In this video, Neil Tappin is joined by Rob Smith & Jeremy Ellwood, who are in charge of Golf Monthly's Top 100, and Golf Monthly's editor Mike Harris to run through the top 10 of Golf Monthly's Top 100 golf courses in the UK & Ireland for 2023/24. How many of the top 10 have you played?
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00:00Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Monthly and welcome to Walthamstow Golf Club and this video which we're going to take a look at
00:06the top 10 golf courses in the UK and Ireland.
00:10So I'm going to be joined by Rob Smith and Jeremy Elwood who run our Top 100 Courses panel and
00:16Mike Harris who's the editor of Golf Monthly and we're going to discuss what makes these 10 golf courses so special.
00:22We're going to run it through from 10 through to 1 so make sure you watch through to the end to find out what
00:26comes out on top. Right, let's get started.
00:30So we're going to start at number 10 and work our way down to number 1 and actually we'll start with 10 and 9 together
00:43because they are the same venue, the same golf club, but two separate golf courses.
00:47Mike, you're going to kick us off and we're looking at the two Sunningdales here.
00:50We are indeed.
00:52And interestingly, for a number of years, we had the new ranked above the old.
00:57And I think that most people would agree that the new is a harder golf course.
01:03I would.
01:04It's a really, really strong test of golf.
01:07If you're not on your game, it will really find you out.
01:11But actually, we've promoted the old ahead of the new.
01:16I think we did it at the last rankings and it stayed ahead this time.
01:20And I think we've done that just because it is such a delightful 18 holes of golf.
01:26Even if you're playing not the best, you will still really, really enjoy the old.
01:32There are some incredible holes on there.
01:35I just think the ambience of the old, it's such a charming golf course.
01:40The new as well, again, some amazing holes.
01:44That sweeping par five, where big hitters like you sort of take it over the floor and the rest of us go out to the left.
01:50The par three before that, which is the fourth, I think.
01:54Sorry, the fifth and then the par five is the sixth.
01:57Yeah, that's right.
01:58And then such a great run of holes around the turn as well.
02:02The tenth lovely par three that goes back to the halfway hut.
02:07In fact, both of the tenths go to the halfway hut, don't they?
02:10And of course, no visit to Sunningsdale is complete without a stop at the halfway hut for a sausage sandwich and a drink of your choice.
02:18But I think together, it's the best 36 holes comfortably.
02:24In GB and I possibly in the world.
02:27And it's a wonderful place to visit.
02:28As I say, what's unique about Sunningsdale is that you've got two golf courses that are very similar in terms of
02:33obviously, they're similar in terms of sitting at ten and nine or our list, but they're quite different actually to play.
02:38As you said, Mike, one of them's a lot, I'd say a lot harder than the other one.
02:42But they do play quite different, even though they're on the same bit of land.
02:46It's not because I find the same at the Berkshire.
02:48You have two that side by side.
02:50I think the blue is substantially tougher than the red.
02:53Maybe it's because of the pars and so on.
02:55But it seems to be a feature of the Surrey Berkshire ballers that you've got these fabulous 36 hole venues like that.
03:01So let me put you all on the spot.
03:02If you were going to play one of those Sunningsdale courses tomorrow,
03:06but only one of them, which one would you go for, Jez?
03:08I'd go for the new because I didn't play a lot of good golf last year,
03:11but one of my best rounds was on the new, so it's fresh in the mind.
03:14But I particularly like that fifth and sixth back to back combo,
03:18which is probably two of the best back to back holes in the UK.
03:20Well, there you go, Mike.
03:22It would depend on how I was playing.
03:24If I'm playing well, I'd like to play on the new because it's a great test of golf.
03:28But if I'm not playing so well, I think it's a pretty relentless golf course.
03:33So I'd opt for the old, which I think is a bit more, it's a bit more user friendly.
03:37Definitely. I think you're going to have an enjoyable round, whether you play well or not.
03:42And I would opt for the old as well, for fairly obvious reasons,
03:46particularly as we're in now, we're recording this in the sort of height of winter, really.
03:50And I'm not getting a great deal of distance.
03:52So the old will keep a smile on your face the whole way,
03:55whereas the new might actually start to make you frown.
03:59How about you?
04:00Oh, I'd go for the old too.
04:01I'd go for the old.
04:03But regardless, as you said, I'd definitely take a bit of time at the halfway heart.
04:06Yeah, absolutely. Whichever one I play.
04:08OK, so number eight on our list is Royal Portrush.
04:13Rob, are you looking at Royal Portrush for us?
04:15Yeah, I first played it back in the late 80s, early 90s, I think,
04:19and fell in love with it straight away.
04:20It's a classic Lynx, but has got some fabulous students as well.
04:25There's a Harry Colt course, and I'm a big fan of Colt, as are many people.
04:29Obviously, he's one of the greatest architects of all time.
04:32It was always a great course anyway,
04:35and it kind of came back even higher in the public eye
04:38when it got the open back four years ago for 2019.
04:42And of course, Mackenzie Nebert came in and did some changes as well,
04:44including two new holes, which is quite important because the work
04:47had a slightly weaker finish.
04:48So it's kind of come up in our rankings based on the fact
04:51we've got two fabulous new holes as well.
04:53So you had the fifth and the 16th, which were glorious in the first place.
04:57You've now got the two new holes as well.
04:59It's an absolute cracker from start to finish now.
05:01But hard as well, though.
05:02Very hard, as evidenced by the fact it's got the opening already again
05:05back in two years' time.
05:06So, you know, everyone loved it.
05:08The 2019 opening was a huge success.
05:11And the public acclaim and the worldwide acclaim is so great
05:14that it's going back there straight away.
05:15Right. Moving on.
05:16We need to get to course number seven, Jez, on our list, which is Carnoustie.
05:20Carnoustie is, people will often say about Carnoustie,
05:24it's a fantastic golf course.
05:26The views are not great.
05:27You know, it's enclosed by houses and it's not a great sea view golf course.
05:33But I think bunkering and burns are what Carnoustie is all about.
05:37The two B's.
05:37They're always in the wrong place for where you as a golfer tend to hit it.
05:41Some fairways have bunkers both sides in the driving zone.
05:44Some just on one side.
05:46And then you get this added
05:48factor of the burns, not just on the closing stretch, but on early holes
05:51like the third, where I think now some of the big hitting guys
05:55can get pretty close to the green on the third, can't really knock it on.
05:58Yeah. But for mere mortals, you're factoring in having to clear that burn
06:01on your second shot.
06:02And I just think it's such a brilliantly bunkered golf course.
06:06And then as tough a finish as you'll encounter anywhere.
06:09Yeah, I think that you're right there, Jez, that feeling with some of these golf
06:13courses, the ones where maybe they don't have the breathtaking views
06:16of Royal Portrush or another one that appears on our list a bit further down.
06:20They do then need to have that amazing bunkering, that definition
06:24that you get off the tee at places like Carnoustie.
06:26And it is a lot of people say it's the best bunkered golf course in the UK
06:31and I probably wouldn't disagree with that.
06:34Yeah. Right.
06:35So on to number six on our list and Rob, you're going to take a look at Royal
06:38Dornan. But before you talk about the golf course itself, just talk a bit
06:41about the club, because I've no doubt in my mind it's one of the friendliest
06:46courses I think I've ever been to.
06:48Just so you get that sense immediately as you arrive, that you're sort of
06:50almost like a member of the club for the day.
06:52Well, you certainly do.
06:52And that's because going back, it was a real pilgrimage to go there.
06:56Again, going back some time when I first went, you had to take the ferry from
07:00Inverness. You didn't have to, but it was the quickest way to get the ferry
07:02across the Cromwelly Firth.
07:04And therefore, once you got there, it was a very special place to go to.
07:07And because it was off the beaten track, it was, of course, a little less stuffy
07:10than some of the other clubs.
07:11And there's always therefore been welcoming as a result.
07:14Yeah. And it's welcoming.
07:15But then you get out onto the golf course and it's a fantastic place to play golf.
07:19Tell us a bit about the golf course.
07:20Well, the setting is just dreamy, isn't it?
07:22It's so remote.
07:23You've got kind of almost like a two level thing working your way down to the shore.
07:27And you look back across and it's just a traditional out and back.
07:31Some super tough holes.
07:32If you play in a strong wind, you might really find it quite tough.
07:36But of course, like elsewhere, it's improving all the time, too.
07:39So they have since the last rankings, they have a new seventh hole par four,
07:43which has been realigned to kind of open up the views across the Firth
07:47more and make it even more sexy to look at as you play.
07:52They're working currently, as we speak, on the eighth to build a new tee
07:55to to create the views again and then open that up as well.
07:59So like many places not resting on it, it's already very high laurels.
08:02It's improving all the time.
08:04Yeah. And it's a brilliant place to play golf.
08:06OK, so course number five on our list is Royal Birkdale.
08:10Rob, another open venue, beautiful golf course to look at.
08:14What makes it so good?
08:15Well, looking back at the rankings since we've been going,
08:17which is about 20 years now,
08:19this has been the leading course in England the whole way through.
08:22I was lucky enough to play there again last summer,
08:25and I already knew it was great before I went.
08:28But going back, I just couldn't believe how good it is.
08:31It's got 18 strong holes all the way through.
08:33It's got fantastic dunes for England.
08:36Particularly for the northwest, which is cracking coastline all the way through.
08:39But it's got some of the best dunes.
08:42I just loved it from start to finish.
08:43It's also super friendly.
08:45Strangely enough, now for an Open Championship venue,
08:48members are very friendly and welcoming, as are the management team.
08:51I was absolutely blown away going back again.
08:53I, when last time I was there for the Open,
08:55which would have been the year that Jordan Spieth won,
08:57I remember standing on the first tee and thinking this is possibly
08:59the most intimidating shot ever.
09:01This is a dogleg right to left.
09:03There's wind all the way off the left hand side.
09:04It's both ways, actually.
09:05Yeah, for most golfers, you've got to hit it out there
09:09and then you've got to draw it and then fade it, which is not.
09:13So let me ask you, what makes it such a good golf course then?
09:17Well, I mean, I think it's it was rerouted many years ago
09:21to play along the valleys rather than up and over the hills.
09:24And probably for the older English links courses,
09:29it has some really impressive dunes and you play along valleys between them.
09:34Every hole is almost like a welfare.
09:35Yeah, I think it's a really fair golf course as well.
09:40You don't tend to get those,
09:43you know, sort of quirky links like that.
09:46You might get it somewhere like the Royal St George's perhaps.
09:49When it comes to ranking a golf course for the top 100 courses in Gold Monthly,
09:54you guys, you don't just take a look at just the quality of the test and design.
09:57There are some other factors as well.
09:58Take a look at the video that's on that subject as well to know more.
10:01OK, so for number four on our list, we're going back north of the border to Scotland.
10:06Mike, Muirfield.
10:07Yeah, well, it's an incredible golf course.
10:10We had it number one for a number of years.
10:15And although it's a number four, it is still an epic golf course.
10:20I think the thing about Muirfield that everybody acknowledges
10:23is strength is rooting, it's two concentric nine.
10:27So you are never playing in the same direction, two holes in a row,
10:31which means that the wind is constant.
10:33There's always a wind there at Muirfield, it's constantly shifting.
10:37You've really got to take that into account.
10:40A very, very strong test.
10:42It is. It's a hard golf course.
10:45There's some really enjoyable holes, but it is.
10:47It's a difficult golf course.
10:49You'll get a lot of great bunkering there.
10:52So we're staying in Scotland for number three.
10:55We're going to go to Turnberry, which has always been one of the most
10:58beautiful golf courses in the UK and Ireland.
11:01But tell us a bit about the test that you find when you get there.
11:04Well, it was always regarded as the most visually picturesque of the open,
11:08but it's not on the rotor at the moment, but picturesque of the open rotor
11:13then is because it's so close to the coastline there in Ayrshire
11:16and the front nine in particular and the turn.
11:19You're hugging the shore all the way.
11:20And I think there was some perhaps some concern when someone came in in 2016
11:25to start doing some changes.
11:26You know, what can you do to to improve this already?
11:29Yeah, the masterpiece of a golf course.
11:31How do you improve it?
11:32And, you know, particularly when you found out he was going to be doing holes
11:34like 9, 10 and 11, which were already right on that rocky shore.
11:38And then the results that he managed to create proved that it was all justified
11:44because it just raised it, raised the whole thing another notch on the old scale.
11:48And it is just an immense experience.
11:51And he's also improved holes
11:52on the back nine that traditionally were perhaps a little bit weaker.
11:56You know, you now play the 14th is now a par five
11:59coming back up to where the old ninth fairway was.
12:02That's making far better use of the land than when the ninth was this
12:05kind of unusual par four with the Hogsback fairway.
12:09And the whole thing has just gone up several notches.
12:12I think it explains why we do this process every couple of years,
12:15because the best golf courses in the UK and Ireland, they are evolving, aren't they?
12:19They're constantly evolving and changing.
12:22And as you said, you can take a masterpiece like Turnberry and make it even better.
12:25I mean, few people would have thought that was even possible.
12:28Well, yeah, particularly when you found out what holes he was going to be tinkering.
12:31Yeah. Yeah.
12:31So but it was it was a job well done.
12:34And OK, so number two is St Andrews.
12:38The old course at St Andrews had to be high up on the list.
12:41Of course, it did.
12:42Mike, tell us a bit about about St Andrews.
12:45I think everybody knows it's it's the most famous golf course in the world,
12:50home of golf.
12:51And when you play there, you are walking in the footsteps of everybody
12:57who's who of the game, Molton Morris to Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods.
13:03And it's an incredible experience.
13:06What I really like about St Andrews is it is playable for all levels of golfer.
13:12You've got to do quite well to lose a golf ball.
13:14You probably have would have to hit it in one of the
13:16wind bushes that are sort of around, although they've taken out
13:20quite a lot of the winds, it's pretty difficult to lose a golf ball.
13:24Yeah, I've always found that it was not fairly straightforward,
13:29fairly straightforward to get an OK score.
13:33Yeah, quite difficult to get a really good score
13:35because you've got to be a bit more ambitious and a bit more aggressive.
13:39And you've got to be putting well, because you are going to have a lot of long putts.
13:42Yes, mega putts, big double greens
13:46and some, you know, some subtle movements in some of them.
13:50And you think that, you know, the really hard holes are, you know,
13:53hard, but then you can easily get caught out.
13:56I remember playing in a medal was going really quite nicely.
14:00I think I was like one or two over,
14:03stood on the 12th tee and had an eight.
14:06What is a short putt?
14:07It feels like it's a potential birdie opportunity.
14:10You know, St Andrews gives you decisions to make and it's sort of,
14:14I really should have hit dry, but I hit hybrid, hit it into one of the fairway bunkers.
14:19I think it took two to get out.
14:22Then I, oh I don't know, the red mist came down.
14:24And then you've got that green with the step in it.
14:27It's, yeah, there are plenty of places to come a cropper,
14:31but it is quite user friendly.
14:33It is. It's only consolation Paul Casey came a cropper there, didn't he?
14:37The year when Hoosetowers of Miami opened, he made a hatchet.
14:39It's yeah.
14:41I think what sums it up, Playable for all, the very first time I played there
14:45on the two par threes, I had a two on one and a 13 on the other.
14:50Consistency has always been a hard thing.
14:55So before we move on to the top ranked course on the list,
14:59what's it like to play the first and the 18th at St Andrews?
15:03Still for me, I mean, I must have played the old course.
15:0620 plus times, it is still a magical feeling stood on the first tee
15:11hitting down there.
15:14And then the journey up 18 is, you know, it's amazing.
15:17Walk over the bridge.
15:19Waving to the imaginary crowd as you go.
15:21You've got to have a photograph on the bridge,
15:24you know, particularly if it's your first time and if you're taking friends.
15:28It's a really special experience.
15:29And then walking up there with obviously R&A Clubhouse
15:33and Hamilton Grand behind it.
15:35I know, Neil, you had a room in Hamilton.
15:37Yeah, it was my hall of residence at university.
15:39What a room with a view quite literally.
15:42And of course, you've got all these sort of famous building, Bruce Axe
15:45and all the others up the right hand side.
15:48Normally got a crowd behind the 18th green, which is
15:52it's pretty inspiring, can be a little bit daunting.
15:54But yeah, it's just an incredible place to play golf.
15:57And it's I would recommend it for everybody.
16:01Put it on. Yeah, I know it's probably on everybody's bucket list,
16:03but it is well worth the pilgrimage.
16:06It is. It really is.
16:07OK, so that leads us to number one on our list.
16:09And for this one, we're going back over to Northern Ireland
16:13and Royal County Down.
16:16Who has played Royal County Down most recently?
16:19I've played it most recently.
16:20I've also been right next door to it most recently and not played it.
16:24But so, so, Jez, right, you've got on this list
16:28the best inland courses, the best Lynx golf courses.
16:31Why does this one stand out for you?
16:33Well, I think people have always
16:35a lot of people think it's the best golf course in the world.
16:37That's always been touted as being up there.
16:39I don't know whether I agree with that or not, but it's as a setting for golf
16:45surrounded by mountains.
16:47You've got the sea, you've got the iconic town
16:51townscape with the towering buildings and the hotel, isn't it?
16:54Next door. Yeah.
16:56Sleave Donnard.
16:57And it's it's got a magical feel about it, the whole place.
17:01And then you get on the course and the first three holes sort of play
17:05along the coast, gently uphill, isn't it?
17:07We climb up to the to the fourth tee and then look back down
17:12and get the whole of that view.
17:15And I know, you know, the views are not the major part of our rankings,
17:19but given that they are still a decent percentage,
17:22this one would score as highly as anywhere for the visual appeal.
17:26And then some of the individual holes are just fantastic to play.
17:30What do you have to do?
17:31Well, to shoot a good score at Royal Castle, apart from play very well.
17:35You have to go on a day when it's not windy.
17:39Stay out of the bunkers and it's a well bunkered golf course.
17:43And you've got to know your lines on some of the shots
17:48where you can't necessarily see exactly where you're going.
17:50Like the ninth and the eleventh in particular, isn't it?
17:55Can I ask you a question about blind shots?
17:57Because when we talked, Mike mentioned earlier about
17:59I think it was Birkdale saying it's such a fair golf course.
18:02And when people talk about fair golf course, immediately
18:04the thing that goes off in my mind is that it's fair
18:06because you can see everything in front of you.
18:08But Royal Countertown is one of those golf courses
18:10where you do have a few blind shots to encounter.
18:14Are they a good thing? Are they a bad thing?
18:16How do you feel about that sort of makeup and how it works in golf?
18:20I've never been against them because I've played a lot of golf on
18:23quirky old golf courses where you get a lot of blind shots.
18:26And no, probably no designer would design a blind hole or shot these days.
18:32But playing them on some of these classic old links seems entirely inky.
18:36I think when you think of Prestwick and that blind par three straight over the hill,
18:41if you play that and you can't enjoy the experience
18:44of coming over the top and seeing where your ball is,
18:48I have no objection to them.
18:49I don't know what the other guys think.
18:50I totally agree.
18:52It's part of the tradition of the game, isn't it?
18:54It's part of the stepping back in time.
18:55It's part of embracing what golf started off as,
18:57just going out there into the elements.
18:59I'm all for it.
19:00Because if you're hitting somewhere that's then very quirky,
19:03I mean, you and I played at Painswick this year, which was about as quirky a golf course.
19:08Yeah. And so many blind shots.
19:11And I think you just had to embrace it for what it was.
19:14But yeah, you're hitting in some pretty funky places.
19:17Interestingly, I did an interview with Sam Hartsby this week,
19:20and he played the Irish Open there, and he was saying
19:22he built his practice round around hitting to these marker posts.
19:26But then for the tournament, they took all the marker posts out.
19:29Oh no.
19:29So he's suddenly looking at his notes and it's saying hit towards marker post,
19:32and there is no marker post.
19:34So, you know, that shows you how there are obviously enough blind shots there
19:38for someone to be hitting towards.
19:39Now, can I ask you, if you were going to play Royal Counterdown tomorrow,
19:41would you want it to be dead calm, flat calm, or would you want there to be a wind?
19:45I think I'd want it to be relatively calm, because anything more than about
19:50two or three club wind, and I know I'm not going to be scoring particularly well.
19:53I think you want, when you play links golf, you want there to be some wind
19:59because it's part of the experience.
20:01But yeah, it can get... I played it in really poor weather.
20:06And it's still, you know, men's test of golf, great challenge.
20:09But yeah, sometimes I think that, you know, for ordinary golfers,
20:13then you don't want the wind to be up too much.
20:14Maybe like a two club wind, help you on most holes.
20:18But you particularly want it on your approach shots, don't you?
20:20Because it really makes you think.
20:23On the drive, it can kill you.
20:24But on the approach shots, you've really got to take into account
20:27the extra club or the one club less or whatever.
20:29And then you can start to play bump and run shots.
20:31I'd say that, yeah, the wind out of play.
20:33But no, I think a bit of wind.
20:34And maybe that explains why links course is featured so heavily
20:37in that top 10 list from our top 100.
20:39So a quick recap.
20:40So it's Sunningdale new at 10, Sunningdale old at 9, Royal Portrush,
20:46Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch.
20:48Number five is Royal Birkdale.
20:50Then it's Muirfield, Turnberry, the old course at St Andrews.
20:53And finally, in at number one is Royal Countdown.
20:55And thank you very much for watching this video.
20:58If you've played any of the golf courses we've talked about here,
21:01then we'd love to hear what you have to say about them.
21:03But for now, from Wapleston Golf Club, it's goodbye.