Top 100 Golf Courses

[theeaglehunter]

Dodger a mate of mine has told me that your course is the favorite course he has ever played, he played it once whilst on holiday a while ago. He had some great pictures of the place on a nice sunny day. He did say however that he thought one of the courses at my club was better, yours was just more fun!

 

[Dodger]

Where do you play theeaglehunter?

 

[Smiffy]

I'm sure anyone who has played the Old Course would agree the experience is a memorable one

Not being argumentative but "memorable" for what reason?
Whilst The Old Course might be steeped in tradition, my own experience there was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
I visited with a group of 7 other golfers, our first trip to Scotland and like lunatics we went in March! To be honest, the weather wasn't that bad considering...but we just had to play the Old Course while we were there.
We teed off, two fourballs, there was nobody ahead of us, nobody behind. Yet within 3 or 4 holes a Marshall appeared and followed us round, offering to rake the bunkers for us as we went. That's nice of him we thought but after 4 or 5 holes we realised why he was there...to rush us around the course as fast as he could. We were not slow, none of the group were. And as I say there was nobody in front of us and certainly no groups of golfers behind. So why do it?
It completely spoilt our visit to the course, and despite 4 further trips to Scotland over the following years we never felt at all interested in returning to "the home of golf". We booked to play Carnoustie the following year, a much better test of golf and despite marshalls being present they didn't bother us at all. We followed this up with three further visits to this great course.
Two other courses we played in Scotland that are worthy of mention are Blairgowrie (Rosemount) and Pitlochry. Having not read the article yet, I don't know if these two fine courses make the list?
Rob

 

[theeaglehunter]

Dodger, I play at the gog magog golf club in cambridge. www.gogmagog.co.uk

 

[Dodger]

Russell Claydon played out of there didn't he?

What a grip!

 

[theeaglehunter]

He did indeed and still does, I am very impressed!

 

[Dodger]

saw he was still kicking around on the europro tour I think it was.An impressive list of Lagonda trophy winners,Fisher,Donald,Wolstenholme,Scotland,Webster,Westwood,James and Northumberlands own Kenny Ferrie!

 

[theeaglehunter]

Yea he is still playing occasionally on the europro tour. It is great looking up at the board in the clubhouse with those names on, do I get the impression you have played / been to the course? You know a fair bit about it! You haven't played in the Lagonda have you?

 

[John_Findlay]

I would say the top 20 are just about correct...though not necessarily in the right order, as I think the great Eric Morecombe once said!

I've played 8 of the top 10. I wouldn't have Muirfield at number 1. Haven't played it but have walked the fairways many times and I think other courses compare more favourably, particularly Carnoustie (my personal favourite), Royal Dornoch and RCD.

It'll always provoke debate and, let's face it, your personal memories of a course are always heavily determined by the weather that day and how well you played.

St Andrew's New is down at 54 and universally regarded as a better course than the Old so it can't just be the course that counts, as Mike says.

 

[backwoodsman]

Not sure the likes of Muirfield & Loch Lomond should be in there! Ok, the piece said that you <u>can</u> get on at Muirfield, but am sure that most of the great unwashed such as us can't get near it. And as for Loch Lomond, I gather even their esteemed members can't get on it. Did I not read somewhere that Ally McCoist said he was only allowed half a dozen or so rounds per year? Or am I making that up? Anyhow, point stands...

 

[StuartD]

Not sure the likes of Muirfield & Loch Lomond should be in there! Ok, the piece said that you <u>can</u> get on at Muirfield, but am sure that most of the great unwashed such as us can't get near it.

Muirfield is really not that difficult to get on especially in the winter. Took my dad for his 60th birthday and would rate it as the best course we have played.

I have played all the open rota courses except Hoylake and would say that i was not a great fan of birkdale. But i suppose everbodies view is different. Must admit not a great fan of St Andrews old. As J_F says it's not even the best course in St Andrews.

If anybody is interested in booking Muirfield see the link below

http://www.muirfield.org.uk/index.cfm?action=home

 

[Dodger]

As StuartD says it aint hard to get on Muirfield.I would say that I would put it in the top 5 but Not anywhere near my No.1 Royal County Down,would also have to say that St.Andrews would be No.2 for me,I could play that course every day in life if I had the chance, ok it has a few weak holes (9 & 18)but each time I play there I learn something new and another way of playing it.For me it is the most fun golf course around and of course you add that in with the feeling you get when you try to sit the ball on the peg at the 1st without knocking it off with your shoogly hand and playing the last with townsfolk leaning over the fence watching sums up the magic of the place.As for the New I have never understood the good press it gets as I don't rate it at all,has a number of mundane holes (1st and last readily spring to mind) and I would put the Jubilee above the New.

 

[USER1999]

RCD thoroughly deserves it's place in the top 5. I haven't played that many of the others tbh, just Woodhall Spa Hotchkin in the top 20, and a few of the lower ones like Bovey Castle.

I would like the opportunity to play more of the top 20, apart from they are too far away / expensive / hard to get on.

Next time I am in Scotland I will have to see if I can peg a few. It would be nice to tick off a few more links courses, as this is an area I am weak on. Much like every one else, for the history alone I would like to give The Old course a go at St Andrews.

 

[SammmeBee]

There are some strange choices though:

Sunnindgale New above Sunningdale Old

Isle of Purbeck - another course where the view outweigh the actual golf course

I haven't been north of Watford much for obvious reasons so I shall remain our southern correspondent on the matter.....

 

[RGuk]

Mike H......has anyone ever had a look at my club,do the GM team know it exists??

Funny you should ask. I knew people who talked in glowing terms about Goswick when I lived in London!!

 

[Dodger]

That was probably my brother in law!

 

[MikeH]

Hi all

Repeat what I said in the last post - great to hear the debate

Few answers to queries that I can offer a useful reply on

How many courses were considered before the final draft was decided? - Shortlist of contenders was made up of 175 courses

st andrews - my experience and I guess many others will be as dodger describes but I'd certainly agree that smiffy's experience sounds very unsatisfactory and would not make you want to return. On our minus comment we did say it can feel like a production line

Blairgowrie - the Rosemount course is in but Pitlochry not

Goswick - I have to say this wasn't on contenders list but we'll certainly look to add it for consideration next time.

"Sunnindgale New above Sunningdale Old"
Fergus (contributing ed) and I played both courses for assessment the day after IFQ from the back tees and both of us rated the New above the Old, its a more complete test with better variety, no weak holes and truer to its heathland roots. Three other panellists also played both courses in the assessing period two of them rated the same

"Isle of Purbeck - another course where the view outweigh the actual golf course" - this was our comment in the magazine but the visual appeal and aesthetics are important criteria in our list.

Loch Lomond - agreed it’s very hard to get a game there (as it is at Swinley and Rye) but 100s of people do play there each year as members of guests so it's not impossible. Were it completely members only then we wouldn't consider it.

Gog Magog - it was on the contenders list and had several visits but in the panel's opinion (one of our senior panellists is a member) it didn't make the final list

 

[Dodger]

Thanks for the answers Mike.

One final question.....please please dont tell me that Bamburgh was in your list of 175?? If so my faith in mankind has gone! The views to me mean very little,sure they will add to the experience but the course needs to be up to scratch 1st and foremost,if that is the case how the hell does Seton Carew get on the list of 100??!!

 

[MikeH]

dodger

I'm sure you'll be glad to hear Bamburgh was not in the shortlist of 175!

As you may well have have noted Seaton Carew were one of our biggest fallers this year.

Jezz and Luke went to play it this summer and while both thought the layout was good they felt course condition and views were nothing special. Views can't be changed so they'll need to do a lot condition wise to stay in in 2010.

To be fair the green fee is great value although I guess par for the course (no pun intended) in the NE which is great VFM in general

 

[heronsghyll]

Well as new forum member it's wonderful to see the debate rages. Obviously there is a lot of opinion and strong feelings about the subject.

I would offer anyone going to visit the St Andrews area to play a tip - go along the coast a bit past Kingbarns to the village of Crail. There are 2 x magnificent courses (both Open qualifiers) which can be played for a day ticket very reasonably. Great club house and super friendly pro-shop and staff. A great experience at very reasonable cost which would more than off-set the very high cost of the "bigger courses", amortising your overall expense.

Also there is Lundin Links, Leven Links and Elie all very close and again reasonably priced.

I agree the Jubilee is the best of the big 3 at St Andrews, have fun if you ever get there.