
Britain & Ireland
The British Isles, as they’re geographically known, lie off the northwest coast of continental Europe and they consist of five countries (the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with the Republic of Ireland) and three Crown dependencies (Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey). In total, around seventy million people inhabit a region that gave birth to the game of golf and where many of the original courses are still in play today.
Royal County Down (Championship)
Down, United Kingdom
Royal County Down (Championship)
Royal County Down Golf Club is at Newcastle, a little holiday town nestling at the feet of the majestic Mountains of Mourne. It’s an exhilarating location for a classic links golf course...
St Andrews Links (Old)
Fife, United Kingdom
St Andrews Links (Old)
No other course has hosted more Opens than the Old Course at St Andrews. Its 29th Open and the 144th Open Championship returned “to the Home of Golf” in 2015.
Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce)
Antrim, United Kingdom
Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce)
The Dunluce links at Royal Portrush Golf Club is named after the ruined Dunluce castle that overlooks the course. Seven years after the club's formation, the first professional golf tournament in Ireland, won by Sandy Herd in 1895, was staged here.
Trump Turnberry (Ailsa)
Ayrshire & Arran, United Kingdom
Trump Turnberry (Ailsa)
The Ailsa course at the Turnberry Resort is probably the most scenic Open Championship golf course. Located right next to the Firth of Clyde, with craggy rocks and superb views across to the Mull of Kintyre...
Royal Dornoch Golf Club (Championship)
North Scotland, United Kingdom
Royal Dornoch Golf Club (Championship)
Royal Dornoch Golf Club is spellbinding. It seems to mesmerise amateur and professional golfers from all over the world and many make the pilgrimage to this natural links at some point in their lives.
Royal St George's Golf Club
Kent, United Kingdom
Royal St George's Golf Club
There's nothing artificial about Royal St George’s Golf Club; there's a natural look and feel to the course that blends beautifully into its historical Sandwich surroundings.
Sunningdale Golf Club (Old)
Surrey, United Kingdom
Sunningdale Golf Club (Old)
The Old course at Sunningdale is one of the British Isles’ most aesthetically pleasing inland courses. Arguably, it was the first truly great golf course to be built on the magical Surrey/Berkshire sand-belt.
Ballybunion Golf Club (Old)
Kerry, Ireland
Ballybunion Golf Club (Old)
As you drive from the historic town of Ballybunion, along the winding road to the golf club, your eyes feast upon the most spectacular links land imaginable.
Lahinch Golf Club (Old)
Clare, Ireland
Lahinch Golf Club (Old)
Lahinch Golf Club is situated next to the lovely beach of Liscannor Bay. It's an enchanting place to play golf... rugged, distinctive, unusually varied and immensely entertaining.
Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship)
Angus & Dundee, United Kingdom
Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship)
Carnoustie is a big natural seaside golf links and the Championship course is considered to be one of the most difficult in the British Isles.
Rosapenna (St Patrick's)
Donegal, Ireland
Rosapenna (St Patrick's)
Construction of the new St Patrick’s links at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort began in April 2018, with Tom Doak’s lead associate Eric Everson working alongside Clyde Johnson and Angela Moser to complete the build during 2020.
Sunningdale Golf Club (New)
Surrey, United Kingdom
Sunningdale Golf Club (New)
Taken together, the New and Old courses at Sunningdale Golf Club represent the finest 36 holes of golf in the whole of the British Isles.
North Berwick Golf Club (West)
Lothians, United Kingdom
North Berwick Golf Club (West)
The West Links at North Berwick Golf Club is an immensely enjoyable golf course, located on the Firth of Forth with stunning sea views across to Craigleith Island and Bass Rock.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
Fife, United Kingdom
Kingsbarns Golf Links
One of the many delights of Kingsbarns Golf Links is that you can see the North Sea from virtually every part of the course.
St Enodoc Golf Club (Church)
Cornwall, United Kingdom
St Enodoc Golf Club (Church)
St Enodoc Golf Club is certainly a quixotic and rather hilly links course, set amidst towering sand dunes clad with tufts of wild sea grasses.
Swinley Forest Golf Club
Berkshire, United Kingdom
Swinley Forest Golf Club
Swinley Forest Golf Club is an absolutely charming golf course sited on the famous sand belt, but it’s a club that is frozen in time, exclusive, unusual and eccentric...
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart
North Scotland, United Kingdom
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart now offers some serious competition to both Royal Dornoch and Nairn when it comes to attracting visiting golfers, but that's a good thing for the Highlands where the golfing bar of excellence is very high.
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club is the most northerly of the English championship links courses, situated only 10 miles from Royal Birkdale.
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
South Wales, United Kingdom
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is located off the beaten track, east of Swansea and west of Cardiff. Despite being the highest ranked course in Wales, it remains relatively unknown.
Cruden Bay Golf Club (Championship)
North East Scotland, United Kingdom
Cruden Bay Golf Club (Championship)
Cruden Bay is an inspirational golf course, regarded by some as quirky and considered by others as a masterpiece. Either way, this is a thrilling place to play golf because the designers used the original lie of the land to fantastic effect.
Ganton Golf Club
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Ganton Golf Club
This sandy, gently undulating site was once a North Sea inlet. Consequently, Ganton Golf Club has all the characteristics of a links and a heathland course.
Portmarnock Golf Club (Championship)
Dublin, Ireland
Portmarnock Golf Club (Championship)
”I know of no greater finish in the world than that of the last five holes at Portmarnock Golf Club”, said Bernard Darwin
Trump International Golf Links - Scotland (Old Course)
North East Scotland, United Kingdom
Trump International Golf Links - Scotland (Old Course)
Occupying a three-mile stretch of North Sea coastline, Trump International Golf Links is the latest American-inspired, high profile course to open in Scotland since the start of the new millennium.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Royal Birkdale Golf Club is the favourite English course on the British Open rota according to the results of a Top 100 poll...
St George's Hill Golf Club (Red & Blue)
Surrey, United Kingdom
St George's Hill Golf Club (Red & Blue)
The spectacular golfing panorama from the front of the St George's Hill clubhouse is a view that grabs you and makes your heart pound...
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club (Balgownie)
North East Scotland, United Kingdom
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club (Balgownie)
The Balgownie at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is a traditional out and back links course running along the shore of the North Sea and it has one of the finest first nine holes in golf.
Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
Kent, United Kingdom
Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, or Deal as it is somtimes called, is an absolute brute of a links course. Its back nine, or rather the last seven holes, are relentless...
Prestwick Golf Club
Ayrshire & Arran, United Kingdom
Prestwick Golf Club
The course at Prestwick Golf Club is a traditional monument, an authentic affair with a layout of holes that snake to and fro through rugged dunes and rippled fairways.
West Sussex Golf Club
Sussex, United Kingdom
West Sussex Golf Club
West Sussex Golf Club is one of our favourite inland courses. It is sheer delight to play golf on this charming sandy outcrop of heathland.
Rye Golf Club (Old)
Sussex, United Kingdom
Rye Golf Club (Old)
Rye Golf Club was founded in 1894 and was the inaugural design of 25-year-old Harry Colt. With a measly par of 68, and a layout that measures over 6,300 yards, Rye has to be one of the toughest courses in Britain.
Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin)
Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin)
Woodhall Spa Golf Club is an oasis in the heart of Lincolnshire, set amongst glorious pine, birch and broom, this heathland golf course is an absolute delight to play.
Royal Troon Golf Club (Old)
Ayrshire & Arran, United Kingdom
Royal Troon Golf Club (Old)
Royal Troon is a traditional out and back links course on the current Open Rota. Host of the 152nd Open Championship, it is best known for the short par 3 Postage Stamp and strategic 11th, named Railway.
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club
Norfolk, United Kingdom
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club
Check the tide times before you plan your trip to Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, the course plays on a narrow strip of links-land which gets cut off at high tide, turning it into an island.
Walton Heath Golf Club (Old)
Surrey, United Kingdom
Walton Heath Golf Club (Old)
Walton Heath Golf Club is where links golf meets inland golf. There is no salty whiff of sea air, but the course plays and feels like a seaside links.
Machrihanish Golf Club (Championship)
Argyll & Bute, United Kingdom
Machrihanish Golf Club (Championship)
Machrihanish Golf Club must be one of the most natural, romantic and enjoyable places to play golf in the whole of the British Isles. It’s not long, but it's sheer fun...
Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Cheshire, United Kingdom
Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Without doubt, Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a tough links. Only six holes are in the dunes – otherwise there is little protection from the ever-changing Hoylake wind.
Gleneagles (King's)
Perth & Kinross, United Kingdom
Gleneagles (King's)
Gleneagles is the perfect setting for a game of golf and the King’s course is surely the best moorland track in the world.
Loch Lomond Golf Club
Dunbartonshire, United Kingdom
Loch Lomond Golf Club
Loch Lomond Golf Club is set in more than 600 acres of sheltered seclusion, sandwiched between the mountains and the historic lochside.
Alwoodley Golf Club
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Alwoodley Golf Club
The Alwoodley Golf Club is home to one of the finest and most subtle inland courses in the British Isles, located in a secluded spot.
European Club
Wicklow, Ireland
European Club
The European Club is located in the garden of Ireland, between the coastal towns of Wicklow and Arklow, about 30 miles south of Dublin.
Western Gailes Golf Club
Ayrshire & Arran, United Kingdom
Western Gailes Golf Club
The holes at Western Gailes Golf Club are wonderfully varied. The fairways undulate gently, interrupted occasionally by three meandering burns...
Hollinwell
Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Hollinwell
“After being too long away I lately went back to Hollinwell, which, as all the golfing world knows, or ought to know, is the course of the Notts Golf Club.”
Waterville Golf Links
Kerry, Ireland
Waterville Golf Links
Waterville Golf Links plays on a promontory surrounded by the sea. It’s a stunning, remote location...
Dumbarnie Links
Fife, United Kingdom
Dumbarnie Links
Dumbarnie Links lies within the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate, a property that’s been in the hands of Lord Balniel’s family for more than four hundred years. It’s a Clive Clark design which first opened its doors to the public as a pay-and-play facility in the spring of 2020.
Silloth on Solway Golf Club
Cumbria, United Kingdom
Silloth on Solway Golf Club
It’s well worth the time (and the money) to get to Silloth on Solway Golf Club and once you get here, you won’t want to leave...
The Island
Dublin, Ireland
The Island
The Island Golf Club is a no-frills golf course. There is nothing manicured and it’s all very harmonious and in tune with its surroundings.
The Berkshire Golf Club (Red)
Berkshire, United Kingdom
The Berkshire Golf Club (Red)
Many people say that there is nothing better than a day’s golf amongst the forest, heather and springy turf of the Berkshire Golf Club.
County Louth Golf Club
Louth, Ireland
County Louth Golf Club
The approach road to the links of County Louth Golf Club, or Baltray as it is better known, named after the local fishing village, is especially uplifting.
Hillside Golf Club
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Hillside Golf Club
Hillside Golf Club is an underrated gem, separated only by a footpath, but hiding in the shadow of its noble next-door neighbour, Royal Birkdale.
Formby Golf Club
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Formby Golf Club
Formby is the prettiest of the eight top-notch links courses located between the seaside town of St Annes and the city of Liverpool. It is bordered on three sides by pine trees, giving the links a decidedly softer, heathland feel.
Saunton Golf Club (East)
Devon, England
Saunton Golf Club (East)
If there is a need for another seaside Open Championship venue, then the East course at Saunton Golf Club might be a worthy candidate.
Nairn Golf Club (Championship)
North Scotland, United Kingdom
Nairn Golf Club (Championship)
The Championship links at Nairn Golf Club is one of the most spectacular seaside courses in Scotland, boasting sea views from every hole.
Wentworth Club (West)
Surrey, United Kingdom
Wentworth Club (West)
The West course at the Wentworth Club is Surrey's most famous golf course. It closed for its latest makeover in 2017 and reopened prior to the 2018 BMW PGA Championship.
Hankley Common Golf Club
Surrey, United Kingdom
Hankley Common Golf Club
There is an overwhelming feeling of spaciousness at Hankley Common, so much so that it seems plausible that a second or third course could be intertwined between the existing 18 holes.
County Sligo Golf Club (Championship)
Sligo, Ireland
County Sligo Golf Club (Championship)
County Sligo Golf Club – or Rosses Point, as it is better known – is an exhilarating west coast links, situated in the heart of Yeats country.
Trump International Golf Links - Ireland
Clare, Ireland
Trump International Golf Links - Ireland
Doonbeg is the course that Greg Norman built, but it was redesigned by Martin Hawtree over a two-year period after the property was acquired in 2014 by Donald Trump and renamed Trump International Golf Links.
Another Place, The Machrie
Argyll & Bute, United Kingdom
Another Place, The Machrie
The refurbished Machrie golf course reopened for play in May 2017 and it's now geared up to handle visitors long into the future... the 48-bedroomed hotel opened in 2018.
Adare Manor Golf Club
Limerick, Ireland
Adare Manor Golf Club
Following J. P. McManus’s acquisition of Adare Manor in 2015, the old RTJ-designed parkland course has gone, replaced by a new Tom Fazio layout which opened in May 2018.
Gullane Golf Club (No.1)
Lothians, United Kingdom
Gullane Golf Club (No.1)
Gullane Golf Club is blessed with the most exquisite turf – winter rules are not needed here. If you hit the No.1 course fairways, a perfect lie awaits, even in the depths of winter.
Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (Championship)
Somerset, United Kingdom
Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (Championship)
Burnham & Berrow Golf Club has played host to many important amateur championships over the years and the course is regularly used for Open Championship qualification.
Carne Golf Links (Wild Atlantic Dunes)
Mayo, Ireland
Carne Golf Links (Wild Atlantic Dunes)
The Carne links at Belmullet sits in splendid isolation on the Atlantic edge of County Mayo, where holes are laid out on a peninsula amidst gigantic dunes with far-reaching views across Blacksod Bay to the islands of Inis Gloire and Inis Geidhewild.
Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy Links)
Donegal, Ireland
Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy Links)
Ballyliffin Golf Club is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” and the reason is simple; all the aforementioned are set amidst towering natural sand dunes.
Rosapenna (Sandy Hills Links)
Donegal, Ireland
Rosapenna (Sandy Hills Links)
Rosapenna's fabulous new Sandy Hills golf course was designed by Pat Ruddy and opened for play in July 2003.
Woking Golf Club
Surrey, United Kingdom
Woking Golf Club
There is absolutely no doubt that Woking Golf Club is located in an idyllic spot and the unusual pavilion clubhouse only adds to the charisma.
Tralee Golf Club
Kerry, Ireland
Tralee Golf Club
At Tralee Golf Club, Palmer has designed a golf course that will stimulate the senses every bit as much as the enchanting and breathtaking scenery.
Queenwood Golf Club
Surrey, United Kingdom
Queenwood Golf Club
Queenwood Golf Club, in a similar mould to Loch Lomond and the Wisley, is reserved for its small but perfectly formed membership and their very lucky friends.
Hunstanton Golf Club
Norfolk, United Kingdom
Hunstanton Golf Club
Hunstanton Golf Club is a connoisseur’s golf course, jammed full of memorable quality golf holes.
Enniscrone Golf Club (Dunes)
Sligo, Ireland
Enniscrone Golf Club (Dunes)
The location is ravishing; Enniscrone Golf Club is set on a promontory, which juts out into Killala Bay at the mouth of the Moy Estuary.
Liphook Golf Club
Hampshire, United Kingdom
Liphook Golf Club
Liphook Golf Club is as pretty as a picture. A delightful, classic heathland course for the connoisseur, not for the dilettante.
Worplesdon Golf Club
Surrey, United Kingdom
Worplesdon Golf Club
Worplesdon Golf Club is one of the prettiest and most delightful of Surrey’s many heath and heather courses and it’s arguably the best of the trinity of “Ws”...
Skibo Castle - Carnegie Links
North Scotland, United Kingdom
Skibo Castle - Carnegie Links
The Carnegie Club is located on the edge of the beautiful Dornoch Firth with views of the Struie Hills, the 7500-acre Skibo Castle estate is something very special. It’s a place where fairytales meet reality.
The Renaissance Club
Lothians, United Kingdom
The Renaissance Club
The Renaissance Club opened in April 2008 with future tournament golf in mind and it's Tom Doak's first Scottish course design.
Old Head Golf Links
Cork, Ireland
Old Head Golf Links
Laid out on a narrow headland, jutting out for two miles into the Atlantic Ocean, Old Head Golf Links has to be one of the world’s most exhilarating golf courses...
Portstewart Golf Club (Strand)
Londonderry, United Kingdom
Portstewart Golf Club (Strand)
The Strand course at Portstewart Golf Club is exhilarating. Set amidst imposing, gigantic sand dunes with panoramic views across the Atlantic mouth of Lough Foyle to the Inishowen peninsula beyond.
West Hill Golf Club
Surrey, United Kingdom
West Hill Golf Club
If it’s charm that you are looking for, then you need look no further than West Hill Golf Club. This is a truly delightful golf course.
Narin and Portnoo Links
Donegal, Ireland
Narin and Portnoo Links
Tucked away in the southwest corner of Donegal, Narin and Portnoo Golf Club is a links that deserves to be bracketed with many other natural, unspoilt courses that should be given greater recognition.
Pennard Golf Club
South Wales, United Kingdom
Pennard Golf Club
Pennard Golf Club is a delightful old-fashioned affair and without doubt, this is one of the very best links courses in the British Isles.
Gleneagles (Queen's)
Perth & Kinross, United Kingdom
Gleneagles (Queen's)
The Queen’s course is the pretty little sister at the Gleneagles Hotel. She’s only short course but she's exquisitely delicate and stunningly beautiful.