The Top 100 Golf Courses
Top UK Golf at Birkdale, Royal County Down, and more!
By TG Courses Editor
Course News
17 September 2007 11:55
So here we are...the golf courses below represent the best of the best in the UK and Ireland.
The likes of Royal Birkdale and Royal County Down are in the top five UK golf courses in the 2008 Golf World Top 100 Golf Courses list and by scrolling down now you can discover THE best golf course in the UK and Ireland!
So, which course can claim the title of best golf course? Find out now...
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5
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Morris, 1892
7,034 yards, par 70
Gullane, Lothian |
GREEN FEES: Winter rate (mid-November mid-March) £100 for one round and offer of lunch in clubhouse with collar and tie at £22.50. Winter rates finish March 12, 2009. Normal green fee from March 17; £175 for one round or £220 for a day.
CONTACT: 01620 842123,
www.muirfield.org.uk
CLUB COMMENT: No significant changes.
It says something when legends of the game – from Nicklaus to Faldo – queue up to eulogise about a course, but where Muirfield is concerned, it’s justified. The pros love the fairness of a design which examines every skill in the game. Dropping three spots, then, is perhaps a bit of a shock, although it can’t be seen as a fault of the Honourable Company. The competition at the top is fierce and Birkdale is riding the crest of Harrington’s Open glory.
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4
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Unknown, 15th Century
6,721 yards , par 72
St Andrews, Fife |
GREEN FEES: November 1, 2008-March 31, 2009, £64. April 1–April 19, 2009, £91. April 20-October 18, 2009, £130. October 19-October 31, 2009, £91.
CONTACT: 01334 466666,
www.standrews.org.uk
CLUB COMMENT: No significant changes.
Why the old course is my favourite in the world
By Tiger Woods:
“St Andrews is by far my favourite golf course in the world. It’s where the game all started, it’s why we have 18 holes instead of 22 and I think the history behind St Andrews is amazing. There is no other golf course in the world that can say every great player who has ever played the game has played that golf course.
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3
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Lowe, 1889
6,817 yards, par 72
Southport, Merseyside |
GREEN FEES: October 6-December 14; £120 (includes soup and sandwiches): December 15-31, course closed to visitors.
CONTACT: 01704 552020,
www.royalbirkdale.com
CLUB COMMENT: Extensive changes for the 2008 Open Championship by Martin Hawtree.
Great courses inspire great golfers to hit great shots. That is perhaps all one needs to say about Royal Birkdale. Padraig Harrington’s mesmeric 5-wood that clambered onto the front of the 17th green before running in an arc to the pin on the back tier, was a defining moment in golf this summer.
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2
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Morris, 1889
7,181 yards, par 71
Newcastle, Northern Ireland |
GREEN FEES: Winter from £75; Summer from £140-£175.
CONTACT: 028 4372 3314, www.royalcountydown.org
CLUB COMMENT: No significant changes.
What the pros say
Tom Watson:
"Royal County Down is a pure links in the truest sense of the word. My advice to anyone playing this great course is to keep it straight off the tee - stray from the fairways at your peril! It's a tremendous test and the outward half is as fine a nine holes as I've ever played."
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1
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MacKenzie Ross, 1949
7,201 yards, par 70
Turnberry, Ayrshire
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GREEN FEES: £140 for residents of the hotel. Non-residents £160 weekdays (Monday-Friday), £200 weekends. Ailsa closed from November 1, 2008-July 21, 2009 (Tuesday after The Open).
CONTACT: 01655 331000,
www.turnberry.co.uk
COURSE CHANGES: Lengthened by 231 yards, eight new tees.
What the pros say
Gary Player:
"It's comfortably my favourite course in Britain. Everything about it just emits class. Everyone talks about how beautiful the surroundings are, and the fabulous hotel, but the golf course itself is the star. It demands every shot in the book."
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Browse our top 100 golf courses below...
