100 Classic Golf Holes

Published: 23 October 2014

To read the most up to date Top 100 rankings of the best golf courses, please visit golfworldtop100.com

Golf holes, like people, come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes and personalities. They are made up of different shades, colours, features and characteristics. And again like people, some holes evoke feelings of warmth, excitement and expectation while others make you nervous and fearful.

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The beauty of golf hole design is that it is purely subjective. Our reaction to the courses and holes we play can be influenced by a variety of factors – from how we are feeling on the day, how well we are playing and striking the ball, the weather conditions, the tee and pin positions, our preconceived expectations and even our playing partners.

So what makes a classic golf hole? Well, there is no easy answer. After all, there is no objective or scientific method of deciding that course A is better than course B. One of the main reasons our established Top 100 course rankings franchise remains so popular is that it is based purely on opinion. Well-considered and researched opinion, but opinion nevertheless. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What I consider a ‘classic’ golf hole might very well not look the slightest bit ‘classic’ to you.

The well-known course designer, Robin Hiseman, who works at European Golf Design, says: “A classic hole is one that stirs your soul. It sends a tingle down your spine and puts a big grin on your face, when you stand on the tee. A ‘classic’ is a mix of great strategy, topography, scenery and presentation in varying quantities.”

We hope our collection of what our team of experts have deemed to be the 100 best golf holes stirs your imagination, and makes you want to get out and play golf.

#1	16th, Halmstad (North) Halmstad, Sweden Par 3, 180 yards
#2	6th, Western Gailes Ayrshire, Scotland Par 3, 213 yards
#3	10th, La Boulie (Valley) Versailles, France Par 3, 180 yards
#4	15th, Pevero Sardinia, Italy Par 5, 501 yards
#5	2nd, Royal Dornoch Sutherland, Scotland Par 3, 184 yards
#6	3rd, Prestwick Ayrshire, Scotland Par 5, 533 yards
#7	8th, Noordwijkse Noordwijkse, Holland Par 4, 406 yards
#8	12th, Royal Birkdale Lancashire, England Par 3, 183 yards
#9	15th, Vale Do Lobo (Ocean) Algarve, Portugal Par 3, 210 yards
#10	7th, Woburn (Marquess) Buckinghamshire, England Par 5, 538 yards
#11	4th, Valderrama Sotogrande, Spain Par 5, 516 yards
#12	18th, Castle Stuart Inverness, Scotland Par 5, 595 yards
#13	16th, Waterville County Kerry, Ireland Par 4, 366 yards
#14	1st, Machrihanish Argyll and Bute, Scotland Par 4, 392 yards
#15	13th, PGA Catalunya Girona, Spain Par 4, 399 yards
#16	18th, Trump International Aberdeen, Scotland Par 5, 650 yards
#17	12th, Royal Birkdale Lancashire, England Par 3, 183 yards
#18	3rd, Ullna Akersberga, Sweden Par 3, 160 yards
#19	17th, El Saler Valencia, Spain Par 3, 215 yards
#20	13th, Muirfield East Lothian, Scotland Par 3, 193 yards
#21	17th, Hamburger Hamburg, Germany Par 5, 510 yards
#22	5th, Sunningdale (Old) Surrey, England Par 7, 407 yards
#23	7th, Morfontaine Senlis, France Par 4, 430 yards
#24	10th, Toreboda Toreboda, Sweden Par 3, 132 yards
#25	13th, Praia D'el Rey Obidos, Portugal Par 4, 328 yards
#26	16th, Quinta Da Ria Algarve, Portugal Par 5, 495 yards
#27	14th, Royal Dornoch Sutherland, Scotland Par 4, 445 yards
#28	6th, Thracian Cliffs Balchik, Bulgaria Par 3, 230 yards
#29	9th, Royal West Norfolk Norfolk, England Par 4, 400 yards
#30	11th, Hillside Lancashire, England Par 5, 509 yards
#31	13th, Notts (Hollinwell) Nottinghamshire, England Par 3, 241 yards
#32	4th, Old Head County Cork, Ireland Par 4, 427 yards
#33	7th, Castelconturbia Conturbia, Italy Par 4, 383 yards
#34	6th, Royal North Devon Devon, England Par 4, 410 yards
#35	6th, Dinard Brittany, France Par 4, 339 yards
#36	7th, Carnoustie Angus, Scotland Par 4, 433 yards
#37	13th, Penina Portimao, Portugal Par 3, 202 yards
#38	1st, The Berkshire (Blue) Berkshire, England Par 3, 217 yards
#39	1st, Doonbeg County Clare, Ireland Par 5, 567 yards
#40	16th, Vale Do Lobo (Royal) Algarve, Portugal Par 3, 215 yards
#41	7th, The European Club County Wicklow, Ireland Par 4, 470 yards
#42	18th, Frankfurter Frankfurt, Germany Par 4, 432 yards
#43	2nd, Aloha Malaga, Spain Par 4, 331 yards
#44	17th, Seignosse Seignosse, France Par 4, 401 yards
#45	16th, Hunstanton Norfolk, England Par 3, 189 yards
#46	17th, Barseback (New) Landskrona, Sweden Par 4, 440 yards
#47	16th, Club Zur Vahr Bremen, Germany Par 4, 434 yards
#48	10th, Turnberry Ayrshire, Scotland Par 4, 457 yards
#49	18th, Chantilly Vineuil Chantilly, France Par 4, 403 yards
#50	8th, Las Brisas Malaga, Spain Par 5, 530 yards
#51	18th, San Lorenzo Algarve, Portugal Par 4, 382 yards
#52	14th, Royal Portrush County Antrim, Northern Ireland Par 3, 210 yards
#53	9th, Royal County Down County Down, Northern Ireland Par 4, 486 yards
#54	12th, Barseback (Masters) Scania, Sweden Par 5, 541 yards
#55	8th, Cruden Bay Aberdeenshire, Scotland Par 4, 257 yards
#56	18th, Monte Rei (North) Algarve, Portugal Par 5, 501 yards
#57	18th, Le Golf National Paris, France Par 4, 470 yards
#58	6th, Royal Antwerp Kapellan, Belgium Par 4, 424 yards
#59	6th, Royal St George's Kent, England Par 3, 176 yards
#60	7th, Crans-Sur-Sierre Crans Montana, Switzerland Par 4, 330 yards
#61	3rd, Real Club De Seville Alcala de Guadaira, Spain Par 3, 154 yards
#62	4th, Woodhall Spa Lincolnshire, England Par 4, 414 yards
#63	2nd, Royal Aberdeen Aberdeen, Scotland Par 5, 558 yards
#64	4th, Castel Gandolfo Lazio, Italy Par 4, 411 yards
#65	7th, Rye East Sussex, England Par 3, 159 yards
#66	6th, St Nom La Breteche St Nom La Breteche, France Par 4, 439 yards
#67	7th, Sunningdale Berkshire, England Par 4, 406 yards
#68	8th, Royal Troon Ayrshire, Scotland Par 3, 1213 yards
#69	18th, Les Bordes St Laurent, France Par 4, 414 yards
#70	17th, St Andrews (Old) Fife, Scotland Par 4, 495 yards
#71	2nd, Sotogrande Cadiz, Spain Par 5, 517 yards
#72	7th, Muirfield North Berwick, Scotland Par 3, 187 yards
#73	18th, Royal Lytham & St Annes Lancashire, England Par 4, 414 yards
#74	18th, San Roque (Old) San Roque, Spain Par 4, 428 yards
#75	18th, Muirfield North Berwick, Scotland Par 4, 473 yards
#76	7th, Hankley Common Surrey, England Par 3, 183 yards
#77	1st, Kennemer Zandvoort, Holland Par 4, 452 yards
#78	2nd, Golf Del Sur (South) Tenerife, Spain Par 3, 211 yards
#79	6th, St Enodoc Cornwall, England Par 4, 378 yards
#80	1st, Golf Nazionale Lazio, Italy Par 5, 595 yards
#81	9th, St Eurach Bavaria, Germany Par 4, 434 yards
#82	11th, Pleneuf-Val-Andre Brittany, France Par 5, 535 yards
#83	1st, Onyria Palmares Algarve, Portugal Par 4, 409 yards
#84	15th, North Berwick East Lothian, Scotland Par 3, 191 yards
#85	5th, Parque Da Floresta Algarve, Portugal Par 3, 123 yards
#86	14th, St Andrews (Old) Fife, Scotland Par 5, 618 yards
#87	18th, Valderrama Sotogrande, Spain Par 4, 453 yards
#88	17th, Tralee County Kerry, Ireland Par 4, 361 yards
#89	10th, Antalya (Sultan) Belek, Turkey Par 4, 395 yards
#90	17th, Loch Lomond Dunbartonshire, Scotland Par 3, 205 yards
#91	16th, Moliets Biarritz, France Par 3, 145 yards
#92	17th, Littlestone Kent, England Par 3, 182 yards
#93	4th, Castro Marim Algarve, Portugal Par 5, 493 yards
#94	14th, Doonbeg County Clare, Ireland Par 3, 111 yards
#95	11th, Royal Ashdown Forest East Sussex, England Par 3, 249 yards
#96	13th, Royal Liverpool Lancashire, England Par 3, 198 yards
#97	16th, Sperone Corsica, France Par 5, 495 yards
#98	5th, Royal Worlington Cambridgeshire, England Par 3, 155 yards
#99	11th, Ballybunion Old County Kerry, Ireland Par 4, 472 yards
#100	11th, St Andrews Fife, Scotland Par 3, 174 yards

100 Classic Golf Holes

To read the most up to date Top 100 rankings of the best golf courses, please visit golfworldtop100.com

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