The Top 100 Courses in the World you can actually play!

As our thoughts turn to last-minute Christmas shopping and stuffing the turkey, there’s still time for one last golf ranking of the year. This week sees the launch of the biannual Golf World/Today’s Golfer list of the Top 100 Courses in the World that you can actually play.

I will declare an interest in this one as editor Chris Bertram asked me to contribute to this list - I was but one small voice though!

The criteria for entry are relatively straightforward. If a regular person can contact the club and get a tee time, then the course can be included. In theory then this is a real ‘everyman’ list; anyone could play any course on the list.

Obviously there is a very big caveat to bear in mind. Some of these courses are really very pricey and some, like Tara Iti, will insist that you spend a night on the property when you play there. But, at a cost, play them you can. When the list is published on the Today’s Golfer website I will link to it but, in the meantime. this is what it looks like:

Here’s a few thoughts on the ranking.

THE DEPTH IN GB&I IS AMAZING
This list has a much more international feel to it than a traditional World Top 100 list. That’s because none of those top US private courses which dominate other lists qualify for this one.

GB and Ireland really does punch hard with this list. England has 20 courses, Scotland has 19, The Republic of Ireland 5, Northern Ireland 2 and Wales 1. That adds up to almost half of the total list.

I think there’s an argument that Ireland is a little under-represented. The likes of Adare Manor, County Louth, The Island, The European and Carne must all be knocking on the door.

The only course in GB&I which would be worthy of inclusion, but is private, is Loch Lomond. Every other top course on these shores makes it in. However, it looks like Ardfin may be going to a totally private business model so that could be another one closed to the public.

AUSTRALIA IS TRULY STUNNING
I know this is stating the bleeding obvious, but the quality of golf in Australia is just amazing. There is nowhere outside of the UK where the standard of publicly accessible golf is as high. Australia has 10 courses on the list, 5 in the top 25.

One things that impresses me about golf in Australia is that clubs there are constantly looking at how they can evolve and improve their offering. The North Course at Peninsula Kingswood is a good example of this. Just inside the list at 97 last time, it has risen to 83 in this list as more people play the course and see the benefits of recent changes and investments. The bar in Australia keeps getting higher and higher.

NEWLY BUILT ENTRIES ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN…
It turns out that building new courses that can break into the lists of the world’s best is pretty hard. The only new courses that make it into the list are two Tom Doak creations. St Patrick’s at Rosapenna debuts at an impressive 32nd place and his new Gunnamatta course at The National, south of Melbourne, sneaks in at 96th. Having been to both of these courses in the last few months, I can safely say they deserve their places - expect to see them rise up the rankings.

Some others which would challenge for a place - like the New Course at Les Bordes - are purely private.

…BUT THE PIPELINE IS EXCITING
The next incarnation of this list could have a few new contenders. In no particular order, I’m looking forward to seeing Comporta Dunes in Portugal, 7 Mile Beach in Tasmania, the new Cabot courses in Scotland and St Lucia, the Te Arai courses in New Zealand and the Lido and Landmand in the US. All of these will have tee times available to the public and it will be interesting to see if any of them become serious contenders for a future top 100 list

DON’T SWEAT THE POSITIONS TOO MUCH!
I really wouldn’t agonise too much over individual positions on this list. I just like the fact that it exists. I like the idea that Golf World has spent the time coming up with a list of courses that are a little more attainable than the usual rankings lists.

One of the reasons that some of the movements look quite dramatic is that these dovetail with all of the Golf World/Today’s Golfer country rankings. So if a course drops or rises a few places in one of those then that move is amplified on this list.

But as I say, I think this is more a list just to enjoy and take some inspiration from for where to plan a really high quality golf trip. Even if you manage to play just a few of these courses, you will have a wonderful education in world golf.

When Professionals and Amateurs Collide

‘There’s just two things you need to know. I don’t give swing tips, and I don’t look for balls’. With that Nick Faldo strode down the first fairway, leaving his Pro-Am partner behind him even more nervous

Pro-Ams are a pretty important part of a tour week. Maybe not for the players or the general public, but for event organisers they are a valuable source of income; for sponsors they are a great way to entertain clients; and for participants they can provide lifelong memories. A picture of my Dad alongside Sam Torrance, Eamon Darcy and Russ Abbot (Google him kids) at the Wang Four Stars (Google it kids) had pride of place in our front room for years!

Stories like the Faldo one can fill a Pro-Am participant with trepidation, as if we aren’t worried enough about the horror that could unfold very publicly. But in my experience the reality is different.

I played in the Legends Tour event in Mauritius today. My pro partner was the Kiwi, Michael Long, who was charm personified and very keen to put us all at ease. 

Celebrating another missed putt at the Legends Pro-Am

The format was a fourball ‘shamble’. On every hole you pick the best drive from your team of four and you all play your own ball in from there. The best two Stableford scores then count on each hole.

The good thing about this format is that it doesn’t really matter if you are having a nightmare. You’re pretty much always going to be playing from a great spot into the green. And on the par 3s it should be birdie putts all round. It also means that not everyone needs to finish every hole or hole every putt. And thank the Lord for that. 

I’ve played in Pro-Ams before where the format has been less forgiving and yet some players have been determined to finish everything (‘but there’s the individual prize to win’!!). If you’re lucky enough to be teeing it up with one of the world’s best players, please don’t.

Michael was great this morning. He even said, ‘Today is all about you’. He sounded like he meant it, but luckily none of us took him too literally. Staying out of your pro’s way is important. Sometimes literally as well as metaphorically.

Charl Schwartzel was playing in the Valspar tournament on the PGA Tour a few years ago when his Pro-Am partner took a swipe at the ball. It ricocheted off a tree hitting Schwartzel hard in the hand causing him to retire with immediate effect. There is no record of how the team scored without him. But you really, really don’t want to be that guy.

Of course, human nature kicks in and you do put extra pressure on yourself. But don’t forget, no-one really cares. Actually that’s not true. The pros don’t really care how you play. They just want you to have a good time. Sometimes your other amateur partners are more concerned. I have had some look at me with undisguised derision as I’ve failed to make a short putt, as if I had really ruined their day. Again, don’t be that guy.

And don’t be the amateur I once played with, a high single digit player, who tried to give a swing tip to a major winner. I mean, what on earth was he thinking?!

Of course, there is a certain obligation on the pro to jolly things along, and most play their part. If a player doesn’t do their bit then the news does feed back. There are tales of the DP Tour pulling their members up after complaints from Pro-Am participants about their monosyllabic star pro.

Sometimes, however, this will be the only time a pro will see the venue before a tournament, so you can understand why they might be a little bit more interested in the course than in you. But still, at most tournaments, the Pro-Am event pays for more than a few courtesy cars, so they should do their bit. 

Pros will often give swing tips. Michael gave my playing companion a chipping lesson when the 5-handicapper said he had the short game of a 20-handicapper. It was appropriate and well received. 

A friend of mine somehow played in four Pro-Ams in one season and said that every pro he played with felt obliged to give him a tip so by the end of the year he was totally lost and had no idea what to do. The road to hell is paved with good intentions…

The pros who go into it with open minds are probably the ones who give most joy. A friend of mine once got paired with Phil Mickelson in a Scottish Open. He absolutely loved it. He said Phil was completely invested in him. What did he do? How did he and his wife meet? What places in Scotland should Phil visit? They had an actual conversation and my friend said he felt like Phil was genuinely interested (he actually took notes on restaurants!). He is now fully in the pro-Phil camp.

Our team did just fine today. The course was a challenge, but not unplayable by any means, and was in great condition. We had it going hot on the front nine, tailed off in the back nine and the less said about the end, the better. But we had great fun. And a lot of that was down to Michael.

If truth be told, I didn’t know a lot about Michael Long before the round. But after spending a few hours in his company today I’ll be rooting for him this week.

CHARITY GOLF DAY AT ARDFIN

THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT. YOU CAN STILL CLICK ON THE ENTRY FORM AND CHOOSE TO GO ON THE WAITING LIST. IF ANYONE IS UNABLE TO ATTEND NEARER THE TIME I WILL CONTACT PEOPLE IN THE ORDER THEY SIGNED UP TO THE WAITING LIST TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART.

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR FUTURE UK TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES HERE - UK GOLF GUY TRAVEL

I am delighted to be able to offer the opportunity to play the amazing Ardfin course on the Isle of Jura. The course has been described as one of the very best courses built anywhere in the world for generations. It’s a breathtaking course, in a phenomenal setting. You can see my full review, with walkthrough video, here.

Normally, the only way to play the course is by staying on-site. But the owner, Greg Coffey, has very generously given over the course for the day to raise money for a charity close to my heart - Kipawa Trust International. This is the first time the course has been opened to members of the public in this way.

Kipawa is a Scottish-based charity providing feeding programmes and other health and social services for children and families living in poverty in Ruiru, Kenya. Some very good friends of mine set up the charity more than 10 years ago, and my wife, Clare, is a trustee.

We are absolutely thrilled that Greg has agreed for Ardfin to host this very special day. Thanks to them donating the course for free, every penny of profit we make on the day will go directly to help children and families in Kenya.

WHEN IS THE ARDFIN GOLF DAY?

The UK Golf Guy Charity Day in aid of Kipawa will take place on Saturday October 1st. Tee times will be between 8:30 and 12 noon.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT?

The event will be a better-ball stableford, in teams of two. There will also be the opportunity to enter the longest drive and nearest the pin competitions - all to raise money for Kipawa. As the hotel at Ardfin will be closed on this day, check-in will be at the nearby Jura Hotel.

WHAT IS THE ENTRY FEE?

The entry fee is £700 for a team of two people (i.e. £350 a person).

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FEE?

The entry fee includes the following -

• A breakfast roll at The Jura Hotel

• A welcome gift

• 18 holes of golf (prizes for the top 2 teams)

• Light snack and a drink in the Boathouse after the 11th hole (the site of KLF’s famous million £ burning stunt!)

• A light meal and prizegiving following your round at The Jura Hotel. NB the prize giving may need to be a virtual one if people have to get back for their ferry but prizes will be sent on!

HOW DO I GET THERE?!

While it takes a bit of work to get to Jura, it’s not as hard as you may think! But it does take a little planning.

The first part of the journey is to get to Islay. You have two options:

1. FLY. There are direct flights, twice a day, from Glasgow with Loganair. Flights take 45 minutes. I would recommend you then hire a car from www.islaycarhire.com

2. DRIVE. There is a car ferry several times a day to Islay from Kennacraig, near Tarbert. Kennacraig is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Glasgow. The ferry then takes about 2 hours to get to Islay. There are two ports on the island and the ferry alternates between them. Port Askaig is closer to Jura, Port Ellen closer to The Machrie. They are about 30 minutes drive apart. I would advise booking as soon as you have confirmed your place in the event - the timetable is here.

Then you need to get from Islay to Jura.

It’s a very short car ferry journey between Islay and Jura. The first crossing is at 7:30 and the last return journey is at 18:30. You can’t book the ferry in advance but turn up and they’ll get you across. The journey takes only 5/10 minutes.

From where the ferry drops you off it’s about a 15/20 minute drive to The Jura Hotel where we will be meeting.

We anticipate many competitiors will stay on Islay. You can then take the ferry to Jura on Saturday morning and return to Islay on the 18:30 ferry in the evening.

WHERE CAN I STAY?

JURA

We have booked out all 16 rooms in The Jura Hotel for the Friday and Saturday nights. There will be no accommodation available onsite at Ardfin during the event as they will have closed for the season. If you would like to book one of the rooms at The Jura Hotel (on a first come first served basis) please email me at david@ukgolfguy.com and I will coordinate this.

ISLAY

There are many more accommodation options in Islay. The Machrie is an excellent hotel with a highly ranked golf course attached. You could base yourself there, enjoy a game, and then travel over to Jura for the day..

There are also several other hotels, B&Bs and Airbnbs in Islay which should provide something to suit most budgets. You will find these options on booking.com, Airbnb, or the hotel booking site of your choice!

HOW DO I BOOK?

To book your place just click on this link. Due to the proximity to the event, all payments are non refundable.

Please only select one ticket as each ticket is for 2 people!!

I will be in contact nearer the time to confirm tee times and ensure they work with your travel plans.

If you have any questions feel free to message me on david@ukgolfguy.com

HOW DO I MAKE A DONATION?

If you are unable to come but would like to donate anyway then thank you! You can make a donation here.

If you have any more questions about the day at all just email me at david@ukgolfguy.com

BACK TO UK GOLF GUY TRAVEL

Golf in Scotland in the Black and White Era

I have a thing for golf books. The postman’s knock, with yet another brown parcel, is a fairly common occurrence. When I read in a recent edition of The Quadrilateral of a new book of old Scottish golf photos I was intrigued. The next morning the postman delivered!

‘Golf In Scotland in the Black and White Era’ is a collection of photographs, largely taken from the archives of DC Thomson. DC Thomson is a newspaper publisher, predominantly covering the East coast of Scotland. As the blurb on the back of the book says, ‘Over the years, hundreds of photos are taken of tournaments, players and golf courses. Roll after roll of film. But only a few pics were used in newspapers and magazines, the reset were quietly stored away on archive shelves. This book is the result of years of research trawling through all those old photos and negatives’.

The result is a really wonderful tome. It’s been a long time that I’ve had a golf book which I have returned to on so many occasions in such a short period of time, I just can’t stop going back to look at the wonderful images.

Because the photographs are from a newspaper archive many of them are taken at professional tournaments - mainly Opens at St Andrews and Carnoustie.

A few things struck me from the images. You really get a sense from looking at them of how the Open has grown and developed over the years. There are some great images of the 1955 Open at St Andrews and the scene around the 1st and 18th holes. There appear to be more people on the beach in the background than watching the golf. Even by 1970 the fans are only standing one or two deep around the 18th green. Contrast that with the scenes we’ll see this week and the growth is quite staggering.

Fans watching the 1970 Open at St Andrews

Something else that shines out is the charisma of some of the players of the past. There are some great shots of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player and the film star looks are fantastic. You really get the sense that these players cared about how they look and their image. I’m not so sure that the modern player would have the same concerns.

The ‘Big Three’ in 1966 at Muirfield

The book isn’t all about the top male professional players. There are also many images of some slightly lesser-known Scottish players taking part in regional competitions in the section entitled ‘Irons ladies’ talking about the development of the women’s game in Scotland. The book isn’t just about the images as the accompanying text bring the images to life and tells the lesser-known players’ stories. I confess I didn’t know quite how prodigious Belle Robertson was until getting stuck into this.

Another dimension is the wonderful aerial photos - particularly of The Old Course. If you are a fan of golf course architecture, or the history of the course, then these images are like gold-dust. This is a great shot from 1957 which shows the whole of the course from the air. The lack of vegetation on the course was really stark - a few slithers of gorse but really not much at all. And the width of some of the holes is just incredible.

As you can probably tell, I loved this book. The hundreds of photographs selected here really bring the story of Scottish golf to life. It would make a fantastic gift, either for those rekindling memories of days gone by or to bring those days to life for a whole new generation.

Ranking the Open Venues

I remember once discussing the relative merits of two golf courses with a friend’s father. When I said it would be as hard as him trying to choose his favourite child he shot back, ‘oh no, that would be very easy’.

I recently finished played all 14 courses that have ever hosted The Open and now it’s time to rank them. Like ranking your children, opinion can depend in the mood you’re in at time of asking, but here goes!

14 OLD MUSSELBURGH (click for full review)
Musselburgh held six Opens in a bygone age and is something of a novelty now. Its 9 holes are largely contained within the racecourse and it is only 3,000 yards long, but it’s great fun. The course is still largely in its original form and, played with hickories, is a joy to experience.

13 PRINCE’S
Prince’s only held the Open once, in 1932, but that was enough to cement its place in golf history. There are three loops of 9 holes and this links golf will still entertain. It doesn’t have the scale of nearby Royal St George’s, but it’s another fun course with some gorgeous holes and wonderful variety.

12 ROYAL LYTHAM
This is my least favourite of the courses currently on the rota. When I played it the rough was the most brutal I have ever seen and the 200 bunkers added a lot more danger. There are no views to speak of and the closing holes into the wind may be too much for you. Apart from that though, very nice.

11 CARNOUSTIE
Some will tell you that Carnoustie is one of the very best courses on the rota. Personally, I don’t get it. Maybe that’s because I prefer easier golf courses? Carnoustie sometimes feels a bit of a slog for me and that finish is quite something. I absolutely know I will get some golfers - especially stronger ones, tell me I am mad putting it here. I can understand why some golfers thrive here but it is too much golf course for me.

10 ROYAL CINQUE PORTS
This one may not be on everyone’s radar but Cinque Ports, or Deal as it is known by the locals, hosted The Open twice – in 1909 and 1920. It’s just a few miles away from Prince’s and Royal St George’s, making this a tremendous location for a golf trip. The course is great fun and may be the ultimate classic links experience – a good ground game will help you score well.

9 ROYAL TROON
The 2016 Open at Troon, where Stenson and Mickelson went toe-to-toe, did Troon’s reputation no harm at all. Conventional wisdom says it has 6 average holes, followed by 6 strong holes, followed by another 6 average holes. I think that is a little harsh, the finish is strong and you will have some memorable moments here – the Postage Stamp alone is worth visiting for.

8 ROYAL LIVERPOOL
Less heralded than others in the area, Royal Liverpool (or Hoylake) was a revelation for me. It’s not without its annoyances (that internal out of bounds...) but there is much to like. You will be able to score well if you’re hitting it half decently. Expect a warm welcome here and remember to take time to look round the historic clubhouse.

7 PRESTWICK
Prestwick held the very first Open, and 24 in total. It’s an eccentric place and many holes are cheek by jowl. Eventually it just couldn’t cope with the crowds and was removed from the rota in 1925. But this is a wonderful place to play golf - you could play it a hundred times and still discover new ways to play a hole. If quirk is your thing, Prestwick is a must visit!

6 ROYAL BIRKDALE
If dunes are your thing then you will be in seventh heaven at Birkdale. Two of the features of ‘modern’ links are dunes enclosing every hole and elevated tees - Birkdale was built with these features over a hundred years ago. Some find the fairways a little lacking in character but don’t let that put you off. It is the yin to St George’s yang!

5 ROYAL ST GEORGE’S
Some say that Royal St George's is a little less than a true, classic, Open course. They say the bounces can be a little random and it’s not ‘fair’. Well, I can safely say that is a load of rubbish. This is links golf at its very very best and, for me, is close to unbeatable. The fairways are pretty wide, the bunkers spectacular and the greens can torment. It’s wonderful!

4 MUIRFIELD
Muirfield has grown on me over the years. The first time I played it the rough was up and any ball off the fairway was lost. The more I play it (usually in winter with more playable rough!) the more I have come to see this course as one of the truly great routings in the world. The green complexes are among the very the best anywhere and the constantly changing direction of the holes means you will never have too hard a slog into the wind! Oh, and the welcome is always very warm, contrary to what you might expect.

3 ROYAL PORTRUSH
Whereas some Open rota courses take multiple plays to fully appreciate the subtleties on offer, Portrush is more obvious in its attractions. This is seaside links golf of the very highest order. Unlike many of the courses on the rota the coastline is a feature, which helps the ‘wow factor’. The changes for the 2019 Open saw two new holes coming into play and the historically weak 17th and 18th holes were retired. The Open will be back here many, many times for sure.

2 TURNBERRY
The changes to Turnberry in recent years have elevated this course to the spectacular. Previously it felt like the course didn’t quite get the most out of its shoreline setting, now it squeezes every pound of value from it. Some of the purest architectural aficionados say such eye candy covers over a few architectural flaws. For me, and I imagine the vast majority who play it, this is simply one of the most breathtaking places in the world to play golf.

1 ST ANDREWS
The Old Course will always be number 1 for me. Most people are surprised by just how playable the course is - if you don’t have a slice you’ll be just fine. You will marvel at the huge greens (enjoy the 80 yard putts!) but, if you get stuck in one of the famous pot bunkers, expect to be there for a while. It is the walk in towards the town on the back nine that really elevates the experience - the closing holes are just magical. That anyone can play on this ultimate golf playground is one of the things that makes golf such a great game. Everyone should try to play at St Andrews once in their lifetime!

This blog originally appeared in 2020 but I have updated this as my order has changed after a few revisits and a changing view!

The GOLF magazine UK & Ire Top 100 - A Fresh View or Wokester’s Paradise?

The US publication, GOLF Magazine, is seen by many in the world of golf architecture as the ultimate authority when it comes to ranking the World’s Top 100 golf courses. I have written before about the strength of the list and why I like it so much.

Well, that esteemed panel has now turned its attention to the UK & Ireland and produced, for the first time, a Top 100 ranking.

To give it some context, I have shown below how the courses in this ranking compare to the average position of courses in the four, established UK listings - Today’s Golfer/Golf World, Golf Monthly, Top100golfcourses.com and National Club Golfer. (Courses need to be ranked in at least two to have an average created.)

A few observations -

THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL VIEW OF UK AND IRISH COURSES
First off, some notes on the methodology. The panel who rated these courses is, overwhelmingly, based away from these shores. As it stood last November, the panel had103 members, 78 of whom were based in North America and only 7 in the UK and Ireland. It may have changed a little since then, but this make-up is important to keep in mind when looking at the results.

Panel members are asked to only rate courses of which they have relevant knowledge - so if a course has changed significantly since they played it, they are not supposed to submit a rating. But, given Covid, I assume that many of the raters are basing their views on visits from some time ago.

This panel is also made up of members with a more architectural bent (including Tom Doak and Gil Hanse) than those of the UK magazines which have a tendency towards broader, ‘amateur’ panels.

THE TOP END OF THE LIST LOOKS PRETTY FAMILIAR
As you would expect there are no real differences at the top end of the list. The Old Course and Royal County Down are either 1 or 2 in all of the rankings. There is more love for Dornoch than in some of the other lists, although it did well in the recent Golf World ranking too.

Turnberry is a funny one. The UK magazines have consistently rated it higher in recent years than the international lists. There are still a lot of people who just haven’t seen the course since the new changes, which means they can’t rank it yet and that could be one factor. But, more generally, the course just doesn’t seem to get quite the same level of love from the architecture world as it does from the more average punter who may be beguiled by the fantastic views rather than some of the technical tie-ins.

MODERN COURSES REALLY SUFFER
It’s interesting to look at the fate of more recently-built courses. Here’s how they do compared to the average of the other magazines -

13 (Up 5) Rosapenna St Patrick’s (Doak)
25 (Up 6) Ardfin (Harrison)
26 (Down 15) Kingsbarns (Phillips)
30 (Down 5) Castle Stuart (Hanse)
37 (Down 16) Trump International (Hawtree)
47 (Down 6) Loch Lomond (Weiskopf)
64 (Down 6) Trump Doonbeg (Norman)
68 (Down 18) Adare Manor (Trent Jones/Fazio)
77 (Up 10) The Renaissance (Doak)
79 (Down 44) The European Club (Ruddy)
83 (Down 21) Old Head (Kirby)
88 (Down 19) Rosapenna Sandy Hills (Ruddy)
90 (Down 10) Machrihansih Dunes (McLay Kidd)
91 (Down 53) Carnegie Club - Skibo (Steel/Mackenzie)
93 (Down 40) Dumbarnie (Clark)

OUT (Other lists’ average is 70) Ballyliffin Glashedy (Ruddy)
OUT (Others 90) Queenwood (McLay Kidd)
OUT (Others 94) JCB (Hiseman)
OUT (Others 96) St Andrews Castle Course (McLay Kidd)

It’s pretty stark when you look at it like this and it is clear that this panel prefers old, historic courses to the more recent attempts. But Pat Ruddy and David McLay Kidd’s modern links have a very different feel to the established courses when you are playing them. They are a grander scale, with more self-contained holes and often requiring tougher drives and approaches than a traditional links.

THERE ARE SOME BOLD CALLS…
One of the things I like about rankings is that they can help you discover new courses and put new places on your radar. You normally see the differences between lists around positions 80-100 and in some ways that is also seen here. Fraserburgh, Cleeve, Delamare etc may not make it into all the other lists but them being on this list will pique some people’s interest.

However, while it is relatively rare to get massive differences between the lists, GOLF magazine seems to have a significantly different viewpoint on a couple of places. For example, everything I hear about The Addington restoration is great, but having it straight in at 51 is quite something considering only one of the other magazines has it in their top 100 at all.

Askernish at 36th is incredible. None of the other lists have it in their top 100 at all. Golf World have it as 49th best in Scotland. I can’t comment much more as I’ve not made the trip there yet but, if you have played, I’d love to hear what you think of this bold and courageous call.

…AND THERE’S LOTS TO LIKE
I like that this list is introducing some new places and brings a slightly different perspective to things. The courses it celebrates tend to be similar to ones I like, courses where you can play the ground game and your enjoyment is not dominated by how well you are playing on a given day.

Prestwick at 19 and Cruden Bay at 20 particularly please me. For some reason I just can’t fathom, Golf Monthly really doesn’t like Prestwick (they have it at 44th) or Cruden Bay (69th!) which really drags them down in the aggregate list. These are the kind of courses I love and it’s great to see them rewarded here.

BUT IS IT TOO WOKE?
One friend messaged me this morning and asked me if I had seen ‘The Woke 100’ yet. He felt that this list was going a little niche and trying to promote some ‘undiscovered’ courses at the expense of better places. I can see where he was coming from to an extent. Is Machrihanish really better than Castle Stuart or Royal Porthcawl for example?

Well, for this panel those were the right decisions, and at the end of the day that’s really all this list is doing - it’s telling you which golf courses the people who sit on this panel like the most.

It is incredibly easy to throw brickbats at golf ranking lists. Some are easy targets, like the most recent Top 100 in the World from Golf Digest. However, I think this list from GOLF is good. It introduces the reader to some new places and has a clear point of view.

If you played every one of the courses on this list you would have seen most of the best the UK and Ireland have to offer. Sure, you may have ended up missing a few special places (where’s the Queen’s at Gleneagles or West Lancs for goodness sake?!) but I’m sure you’d discover some new ones too.

Evolution at The Renaissance

When Tom Doak set about designing The Renaissance Club, host to this week’s Scottish Open, it was a slightly unusual challenge. He explains, ‘My client was always interested in hosting a big professional event, so I had to respect that and change my design philosophy a bit, since I normally don't care at all about that’.

The hallmark of many Doak courses is width and accessibility for players of all abilities, whereas The Renaissance provides a sterner test for amateurs. Yet, over the three editions of The Scottish Open at the venue so far, the winning scores have been low. Bernd Wiesberger won at -22 in 2019, Aaron Rai at -11 in 2020 (in a Covid-hit field) and Min Woo Lee prevailed with -18 last year. This has led to grumblings from players that the course has just been too easy and not a good enough test. However, it is safe to say that none of these tournaments were played in typical East Lothian conditions. The course has played soft (or sodden in 2020) with little in the way of the strong breezes that are normal on Scotland’s Golf Coast.

Owner Jerry Savardi was very keen to ensure the venue continued to host the event and enlisted Padraig Harrington to work as a ‘player consultant’ alongside Doak in the development of the course, to ensure it produced the challenge that the players were looking for a week ahead of The Open.

This commitment worked and The European Tour stuck with the venue when new sponsors Genesis came on board. 2022 sees the fourth consecutive year of the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

Doak and Harrington spent time at the course early last year, and their associate, Clyde Johnson, walked the course again during the week of the 2021 Scottish Open. Johnson was on site. on his digger, from August, making the changes the players will find this week.

Doak is clear that the modifications are really aimed at the Tour pros. 'The general theme of the changes is to keep the players honest when they are hitting driver, especially at the longer holes. There were a bunch of holes where they could bail away from a bunker on one side and have nothing to worry about on the other - putting bunkers 320 yards off the tee was not really a concern when we built the course originally’.

That change is obvious from the off. There is a new bunker on the right hand side of the first fairway that will focus the mind from the very first tee shot. I stood by the bunker for 20 minutes this morning (Tuesday) as players were getting ready for this week’s tournament and four of the eight players I watched ended up in the sand.

A new bunker lies in wait for players on the right hand side of the first fairway

Defending champion, Min Woo Lee, used his practice round to take stock of the changes and believes they will be a challenge to the field, ‘They put two bunkers, one right of one and one right of seven….where everyone hits it. Hopefully the wind blows harder so I can hit it over, which it was like this morning. So it could play more of an advantage for longer hitters’. However, without wind assistance, the new bunkers will be in play for all but the very longest players.

Players will also notice a change if they veer offline to the right on the second hole. The rough now has quite a rippled, uneven movement to it. Johnson, who did the shaping, explains, ‘Tom’s time with Brooks Koepka at Memorial Park in Houston encouraged him that uneven stances in rough are particularly difficult for pros, but the average golfer will likely barely notice the difference. The right of the 2nd was a good place for this, especially as the soils there were heavier and less ideal for building a bunker.’

Rippled rough on the right of the second hole

One of the most obvious changes comes at the 10th hole - or the 7th as it is in the normal routing. Trees have been cleared on both sides of the fairway, and a new dune complex built on the right. If players go there they will find it hard to get the ball to the green. The before and after is striking:

The 10th (tournament) hole pre and post the recent changes

Johnson spent a long time working on this hole. He explains the objective, ‘The bigger dune on the right is to discourage a player who has driven into the rough from advancing the ball as far as the green - the stance will be from a downhill low, and that dune rises up pretty quickly’.

Dunes to the right mean a wayward drive will make it harder to reach the green on 10 this year

Tour pro, Richie Ramsay, has been a member at The Renaissance since its inception and knows the course better than any other member of the field this week. He approves of the changes when he says, ‘I feel like they have gone the best way with evolving the course - targeted bunkering to give distinct risk and reward holes are key. The changes will put more of a premium on driving and therefore mentally you will have to focus more off the tee, particularly on the opening holes.’.

One place you won’t see any changes yet is on the greens. Doak says, ‘The other thing that makes it easy for them to score low is that the greens are relatively big and perfectly conditioned, so, if in doubt, players just play safely to the middle of the greens and still have chances to make birdie. But we really can't change a green, because there is just not enough good growing weather between the end of the tournament one year and the start of the event the next. It's a very short growing season and the tournament falls right in the middle of it’.

It’s an interesting problem. Owner Jerry Savardi has made no secret of the fact that he would like to see The Renaissance become the long term host of the Scottish Open, but maybe a year off would help Doak make changes which would strengthen the course further.

While the putting surfaces themselves haven’t been changed, Harrington had some other input which has been acted on. Johnson says, ‘Padraig had some particularly interesting ideas in regards to mowing lines - encouraging a band of semi-rough to cut across the the run-off areas, so that the pros were forced to chip, while the members could still putt through it. Doing that where it wouldn’t look contrived was a trickier task, though there was a spot for it on the 15th where you could make the pros chip if they’d bailed on the tee shot. Right of that green is death!’.

It’s a subtle change but one which will make the test this week all the more exacting.

Adrian Otaegu practicing his chipping from the new band of semi-rough on 18 in Tuesday’s practice round

Doak is clear though that the biggest factor in the score this week will be the weather, ‘Padraig Harrington and I have discussed some other ideas, but all parties agree that we are 0 for 3 in seeing the normal windy conditions common to East Lothian and that we shouldn't over-react to the low scoring until we see how the course holds up under normal conditions’. It’s been a dry spring generally in the county, but recent rain has softened things up a little.

Ramsay explains that the club is working hard to ensure the conditions are as good a preparation for The Open as possible. ‘The course is getting plenty of sand during the winter to build up that firm and fast feel. I would also say that a good driving course with run offs and good putting surfaces are key to Open preparation. The ground game at RC is still something that will play its part instead of one dimensional play we can be used to week in week out’.

The field this week for the Scottish Open is incredible, the strongest ever seen for a European Tour event outside of the WGC and Majors. Whether The Renaissance becomes the event’s permanent home is yet to be seen. It isn’t a traditional links golf coursem and for some that will be too big a hurdle to get over. One thing is clear though, Savardi along with Doak and his team will do their utmost to to make sure the course is the best possible test.

An East Lothian Golf Trip

IN A NUTSHELL
Lying on the coast to the East of Edinburgh, East Lothian is one of the world’s golf-mad centres. There are 21 golf courses within a 30 minute drive of Gullane. Links golf dominates and there are options for all budgets. The sandy ground means that the courses are playable all year round. There are plenty of good restaurants and pubs in the area to entertain you in the evenings and a warm welcome awaits you.

COURSES TO PLAY
The number of courses in East Lothian means you really are spoiled for choice. However, if it’s your first trip, you may want to get one of the ‘big guns’ in:

Muirfield
Muirfield is genuinely one of the very best golf courses in the world. The routing is wonderful, the bunkering sublime and the condition is always immaculate. It doesn’t have the spectacular views of some of the other courses in the area but the sheer quality is unsurpassed. Despite what you may have heard, you will get a very warm welcome and have one of those golf experiences that will stay with you forever. It’s open to visitors on Tuesday and Thursdays but it’s an expensive tee time and peak summer slots are sold out over a year ahead.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis

North Berwick
North Berwick has shot up the World Rankings in recent years. That’s because those lists have started rewarding fun and enjoyment more than tough, punishing slogs. It may be a cliche, but when you play North Berwick you will have a smile on your face all the way round. You can see the coast from most holes (you may well need to play off the beach on several) and there are quirks galore. But this isn’t just a novelty act; North Berwick has some of the best golf architecture anywhere in the world. While tee times are a bit easier to get than at Muirfield, they do sell out, so plan ahead.
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

Gullane 1
There are three courses at Gullane and ‘Number 1’ is the pick of the crop. The Scottish Open has been held there twice in recent years and the players raved about the great links test at Gullane in the week before The Open. The setting is just wonderful. You start in the village before heading up the hill to one of the most spectacular views in the world of golf - you can see to Edinburgh and beyond to the west and have glorious views of Fife to the North. It isn’t as tough a test as Muirfield but it will challenge you well enough. Golf on Gullane Hill is an experience every golfer should have at least once.
UK Golf Guy review, Cookie Jar video

The quality hardly drops off when you go down to the next ‘tier’ of courses. I’d thoroughly recommend adding any of these to a trip:

Dunbar
20 minutes to the east of North Berwick, Dunbar is set right on the coast, with some spectacular views. A great variety of holes - you don’t get your first par 4 until the 4th! Always in good condition.
UK Golf Guy review, Dunbar Golf Club website

Kilspindie
Kilspindie lies in the village of Aberlady, just 5 minutes drive from Gullane. It’s not a long course - a 5,500 yard par 69 - but it will still test your game. Wind is normally a factor here, you play right on the coast, and the views are simply magnificent. It’s the perfect place to practice all the links shots you’re going to need to take on some of the bigger names.
Kilspindie website, No Laying Up video,

Gullane 2 or 3
Gullane 2 and 3 are also well worth a play when you’re in the area. While they each have a few more inland holes than number 1, they share the same wonderful links terrain and many of the same views. Number 3 is particularly worth a visit if you’re looking for a quick round - if you’re first out in the morning, a two hour round is very doable!
Gullane 2 review, Gullane 3 Review

The Glen
The Glen is the ‘other’ North Berwick club. Set at the east end of town, the Glen is unlike most of the other courses in the area in that it’s not a pure links. It’s a clifftop course that has some fantastic views and nice holes. This is a members’ course where visitors are made more than welcome.
UK Golf Guy Review, Average Golfer Video

Luffness
As you approach Gullane from Edinburgh you will see the Luffness clubhouse on your right and the golf course on either side. In recent years the course has become a lot more accessible to visitors and you will find it is firm, fair and fun. It has a similar vibe to Muirfield, and a lunch and wine cellar of similar standard too!
UK Golf Guy Review, Top100golfcourses.com

Musselburgh (The Old Course)
For something completely different consider renting a set of hickory clubs (available at the club) and playing a round on the 9 hole course at Musselburgh Links. The Open was held here 6 times in the early days and it’s well worth a visit to get a glimpse of what golf was like back then.
UK Golf Guy Review,

Longniddry
Longniddry often gets overlooked when it comes to East Lothian golf and while it’s not a pure links it is a really good value option to look at when you’re in the area. It has a nice mixture of holes, with some running through the pines and some out in the open.
UK Golf Guy Review

If you are a high-roller then it is possible to book stay and play packages at the Renaissance Course and there are sometimes playing opportunities available at Archerfield (home to Fidra and Dirleton).

WHERE TO STAY
There are plenty of options around the East Lothian area and a lot will depend on the kind of trip you want.

North Berwick is the centre of Golf Coast and has a good selection of pubs and restaurants as well as places to stay. The Marine Hotel is the largest hotel in town and has a wonderful setting, overlooking the famous 16th hole at North Berwick. It’s been recently refurbished and is a favourite with visiting parties from across the pond. Beyond that, North Berwick has many B&Bs and plenty of Airbnb options which are worth checking out. They’ll all be used to golf parties visiting so should be able to assist.

Gullane is the golf capital of East Lothian really, but it is a smaller place than North Berwick. There are two high end hotels here - Greywalls, overlooking Muirfield, and the Bonnie Badger in the middle of the village. Both are fairly expensive options with upmarket restaurants and bars but there are plenty of places for rent in the village as well. The Watchman hotel, overlooking the children’s golf course, is another recent addition which will be a more reasonable price.

For groups looking for self catering there are plenty of options on Airbnb or have a look at One Fairways. It’s a luxury house, fully kitted out with everything the visiting golfer might need. It sleeps up to 8 and is located within a wedge of the first tee at Gullane 1. (I am slightly biased as my wife and I own One Fairways! Please get in contact with any questions at all!)

While not as big as North Berwick, Gullane has a good selection of places to eat and drink in the village and no-one will blink if you turn up with your golf clubs. The Main Course, directly opposite the first tee at Gullane 1, and where you’ll always get a warm welcome, is my number 1 pick in town!

Aberlady is another option to consider. It’s smaller again but is home to the Duck’s Inn. This is very much a hotel that caters to the golf market. You can hear owner, Malcolm Duck, talking all things East Lothian golf on this podcast amongst many others!.

If you are happy to stay more rurally then you may want consider Garleton Lodge - a boutique hotel a little inland. It comes very highly recommended by those who’ve stayed.

CLIMATE

East Lothian is one of Scotland’s sunniest (and driest) regions. You can get a lovely day any time between April and October and some beautiful winter sun. Having said that the weather can’t be guaranteed in this part of the world, so whatever time of year you are coming it’s worth packing for all weathers.

The other thing to take into account when coming to Scotland is that the summer days are so long. The sun is up in East Lothian at 5am and sets well after 10pm in the summer which means 36 holes in a day won’t be a problem.

If I had to pick one month of the year to visit East Lothian it would probably be May. It’s drier than the peak summer months and you’ll get plenty of hours of sunshine too.

Weather statistics for Dunbar. Source - Met Office

HOW TO GET THERE

If you are flying into Edinburgh airport then the best bet is to pick up a hire car and drive the 40 minute to North Berwick. You’ll pass Musselburgh Links after about 25 minutes if you fancy stopping in! From central Edinburgh you can get one of the regular trains to North Berwick. However, when you are in the area, a car will be useful. If you want to use taxis make sure you book them well in advance as they can be few and far between.

The Sounder X Grenson Shoe - Golf's Ultimate Footwear?!

I have to confess, I’ve bought a fair number of golf shoes over the years - maybe a few too many.

For many years I wore the Footjoy Classic. They were quite hard to break in but once you had, you were left with a wonderfully elegant golf shoe, the envy of your playing partners.

Tragically they were phased out and I made the move, like many others, to the new trend of shoe that could take you ‘from course to nightclub’. Well, kind of. These took no breaking in at all, were comfy immediately on wearing, but maybe lacked a certain sartorial charm.

Well, I can safely say the new Grenson-made shoes from Sounder Golf are in the tradition of the classic shoe and will cause heads to turn again.

Sounder Golf was established a couple of years ago by James Day and Cathal McAteer. James is, among many other things, the founder of Urban Golf. I would thoroughly recommend a recent episode of The Cookie Jar if you want to hear more about James’s story and his life in golf.

Through Urban Golf, and his club fitting business, James met Cathal, the founder of the fashion brand Folk. They launched a range of golf clothing and accessories under the Sounder name, designed to be stylish, functional and hard-wearing.

This business was established by golfers for people who have a passion for the game. Whether gloves, balls, clothing, or tees, they are designing products which really appeal to me - they just seem to have a great instinct for what looks good.

When it came to golf shoes, they wanted to create something special and partnered with Grenson to come up with what might be the ultimate golf shoe.

Grenson is an independent shoe maker based in Northamptonshire, where they’ve been making shoes for more than 150 years. The collaboration with Sounder promises a lot. Here is their description of their shoes, every one of which is handmade in England:

‘The shoe is based on Grenson’s 201 G-Fit last, which has a generous rounded toe shape for a classic shape, and extra toe spring for comfort. The upper is white Italian calf leather, with an off-white suede and Sounder star, and a Navy back tag made from French calf leather. The shoe is fully lined with naturally wicking uncoated beige calf leather.

The shoes are leather soled with pre-drilled screw-in cleats, with a 3mm rubber midsole, and a Goodyear welted construction’

Note the leather soles and welted construction!

Gosh, that all sounds pretty nice, but then it should. These shoes cost the princely sum of £495 a pair. Clearly, that’s an incredible amount to be spending on a pair of shoes so, do they live up to the price tag?

Well, to help me find that out, the good people at Sounder very kindly gave me a pair to try out.

First things first, the packaging had the wow factor. It may sound like a little thing, but it makes such a difference to the buying experience. A lovely box, well wrapped shoes and a clever carry bag (made from the offcuts from the chinos they make) all made a really good impression.

Elegant packaging….

…and a very cool shoe bag

Without getting all soppy, these shoes are lovely to look at. The style is really reminiscent of those classic golf shoes from yesteryear, but with some modern touches. I was a little dubious about the Sounder branding when I’d read about the product in advance, but it is designed so well it adds to the visuals rather than detracts.

The shoes are quite weighty - they definitely felt more solid in the hand than the lighter shoes I’d been used to in recent years. But the real test would be in the wearing.

Robbie lovingly soaping and tightening my cleats!

Before getting the shoes on the course the cleats needed tightening and so I turned to an expert on the subject. After 42 years working at the Ben Sayers factory in North Berwick, Robbie joined the team at Archerfield and he is a true craftsman. He took all the cleats completely off the shoe and dabbed a little soap on the bottom of each one before screwing it back in - this makes them easier to get off in years to come.

While the shoes had felt a wee bit heavy in the hand there was no such worry on the course, though I would say that they felt ‘solid’. It felt like there was a little more stability than with other shoes. And they looked fantastic.

The comfort was good, and while they weren’t as super soft on first wearing as a more ‘leisure’ golf shoe would be, a few rounds down the line and they are very comfortable.

So they look fantastic, they feel great but there is clearly a massive elephant in the room - how can you possibly justify spending £495 on a pair of golf shoes?!

I wrestled with a similar problem when I wanted a MacKenzie golf bag a few years ago. In the end I had a special birthday and all of my friends (and a few acquaintances!) clubbed together to buy me a bag for life. It’s the best present I have ever had.

I think these shoes are in a similar bracket. Unless you are very wealthy it is likely that these will be a truly special purchase - something to cherish.

I don’t use my leather MacKenzie bag if it looks like it’s going to pour down. Likewise I don’t think I’ll be wearing these shoes every time I play. If the ground was really wet I would probably revert to my Eccos because I want the Sounder shoes to look as good as they do today for years to come. As such, I vow to care for them in a way that is entirely out of character for me!

They really are a very special golf shoe, and while the cost is quite something, I would thoroughly recommend them as a special buy. Grenson offers a repair service that includes a new leather sole and cleats so these truly can be a shoe for life. And if you get 20 years out of them, that price tag doesn’t look quite so steep.

You can see the full range of Sounder golf products at www.soundergolf.com. You can use the discount code ‘UKGOLFGUY15’ for 15% off any product, including the Sounder x Grenson shoe!

The Open Golf - A Tout's Dream Ticket

For 147 years The Open Championship was truly open to all fans. If you wanted to visit The Open you could simply turn up at the gate and buy a ticket. There was no limit on the number of fans allowed on the course so a spur of the moment day out was always an option.

That changed for the first Open held outside of mainland Britain. Such was the pent-up demand for a Northern Irish Open, it was thought that chaos would ensue at Portrush if the whole of Ireland got in their cars to head to the event. As a result a capped number of tickets went on sale, on a first-come-first served basis, and sold out almost a year before the event.

The Open at the Portrush was the first not to have tickets available on the gate

The R&A seemed to realise that they were onto a good thing. Selling out The Open in advance guarantees income for the event and makes planning so much easier. They embraced the idea and announced that the 2020 event in Royal St George’s was also be a ticket-only event. This time the excuse was, err, transport logistics. Forget that many Opens had been held there before quite happily, Portrush had shown there was a different way. Once again they sold the event out many months ahead of the (Covid-postponed) event.

St Andrews has famously seen some huge attendances at Opens over the years, but with the 150th edition coming up, the R&A have gone even further. Not only would this event be pre-sold, but, to make it fair, it would be balloted. Fans from all over the world entered and the tickets have become prized possessions. There are murmurings from locals that there seems to be a disproportionate number of overseas ballot ‘winners’ but the local hoteliers aren’t complaining. And neither is the R&A.

On one level the R&A seems to have done something pretty clever. By putting a (high) cap on the number of tickets they have introduced a sense of scarcity which is driving demand. From an income point of view it is a fairly virtuous circle.

But will this becomes the norm in the future? Next year the event goes to Hoylake. This has been a well-attended Open venue in the past, so I can see the R&A announcing that it will be ticketed in advance again. You can see here the variances in attendances by venue over the last few years:

2019 Portrush - 237,750
2018 Carnoustie - 172,000
2017 Birkdale - 235,000
2016 Troon - 173,000
2015 St Andrews - 237,000
2014 Hoylake - 203,000
2013 Muirfield - 142,000
2012 Lytham - 180,000
2011 Royal St George’s - 180,000
2010 St Andrews - 201,000
2009 Turnberry - 123,000

The 2024 staging is at Royal Troon. As always in the past, you could buy a ticket on the door but I can see them once again stirring up demand by creating a scarcity of supply.

There are a couple of side-effects of this approach from the R&A.

Firstly, and I recognise this may be blithely naive, it takes away some of the romance of the event. If the weather was particularly fine and a local favourite was doing well, people from all over used to be able to flock to the grounds to cheer them on on the last day. I know someone who had a bet on Greg Norman in 1993 and drove from Aberdeen to Royal St George’s overnight to help bring him home. This new approach takes all of that away.

It will have an impact on attendances from locals too. Now they have to plan a year ahead if they want to visit rather than just decide to go in on the day. Indeed for St Andrews many locals simply didn’t get tickets in the ballot so can’t attend.

Secondly, the R&A has created a thriving secondary market for tickets. People who ‘won’ the tickets in the ballot are selling them on Viagogo and StubHub for huge profits. Tickets for the Sunday are are currently starting at around £460 each on StubHub.

I imagine the R&A would say two things to counter these arguments.

Firstly, they would say that you aren’t allowed to resell your ticket and that they reserve the right to refuse admission. The only problem is that there is no system in place to check that the person holding the ticket at the gate is the person who bought it. Nothing at all. So the threat is completely meaningless.

In fact, the FAQ only serves to encourage this behaviour you may think when it says, ‘The tickets are fully transferrable and can be sent digitally to friends and family. The name of the ticket purchaser will be displayed on the ticket, but this will not restrict use of the ticket and it is not necessary for the original ticket purchaser to be in attendance at the event.’

Secondly, they have set up an official page for fans with tickets to resell them. This page is buried deep on The Open website, and is only open to those who originally applied to the ballot. Oh, and guess what? There are hardly any tickets available there because everyone is selling theirs on StubHub or Viagogo.

When I went back to The Open and questioned whether they would consider opening up the resale platform to a wider audience they told me that this would not be happening and offered me a place on the hospitality waiting list instead.

They then gave me links to organisations who had very high end packages available, explaining that, ‘these are travel agencies with which we have an agreement that they can package tickets with accommodation and travel’. Well the good news is that they do have tickets, the bad news is the cheapest option they had was £2,499 for a single ticket to the Thursday round, 2 night’s accommodation in the university halls of residence (sharing a room) and a round at the Kittocks course. Not for me thanks!

So the R&A’s ticketing policy, which guarantees them maximum gate revenues, has created a secondary market which is making a bunch of touts and travel agencies pretty wealthy.

I was talking about this to a friend the other day and he basically told me to grow up! He made the point that virtually every other great sports event in the world is sold out in advance and it was just a fact of life.

He’s probably right. I can understand why the R&A wants certain (and maximum) revenue. In fairness, they are spending the money well on grass root initiatives across the board. But if that is the case then they should put mechanisms in place to stop the resale of tickets.

Technology is there now to make this a lot easier than it used to be. For example, they could make it mandatory to have all tickets purchased on an app which you use to gain entry. It’s not rocket science!

I suspect going back to the old way of doing things is a forlorn hope. I hope I’m wrong, but The Open has come across a good wheeze and they aren’t likely to change.

Summer 2022 Green Fees - Record Rises and St Andrews Soars

It’s proving difficult to play the top British golf courses in 2022. The combination of carried over reservations from previous years and pent up demand means that courses up and down the country are full to the brim. And not only will it be hard to get a tee time, golfers will also be paying more than ever before.

I have analysed the green fees at the top 100 courses in the UK and it makes for sobering reading with golfers facing record price increases.

However, before we get on to that, a note on methodology. I have used the latest Golf World Top 100 list and considered the UK courses where it is possible for a member of the public to get a tee time. I have then looked at the peak summer rate (normally the weekend rate). Of course there will be deals at some courses for twilight times and the like but this seemed the best way to comapre courses across the board.

I have written before about winter rates and courses under £70 so if you are looking for one of those deals please do read those articles.

This research was carried out over a couple of weeks so some rates may have changed (and there is always the risk of fat typing fingers) but here are the peak summer green fees, and the changes from last year.

Some headline figures from the analysis…

• The average green fee rose up by 8% this year from £161 to £174.

• 68 out of the 100 courses increased their prices.

• The average rate for a top 25 course is now £266.

And some of the key things I took away from the research…

THERE’S A RADICAL NEW APPROACH FROM ST ANDREWS - AND IT’S NOT GOOD NEWS!
In 2000 it cost £80 to play 18 holes over the Old Course at peak time. Since then, pretty much every year, it has gone up by £5 or £10, so that by 2021 it was £195 for a round. This increase was ahead of the cost of living (if it had tracked inflation it would have been £145 in 2021) but still didn’t seem unreasonable to play such a magnificent place.

When the increase for 2022 was initially published online by the Links Trust last autumn, it appeared to be in line with this trend, nudging just over the £200 mark. But then that page mysteriously disappeared, and was replaced with the news that the Old Course green fees had been revised up to £270 a round.

And it isn’t just the Old Course that has seen such an increase. The New and Jubilee courses have both gone from £90 to £120 too.

Green fees are set at the Links Trust. In their 2020 accounts they itemised the loss of income from both green fee play and merchandising and it was clearly significant. They managed costs well and were beneficiaries of the government’s Covid funding scheme.

However, it appears this wasn’t enough. The 2021 accounts won’t come out for another couple of months but it will be interesting to see why they believe such drastic action was necessary.

I reached out to the Links Trust to discuss this, but unfortunately they weren’t forthcoming. They appointed a new Chief Executive around the time the original green fees were removed from the website and my key question was going to be whether there is a strategic plan for green fees for the future?

This 38% green fee increase should fill the revenue hole from Covid within a couple of years, but will the fees then reduce to their previous levels? If history tells us anything, the answer will be no.

It would be a shame if green fees stay at these new levels and the excess revenue is ‘reinvested’ in slicker shops, fancier restaurants and further lengthening of the course.

If they take this route, no doubt the Links Trust will tell us they are ‘enhancing the consumer experience’ to meet the needs of their ‘increasing demanding clientele’. Meanwhile, average golfers will find themselves priced out of the only consumer experience that truly matters here - playing this majestic course.

Peter Thomson, the Australian golfer who won the Open an incredible 5 times, once said that no golf course should charge more than St Andrews. Well if the Links Trust continue on this trajectory, that won’t be a problem.

THERE’S A SHIFT IN THE BALANCE OF POWER AT THE TOP CLUBS
Many of the top courses simply don’t want any more bookings this year. They are full. Well, kind of. These clubs have set bookings revenue targets for the year and now those have been achieved they will take no more bookings. Of course, the higher the green fees are set, the fewer bookings are needed to hit the target.

This also plays well with the membership at most clubs. Many members of these top clubs want to minimise visitor play so they can have access to a wider range of tee times. Balancing accessibility and keeping their subs down is the game that all club secretaries and GMs wrestle with.

When you combine this with the fact that some bookings are still carrying over from 2020 and 2021, the reality is that several of the top courses simply can’t accommodate you this year. Muirfield, Royal County Down, Royal Dornoch and North Berwick have all closed their books for this year. This is part of the reason that increases in green fees will continue to come at these top courses. Frankly, some could put the rates up 50% and they would still sell out.

Interestingly, if you look more closely at the increases, you can see that 40 of the top 50 have put their rates up, compared with just 28 of those in places 51-100. Most of them will have better visitor availability this year as they have fewer ‘carried over’ bookings. Many also put through big price increases last year.

Royal County Down is full for 2022

SOME SCOTTISH COURSES CONTINUE TO LOOK AFTER THEIR OWN
It all started with Kingsbarns. When they opened over 20 years ago they had a discounted rate for Scottish golfers booking a couple of weeks ahead of time, if there were tee times available. At the time that was seen as quite a nice gesture of goodwill to the locals from a course targeted very clearly at American golfers.

Fast forward a couple of decades and several courses now have twin-track pricing. They have one rate for Scots, or sometimes Brits, and one for the rest of the world. This tactic could be seen as a cynical attempt to price gouge foreigners. I highlighted last year how Brora were charging £90 for British golfers and £125 for foreigners. Little Britain was alive and well.

This year others have joined the game. Machrihanish has whacked up its prices for foreigners. It was £75 a person last year; this year it’s an amazing £120. If you’re a member of a Scottish golf club that’s discounted to £90 but, if you’re just a Scottish person on holiday in the area wanting to play golf, and not a member of a club, you’ll pay the full £120.

Some courses which used to be considered gems are now at risk of being considered greedy and the visitor experience will only be diminished.

FOR ‘VALUE’ YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO TRAVEL
There are 13 courses where you can play eighteen holes at the weekend for under £100 - Silloth, Pennard, Machrihanish Dunes, Aberdovey, Castetlown, Southerness, Sea Croft, Beau Desert, Shiskine, Southerndown, Goswick, Boat of Garten and Moray.

This is a wonderful collection of courses for sure, however if you were to make a list of the most remote courses, most of them would feature on that too! Their lower green fees are, at least in part, a function of the difficulty getting to them.

Of course, if you make the effort to get to these places you will often find a wonderful value trip if you include their neighbouring courses. They will be lesser known names, but far more likely to give you great value.

Gorgeous Pennard - one of the cheaper tee times on the list

THE ONLY WAY IS UP
I hate to say it but I don’t hold out great hope that this inexorable and aggressive rise in green fees will halt any time soon. Golf clubs have become really busy places. Members are playing more and more which means the pressure on tee times is greater than ever before. If you are a top club then driving revenue through fewer, but higher green fees would appear to be a winning combination. Combine that with the return of the international golf traveller and I think these high levels of inflation of here to stay.

This week, Muirfield released its tee times for 2023. Every single summer time sold out within a couple of hours. That would have been unthinkable just three years ago.

I know that some people will say that I should count myself lucky to be able to play these courses at all and to stop moaning and whinging. To a small extent I agree with that view, but the reality is that, as a result of this changing dynamic, many golfers will now never play some of the greatest courses on these shores.

However, I think there is a silver lining. Maybe as a result of all this we will get a little less obsessed with chasing the top courses and golfers may well end up discovering new, less heralded courses, finding more of the other wonderful places to tee it up this country has on offer.

The Golf World Top 100 Courses of GB and Ireland - A Celebration of Playability

The Golf World Top 100 GB and Ireland golf course ranking is out in Today’s Golfer Magazine this week. I think it is a strong list, largely rewarding the kind of courses that I like. But, as with any such ranking, it is unlikely anyone will agree with everything on it!

The Top 100 editor, panel, and criteria have changed since the 2020 ranking so there are quite a few ups and downs in this one. A full explanation of how they mark the courses and who is on the panel can be found here - https://todaysgolfer.co.uk/courses/best/golf-courses-in-the-uk-and-ireland/

It’s important to understand the methodology before getting stuck into analysis. Any golf course ranking is a function of two things - the criteria for assessment and the people doing the scoring.

The Golf World ranking uses six criteria to assess courses - Design (40% weighting), Setting (15%), Memorability (15%), Playability (10%), Consistency (10%) and Presentation (10%). Note that there is nothing included about the other facilities onsite. This immediately differentiates this list from the Golf Monthly one for example, where condition and presentation make up 30% and club facilities and experience another 20%.

As such, this list is more about the golf course design than the overall experience. There are no extra points here for pyramids of Pro V1s on the range.

The fact that ‘playability’ is one of the criteria, and not ‘challenge’ or ‘resistance to scoring’, immediately skews the results. Carnoustie and Muirfield would shoot up the rankings if the panel was looking at these things.

Personally, I prefer the approach that US Golf Magazine takes, where they simply ask the panel to put the courses in ‘buckets’ of where they think they should be ranked rather than try to break assessments down to component parts. That way, the issue of whether to rank a course on, for example, playability or challenge goes away.

Editor Chris Bertram has assembled a group of well-travelled enthusiasts to sit on the panel. I will declare an interest at this stage as I am one of them, although others have certainly visited more courses on the list than me. Bertram himself has played all 100 courses on the list and the average is over 80.

Several architects and others in the industry contribute too, but no touring professionals. They tend not to have the time to get around a significant number of these courses frequently. There is a good handicap spread on the panel but half of them are single figure players.

There are a lot of big movements in the list this time due to changes in the panel and stewardship of the list. While that’s understandable, it will hopefully settle down for the next iteration. There shouldn’t really be too many violent movements from one list to the next and the next one is likely to be more evolution than revolution.

Other lists claim to be definitive, which is clearly ridiculous. Bertram says ‘There really is nothing to choose between the top three and if you were to play them all on consecutive days and tell us we had the ‘wrong’ order, we would not put up too much of an argument.’

It should also be noted that, unlike with some other panels, all raters arrive unannounced and pay their own green fees so there’s no sense of ‘owing anything’ to the club, or a special show being put on.

One final point, some people will no doubt suggest that positions are driven by back-handers and advertising spend. Unfortunately some lists in the past have given the industry a pretty bad name. All I can say is that, from everything I have seen while being involved in this one, that’s not the case here. I can safely say St Andrews didn’t spend their way to top spot!!

So without further ado, here is the list and some of my thoughts on the themes coming through. Please do let me know what you think the panel got right - and wrong.

THE LIST REWARDS PLAYABILITY AND FUN…

The main theme coming through in this ranking is that courses which are fun and playable, with charm and character, have done well. There’s a great quote in the magazine from Alister MacKenzie who said that ‘no hole can be considered perfect unless it can be played with a putter’. Courses where that is possible have all done well.

The list has plenty of examples. The following courses have all hit an all time highs in the 2022 ranking -

Royal Dornoch - 4th (up 2)
If you buy the magazine you will find a ‘love letter’ that I wrote to Royal Dornoch. It opens with the line ‘Royal Dornoch is a course which rewards brains over brawn’ and that pretty much sums it up for me.

North Berwick - 10th (up 9)
It’s incredible to think that 30 years ago the West Links at North Berwick wasn’t even in the top 100 lists - it debuted in 73rd place in 1996. Since then the march up the rankings has been relentless. It was always going to do well in a list which rewards fun, character and playability.

North Berwick - Perfection

Swinley Forest - 19th (up 15)
Geoff Ogilvy sums up Swinley Forest perfectly when he says you could play it with multiple generations and everyone would have a great time. It has achieved a lofty position but it’s thoroughly justified.

Silloth on Solway - 47th (up 15)
I visited Silloth for the first time recently and absolutely loved it. Silloth has many of the characteristics which are rewarded elsewhere on this list but it is definitely a challenging course too. However, the challenge is never to the detriment of your enjoyment.

Pennard - 60th (up 30)
Wow. Pennard wasn’t even in the top 100 in 2014 and it has shot up to 60th place in this list. Personally, I think this one might be punching a little above its weight, but I can see why some other panellists like it so much. Definitely a top 100 course and the setting is just incredible.

Pennard - The Links in the Sky

West Lancs - 67th (up 13)
West Lancs used to be bypassed for some of the ‘great’ names in the area but it’s good to see it getting the recognition it deserves. There is something special about the club and the course - it’s just an old-fashioned, high quality links test.

…BUT COURSES WITH A TOUGHER CHALLENGE DON’T FARE SO WELL

I was chatting to an ex-European Tour player recently about the courses he thought were the best in GB and Ireland. Royal County Down, Carnoustie and Muirfield were his top 3. He felt they were the sternest and most rewarding challenges for good players. He thought that the likes of North Berwick and Prestwick were overrated. He won’t love this list. There is no doubt that a lot of the fallers would have been rewarded if they swapped ‘playability’ for ‘challenge’ as a key criteria.

Here are a few courses that have suffered in this iteration as result of the move to rewarding playability -

Carnoustie - 17th (down 9)
Carnoustie is a tough course with a level of challenge a strong player will revel in but the average golfer may find too much. The finish is as hard as any closing stretch anywhere in the world but, if you finish with three pars, the bragging rights will last a lifetime!

Trump International - 21st (down 7)
A friend of mine plays off low single figures and he thinks Trump International is one of the very best courses in Scotland. Another friend plays off 18 and vows never to return to the course as it took him months to get over the ordeal last time. Hit it straight, or take a lot of balls!

The dunes of Trump International

The European - 57th (down 29)
Modern, challenging courses have generally suffered on this list. The magazine explicitly calls out that The European suffers as a result of the move towards playability saying, ‘Pat Ruddy loves tough courses and his own track is definitely that.’

Parkland courses have generally suffered in the list. Woburn once had three courses in the top 100, now it has none. Wentworth was once 12th, now it’s 71st.

THE CLASS OF ‘22 IS STRONG - BUT WILL THEY LAST?

The list of new entries this year is quite something. Looking back over the history of the Golf World rankings, I think this is the first time there have been two new courses straight into the top 25.

Ardfin - 14th
Ardfin debuting at 14th is quite incredible, especially given that this list generally rewards width and playability. Ardfin is one of the most spectacular golf courses anywhere in the world, but it is a difficult course. Getting around without losing a ball is beyond most mere mortals. It’s a testament to Ardfin’s brilliance that it has debuted in such a high position. If the course was just a bit more playable, a top 10 would be beckoning. It really is that good.

Sensational Ardfin

Rosapenna, St Patrick’s Links - 24th
Tom Doak’s course opened to much acclaim last summer and it had many golf course architecture aficionados drooling. One told me that he believes Rosapenna could challenge Portrush and County Down as the best course on the island of Ireland. Width, playability, a celebration of the ground game and imagination - Rosapenna has them all.

Dumbarnie Links - 69th
Before it opened, there was some skepticism about Dumbarnie Links. Did Fife really need another high-end, pay-and-play golf course? Well the course has won over the critics. Multiple half holes, wide fairways, interesting greens and wonderful views over the water turns out to be a popular combination.

Views and fun abound at Dumbarnie

Elie - 85th
Elie is the only new entry from an established golf course, the others are all new creations. It’s amazing that Elie has never been in the top 100 before - it is a course that celebrates all that is good in the game. The course rewards imagination and guile, in a wonderful setting. When people ask me which course they should add to a Fife itinerary, Elie is always at the top of my list.

JCB - 90th
JCB’s story is interesting. The course was conceived to help build the reputation of the JCB organisation globally. Hosting events is part of that strategy and the course is more than capable of doing that. But amateurs can enjoy too if they select their tees carefully. It’s a good test, but with subtleties and nuance too. Robin Hiseman’s design is the best inland course built in England for decades.

While the class of ‘22 is strong, getting into the Top 100 certainly doesn’t guarantee a course will stay there. Only a third of courses built in the last 30 years which made it into the Top 100 are still there today. Many have come and gone swiftly. Some have fallen from high positions. Mount Juliet peaked at 27, The Wisley at 37th.

Some other recent creations, like The Castle Course and The Renaissance. are just clinging on to the top 100. Great settings and well-known architects aren’t enough to secure a long term place on this list, the course needs to absolutely deliver too. That’s not to say these aren’t fine courses, but the standard required to get into the top 100 really is high.

WHY THE OLD COURSE?

Golf World first started ranking the GB & Ireland Top 100 courses in 1988. The Old Course at St Andrews was in 5th place then and has fluctuated between 2nd and 8th place since. The 2022 edition marks the first time that it has topped the list.

This won’t be without controversy. While many golf course architecture nerds will nod in agreement, others say the course is too straightforward and easy. Knowing this challenge may come, Golf World have taken four pages in the magazine to explain why it gets the pick. Tom Doak gives the architect’s view, Richie Ramsay the professional’s and I make the case from the amateur’s standpoint.

One theme that comes through in these pieces is the different options that the course gives you to get to the hole, and how the challenge is different every time you play the course. This really is a place where you can let your imagination run riot. So many other courses dictate how you play a hole – here you are only limited by your own creativity.

There’s one line from Tom Doak in the article that really made me smile. They asked us all what we would say to those nay-sayers who claim that the Old Course is just a flat piece of land and, without its history, would be fairly mundane? Doak’s answer was blunt, ‘Lots of people are ignorant, and I’m very happy for them to leave the course to those who appreciate it’.

IT’S WORTH BUYING THE MAGAZINE

The supplement Golf World has put together for this list is great. Every course has a write-up, and the thinking behind a course’s position is often explained which is helpful. On top of that there is a whole bunch of great articles.

Mike Clayton has a magnificent essay on course architecture - both modern and historic which is one of the best things I have ever read on the subject. There’s an alternate view to the current trends in course design from ‘The Secret Architect’ and Paul McGinley writes intelligently on the future of the game and course architecture.

For the first time the magazine has also listed courses from 101-200 which really helps to illustrate the depth in quality we have on these shores.

You can either get the rankings supplement with the magazine or buy it as an ebook here.

All this may sound like I am in the pay of the publishers of Today’s Golfer. I can assure you I’m not. But it is good to see such a quality product put together, one that I think would be of interest to anyone with a passion for golf courses and their design.

I’m sure some people will get worked up about some aspects of this list, and of course people have differing views about what they enjoy in a golf course. The rankings don’t pretend to be definitive and I don’t get too concerned about whether a course should be 18th or 24th. But I think the direction of this list is good.

Courses which most golfers would really enjoy have thrived. And I am prepared to stick my neck out and say there are no bad courses on the list. I am pretty sure that if you randomly picked one to play at you would have a great time. We are so lucky to have these great courses on our islands. Here’s to playing a few more of them before the 2024 list comes around!

A new direction - and some help please!

Keen followers of my Twitter feed may have noticed recently that I have been playing a little more golf than normal. A few have questioned how I am able to fit in quite so many games. Well, I am currently spending some time considering what my working future looks like, and the golf course is a pretty good place to do that!

I don’t always wear the tie, but do normally carry!

I have spent the last 25 years (where did the time go…?!) working in a variety of corporate jobs. I’ve always loved what I’ve done, but a restructure last year meant that for the first time in my life I have had some time on my hands away from work.

I’ve always travelled a lot with my job and my family had got used to me being away quite a lot. Amazingly my wife and kids seemed to quite like having me around more over the last year. All this got me thinking about what the future holds. Or more accurately, what I would like it to hold.

And this, dear reader, is where you come in!

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to play some wonderful courses and meet some lovely people. From the islands of Scotland to the wilds of Australia, I never cease to be amazed at the kindness of strangers and the bond that golf can bring.

So I have decided to set up a business organising golf tours which I think will be of real interest to golf enthusiasts.

I am working with some of the people who have helped me over the years to put together some truly memorable golf trips. The plan is to take small groups of golfers to some of the best places in the world to play golf, meeting interesting characters and hearing their stories on the way.

I’m going to partner with established travel agencies, so you can be sure of a professional service, but I will be sprinkling a bit of UK Golf Guy magic on top!

For me, Twitter has been a wonderful vehicle for connecting with like-minded people. I would like to bring some of those virtual relationships into the physical world, introducing golfers to journalists, writers, architects or players and creating unforgettable experiences wherever possible. I want to give you some of the great experiences I have been lucky enough to have and see the very best the world has to offer.

Some of the trips may appeal to overseas tourists coming to the UK, while others will be also attract British golfers looking to head abroad. I’ll also be looking to arrange a range of events to suit various different price points. You could come on these trips on your own or with a group of friends - we’ll pair people up where necessary.

Here’s an idea of some of the trips I am working on at the moment -

Paris
When I am asked which area of Europe is the strongest for golf I never have any hesitation in saying Paris. The quality of golf courses in the area is simply tremendous, although accessing them has always been a challenge. The city’s proximity to Tom Simpson’s creations at Fontainebleau, Morfontaine and Chantilly makes a golf trip to Paris one of the truly great experiences in world golf. Combine that with the wonderful Parisien nightlife and you have the recipe for an unforgettable trip.

This will be the first trip, in September 2022, and hopefully will start things off with a bang!

Australia
I had the most amazing trip to Australia a few years ago and can’t wait to get back. We will play the finest Sandbelt courses in Melbourne before taking a charter plane to the terrific Tasmanian courses at Cape Wickham and Barnbougle. If we time it right, the new Seven Mile Beach will be open for our trip too. The Australian hospitality is second to none, and hopefully we will get to meet some well known local golf personalities on our way round!

Scottish Study Trip
A golf trip to Scotland is a pilgrimage for golfers from all over the world. There are so many areas to cover, but one of the first trips I am planning is along the East Lothian coast, taking in some greats, such as North Berwick, Muirfield and Gullane, before heading up the Fife coast to St Andrews. We will have talks from course historians and modern architects, play with hickories at the oldest course in the world, and walk in the footsteps of the fathers of the game.

Ireland
The quality of golf in Ireland continues to rise. With the stunning recent work at Royal Portrush, and the opening of a world class course at Rosapenna, Ireland gets get better and better as a premier golf venue.

This week-long trip will take in the great courses of Northern Ireland and Donegal, visiting some of the less heralded tracks on the way. Oh, and we’ll probably stop at a few pubs too…

The West Coast of Scotland
There is so much amazing golf to offer on the west coast of Scotland but the logistics can be a challenge for some. We will use chartered planes and boats to take all that hassle away. This stunning itinerary will deliver an unforgettable experience, taking in the best that Kintyre, Jura, Islay and the outer Hebrides have to offer.

Japan
A complaint about the modern game is that experiences can sometimes be a bit samey. Well, you can forget that on this trip. Golf in Japan is full of ritual, and the private courses we will be visiting are unlike anything you will be used to in the West. Not only will we play the very best courses the country has to offer, but we will also spend time seeing some of the sights of this fascinating country.

Picture - Mackenzie & Ebert

Picture - golfjapan.jp/

I hope these initial ideas have given you a sense of what I am trying to do? As I launch detailed itineraries over the next few weeks and months you will see the full range of experiences I will be including to make some truly special trips.

I would love your feedback on whether this concept would be of interest to you, which destinations excite you, or what else you would like to see in a UK Golf Guy trip. If you have a couple of minutes, please fill in the short survey below. And if you would like to be kept up to date with news of the trips as they are launched, leave your contact details too and I’ll be in touch.

Thanks a lot. Hopefully I’ll see you on the course before too long!,

David

If you would like to be kept up to date with news about UK Golf Guy trips as they become available, please leave your contact details here:

Looking back to move forward - Britain’s restoration opportunities

When the GOLF Magazine World Top 100 list came out earlier this year one theme shone through - American courses that had undergone restoration had shot up the rankings. In recent years, courses from LA to New York have gone under the knife and the vast majority have been congratulated on a job well done.

American commentators and the golf architecture community regularly discuss which courses would benefit most from restorative work. This great piece by Andy Johnson considered some high profile candidates for the next wave of restoration.

In contrast, British projects are a little less high profile. There are some exceptions, such as at Woodhall Spa, Moortown and ongoing work at The Addington, but relatively few of the really classic British courses have been touched.

Clubs may be put off by the extravagant sound of a ‘restoration’, and indeed some of the budgets in the US are truly mind-boggling. Upcoming work at Yale is said to be costing $25 million.

Dai Thomas makes the point that a multi-million pound budget isn’t necessarily needed to make significant changes. He say, ‘What many courses need in the first instance is comprehensive tree removal and wider mowing lines. Mowing line work doesn’t really cost much if anything. Tree removal usually does cost quite a bit but once done makes a huge difference’.

Tony Dear, author of ‘The History of Golf in 50 Holes’ worries that we are losing the way with the husbandry of our links courses. He says, ‘In recent years, British links have become narrower and are losing some of their playability. Why? It’s a nasty trend and should stop immediately. British links are unique and special. Don't make them bland tests of straight-ball hitting’.

The homogenisation of our links courses is a worry. I wholeheartedly recommend this piece by architect Ally McIntosh where he laments change for changes sake: ‘Across our courses, classic greens get removed one by one, fairway bunkers are relocated to test only the elite players and quirky holes are done away with because a club might have delusions of grandeur that one day it will need to be fit for Rory, Dustin et al. It all feels a little like designing to standard.’

The cookie cutter approach to our links courses is making them blander and less enjoyable to play for the average golfer. We fell in love with these courses because of their differences, their quirks, the thrill of discovering something new. Committees should remember that next time they are looking for a ‘consulting architect’.

There are precious few good sites left in Britain to build new courses but we have plenty of opportunities to bring courses - both links and parkland - back to their former glories.

I approached some people much more qualified than me to nominate their candidates for restoration. Some courses are famous across the planet, others may not be well known in their own neighbourhood.

A huge thank you to all of those who have contributed to this piece and also to Simon Haines and his incredible library of images from the past. All historic pictures are from Simon’s library unless otherwise stated.

THE ADDINGTON
Words by Mike Clayton
Arguably CDP [Clayton, Devries & Pont] are already working on a course most would pick as one of the very best candidates in the UK for restoration. The Addington suffered from benign neglect for decades but the new owner, Ryan Noades, is committed to restoring Abercrombie’s masterpiece. It’s a brilliant piece of ground and the holes are world-class and wild at the same time. We’re expanding the greens back out to where they were, removing the trees which had encroached too far onto the stage, re-establishing native heather and getting it into first-class condition.

If we nail it, The Addington will again be one of the game’s great treasures.

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The Addington - 12th Hole

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12th Hole - November 2020 pre CDP work
Photo - Dave Cannon

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12th hole November 2021.
Photo - Dave Cannon

GULLANE 1, 2 & 3
Geoff Shackelford
This wonderful place needs the same restoration too many other links now require: a return of animal life to maintain the roughs. Rabbits for the low-growing dense stuff, sheep for the big ticket items. I’ve played Gullane in the wettest and driest years. I’ve seen the difference. In most years with normal rainfall, lost balls destroy the fun here as well as on many other links allowed to get too narrow and too lush.

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John Smart, 1899. Research credit - Society of Golf Historians

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HAZLEHEAD
Robin Hiseman
Shortly before embarking on a notable career in the USA, Dr Alister MacKenzie built a new course for the Aberdeen local authority in the mossy, rocky and boggy uplands of Hazlehead Park. It was a challenging, but beautiful site, which MacKenzie proclaimed had the potential “to be as good a course as Gleneagles, or even better.”

It was a troubled scheme, beset with construction difficulties and cost overruns, resulting in MacKenzie having a monumental falling out with the local authority as they tempered the undulation and ambition of his original scheme.

Time is a healer and Hazlehead now carries the moniker of the ‘Mackenzie Championship course’. It is a pretty, but modest, public course struggling with the usual issues of tight budgets, poor drainage and overplay. Mackenzie’s routing remains intact and it would be a fabulous base upon which to restyle the course in the acknowledged Mackenzie style.

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Hazlehead today

HUNTERCOMBE
Sean Arble
Willie Park Jr’s Huntercombe opened in 1901. Like most early 20th century designs, trees have invaded what was originally open land and any restoration of Huntercombe would hopefully begin with selected tree clearance throughout the property. 

Most prestigious golden age courses exhibited a visual flair due to the bunkering. Huntercombe is no different and could benefit from the restoration of several key bunkers. The thirteen remaining bunkers (some have been converted to hollows) are in the main placed to offer a choice of playing heroically or safely. A restoration would involve enlarging the current bunker on 5, reinstating the three cross bunkers short of the path on 6, reinstating the large bunker covering both 11 & 12 and reinstating the huge cross bunker on 18.

Huntercombe exemplifies concepts which were previously the domain of links golf. Variety, use of natural and man-made landforms and strategic merit are features which made the course justly famous over 100 years ago and continue to delight members and visitors alike today.

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Huntercombe 1946
Pic - golfcoursehistories.com

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Huntercombe 2012
Pic - golfcoursehistories.com

MEYRICK PARK
Clyde Johnson
In 1926 Colt and Co reworked two short courses by Tom Dunne into one, and it was a handful of raw photos from this period that drew me to this almost clandestine park in Bournemouth. While the heather has gone, the rugged bunkers neutered, pines choking in, and greens shrunk, the grandiose terrain is still tackled with affront

The first shot is to a tiny punchbowl, shelved out of a valley top. Though the other five par-threes are thankfully less demanding, they are equally enthralling as the 244-yard opener.

Sadly claustrophobic, today’s routing can feel (excitingly) disorientating, you may just wonder how you have reached the once infamous valley climbing the fourteenth.

I guess the locals are happy to keep England’s oldest muni to themselves! Given its public accessibility, this might just be the course that I would choose to ‘restore’ in the British Isles. As it is, Meyrick Park is one for the true architectural aficionados, those that can look past the scruffy edges and appreciate the bones of a layout worth cherishing.

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The 14th at Meyrick Park

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The 14th today - Photo Clyde Johnson

ROYAL ABERDEEN
David Jones
The links at Balgownie has changed a lot since its creation by Archie and Robert Simpson. Take the second hole - recent changes to make it 40 yards longer, with an upturned saucer green doesn’t make for as much fun as the original birdie-friendly shorter hole where you could run the ball up.

The par 3 third hole has had 20 yards added and both a wonderful bunker short and a forgiving backstop taken away. Where’s the fun in that?!

Character has been taken from the course too. The 15th used to have an unusual large bunker in the front with a grass mound in the middle. They got rid of that to be replaced with three pot bunkers that could be on any links course in the land.

There is some hope. Donald Steel pushed up the 12th and 13th greens some fifteen years ago and the club have since softened them so they are more in keeping with the rest of the course. Bringing back more of the ground game, and the fun which is so integral to links golf, could only improve Royal Aberdeen.

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The old bunker in front of 15
Picture - Dave Cannon

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15 today.
Picture - golfgoursegurus.com

ROYAL LYTHAM
Joe McDonnell
Lytham's old bunkers are an obvious thing to highlight, with their wild and random shapes and styles, but the thing that made my eyes really pop was the loss of fairway width since the 40s. I guess we could do this with almost every links course, and especially with those on the Open Rota. But Lytham's narrowing might be the most extreme I've seen. Here's the 15th hole.

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Research and pic - Joe McDonnell

ROYAL ST GEORGE’S
Geoff Shackelford
The loss of the blind, heroic shot at the Maiden has stripped this course of a thrilling all-or-nothing shot eradicated from too many links in the name of fairness (Deal also lost one). This course has just about everything except one hole that plays like nothing else in the world of golf. RSG had an equivalent of the Postage Stamp or Road and needs it back.

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SANDWELL PARK
DJ Russell
The M5 motorway changed the first few holes of this Midlands Colt course. Over time the trees have grown so much that most of the strategy has disappeared from a selection of holes that would hold their head high in any company if restored sympathetically.

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sandwellparkgolfclub.co.uk

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sandwellparkgolfclub.co.uk

SANDY LODGE
Jasper Miners
This sandy, Vardon designed oasis in clay-based London has changed very little with regards to routing. But the amazing features have evolved and been tamed from the original. This was also the venue for the historic showdown between the Haskell and Gutty. Sandy Lodge was a titan in its day and the appetite for unique architecture and presentation would provide everything a club in London could dream of.

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The 7th at Sandy Lodge in the 1930s

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The 7th today. www.sandylodge.co.uk

SITWELL PARK
Robin Hiseman
In the early part of his design career, Dr Alister MacKenzie laid out a new course at Sitwell Park, on the outskirts of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. On a severely undulating site he built two radically undulating greens set into a steep hillside, which immediately became beset with controversy and acrimony due to their bold shaping. They didn’t survive for long and were soon levelled out, but not before a local photographer took a couple of shots which ensured their legendary status as the wildest greens ever built.

Generations of golf architects have referred to these photographs and marvelled (or perhaps recoiled) at their fantastical contours. They are arguably the original ‘MacKenzie’ greens, which has become the generic term for any multi-levelled green. In an era when it is possible to recreate an entire ‘lost’ golf course using digital mapping of old photographs, it cannot be too difficult to restore two or three greens on a golf course which still exists. The remnants of MacKenzie’s original greens are still there under a woolly coating of semi-rough and though any restoration would have to take account of modern green speeds, Sitwell Park is arguably the most tantalising restoration project in the whole golfing world.

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140 Yards Par 3. Golf Illustrated & Outdoor America, November 1915

SPEY BAY
Robin Hiseman
When laid out by Ben Sayers in the early years of the 20th Century, Spey Bay was a desirable Scottish seaside resort, with a plush hotel and railway station. It eventually lost the rail connection and the hotel burnt down, leaving behind this lonely, disembodied links. What differentiates it from other links is that it is laid out on shingle, rather than sand.

The fairways often follow the half-pipe vales between the ridges and the entire course is an object lesson in micro contouring. It is also brutally exposed to the fearsome storms of the Moray Firth and lost a number of holes to the surf during the 1980s. The necessary redesign produced a handful of inferior replacement holes at the far end of this out-and-back links. Spey Bay is a charming course, but almost entirely overlooked by the golfing world. It could be very special.

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Picture - Spey Bay Golf Club

The micro contouring of Spey Bay
Picture - James Reader

ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
Geoff Shackelford
Too many bunkers are encircled in rough. Too much of the gorse Old Tom burned has been allowed to come back. The aesthetics of the bunkers scream manmade instead of natural. Both Hell and the Road hole greenside bunkers are aesthetic crime scenes. Most of this has happened due to a fear professionals will shoot super low scores that would highlight a lack of equipment regulation. It’s time to name a committee (I know, not ideal) of top architects to provide their thoughts and guidance.

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Hell Bunker in 1912

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Hell Bunker in 2016 - Scott Comrie

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The Road Hole bunker in 1910

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The 17th Today. Picture - yourgolftravel.com

SUNNINGDALE NEW AND OLD
Tim Gallant
Two of the best inland courses in the UK could be so much better with restorations to bring them closer to Colt's original vision for the New and Old. Across the property, scale has been lost with an abundance of trees and bunker shaping/shrinking that has changed over the years. Also, maintenance practices have both courses looking more like finely manicured gardens rather than proper heathlands.

Greens have reduced in size and flattened while fairways have become tighter which, when combined with the aforementioned trees, means the courses, as good as they are, are only a shadow of what they could be.

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The 5th hole at Sunningdale New

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The 5th Today. Pic - finegolf.co.uk

WALLASEY
Sam Cooper
Wallasey hasn't been unduly meddled with by committees, nor overgrown with trees or gorse. Its poor fortune is historic. After the Second World War, the War Office retained a large section of the original course. Soon after, the local council removed almost 300,000 tonnes of sand from the current fourth and seventeenth fairways to build up the promenade on the adjacent River Mersey.

The result is a links of great contrast. The holes in Wallasey's towering dunes are reminiscent of England's greatest undulating links but newer holes are shoehorned onto the more recently acquired flat land.

If Old Tom Morris, the course's original architect, had the modern parcel of land I wonder if he would have made more economical use of the dune system. Wallasey is a lovely course, and sits alongside any other member of England's Golf Coast - but with a bit of ambition and refurbishment it could be challenging the likes of neighbouring Hoylake and Birkdale as the premier course on that remarkable stretch of coastline.

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Wallasey - 1911

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Photo - Sam Cooper

WENTWORTH EAST
Jasper Miners
The forgotten Harry Colt masterpiece, The East plays second fiddle to The West but is a spectacular routing with vintage Harry Colt diagonal cross hazards and superb use of elevation throughout. The oldest of the two Colts on offer, The East boasts some spectacular highlights, namely the hilltop punchbowl green of the 5th and the par 4 11th is all-world. In the right hands, the string of pearls on 3, 11, 12, and 18 would become some of the most memorable architectural features in the neighbourhood.

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The 11th on The East course at Wentworth

The 11th today
Picture - Clyde Johnson

WOKING
Jasper Miners
Woking is world-class and the work that is ongoing has only made it better. One can only dream though of a proper, full-blown restoration of Simpson’s 9th and 10th holes and lost features on the 17th. The front nine holes on the low ground have received the lion's share of heather regeneration and tree clearance…one can only hope the other holes will see the same care and attention.

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The 14th green at Woking

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The 14th today. Picture - www.cmaeurope.org

North Berwick - West Links Sketches

Many of us took on new challenges or picked up old hobbies over lockdown. Some tried to create the perfect banana bread, others ensured their book shelves were ruthlessly sorted by genre and author. Whatever got us through.

Richard Evans is a Yorkshireman who retired to North Berwick a few years ago. He turned to watercolour painting over lockdown and has created a wonderful booklet of sketches of the West Links. Using his knowledge from many rounds over the course (he is a member of Tantallon Golf Club who play on the West) Richard has created a delightful record of all eighteen holes at the course and much more.

The booklet runs to 32 pages and is a really great read. There is a page dedicated to every hole in which Richard describes and paints the challenge. There are also pages bringing to life the clubs, scenery, wildlife and personalities that make North Berwick such a wonderful place.

I feel like I know the West Links fairly well but I picked up all kinds of nuggets from the narrative that goes with the lovely images. I thoroughly recommend this book to any fans of North Berwick, or Scottish golf in general.

Richard is selling the book for £10 through the pro shop at North Berwick run by Martyn Huish. Proceeds are going to four local charities, North Berwick in Bloom, Beach Wheelchairs, East Lothian Young Carers and Reverse Rett.

If you can’t get to North Berwick, I would be happy to set up a payment link to cover the cost of the book and postage and send one to you. Just drop me an email at david@ukgolfguy.com.

The 2021/22 GOLF Magazine world top 100 list - a US triumph but a UK warning?

The most eagerly awaited golf course ranking is out, and it certainly doesn’t fail when it comes to talking points and interest. GOLF magazine is a US-based magazine which has listed the top courses in the world since the mid-1980s. Other lists have come and gone, but GOLF keeps going.

The magazine is on sale in the US now. Hopefully they will put the content up on their website soon and I’ll link to it here when it is.

The last list, in 2019, marked a significant change for the magazine. Ran Morrissett, founder of Golfclubatlas.com and co-contributor to the Confidential Guide, took over as the Architecture Editor and the 2019 list was the first he had overseen. In a blog, I wrote about how he had significantly overhauled the panel and about the impact that had made.

Other US-based rating panels have thousands of members who pay for the privilege of joining - often in the hope of access to courses. GOLF magazine has none of that nonsense. Every rater is hand picked by Morrissett. Several of them are architects (Hanse, Doak and several of their associates are all on the list) though they are not allowed to vote on their own creations.

The panel has expanded this year, to 103 members. While it is a world top 100 ranking list, it comes very much from a North American perspective. 78 of the panel members are based in North America, only 6 are UK based. This is important to keep in mind when looking at the results. Given the events of the last couple of years, the vast majority of raters will have had far more recent exposure to US courses than those in the rest of the world. That absolutely shows up in the results.

A TRIUMPH FOR THE US
Whichever way you look at it, this list is something of a triumph for the US. American courses take an incredible 19 of the top 30 places.

It’s been a good few years since I last made a pie chart, but I think these tell the story well. Of the US courses in the 2019 list, 60% have kept or improved their positions. In Europe and AUS/NZ two thirds have dropped places.

So, what’s going on? Firstly, it would seem that Covid is having an impact. Over the last two years much of the panel has been able to see what has been going on in the US, but hasn’t been exposed to good work going on elsewhere in the world.

Morrissett talks at length about the impressive work going on at courses in the US. He makes the point that several factors have driven some of these rises - enlightened committees, revolutionary technology and architects with real vision.

There is clearly a desire at some of the top US courses to be bold in their decisions in the pursuit of brilliance. The magazine highlights a whole host of inland US courses whose rankings have improved as a result of their efforts - Southern Hills, Old Town, Myopia Hunt Club, Inverness, Yeamans Hall, Somerset Hills.

Oakland Hills is up an amazing 41 places and Morrissett waxes lyrical about the work there: ‘Be prepared to have your breath stolen by this Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restoration. As far as the eye can see is the ultimate parkland playing field, with fairways bobbing and weaving up and over rolling hills and down through valleys’. There are some photos and an overview on this Golf Club Atlas thread to whet your appetite further.

Hanse has been a busy man. His work at Baltusrol was rewarded with its re-entry to the GOLF list, Ohoopee Match Club has shot up 25 places and he has a new entry with the French course Les Bordes - more on that later.

THE HOME OF GOLF RISKS BEING LEFT BEHIND
The list is something of a disaster for the classic British links. Courses on The Open rota fared particularly badly -

St Andrews - no change
Muirfield - up 1
Royal Portrush - down 2
Turnberry - down 1
Carnoustie - down 7
Royal St George’s - no change
Royal Birkdale - down 2
Royal Troon - down 8
Royal Lytham - down 6
Royal Liverpool - down 14

It would be easy to dismiss changes in the UK positions as being the result of a US dominated panel in Covid times. However, I think there is a risk of this island resting on its laurels if we think that way. The kind of expansive thinking that has led to some of the advances for US courses is missing at many of our great links.

In recent years The Open courses have taken a rather homogenous approach to their development - indeed the R&A appears to have encouraged that. The cookie cutter approach has become tedious at times.

When was the last time you read about, or saw, work on an Open course which really quickened the pulse? The changes at Royal Portrush were necessary to make the course an Open venue and those at Turnberry were the result of the desires of an American.

In his introduction to the rankings, Morrissett tries to define the qualities which have led to success. He suggests, ‘Design themes from the Golden Age of architecture—width, strategy, playing angles, enjoyment, creativity stemming from “bouncy-bounce” golf’ are the attributes they are looking for. He goes on, ‘Courses that embrace short grass and give the player room to navigate based on their game strengths fared better than cramped courses choked with wrist-wrenching rough that necessitate looking for lost balls’.

How many times have you turned up at an Open course to be greeted by narrower fairways, lusher rough and tees pushed back?

Maybe this list will give some of those green committees a wake up call. They should ask themselves, what can we do with our great links to genuinely make it a course that sings, a course that delights? How can we make the course enjoyable for the majority, not just the 1%?

THREE BIG NEW ENTRIES - WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
There are three new entries in the list this year. The debuts of St Patrick’s (55), Ardfin (74) and the New course at Les Bordes (97) had all been widely anticipated.

Morrissett congratulates his panel for finding these courses when he says, ‘The exciting thing? They couldn’t be more different. A tip of the hat to the GOLF panel for not playing favorites or having their selections be stereotyped.’. Indeed, well done to the panel for finding the new Doak, Harrison and Hanse courses!

What the future holds for these will be fascinating. I had a look at the performance of debutants over the last dozen or so years. It makes for quite interesting reading.

Of the twenty-one listed, only nine are in a higher position today that their initial ranking. Only Friar’s Head (Coore & Crenshaw), Tara Iti (Doak) and Ballyneal (Doak) are currently at their peak high position

A high debut doesn’t guarantee a long and happy future. You can see there have been some fairly spectacular falls from grace under Morrissett’s panel - Trump International has plummeted from 48th and is now outside the top 100. Diamante Dunes was 36th in 2017, now it is barely clinging on in 98th place.

Closer to home, both Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart have fallen down the lists - maybe it is time their owners looked again to see what could be done to recover some of their lustre.

St Patrick’s, the new Tom Doak course in Donegal has opened to stunning reviews - such as this from Chris Bertram in Golf World. More than one person has proclaimed it Doak’s best work. If that is a view others agree with then it will continue to shoot up the rankings and a top 30 beckons. Where will it end up compared to the mighty duo of County Down and Portrush. Could the seemingly impossible happen??!!

I was particularly interested in where Ardfin would be ranked. You can read my review and watch my video of the course here. It’s an absolutely spectacular course - one of the most breath-taking you will ever see. It is, however, very difficult. A little softening of the course, some more generous run-offs from the fairways and I really think Ardfin could get into the top 50

The New Course at Les Bordes by Gil Hanse opened just in time to get rated. The Old Course was a bit of a brute - immaculately conditioned but relentlessly difficult. Hanse has created quite a contrast here.

He describes it thus, ‘There are elements of a number of golf courses including a lot of the great heathland courses around London and Paris. I think that I am always influenced by Pine Valley, and I think that some of the scale of National Golf Links is apparent out there too. If you roll all of those into one, I think that’s a pretty good recipe.’

One of the challenges for both Ardfin and Les Bordes is that their business models mean they may not get the exposure required to challenge for higher places on the list. Ardfin is expensive to play (and pretty remote too) while Les Bordes is available only to its very few members and guests.

Of course, many US courses are also private, but most will get considerably more play (and therefore raters’ eyeballs) than either of these. However, all three of these new builds have the ingredients to ensure a prolonged stay in the top 100 rather than being one hit wonders.

THREE TO PONDER?
I like this list. It rewards much of what I love in a golf course. Morrissett and his panel have shown the future of this prestigious ranking list is in safe hands. But here are three I think they have got wrong:

Pebble Beach is not the 14th best course in the world! Rarely has a golf course disappointed me as much as Pebble. Of course some of the holes are spectacular but on some of those inland holes you could be on a resort course in the south of Spain (albeit it nice one). When you see some of the pictures of the early days of Pebble it looks gorgeous. They don’t have the appetite to restore the course, and until they do it should keep going down the rankings.

Ballybunion (24) is still too high. It has consistently dropped down since its peak of 8th in 1987 but I am still bewildered as to why it features so well. Most voices you hear on a summer’s day will be American rather than local. The views can be great but the rough is too punishing at times and there are more good holes than the great holes which 24th demands. The Irish Golfer ranking has it at number 7 in Ireland. That feels a bit more like it.

Why are they so down on Cape Wickham (70)? I am unashamed in my love for Cape Wickham, located on the tiny King Island off the coast of Australia. I think it is one of the very best courses in the world and if I had a vote I would have no hesitation in putting it in the Top 30. However it is making little headway on the GOLF lists. Maybe the raters who went there had bad weather which sullied their view. Maybe they weren’t as beguiled as me by the spectacular setting and wonderful turf. But if they really are looking for width, strategy, playing angles, enjoyment and creativity then Cape Wickham would seem to tick most of those boxes.

The golf architecture world is a busy place at the moment. More clubs than ever are taking an enlightened view on restorations and exciting new projects are coming. The GOLF list shows how both can be rewarded in equal measure if they are executed well.

I hope that in two year’s time we will be celebrating more positive developments on this side of The Atlantic too and there are some positive signs. The work at Alwoodley shows what a progressive committee, engaged greenskeeper and talented architect can do on a classic British inland course.

We should not be shy at looking to what our American cousins are doing, and seeing what we can learn here. The rewards could be rich.

Winter Green fee deals at the UK’s Top 100 courses

Next year is going to be a very weird year if you’re looking to play the UK’s best golf courses. Massive pent-up demand from international travellers means that green fees are rocketing and visitor tee sheets at many of the top courses are already full.

No doubt, in the months to come, I will be writing with righteous indignation about green fee inflation, but for now, this is a blog of inspiration! For while peak Summer green fees are eye-watering, there are some quite brilliant deals to be had for winter golf. On average, the top 100 courses are pitching winter rates at 45% off the summer green fees this year.

Below is a list of the winter green fees of the top 100 British courses accepting visitor play over the next few months. There are a couple of points to note. Firstly, some courses either aren’t open over winter (like Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart) while others don’t take visitors (such as Sunningdale and Troon). They have been excluded. Secondly, for the purposes of the discount shown I have taken the highest Summer rate (often weekends) when working out the reduction for their winter rate. Many phone calls and website visits were needed to put this together, apologies for any fat fingers!!

Here’s the list but read on for some winter golf tips….

FLEXIBILITY IS YOUR FRIEND
If you can, try to make sure you have some options when planning a trip over the winter. I recommend putting a weekend or few days aside in your diary but deciding nearer the time where to go. That way you can chase the sun (or possibly avoid the snow). Most courses have pretty good availability over the winter and will often allow you to reserve a tee time without paying up front - worth checking!

LOOK OUT FOR THE EXTRAS
Most clubs are really pleased to have visitors over the quiet winter months and will often entice you in with offers of breakfast rolls or lunch. Lots of the green fees above include all kinds of extras. North Berwick is going further and you get coffee, a bacon roll and lunch, plus a round of golf for £90. I would recommend giving clubs a call as well as having a look at their websites to check what is on offer - and don’t be shy asking!

BIG NAMES MEAN BIG DISCOUNTS
There are some truly fantastic deals to be had on this list. Royal Country Down stands out at £90 - it’s close to £300 in the summer. Muirfield can be played for half the price of a summer round. I’ll whisper it quietly, but I think the winter condition at Muirfield is even better than the summer where the rough has been a little thick in recent years.

IT’S A GOOD TIME TO GO LOCAL
Even if you’re not planning a trip away this list is worth looking at. Maybe there’s a top course near you that is just too expensive, or hard to get on, in the summer. You may even be able to just wake up in the morning and fancy a game at, say Formy, and get a game that day at 40% of the summer charge.

DRESS FOR THE WEATHER - AND AN ESSENTIAL BUY!
OK, I’m not being anyone’s mother here but golf is so much more fun if you aren’t freezing your bits off! I am a big fan of a pair of long johns and thermal vest but that’s probably not something you want to visualise. Last year I discovered the rechargeable hand warmer. Basically you charge them up with a USB charger and you get several hours of heat from them - truly revolutionary. I have lost countless golf mitts over the years but I don’t need them any more. This one even acts as a phone charger too.

Have fun wherever you are playing this winter - and stay warm!

Is this the best Continental Europe Top 100 list ever?

Some Top 100 ranking lists are more useful than others. Sometimes, the plethora of UK or World lists are curiosities rather than helpful guides for planning a trip. The recent Golf World ‘Under £60’ list was one of the best for finding hidden gems in the UK and probably far more useful than most other lists.

I have usually found Continental Europe lists one of the most useful out there - whether for planning a golf trip with mates or looking for a round to throw in when on a family holiday.

The Golf World ranking is probably the most prestigious published (the other two worth looking at are top100golfcourses.com and National Club Golfer). The latest incarnation of the Golf World Top 100 list is out now and there’s plenty in it to enjoy.

There has been a change in editorship and methodology at Golf World since the last ranking which explains some of the significant movements on the list.

Chris Bertram, the editor, is one of the very few people in the world to have a job ranking golf courses and he is excellent at it. He has pulled together a well-travelled panel of raters - a mixture of industry professionals and enthusiastic amateurs. Courses are rated using a range of criteria - design, setting, memorability, playability, consistency and presentation.

Personally I’m not a massive fan of the ‘formula’ approach to rating courses but the recent lists coming out from Golf World have been really strong, so it clearly works! I should say that I am on the panel though I only played a small part given the wealth of experience of the others. I have played about half of the courses, so plenty still to get to!

I would encourage you to get your hands on a copy of the print magazine - the supplement is really brilliant. Each of the 100 courses is profiled and there are in-depth looks at the three top courses which is worth the price of the magazine alone. There’s a piece on David McLay Kidd’s Comporta course which opens next year and an exclusive about what else is being built in that area. I won’t spoil it, but Lisbon looks like it may be THE European golf destination to visit in years to come.

You can see the full write-ups of every course as well as more on the process and ranking here. Well done to Today’s Golfer for sharing this online, although I would still encourage you to buy the magazine for some of the extras!

Here is the list, and some of my key takeaways.

VIVE LA FRANCE
For most Brits, when they think about playing golf in Europe, it’s Spain, Portugal and maybe Turkey that come to mind. However, when you look at where the best golf courses are, France is the clear winner. It has seventeen of the top 100 courses and five of the top 10 - including the undisputed number 1, Morfontaine.

One of the most anticipated aspects of this list was where the New course at Les Bordes would debut. It has come straight at number 8, while the delightful Fontainebleau has risen to an all-time high of number 3.

I wouldn’t be amazed if France had an even better showing when the next version of this list comes around. Not enough panellists have seen Vidauban in the South of France to include it, but on a recent visit I had it firmly in the Top 10.

VIdauban could add to the French top 10 domination

FORGET THE ALGARVE - IT’S ALL GOING ON IN LISBON!
Portugal has so much to offer when it comes to planning a golf trip - easy to get to from most places in Europe, great value and excellent golf. Many will head for the courses on the Algarve (congrats to Monte Rei for taking the crown of Portugal’s best course) but if you are looking for sustained quality then look no further than Lisbon.

Praia d’el Rey, an hour to the north of Lisbon airport

Within an hour’s drive you have enough courses to fill a week with high quality golf - West Cliffs, Praia d’el Rey, Obidos to the north, Oitavos Dunes and Penha Longa to the west and Troia to the south. With three new courses coming soon near to Troia this is fast becoming a ‘must visit’ destination

A trip to Lisbon also feels like you are going to a different country which I quite like - full English breakfasts and Irish pubs are a bit harder to find than in Vilamoura…

REPUTATION AND CONDITIONING JUST ISN’T ENOUGH
A lot has changed since the golf magazines first started producing Continental Europe lists. Bertram says, ‘We have moved away from perfectly nice, manicured parklands with a few holes being made dramatic by water as being good enough’ and you can see that in the results.

This ranking is following the trends of other lists - it rewards enjoyment over pure brawn, authenticity over conditioning. A few big names have suffered. In the 2011 Golf World ranking Le Golf National, home to the 2018 Ryder Cup, was in position 5. It’s current 40th place feels a lot more appropriate. PGA Catalunya in Spain reached a peak of 4th in 2015. It’s 17th now but I suspect this relentlessly dull course has further to drop yet!

Some of the resorts have suffered too - only one of the Quinta da Lago courses makes it onto the list and there is no space for any of the three from La Manga.

While it’s easy to dwell on the drops, the quality of the courses that have risen is to be celebrated. Utrecht de Pan was 35th on the list ten years ago but its rise to number two is thoroughly justified, it’s one of golf’s special places.

Another I would call out is Vilamoura Old Course. Other courses on the Algarve have come and gone from the listing but it is good to see that class lasts. It’s never going to be a top 20 course but it has risen from languishing in the 80s to a more realistic number.

The wonderful Utrecht de Pan has shot all the way up to number 2 in the rankings in recent years

BUT HOW GOOD ARE THESE COURSES REALLY?
One way of looking at how good these courses really are is to look at how many of them would get into a GB and Ireland Top 100 list. To give that some perspective the following courses are numbers 80-100 on a composite UK Top 100 ranking from the top golf magazines and rating sites:

The Berkshire (Blue), Portstewart, Saunton (West), Aberdovey, Moortown, Prince's, Pennard, , Ballylifin (Old), Walton Heath (New), West Hill, Queenwood, St Andrews (Castle), Royal North Devon, Wentworth (East), Parkstone, Broadstone, Moray (Old), Woburn (Duke's), Woburn (Marquess), Aldeburgh, Sherwood Forest

Helpfully Golf Word have scored each of these courses in recent months and their scores range from 80 out of 100, down to 77.4. The top 10 courses in Europe all score 80 points or more so they would all make the GB and Ireland list comfortably. I think you can go down to Hamburger, 14th on the Continental Europe and make a case for all 14 of those clubs being worthy of inclusion.

At the top end Morfontaine, de Pan and Fontainebleau would all be ranked in the upper echelons of any UK list - they are really that good.

Hamburger golf - worthy of a place on a Top 100 list including the best of the UK and Europe

THE TWO I REALLY WANT TO SEE…
It’s always interesting in these lists to look for the outliers - the courses which are ranked differently on different lists (I won’t use this platform for another polemic on the travesty of Golf Monthly and Cruden Bay...). There are two here which really stand out, and I’m determined to get to them in 2022.

First up is Lofoten Links - it is in here at number 6 - up 46 places! The Top100golfcourses website has it in 47th place. The magazine says ‘The setting is the biggest lure – and is peerless – but it is more than that. So many holes carved out in this utopia are world-class’. But number 6? That’s a hell of a position which I will need to judge for myself!

The other one which stands out is Parnu Bay in Estonia. I have always had a hankering to play in slightly off-the-beaten-track locations (evidenced by my playing in the Accra Open once) and Estonia fits the bill. It is in this list at number 16, but top100 have it at 75. Golf World talks about combining it with a trip to some of the Finnish courses which sounds like a trip well worth taking.

While both of these look like outliers, I have a lot of faith that the trip will be worth it. The editor Chris Bertram has been to these, and almost all of the other, courses so isn’t just relying on views of panel members. I think that makes a big difference when it comes to the way these lists are constructed.

Lofoten Links - photo Mickael Tannus at lofotenlinks.no

As I said at the top, I find these European lists so helpful for discovering new places and I think this is the best one I’ve seen yet.

Previously I had wondered if some courses had got their elevated ranking through judicious advertising spend or a strong PR department. From my experience with this list I have no such worries, this one is rewarding merit.

Exploring golf in Europe can be a real pleasure. Not only do you find great golf courses, but you will have exposure to people and cultures you just don’t get by staying at home. The last couple of years have been tough when it comes to seeing the best that Europe has to offer but hopefully we have turned a corner now.

I’ve made this map showing all of the locations to help you plan your next trip. If you use the slider in the top left you can look at the top100golfcourses list too. Happy travels wherever you get to!

Should the R&A put variety before revenue?

By any metric, the 2019 Open Championship was a raving success. The storyline was perfect - when Lowry holed his winning putt, bringing joy to the whole island of Ireland, the emotion was unlike anything I have witnessed at an Open before.

Commercially Royal Portrush was a triumph too. The attendance of 237,750 was second in number only to St Andrews. Furthermore, the R&A set an important new precedent. For the first time ever, tickets were sold out in advance, with a limit on the number of tickets available. For the organisers this was heaven, creating a feverish atmosphere around securing a ticket, with revenue guaranteed.

They swiftly deployed the same tactic for the 2020 Open at St George’s, before COVID interfered. For St Andrews in 2022 they have gone a step further by instituting a ballot. It seems the days of walking up to the gate and buying a ticket for The Open are a thing of the past.

The Open is incredibly important to the financial success of the R&A as an organisation. In recent years their investment in the game has been tremendous and their support for the junior, amateur and women’s games has been tremendous. The Open pays for much of this good work.

There are some Open venues which clearly make more money than others. Just look at the recent attendance figures and four courses stand out - St Andrews, Hoylake, Birkdale and Portrush have had massive attendances. In these years the R&A can fill their boots.

2019 Portrush - 237,750
2018 Carnoustie - 172,000
2017 Birkdale - 235,000
2016 Troon - 173,000
2015 St Andrews - 237,000
2014 Hoylake - 203,000
2013 Muirfield - 142,000
2012 Lytham - 180,000
2011 Royal St George’s - 180,000
2010 St Andrews - 201,000
2009 Turnberry - 123,000

Martin Slumbers, the Chief Executive of the R&A had a big smile on his face today when he said, ‘We have the 150th Open in St Andrews next year and based on current indications that will be the largest Open ever and it will be interesting to see whether that can be beaten here (in Portrush) in 2025. 

There is a contract in place between the R&A and Tourism Ireland to justify the investments from both in taking the Open to Portrush - they agreed to hosting three Opens between 2019 and 2040 - and it looks like there will be more beyond. As Martin Slumbers said today, ‘It’s firmly on the Open rota, it’s one of the ten and it won’t be going anywhere’.

If only there was such certainty for some other venues. 

Slumbers said that there are still ten courses on the rota and said he was ‘very comfortable with the ten’, However, no-one is pretending there is equality amongst the ten.

Three particularly stand out for concern. 

Turnberry held a wonderful Open in 2009, when Tom Watson was so close to achieving the most unlikely victory in the history of the game. Since Donald Trump bought the club in 2014 there has been no hint of hosting an Open there.

Earlier this year Slumbers made the point that he simply didn’t want a Trump dominated Open when he said, "We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future. We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself’.

On top of that, Turnberry is not helped by its relative remoteness leading to lower attendances. The changes at the course are simply phenomenal - but, by the sounds of things, the world won’t be seeing them any time soon.

The new Turnberry is simply spectacular, but out of favour.

Royal Lytham’s position is also the subject of intense scrutiny. While the attendance figures of 180,000 in 2012 were healthy enough, the site itself isn’t huge, providing logistical challenges for the infrastructure which seems to grow and grow every year. And if truth be told there isn’t a huge clamour from the players to get back to Lytham, a course that is respected rather than loved.

2026 is the year to watch. Alistair Tait gives a compelling case here for why the Open should be going to Lytham then. It will be the 100th anniversary of Lytham’s first Open and Bobby Jones’ victory.

Muirfield, however, is a different kettle of fish.

The Open in 2013 had the lowest attendance of modern times - 142,000. It was the first year where concession prices were done away with and tickets were £75 - up from £60 in 2011. The spokesman also blamed the warm weather (I kid you not!) and a British winner of the Tour de France for the modest numbers!

The 2013 Open at Muirfield took place in a gloriously hot Scottish summer

The ban on female members meant that Muirfield’s place on the rota was in jeopardy, but some overt pressure from Slumbers led to a change in the club’s policy in 2017, removing that obstacle.

Slumbers is still lukewarm on a return to Muirfield though. He clearly needs to be convinced that the fans will come, and the cash registers will ring, before taking the Championship back there. Last year he said “What we’re spending a lot of our time on is how do we get 200,000 people around Muirfield?” adding, “How do we get Muirfield to be Edinburgh’s Open?’.

Well, we won’t know the answer to that question until probably at least 2027 now - 14 years after the last Open was held there and that’s just too long.

No-one questions Muirfield’s credentials as an excellent Open course. Some believe it is the very best. However, the R&A doesn’t appear to be willing to take the tournament there for fear of a hit to their coffers. 

If Turnberry changes ownership at some stage in the future it would be such a shame not to see the event held there for fear of lower attendance figures. And the golf world is being robbed of seeing Muirfield on centre stage more frequently.

I would advocate a different approach. Rather than try to maximise every single pound of revenue, every single year, the R&A should take a more strategic approach. Of course a threshold has to be met. There are plenty of great links courses which just couldn’t host an Open even though the course would justify it.

I love Portrush, I think it’s probably the best course in Ireland and I hope it has many more Open Championships there. However if the R&A are going to claim to have a rota then they need to use it properly.

They should accept that some years will have lower attendances than others and take a long term view. That way fans will be treated to seeing the best golf courses these shores have to offer, not just the courses that make the R&A the most money.

Every hole at JCB Golf and Country Club

Since its 2019 opening, I’ve been keen to see the course at the JCB Golf and Country Club. I’d only seen a few pictures, and there’s not much in the way of detailed coverage available of the course.

It was built to be an icon for the JCB brand - to attract the very best players in the world and to help make the brand famous internationally.

You can read my review of the course here. But safe to say, the course holds its own with the best courses built in the UK in recent history.

I hope you enjoy this film and my review. Once again, a huge thanks to my good friend James for providing the voiceover. Any inaccuracies in the words themselves though are purely my own!

You can see my films of every hole at Ardfin and North Berwick here -