A mid-1970s Henry Cotton and Bob Sandow creation, the woodland course at the Drift Golf Club is a challenging test for anyone who strays too far from the tree-lined fairways.
Overall rating






A mid-1970s Henry Cotton and Bob Sandow creation, the woodland course at the Drift Golf Club is a challenging test for anyone who strays too far from the tree-lined fairways.



The Drift Golf Club
With fairways carved from the dense forest at Drift Woods next to Effingham Common, the 18-hole layout at The Drift Golf Club is a mid-1970s collaboration from the iconic Henry Cotton and course architect Bob Sandow.
The golfing exploits of three-time Open champion Henry Cotton are well documented but Bob Sandow is less well known – even though, in many ways, his story is only a little less interesting than that of his illustrious co-designer.
Bob flew with the RAF in the Battle of Britain, was a professional in North America and became the director of golf to the Shah of Iran before returning to the UK to design dozens of courses in the English Midlands and Wales.
The course extends to 6,447 yards from the back tees, playing to an unusual par of 73 (37 out and 36 back), with fairways routed as two returning nines. Highlight holes include short par fours on the 4th and 6th, along with the shortest of the par threes at the 140-yard 16th.
World Top 100 Golf Courses
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
Cypress Point Club
California, United States
Pine Valley Golf Club
New Jersey, United States
Royal County Down (Championship)
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
New York, United States
National Golf Links of America
New York, United States