ireland with over a hundred miles of coastline bordering the Irish Sea. The city of Waterford is not the county seat (Dungarvan holds that position) but it is the oldest city in Ireland, founded by Vikings in the 10th century, and it’s famous the world over for the production of Waterford Crystal glass.
The county does not brim over with golf clubs – of the 90 Munster clubs affiliated to the GUI, only 11 are from Waterford – but the clubs have done very well in major inter club competitions in recent years, with three clubs claiming provincial titles: Tramore winning the Barton Shield in 2011, Carrick-on-Suir claiming the Jimmy Bruen Shield in 2010 and West Waterford lifting the Senior Cup in 2009.
We list eight of the best courses in County Waterford, including – Tramore, Waterford Castle, Faithlegg, Dungarvan, Gold Coast and West Waterford.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 91,"2018-09-01 05:00:48",Westmeath,"The county of Westmeath – whose motto is “Noble above nobility” – is located in the province of Leinster with Mullingar as its county town. Occupying an area of around 710 square miles, Westmeath is the largest county by population in the Midlands Region of Ireland.
Seven Westmeath golf clubs are registered with the Golfing Union of Ireland and three of these – Mullingar, Glasson and New Forest – have golf courses that are regularly listed in Irish Top 100 rankings. Mullingar was originally formed as County Westmeath in 1894 and the club moved several times before finally settling at Belvedere in 1935. Glasson is a contemporary Christy O’Connor Jnr design that opened in 1993 whilst New Forest is a 2006 Peter McEvoy creation, one of over a dozen Irish courses his Sporting Projects company has been involved in since the mid 1990s.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 92,"2018-09-01 05:00:55",Wexford,"County Wexford covers an area of over 900 square miles in the south east corner of Ireland, making it the largest county in the province of Leinster. It shares boundaries to the north and west with Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Wicklow while its east and southern flanks face onto the Irish Sea.
There are a dozen golf courses in County Wexford, two of which (Tara Glen and Tuskar Rock) are 9-hole layouts. Rosslare’s Old course, designed in 1928 by Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor, is the only championship links layout in the south east of Ireland and it’s complemented by the 12-hole Burrow course which opened in 1992. The Old course was used for the Irish Amateur Close Championship way back in 1934 and it also hosted the All Ireland Cups and Shields Finals in 2005 when teams from North West, Fortwilliam, Warrenpoint, The Island and Castleblayney claimed the five items of silverware that were up for grabs.
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 93,"2018-09-01 05:01:00",Wicklow,"The Garden County of Wicklow lies in the Mid East Region of Ireland and it’s one of the twelve counties that comprise the province of Leinster. There are plenty of interesting places to visit in this area, from the Monastic Site at Glendalough Valley in the Wicklow Mountains National Park to the popular seaside towns of Bray and Greystones.
The Golfing Union of Ireland has twenty-seven Wicklow clubs on its books and several of them have hosted the prestigious Irish PGA Championship – played since 1907 and the oldest golf tournament in Ireland – in recent years.
Between 1977 and 1981, Woodbrook held the event six times. Druids Heath was a one-off venue in 2006 and Powerscourt (East) was where Padraig Harrington won his first Irish professional title in 1998. Nine years later, he won three PGA championships in successive years at The European Club to take his overall haul to six – impressive indeed, but still four fewer than the number of titles attained by either Harry Bradshaw (1941-1957) or Christy O’Connor Snr (1958-1978).
During the nineteenth century the Republic of Ireland, or Éire, was part of the United Kingdom and records state that British troops brought golf to the Emerald Isle in the 1850s. The oldest golf course in the Republic of Ireland is set on the heathland of the Curragh in County Kildare and there are records of a match being played there in 1852.
The Curragh Golf Club (now Royal Curragh Golf Club after the club finally decided in 2013 to use the royal title that was granted in 1910) was founded in 1858, twenty-three years before the formation of Royal Belfast (1881) and twenty-seven years before the formation of Royal Dublin (1885).
Golf in Ireland possibly dates back beyond the nineteenth century but records are scant. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland possesses many of the finest golf courses in the world and is quite rightly one of the premier golf destinations thanks to household names such as Ballybunion, Lahinch and Portmarnock.
We created an inaugural Ireland Top 100 in 2006 and so far no other publication has assembled a Top 100 for Éire, although a number of golf magazines have produced Top 100 lists for the Republic and Northern Ireland combined.
We updated the Republic of Ireland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of the Republic of Ireland
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 94,"2018-09-01 05:01:11",Antrim,"Situated in the north east of Northern Ireland, County Antrim extends north from Lisburn, taking in the city of Belfast before the coastal boundary sweeps round Belfast Lough, Larne and Ballycastle on its way to Portrush. Close to Bushmills on the Antrim coast, some say the volcanic basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway is where the legendary warrior Finn McCool once walked across to Scotland to joust with his Scottish counterpart in years long gone by.
The main golf club in County Antrim is undoubtedly Royal Portrush, where members play over two fantastic championship 18-hole links courses, the world famous Dunluce and the much underrated Valley. Most golfers will know that Graeme McDowell, US Open winner in 2010, played his amateur golf at Portrush but many won’t know he was actually a member of Rathmore GC (attached to the Valley course) and not the Royal club.
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 95,"2018-09-01 05:01:22",Armagh,"One of six counties that form Northern Ireland, Armagh has boundaries with Tyrone and Down in the UK and Louth and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It’s a beautiful rural area – sometimes called the “Orchard County” – with excellent road connections to both Belfast and Dublin and the county town of Armagh is where St Patrick is said to have established his principal church in Ireland.
Of the 120 golf clubs affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Golfing Union of Ireland, only eight are located in county Armagh but the relatively small number of golfers from these clubs have more than held their own when competing in Ulster competitions in recent times.
Stuart Paul from Tandragee Golf Club won the North of Ireland Amateur in 2001 (beating Rathmore’s Graeme McDowell 4&3 in the Final) and he was followed in 2005 and 2007 by Lurgan’s Gareth Shaw who held off Stuart Paul the first time and Shane Lowry on the second occasion.The Tandragee team also triumphed in the Ulster Finals of the Pierce Purcell Shield in 2006 and the Jimmy Bruen Shield in 2010 whilst Lurgan were proud winners of the Ulster section of the Senior Cup in 2010.
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 96,"2018-09-01 05:01:27",Down,"County Down – one of six counties in Northern Ireland that make up the nine-county Ulster Branch of the Golfing Union of Ireland - is where, as the song says, “ the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea”. Down spreads out east and south from Lough Neagh with a large part of the county lying on the Ards Peninsula, which separates the large sea inlet of Stangford Lough from the Irish Sea.
County Down club teams have featured prominently in the final stages of recent Irish national competitions and Warrenpoint has been particularly successful, winning the Barton Shield at Rosslare in 2005 and Castlerock in 2011, the Pierce Purcell Shield at Shandon Park in 2007 and the Senior Cup at Monkstown in 2008.
One of Down’s most famous golfing sons, Rory McIlroy, cut his golfing teeth in Ireland at his home club Holywood, graduating from the Ulster Under 15 title in 2002 to the Ulster Boys Championship in 2003 and 2004 then the West of Ireland and Irish Close Amateur championships in 2005 and 2006.
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 97,"2018-09-01 05:01:40",Fermanagh,"The county of Fermanagh is the only one of Northern Ireland’s six counties that doesn’t have a boundary with Lough Neagh. Large bodies of inland waterways do play a large part in the county however and Fermanagh is widely regarded as Ireland’s equivalent of the Lake District in England due to its location in the River Erne basin.
For over a hundred years, until the Castle Hume course was established in the late 1990s, Fermanagh had been able to boast only one, solitary 18-hole layout in the entire county at Enniskillen Golf Club, which was founded in 1896. The arrival of the Faldo Championship course at the 5-star Lough Erne resort in 2009 has taken golf to an altogether new level in the county with the layout making an almost immediate impact on the Irish golf rankings. Indeed, it has already appeared in the Top 100 Great Britain & Ireland rankings with every sign that it will climb higher still.
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 98,"2018-09-01 05:01:44",Londonderry,"Located in the northwest of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry spreads east from the historical walled city of Derry on the River Foyle towards Lough Neagh on its south eastern boundary. It’s a region of outstanding beauty where the land tumbles from the largely undiscovered Sperrin Mountains down to the cliffs and sandy strands of the coast around Portstewart.
One of six counties in Northern Ireland, County Londonderry is also one of nine counties that are affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland through its Ulster Branch. The quartet of Irish provinces take their turn every four years to host the inter-club Cups and Shields week at the end of the season and that particular honour fell to Castlerock Golf Club in 2011.
Around 20,000 male golfers in around 1,500 Irish club teams participate annually in five main competitions – the Irish Senior Cup (inaugurated in 1900), Barton Shield (1920), Irish Junior Cup (1900), Pierce Purcell Shield (1970) and Jimmy Bruen Shield (1978) – and almost 500 golfers in 20 teams won through to the semi- final and final stages over the Mussenden course in 2011.
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 99,"2018-09-01 05:01:54",Tyrone,"Former stronghold of the O’Neill clan, Tyrone is the second largest county in Ulster, one of six that are located in Northern Ireland. The town of Omagh – which, from the Irish, means “virgin plain” – is located where the Drumragh and and Camowen rivers meet to form the Strule and it replaced Dungannon as the county town in 1768.
Three Tryrone clubs (Auchnacloy, Dungannon and Killymoon) joined with six others (two each from Antrim, Donegal and Down) to form the Golfing Union of Ireland in 1891, at a time when there were only twenty eight clubs operating throughout Ireland so the county has played a significant part in the development of golf in the country.
In more recent times, Dungannon’s most famous golfing son, Darren Clarke, has joined the ever-increasing number of Major champions from Ulster, claiming the Claret Jug at Royal St. George’s in 2011. Admirers of Darren should never forget that one of the springboards to his glittering professional career came in 1990 when he won both the North of Ireland Amateur (defeating Paul McGinley 1 UP) and the Irish Amateur Close Championship (beating Padraig Harrington 3&2 in the final).
Northern Ireland may have been troubled by conflict in recent times but it’s one of the most beautiful home countries with stunning coastlines – some with causeways built by giants – sparkling lakes and misty mountains. But perhaps Northern Ireland’s most precious asset lies in the strength and quality of its golf courses.
Around 100 golf courses serve a population of less than 2 million people. Northern Ireland may be the least populated of the four UK countries but it is the proud owner of two world-class golf courses and many hidden gems.
We feature more than a quarter of Northern Ireland's courses, all of which deserve close examination. But if you doubt the country’s golf course pedigree you should start by taking a look at the two Royal thrillers at Portrush and Newcastle.
We updated our Northern Ireland golf course rankings in October 2017. Click the link for full details.
",3,"2018-03-21 04:56:38","Britain & Ireland" 100,"2018-09-01 05:02:06","Angus & Dundee","The Angus County Golf Association oversees the affairs of 28 golf clubs and societies within the district and members of these clubs play over a total of 23 layouts, three of which are 9-hole courses.
Some courses, like the Championship, Burnside and Buddon at Carnoustie, are home to five different clubs whilst Montrose’s Medal and Broomfield and Monifieth’s Medal and Ashludie courses have three different clubs attached to the links layouts at each location.It’s not all about seaside golf in Angus, though.
Venture away from the east coast and you will find some wonderful inland tracks like Dundee’s highly rated Downfield, the Old course at Letham Grange and Forfar’s heathland gem at Cunninghill.
Our Angus & Dundee Best in Region rankings were last updated in September 2017. Click the link to read the story.
Golf has been part of the sporting landscape in Scotland since at least the 15th century when King James II banned the game by Act of Parliament in 1457 and there is mention of the game being played on a number of sites along the east side of the country during the 16th century, including Stirling (1505), Carnoustie (1527), Montrose (1562) and St Andrews (1574). Courses that developed at these locations, and many others that emerged along the eastern coastline, from Dornoch in the north to Dunbar in the south, still present a formidable challenge to golfers in the modern era.
By 1880, there were 42 courses in play around the country and that number doubled over the following decade at the start of a golf boom that would last for around 30 years. Incredibly, a further 200 courses emerged in the 20 years between 1890 and 1910 as the popularity of golf soared during a period of industrial growth. The next 70 years saw a slow and steady growth before the next golf boom of the 1980s and 90s, bringing the total number of golf courses in Scotland to around 500. That number has since risen to 578 at the end of 2016.
We updated Scotland's Top 100 in October 2017. Full details are here: Top 100 Golf Courses of Scotland