It’s a rare week now when a golf course Top 100 ranking doesn’t come out. They almost always provoke some debate on social media, but some are more useful than others. It’s rare, for example, in a UK & Ireland list to discover something new and interesting in the top echelons of the ranking.

But I think that a good Continental Europe list stands out from the crowd and adds a lot. When it comes to Europe, many golfers are familiar with a few courses in the Algarve or the Costa del Sol but beyond that, are a bit hazy. Almost all of the best golf in Europe lies away from these hotspots, which makes the ranking lists so useful.

One of the problems with collating the European ranking is the geographical spread of the courses. Few people have seen enough of them to really make meaningful comparisons. That’s one of the reasons I like this Continental Europe ranking from Today’s Golfer/Golf World.

The editor, Chris Bertram, has assembled a panel who are pretty well travelled. I gave him my thoughts on the courses I’ve seen - around 60 of these. However, Chris’s breadth of knowledge is quite something. He has been to 97 of the top 100 courses and 138 of the top 150 which means this list isn’t just a collation of other national lists, or a ranking relying on guess work.

You can see the full breakdown in the magazine out now and online at Today’s Golfer here.

Here’s the list, and a few themes that come through -

THERE ARE TWO BIG NEW ENTRIES
There has been a lot of speculation about where David McLay Kidd’s Terras da Comporta would land, and it’s made an immediate impact. It goes straight in at number 9 in Europe, and number 1 in Portugal.

Having had an early play, I’m not surprised at all. It’s a fantastic course and, for me, a clear number 1 in the country - you can read my review here. I think it will only go higher up the Continental list too. It’s still very young, only officially open for a few weeks, and I can’t wait to see what it’s like when it becomes a little more bouncy. It’s a delight to play and fully deserving of its spot.

Terras Da Comporta

This is also the first time the Trent Jones course, Vidauban, is ranked. Previously not enough raters had visited his ultra-exclusive course in the south of France. I thought is was fantastic, not only in great condition but a really well designed course too - my review is here. I think that when a few more people have visited this course can move even higher in the ranking

Vidauban - a new entry to the Continental Europe Top 100

A STABLE TOP END, BUT SOME GOOD MOVES
There’s not much dramatic movement in the top 10. Lofoten Links and Valderrama swap places. It was that this list two years ago that really put Lofoten on a lot of people’s radars. I think it can break into the top 3 in Europe yet.

Morfontaine is the undisputed number 1 which seems set for a long stay at the top, and it’s good to see a German course, Hamburger, break into the top 10 too. It’s a lovely course which has benefitted from Frank Pont’s recent work.

CONDITIONING MAKES A DIFFERENCE
One of the challenges when compiling rankings is how much to take conditioning into account when appraising a course.

Two Portuguese courses have dropped down the list and conditioning has played a part in those decisions. Visitors to Monte Rei have been disappointed to find bare fairways as a result of water restrictions, while the feedback on Troia is that it’s getting very scraggy and could do with some attention. Rumour has it that there could be a change of ownership at Troia which would hopefully come with an injection of finance. El Saler is another one which could really benefit from some fresh eyes and a new approach.

While hopefully these issues are only temporary, they need to be addressed or they may continue to drop down the rankings.

HEAD NORTH FOR THE CREAM OF THE CROP
The geographical distribution of the top 50 courses is interesting. France and the Netherlands have almost half between them -

France 14
Portugal 9
Netherlands 8
Spain 5
Sweden 3
Denmark 3
Germany 2
Norway 1
Estonia 1
Belgium 1
Slovenia 1
Turkey 1
Bulgaria 1

While some of the French courses are private, and very difficult to access (Morfontaine*2, Les Bordes*2 and Vidauban), it’s a different story in the Netherlands. I have long banged on about the attraction of a Dutch golf trip. The courses are all accessible for non-members and it’s very easy to get around the country too, with plenty of distractions beyond the golf course.

But Spain has the depth. While it only has 5 courses in the top 50, it has 17 in the top 100 - ahead of France (16) and Portugal (12). I went to Madrid recently with Chris Bertram and there are 5 courses from the list here alone, although access is much harder than elsewhere in the country.

THE PONT EFFECT IS REAL
Across the world, courses have been working with architects to enhance their courses - sometimes just a little polish, sometimes something more significant. Frank Pont is the most prolific in Europe. He has worked on the following courses that I know of -

The Netherlands - De Pan, Royal Hague, Eindhoven, De Swinkelsche, de Hoge Kleij, Kennemer

France - Le Touquet, Hardelot Les Pins, Fontainebleau

Spain - Real Club Puerta da Hierro, Neguri

Germany - Hamburger

He has a great knowledge of the designs of Colt, Simpson and Fowler and the courses he has worked on have all benefited from ranking rises over recent years. It may not be as sexy as working on some of the new course openings, but Pont’s contribution to European golf is significant. He leaves every course that he touches in a better place than before started. More British courses would do well to take such an approach!

Frank has joined up with Mike Clayton and Mike Devries in recent years and they have bought Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño in to their team. I would love to see them expand their work on the Iberian peninsula. The aforementioned Troia and El Saler would benefit hugely from their input.

El Saler is good, but could it be great?!

TIME TO SEE MORE NORDIC GOLF
I’m always interested in courses which move significantly up a list. It normally means that something significant has happened there to garner attention.

The Golf World 2021 ranking was the first to put Lofoten Links on the radar for many when it went up 40-odd places into the top 10. But there is more to discover in the Nordic countries. Here are my top 3 -

Iceland. OK, there’s only one course in this list but Brauterholt is up 19 places to 66 and Westman Island and Keilir both make the top 125. The season there is short but there is an incredibly active golf scene and it’s a place I want to get to before the next list is out.

Visby. This Swedish course isn’t the easiest to get to - lying on the island of Gotland - but it has shot up 39 places in the list this time. Recent work from Pierre Fulke and Adam Mednick has been well received and more people are discovering this course thanks to visits from, among others, No Laying Up

Denmark. There are 5 Danish courses in the top 60 in Europe and 2 have had big rises - Great Northern is up 19 to 57th and Holstebro (Forest course) is up 16 to 59th. It’s really easy to get to Copenhagen (which is a great night out!) and you can always combine a trip with some of the great Swedish courses just over the bridge. Definitely one to visit.

IT’S HARD TO GET BACK ON THE LIST WHEN YOU DROP OFF…
There has been a fair amount of turnover at the bottom of the list. The most notable drop-off is San Lorenzo which has gone out from 79th position. The course is looking a little tired and in need of some love and attention from the owners. If it gets it, I can see it re-entering.

But some of the others will find it tough to make it back because there are just too many good courses around. Of recent departures, only the Black course at Real Club de Campo in Madrid has made it back in.

So there you have it - another Continental Europe list done for another 2 years. I would encourage you to get off the beaten track a bit and visit some of these courses if you get the chance. This ranking definitely shows there is more to European golf thanThe Algarve!