Zala Springs

Played the course in 2018 and was really impressed. Very nice design of RTJ2. Really top class venue that could also stage a bigger tournament on tour!There is also the posdibility of staying directly at the golf course.The holes are really interesti...

Royal Bled (King's)

After an extensive renovation of the Kings course this course has become beautifuler than before! Really nice fairways, good bunker placement, great added water hazards and fantastic and very undulating greens! If ball is on the wrong spot on the gre...

Hindhead

I've had the privilege of playing Hindhead twice in the past three months and was left wanting more on both occasions. Holes 2 to 9 are carved out of a valley and are simply breath-taking. Aside from an intimidating greenside bunker, the first hole...

The Dutch

I played in the Dutch Senior Masters at The Dutch near Rotterdam last autumn. The main event is a similar format to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where an amateur is paired with a pro and the best score counts in a two-day (Fri-Sat) team comp...

Slaley Hall (Hunting)

Having read the mixed reviews for the Hunting Course at Slaley Hall my expectations were not high but I left rather underwhelmed. Its set in beautiful hilly countryside and uses the undulations to great effect on some holes, I just felt there were to...

Askernish

Askernish despite its isolated location is well worth a trip to the wild and rugged island of South Uist, probably the most natural links course you’re every likely to play. I played in mid September on windy but dry day, untypical Uist weather given...

Timber Ridge

A member of the Senior's League.Love the course. Scenic well cared for and fair.Excellent staff.Sand traps need a little work but otherwise just superb.Played lots of courses in N. America including many of the very best and for pure value this is pe...

Mold

Super views, challenging course with some blind shots, plenty of practice facilities, and always a great welcome at their opens. Definitely worth a visit.

Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs)

There's little question having Lake Michigan as a course's backdrop is truly a major plus. But, the secret of the qualities of Arcadia Bluffs is taking the scenic views and marrying them with a range of top quality holes. Keep in mind, it helps immen...

Lake Nona

The following is a recollection of our round at Lake Nona. Extremely difficult greens. I heartily recommend not playing snake.We arrived early at Lake Nona so they could all warm up. Practice and warm ups are not part of my golf regimens. When we...

Isleworth

Isleworth is tough to get on, but tougher to play. As we pulled in, I said, “Guys, we need to be on our best behavior.” Isleworth was founded in 1986, and one of the founding members was Arnold Palmer. It is infamous for Tiger Woods’ fall from gra...

Old Memorial

Old Memorial in Tampa, while difficult to get on, is well worth the effort. It is the brainchild of the Outback Steakhouse founders Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham and Bob Merritt. It is a Steve Smyers design that is a links style course. Old Memorial...

Indian Creek

I have played a lot of different golf courses. Indian Creek is unique, yet, relatively unknown. It is a William Flynn design and was built in 1928. What makes it unique is that it is on its own private island with about 20 houses. I probably sho...

Oitavos Dunes

Decided to drop into Cascais for a few days golf - Oitavos was up first.Course: It's a lovely track with a bit of everything - wide open Savannah valley type multi-fareway tee shots (wind continually howling at 30km+ usually into you), to right nasty...

Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie)

Perhaps the word that serves to define the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is class. This is evident from the moment you access the venerable clubhouse accompanied by the friendly staff of the pro shop and enjoy its traditional and inviting atmosphere.That...

Harrison Hills

When you play Harrison Hills, you play two courses in one: a Langford & Moreau gem representing the original nine holes (eight of which still exist), and a mid-1990s mostly wide-open parkland style designed by Tim Liddy. Not to discount Liddy’s work,...

North Berwick (West)

I had the huge pleasure of playing the course in mid September, it had recovered from the summers heat wave but still played firm and fast, the turf wonderfully firm and rewarding a well struck shot. I played in a 2 club wind from the west which made...

The Addington

Having just played the Addington in September 2018 I cannot believe that this makes the top 100 golf courses in England the condition of the fairways even though we have had a dry summer was horrendous the path‘s were shabby to say the least maybe 1...

The Fort

The Fort is a good golf course in a beautiful state park with interesting history, but it still managed to disappoint me, though I can’t put my finger on why. I had planned on playing Brickyard Crossing the weekend I visited Indianapolis, but it was...

Bude & North Cornwall

On a quick trip through Devon and Cornwall, I enjoyed this course as much as any of the more heralded ones I played. Yes, there are some ordinary holes, but as many as half (3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16) would not be out of place on most any links...

Royal North Devon

England’s oldest course is a museum piece. Little has changed in over a century and the entire experience is history lesson. The golf almost keeps pace, though I found too many uninspiring greens (1, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16) and too many par 5s with...

St Enodoc (Church)

The first shot at St. Enodoc says it all. Surrounded by huge dunes, the line is not intuitive, but a good second takes the player over a blind narrowed fairway and voila! There sits a lovely green site framed by the mouth of the Camel estuary and the...

West Sussex

I could find only one previous review here by an American. When I pointed out to a member that West Sussex was not on many people’s radar in the States, his reply was quick: “Yes, and that’s fine with us.” This was not a xenophobic anti-American thou...

Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry)

This is rated way too low., much better course than TPC Sawgrass. I will talk about the Quarry holes but the other 13 are pretty darn nice, too. The first hole welcomes you and the second hole challenges you. There is a large bunker bisecting the f...

La Reunion Antigua - Fuego Maya

I visited this course to check it out when it first opened. I didn't play, but toured the course. It is a stunning layout with enormous scale, beauty and variety. The facilities are *****. Fabulous spot.

World Woods (Pine Barrens)

Pine Barrens #1 is a classic welcoming hole before the sucker punch of the long par 4 second. For your approach favor the right side of the green as there is a severe tilt left. One thing that did surprise me was how few water hazards there are. T...

West Cliffs

Having played its neighbours on our last trip we were really looking forward to having a first taste of West Cliffs.Managed to get there in August and enjoyed every second.Firstly, great warm up practice area, you are unlikely to ever have views like...

Walton Heath (Old)

Walton Old hardly needs an introduction, this place is unique and it’s jam-packed full of history, and it’ll soon be adding to this history when the British Masters comes to town in October. I’d previously only played on the New course and I’m hap...

Danang Dunes

This is my favorite course in Vietnam although I do concede that Ho Tram deserves to be ranked number 1 if that makes sense. This course differs from many throughout Asia as it blends in perfectly with its surroundings and is actually walk able not t...

Pennard

An interesting course, quite stark in places. Reminded me somewhat of Connemara in Galway, Ireland. Barely a tree or scrub around and a desolate look and feel to it. Naturally these are great ingredients to have in a golf course. A rollicking course...

Streamsong (Red)

Coore&Crenshaw are very good. Red is very good but not great. The first hole does not offer you a good day but rather a gut punch warning you about dangers in the lion’s den. Long uphill into the wind, stay right off the tee to avoid the bunker....

Calusa Pines

Calusa Pines should be rated higher. The Hurdzan/Fry design along with the vision of founder and owner Gary Chensoff have created a top shelf golfing experience. I was told they spent $1 million dollars on dynamite and moved tons of dirt to create...

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)

There is no way this is the number two course in Florida, but it is still pretty cool. The Stadium course was the brainchild of Deane Beman while he was the PGA Commissioner. The concept was a world class golf course to host an annual tournament th...

Connemara (Championship)

Very few golf courses leave an indelible impression like the ones that Connemara gave me upon completing the 18th hole. It is one of the few courses where you will experience cold, rain, and winds followed by blazing sun light and heat, all in one ro...

Ashburnham

A fun course that runs in a fairly classic out/back configuration. Played on low to mid dunes there are a few excellent holes on the inward nine. The par 5 that cuts sharply to the right (instead of going on to the 3rd green –wonder how many visitors...

Monmouthshire

The Monmouthshire (at Abergavenny) starts pleasantly enough with a short dog-leg par 4 followed by an uphill par 3 without margin left (ob) or right (a steep bank). A couple of good par 4's follow with plenty of obstacles and then the short par 3 fif...

Ogbourne Downs

More than a little surprised to see this the review for Ogbourne Downs. I too am a member but not in my wildest dreams could I consider Ogbourne worthy of a five ball rating; assuming six balls are for the real top courses then five balls must be for...

Saunton (East)

The closer one gets to the hole, the better the golf is at Saunton. The green complexes are the strength of the course, with plenty of contours to challenge one’s putting (though the new green at the 11th is quite dull and looks rather out of place)....

Boston

Boston Golf Club is an oasis amongst the trees. From the moment you drive up and see the clubhouse with its contemporary aesthetic that is rare to see amongst clubhouses anywhere, let alone in the Northeast, you realize this place is different. It's...

Royal Mid-Surrey (JH Taylor)

Flat, fairly uninspiring golf course. Not particularly challenging off the tee. Big greens, nice club house, wouldn’t rush back to play.

Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie)

Taking a suggestion from my Golf travel agent Aberdeen Angus (a local firm), we tagged this course on to our Cruden Bay pilgrimage. I might be heeding their advice again in the future. From right outside the clubhouse you start your round by smack...

Onwentsia

I didnt know what to expect going into it because of how secluded and hard it is to find anything about it online. I think it is severely underrated. I found it to be a very good layout. Front nine is in the middle while most of the back nine runs th...

Seminole

Unless you know exactly where The Seminole Golf Club is you may pass it multiple times and not even be aware that it is there. It is tucked off Ocean Drive, Florida 1A and is protected by a dense tropical hedge. Originally a Donald Ross course it op...

Sutton Coldfield

Played SCGC recently, the clubhouse is across the road, but was atmospheric. Don't let the 1st two holes fool you, (could they be combined to form one par 4 ?) after that the course explodes into life, with a challenging par 4 and 3 successive par 5'...

Aphrodite Hills

Course has recently been refurbed and was in excellent condition when we played. You need a buggy on this course as there are some pretty big distances between some greens and tees, notably the 7th.3rd. and 7th. are the pick, if you feel adventurous...

Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin)

I convinced my group to extend our annual golf trip to the UK beyond our normal length in order to play 2 great inland courses. The first was Notts at Hollinwell, previously reviewed, and it was great. The last was Woodhall Spa, generally regarded as...

Notts

On our annual golf trip to the UK, I convinced the group to extend our normal length trip in order to play two great inland courses in England at the end. The first was Notts GC at Hollinwell, which despite many trips, and having lived in England for...

Royal Birkdale

I've had the pleasure of playing Birkdale many times over the years. Its reputation as the "fairest" of the courses on The Open rota is well founded. With two other Open courses not far away, and several other wonderful courses nearby, this is one of...

Royal Lytham & St Annes

I've been traveling to the UK on golf trips for 40 years, and have played virtually all the highly rated courses multiple times, including Lytham. Frankly, hasn't been one of my favorites, but this 2-day visit raised my point of view. It's a place wh...

Silloth on Solway

Out of the way, but if you like links golf, don't miss this! Browned out in a very dry summer, it was tough to control your ball but the holes themselves are very well designed, and the greens were green. This is the essence of "hidden gem", and a ve...

Trump Turnberry (Ailsa)

Fantastic renovation! It had been many years since I played Ailsa, despite annual golf trips to the UK. Fond memories of the course but right off the bat, the first green now is well to the right of the original. Too many changes to discuss but Marti...

Prestwick

I've been traveling to the UK on golf trips for 40 years, and have played most of the highly rated courses multiple times. Prestwick is deserving of its historical reputation but the links itself has too many simple or wacky holes to hold a high plac...

Western Gailes

Visited for the first time in years on my annual UK golf trip. Despite very dry summer, very good condition. Warm welcome. Stretch from #5 through 14 among the best in Links golf. Don't miss it. M

El Chaparral

We played last Summer and coming back this year, we were positivly surprised. Clean, well maintained and overall a very nice day!

Pyle and Kenfig

The main take away from this course has been mentioned repeatedly below - a course of two nines. The first on links like land that is solid, but far from spectacular golf whilst the inward 9 is more like I hoped for. There are about 6 holes (11-16)...

Sand Hollow (Championship)

I was very lucky to have the opportunity to play Sand Hollow which is in the Mormon state of a Utah and is just a 2 hour drive from Las Vegas. The unique aspect to this course apart from the stunning desert backdrop is its Mars sand like bunkers whic...

Black Pearl at Pristine Bay

What a pleasant surprise this course was after having visited Roatan by cruise ship many times and found there was nothing but beach I was informed they had a top notch golf course nearby I had my doubts but we had a group of keen golfers so we decid...

Sankaty Head

Must emphatically disagree with first review. Instead of finding Sankaty a gem, I found it repetitive and boring. Every hole is similar with nary a hint at strategy besides hit the ball down the middle. Every hole is basically a straight strip of fai...

Olde Stonewall

One will find Old Stonewall in the Borough of Ellwood City which sits on the western edge of Pennsylvania near the Ohio boarder. The 8,000 residents of Ellwood City are indeed lucky to have a course of this caliber in their backyard. The other two p...

Medinah (No.1)

Medinah #1 is a marvelous course at a scenic and historic venue. It is about 30 miles west of Chicago. As such it has a classic Chicago pedigree, including chicanery, real estate speculation, embezzlement, fraud and perseverance. In the early 1920...

Navatanee

Oops I did it again; I got sucked into playing an overly expensive Asian golf course that rates fairly highly within the country. In the case of this course, Navatanee, likely based on two factors: it stills clings to the World Cup 1975 tag and the...

Ogbourne Downs

I am a member at Ogbourne Downs and I’m also very privileged to have played many of the Top 100 courses. I am a real fan of links golf and love naturally presented courses like Rye and Royal Cinque Ports. Ogbourne is laid out over the free draining c...

Aronimink

The main storyline on Aronimink relates to a "before" and "after" situation involving architect Gil Hanse. The former course was a good one but needed a bit of long overdue pruning and an upgrading of the putting surfaces which Ross was masterful in...

Hamilton (West & South) - Canada

It’s a crazy idea to think that Harry Colt made his way to Canada back in the day, but sure enough he graces a few courses over here. Hamilton Golf & Country Club is one of them. Hamilton for me is an unlikely candidate for Colt although the lands...

St George's Golf & Country Club - Ontario

A visit to St. George’s Golf & Country Club is essential to start to understand the architectural genius of Stanley Thompson – arguably his greatest gift to the world of golf. This course is awesome! Not only is it awesome, it’s been the influence...

Highlands Links

HA trip to Nova Scotia cannot be made without making the pilgrimage 2 hours further Northeast to Cape Breton. What you find once arriving there is what one would expect to see at the end of the Earth. A certain proof that the world is flat. Cape Bret...

Pasatiempo

My favorite course of all time. A MacKenzie gem that luckily is public. The front 9 is good but the back 9 is brilliantly routed across several barancas. My favorite is the par 4 11th.

Arlandastad (Masters)

Well what should i say about that course. No idea why it is rated as the 31th best course in sweden?! and no idea how a european tour event could took place there. you play golf in the approach path of the airport of arlandastad (that means every few...

Penati (Legend)

Played both course on Penati last weekend. Both great courses, great condition, firm greens, Legend was running 10.3 but still recipient. Legend/Nickluas design are for sure a bit Americanized but we like that course a bit better than Heritage. Pine...

Penati (Heritage)

Recently returned after played Penati, actually we played 54 holes at Penati during last weekend.We found both courses at a very high standard, top class in Europe.We found Legend as the better course but with a small margin. The back 9 at Heritage g...

Bjaavann

I really enjoyed this course as it is a natural beauty. Fantastic elevation changes, great views, and a strong hole routing that challenges every aspect of your game. Despite last fall and the spring/summer weather challenges the course was still i...

Oslo

Played Oslo in late July and despite the harsh summer I found it to be in great conditions. Overall this is a strong test of golf but quite fair. There are no trick here as the course demands are quite obvious and if you meet them you can score wel...

Broadstone

This is a very enjoyable course that starts off relatively benign and then quickly gains some steam. Holes #6 & 7 can be quite the challenge and the back also has some tight drives that will punish any wayward shots. Played in late July and the cou...

Elea

A few holes in - it was the 4th or 5th - and I thought I was still at the beach. Perhaps after picking me up at the coast the taxi driver just drove around in circles for 15 mins and then dropped me off near my hotel. I didn’t find the prominent b...

Sheringham

Not sure how you’d categorize Sheringham. It’s not a links but plays a bit like one - much like a firm heathland that’s been transposed to a pretty attractive clifftop setting. Is that downland? Maybe it has its own unique identity. It definitely has...

Lundin

Fabulous links course been around years. Holes follow the land. Would highly recommend anyone playing in the St Andrews area to play this little gem.My only other comment is it was a little pricy !

St Andrews (Castle)

Played the Castle Course on Saturday for the second time some 8 years apart. The course is tough but the memory is that the greens are ridicules and unfortunately the memory was corrrect. We heard rumours that they had been softened unfortunately thi...

Hoakalei

Hoakalei is truly a championship course measuring over 7,400 yards with a lot of bunkers and water hazards. Players need not only distance but also accuracy. The greens are fast and undulating. The current clubhouse is temporary and the new one will...

Turtle Bay (Palmer)

The Turtle Bay resort is situated in North Shore that is a famous Mecca for surfers. The resort has two courses, Palmer for advanced players and Fazio for intermediates. Water comes into play on 13 out of 18 holes that makes the course demanding. The...

Kilmarnock (Barassie)

Played the course in a event yesterday and I have to say I was very very disappointed with what we found. I had been told that Barassie was on par with Dundonald, Gullane 1 and Gailes but it was not in the same league. Firstly in was in terrible co...

Mission Hills (World Cup)

My favorite of the original MH course. As an early member, most of my rounds played on that course. (The fact that on 10/10/09 I played the 4 par 3's in 2, 2, 2, 1 with a total putting distance of 4" ! Chip in on #5, Hit the pin on #8 stopping 2"...

Praia D'El Rey

Because the course was so busy the afternoon I teed it up here, I played the back nine first – which made the more unexciting front nine appear a little insipid in comparison to what had gone before, so I recommend that you don’t reverse the nines if...

Oitavos Dunes

Oitavos Dunes lies close to the most westerly point on the European mainland, where fairways are set out on beautiful sandy terrain close to the coast. It’s more seaside than links, right enough, though the playing conditions were pretty firm and fas...

Estoril

The course lies a couple of kilometres inland from the still rather grand Palacio Estoril Golf & Spa Hotel, where the fairways occupy a hilly site which is divided by six lanes of a main road. In order to get from the front nine to the back nine, you...

Willow Creek Golf Club

There is absolutely no width on this golf course. It is the place that convinced me that trees on a golf course are generally bad. There's only one way to play each hole, and there are some absurd angles you have to negotiate because of how the trees...

Evian

Of a dog walking on its hind legs, Samuel Johnson is reputed to have said, “The wonder is not that it’s not done well, the wonder is that it’s done at all.” The same could be said of the construction of an LPGA tour caliber golf course clinging preca...

Dalhousie

Cape Girardeau is not a place where one expects to find a top-notch golf course, but Dalhousie fits the bill. It’s a residential layout but the houses are mostly non-obtrusive. The greatest quality of the course is the wide variety of holes and shots...

El Encin

Played El Enfin 2x in July/August 2018. It is an interesting layout with a myriad of bunkers and severely ondulated greens. This gives a lot of strategic options to play the course and makes it fun. Some of the greens are very big, but at the same ti...

Waialae

Waialae Country Club is a flat seaside course. On the day a strong sea winds blows, the course is quite challenging. When it is calm, good players can score well. For example at Sony Open in Hawaii, Jimmy Walker hit -23 in 2015 and Justin Thomas -27...

South Cape Owners Club

South Cape is a scenic seaside course situated along a dramatic cliff. Although the total length of this course is quite short, the combination of the difference in topography and numerous obstacles such as the steep cliffs makes this course quite a...

Swinley Forest

When excellent land is complimented with great course design, you have a classic, and that’s exactly what you have at Swinley Forest. The course, with free draining sandy soil, is set amongst pines with oodles of heather dispersed amongst the rough....

Royal Birkdale

Played RB on Aug 24, 2018. Absolutely fabulous. But what I wish to report is that one of my playing partners, a young man named Chris Severn, drove the 422 yard 13th hole. That’s right. Slightly uphill and dead downwind to be sure, it’s the most incr...

Yale

What a course!!!! The triumvirate of C. B. Macdonald, Macdonald, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks, designed this gem in 1926. Yale Golf Course is a testament to their wizardry. The first hole is intimidating to say the least. Long carry to a deceptiv...

Düsseldorfer

According to the club's history 14000 trees were planted during construction on a site that needed perhaps a handful. While the course doesn't feel completely tree-lined, it actually is and there are issues with playing angles in several spots. Thank...

Iguassu Falls

Located near Iguassu Falls, the history of this golf course is entwined with the history of tourism in the city and today probably writes its most important chapter.When the GJP group acquired this property the plan arose to launch a housing developm...

Fossil Trace

Fossil Trace is a blast. Lot of neat unique features twists and turns. It starts on the very first hole a reachable downhill par. As you traverse down the first hole you will see what appears to be an obelisk in play. Turns out it is an old indu...

Murphy Creek

Most people think of mountains when they think Colorado golf. As Aurora is east of Denver this course is really a prairie course and is pretty darn flat. Interesting layout and they use multiple tricks to put some teeth into it. For example, on t...

Bandon Dunes (Bandon Preserve)

Okay how do you rank a 13 hole par three course as the 11th best course in a state that has some pretty decent layouts? Maybe get Coore and Crenshaw to throw the course together on a patch of land not quite good enough to support a full course but p...

Bandon Dunes (Bandon Trails)

Somehow Bandon Trails comes up fourth in all the rankings for the Bandon Courses, but to think that implies anything less than an outstanding course is a huge mistake. Trails is a radical departure from the other three courses since instead of using...

Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes)

Pacific Dunes is generally regarded as the best of the Bandon Courses. This is an incredible design with a number of cliffside holes. The holes off the ocean are not lacking in character due to the rolling fairways where a level lie is a rare event...