Dunham Forest

A quick afternoon dash around Dunham Forest in mid-March, following a meeting in Manchester earlier in the day, provided a very enjoyable couple of hours. In summary; the course makes a more than promising start, loses its way a little during the mid...

Halifax

The Halifax Golf Club, often better known as Ogden, is a course that divides opinion. Some people love this fascinating James Braid layout whilst others hate it... and a few even vow never to return! I'm most certainly in the former category and real...

East Lake

East Lake Golf Club and Atlanta Athletic Club are woven into the legend that is Bobby Jones. East Lake was first laid out in 1904 by Tom Bendelow. It was redesigned in 1913 by Donald Ross and in 1994 by Rees Jones. Bobby Jones grew up playing ther...

Royal Porthcawl

What a course! you can see the sea from every hole, even though the course seems to have some houses surrounding it as you drive in the course somehow manages to mostly hide them. The 18th is also an incredible finish as you hit straight towards the...

North Berwick (West)

Truly amazing course, you practically never leave the coast line by more than a hole, with spectacular ocean views the whole round and a real challenge, i'd highly recommend playing here. Just an incredible links golf experience

Dunham Forest

Dunham is a lovely woodland course and a pleasure to play. It prides itself on great greens, gorgeous tree lined grounds and being playable all year round. Over the winter when many courses in the region are on temporaries or mats on fairways Dunham...

Bear Mountain (Mountain)

The business that took me to Victoria, British Columbia had the added perk that we'd be heading out to Bear Mountain to play the Mountain Course as part of the itinerary with the convention. Bear Mountain is a 36 hole facility, with both the Mountai...

Lake Karrinyup (Championship)

I had the privilege of playing Karrinyup with the Super 6 set-up. It really was a golfing test for everyone who took part. The course was immaculate, it is easy to see why this exceptional course hosts major golfing events, making it the best around...

Angus Glen (South)

Many courses have their selling points. For great Canadian private clubs like St. George's, The National GC of Canada or Hamilton, it's the fact that their courses always are ranked within the top ten in the country. A place like Glen Abbey can't com...

Wentworth

Good layout, the front is much tighter than the back with lots of oak tree squeezing the fairways. The first hole while not very long can be tricky. Favor the left side off the tee, be wary of the two fairway bunkers hugging the left side. There is...

Sunningdale Country Club

Kudos to club leadership at Sunningdale when realizing failure to invest in their property would likely mean a bleak future. Over the years the original Seth Raynor layout had a number of other architects attempt to place their fingerprints on the la...

Sagamore Resort

Donald Ross provided the handiwork for a number of stellar designs but The Sagamore is not one of them. The course is set a short distance from the grandeur of the hotel and its adjacent location next to Lake George. The course begins with an attenti...

Newquay

On a visit to the South-West that entailed no less than seven links courses Newquay proved to be the surprise package of the lot.Perhaps it was our pre-conceptions that due largely to its popular seaside location this links would offer up little more...

Minehead & West Somerset

If you are seeking the joys of seaside golf in beautiful surroundings this ticks virtually all of the boxes.It’s a lovely location for a golf course and the setting produces a pleasing mix of honest links golf, close to the coastline, and a gentler,...

Christchurch

Christchurch Golf Club dates back to 1873, making it the second oldest club in New Zealand. The club started at a site at Hagley Park, but moved to the current site in 1900. In 1972 Sloan Morpeth made changes, improving the routing of the course and...

Lakes - Pauanui

Layout is great. Tough and tight . However it is completely let down by it's condition only 3/4 of the fairways had grass on and unfortunately the same was to be said for the greens the whole resort has fallen on hard times with membership numbers no...

Monte Rei (North)

Was disappointed with the condition of monte rei - initial reception was very effusive and practise facility top notch but the course was a 'let down'Fairways were 'dried out' it is not a links so I would expect that a course charging as they do woul...

Royal Dornoch (Championship)

Travel north to Dornoch where the world slows down, people have time to talk, the town is a miniature St Andrews, outstanding beach with stunning views, challenging great fun golf course, friendly clubhouse, in short you are sure to enjoy your visit...

Northamptonshire County

I returned to Northamptonshire County Golf Club after a gap of just over three years - this is a course that I loved more or less on arrival back in 2015. It was an easy 5-ball ranking then and that is still true now, probably more so. The club are i...

Pearl Valley

Played Pearl Valley last week after booking months in advance. After entering the estate the course Marshall’s collect your clubs and dock on your designated buggy. Club house is great and locker room is excellent. Driving range is excellent although...

Santa Clara

Santa Clara Golf Club was clearly created to share players with (or take away from) the course located 200 meters away, Marbella Golf & Country Club which has been a star in the region for many years. It is built on terrain slightly less demanding, h...

Cabopino

Looking at the scorecard, it seems that Cabopino could be a benign course, with a total length of « only » 5,193 meters from the back tees. In fact, there are only three sets of tees, no championship or black tees here, so obviously this course is no...

Old Thorns

I arranged 2 four balls and played Feb 2019. Very disappointing. The course has clearly not had any money spent on it. The fairways were a disgrace, divots all over, hard to differentiate rough and fairway in many areas. The greens were poor, balls d...

Country Club of Fairfield

A mishmash of architects have this great piece of property firing on about half its cylinders - good thing for Fairfield they were originally working with a V12 engine. There are some obvious weak holes but for the most part it's a fun layout with be...

Yale

A great course and must play if you're in the area. All the template holes are exceptional and the original holes are even better (that's not true, they are all wonderful). Favorite hole on the course is the 8th but there isn't a weak hole out there....

Stanwich

Stanwich was built by William & David Gordon in 1962 - thirty miles outside NYC. The Gordon father-son team is not well-known due to William’s long career as a project manager for Donald Ross, Devereux Emmet & William Flynn. As a result, a Gordon rou...

Moonah Links (Legends)

This course is on another planet of golf, to give 6 balls the course needs to be truly outstanding amongst the best in the world and this course is. The care taken to make this course outstanding is phenomenal. I don’t think I have played on better f...

V Golf Club

One of the most challenging golf courses in Europe. Every of 18 holes is taking provocation to choose an unsafe game and risk much more than in other golf courses. At first of all it seems easy: distance is not so big. But take care, it may be decep...

Pegasus

Pegasus is the name of a new satellite city north of Christchurch in New Zealand. It is also the name of the golf course that was part of the master planning process. The full name of the course is Pegasus Golf & Sports Club, and it opened for play l...

Vines (Lakes)

It is chalk and cheese at the Vine when it comes to the Lake and Ellenbrook. The Lakes is an exceptional golf course (the Ellenbrook isn't). Perfectly manicured with large open fairways, the bunkers are well maintained (on the day I played they were...

Sun City

The view onto the course from the practice green is incredible, the green fairways give way to the bushland in the distance. Kangaroos skip around (though much less than there used to be). This course was designed for TV, big open fairways, large, fa...

Hamilton (West & South)

I had dreamed about playing Hamilton G&CC ever since I first stepped foot on the golf course in 2003, the year the club hosted the Canadian Open for the first time in over 70 years. I finally got the opportunity to play this highly-esteemed Harry...

Victoria Hills

If friends were asking me where to play golf between Orlando and Jacksonville Victoria Hills would not even cross my mind. If they were to ask, my response would be, "Don't go there." This may have at one point been the belle of the ball, if so, sh...

Bali National

Describing Bali National is a challenge, firstly it is the greenest golf course I have ever played, sumptuous green rough that sucks up the head of your club, immaculate fairways and solid greens. The bunkers are well cared for and the sand is soft...

Spring Valley

I think a good way to describe Spring Valley is a 'hidden gem' in the sand belt. Played here in December and again in January and both times have come away with a sense of achievement for taming a difficult, well-designed course. Lush fairways, fa...

Secret Harbour

I have played Secret Harbour twice in the past couple of months. A course that is a challenge to most golfers and enjoyable to play. The dogleg left 1st is a great way to start and requires a solid drive to give yourself a chance of getting onto the...

Southern Hills Plantation

This is a traditionalist presentation course, i.e no hole visuals on the card or tee boxes. Thus, i wondered aimlessly through the dessert. That can be fun, sometimes you are pleasantly surprised, other times not so much....The first two holes are...

Clearwater

Something I have not seen before anywhere in the world is the way Clearwater adapts the competition course with the changing conditions. Wind is a big factor and with the course quite challenging at times, and so much water in play, it is important t...

Cleeve Hill

Let’s make no mistake here, Cleeve Hill is municipal golf. The course is scruffy and tatty, basically being shared farmland where sheep graze and maintenance is minimal. The greens are very poor with most surfaces suffering damage from animal scratch...

Kaitaia

What an unexpected pleasure this course was...the only difference between here and a high quality links course is the grass on the fairways..more bermuda than fescue,but it had all the qualities of a proper Links course..rumpled fairways,ever present...

Kennedy Bay

The wind can change this course in a matter of minutes, depending on the time of day you may end up playing with the wind from three different directions. This just adds to the challenge of a course where each hole could be a signature hole on a good...

La Gorce

LaGorce Country Club membership is by invitation only. I would categorize it as a stiff upper lip club. It does have a checkered past. Opening in 1927 its future appeared rosy until the Great Depression. World War II pushed it to the brink and Ci...

World Woods (Rolling Oaks)

In of itself Rolling Oaks is a fine golf course. Being right next to Pine barrens may cause a complex, but it is the age old question, which ice cream do you like better? Chocolate or Vanilla? Mary Ann or Ginger? One element of Rolling Oaks that...

Estancia

This is a stunning Fazio design that rates among the best Fazio courses I have played. By chance my wife and I met a member last year in California and he invited us to play on our recent trip to Arizona. What we found was an amazing layout that wa...

Denham

A classic Colt design, with all of the subtleties you would expect. After the driveable par 4 1st hole, hold on for the next 10 holes, including two challenging long par 3s, then make your score from 12 onwards. The 12th is a wonderful short par 3 ov...

Grayhawk (Raptor)

Both courses at Grayhawk are solid desert courses that are fun to play. I would say that neither course is outstanding but both courses are well conditioned, aesthetically pleasing and challenging enough to make for an enjoyable day of golf. The Ra...

We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro)

Wow I really enjoyed this course. I played both courses at We-ko-pa and I thought the Saguaro to be both the stronger of the two courses and much more fun to play. The course is in magnificent condition and has a wonderful combination of short and...

California

Cal Club and Kyle Phillips take a bow. Doak’s Bel-Air restoration is impressive, but the vision and execution shown on this property has produced one of the best routings I have played in California. The two new holes, the 7th a cape hole and the 8th...

We-Ko-Pa (Cholla)

I was able to play the Cholla course on a recent trip to the Scottsdale area. This is a rambling spread out course designed around many of the washes in the area. The course runs up and around a ridge that gives some significant elevation changes t...

Real La Manga Club (West)

I have recently played La Manga West course it was a great experience. The first hole is a good opening because as a child you can use a driver and get close to the water so you can carry the water and get to the green. It is very tricky green to hit...

Cape Kidnappers

I just can’t imagine how this could be ranked 44th in the world and here’s why. The front nine is a very average parkland layout. It lacks imagination or finess. Whilst the back nine is better it really doesn’t please the eye in any way. I don’t thin...

Rivermont

Rivermont Golf is never boring. I’ve played it as a member hundreds of times and it plays differently each time. Fading drives set the holes up differently than a draw does. After Riley’s redesign/tweaking of Joe Lee’s design, natural grass areas...

Terrace Downs

Located in the Canterbury Plains, an hour west of Christchurch, Terrace Downs Resort opened 18 holes for play in 1999. Previously the property was used as a sheep and cattle farm, but was purchased in 1990 by Japanese professional golfer Shinnosuke S...

Harewood

Located adjacent to Christchurch airport, Harewood Golf Club dates from 1923 when a keen group of local golfers came together to form the club. The course they put together takes advantage of some gently undulating sandy terrain dominated by pine tre...

Juliette Falls

I am not sure as to where the name came from as the waterfalls on the course are as artificial as Disney World but it is a fun course. The first hole is welcoming. A short par four dogleg right, favor the right side as to avoid the bunker on the ou...

Capital City Country Club

When i got to the first i was excited about playing a Tillinghast course. The first is not welcoming, a dogleg right downhill off the tee and then an elevated green. The 2nd isn't much easier. Be wary of the hidden fairway bunker on the left of th...

Southwood

Interesting course and round. I had the first tee time and was specifically instructed to not tee off until 7:14. While normally i am a liberal rule bender with first out tee times i stick to instructions. On the first tee a gentleman with a pull...

Nairn Dunbar

Unfortunately, we chose a filthy morning to play Nairn Dunbar with persistent rain arriving early in the round and staying with us until we reached the 17th green. Despite being let down by a rather dubious weather forecast we had no complaints what...

Broken Sound (Old)

The Broken Sound Old Course is somewhat unique in that it does not wind through the prototypical Florida housing development. Also, most people are surprised by the size and maturity of the trees. The opening hole is welcoming, a backward S par 5....

Buenavista

A fair course with challenging greens for beginners and some good views of the coast. Very disappointed in that I booked a round of golf for my 23 year old son and myself (16/14 handicaps) hoping for a special experience on our own only to be paired...

El Chaparral

Great course with some cracking, helpful staff, course in very good condition. The Club sandwich just excellent.

Assoufid

this is one of the best golf courses in Marrakech. i recommand you to try it.

Langebaan

I played Langebaan Country Estate last week twice with my wife on consecutive days on the recommendation of a friend but probably because it is the only course in the immediate vicinity. I am fortunate to have played Gary Player Country Club at Sun C...

Lake Jovita (South)

Lake Jovita has two courses. The south consistently ranks better than the north, although the north course has more elevation changes. For Florida courses there is quite a bit of up and down. Also, there is a boatload of bunkers. I was told it wa...

Pebble Beach

If you're visiting California and have always dreamt of playing Pebble Beach, what are you waiting for? Perhaps, like me, you balked at the $500+ price tag, and that's even before you've paid to stay in the lodges (required to make any sort of advanc...

Shady Canyon

My enduring memory of Shady Canyon will undoubtedly be the hospitality shown by the members and staff, alongside a brilliant collection of par 3s to rival the best in California. Think Pasatiempo's looks, yet slightly more playable than the (not-so)...

Orchardleigh

Playing parkland courses in the depths of winter is never ideal but we decided to take a look at the leafless skeleton of Orchardleigh last month after a spell of dry winter weather. The setting in the heart of the 500-acre gated Orchardleigh Estate...

Royal Colwood

Truly wonderful course. Course maintenance is about as good as it gets and the layout and challenge are First Class. Top notch facility with great staff, clubhouse food and scenery. Not to be missed if you're in the area of Victoria!

Cambrian Ridge (Sherling & Canyon)

Cambrian Ridge is one of the best venues on the RTJ Alabama Golf Trail. If you only have time for 18 the Canyon/Sherling nines are superior to Loblolly. Having said that 8th hole on Loblolly a downhill slight dogleg right 423 yards requires two sup...

Olivas Links

One of the great reasons to be a reader of Top 100 is to browse through page after page of courses all over the world and perhaps find underappreciated gems that otherwise would escape notice.Olivas Links is one such gem because it is such a solid co...

Olivas Links

This is a sweet municipal course just down the road from Ventura Harbor. Built on crepe flat former agricultural land, it now has just enough contour—and enough open vistas— to remind one of a true links course. The routing is quite intuitive, with a...

Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood)

Sometimes being in the right neighborhood can pay off handsomely and that is the case for CC of NC / Dogwood. The layout for many years benefited from being in the Pinehurst vicinity and the overall depth of courses in The Tar Heel State was nowhere...

Reynolds Lake Oconee (Great Waters)

When Great Waters first opened it showed a side of Jack Nicklaus as a golf course designer that was quite refreshing. Up to that point a good number of Golden Bear efforts were courses that required a heavy lift for those who could loft irons high in...

Pelican Hill (Ocean South)

Pelican Hill’s South shares the same difficulty trying to walk the course as its northern sibling. Though there are ocean views--primarily on holes 11-13, which are hard by the Pacific—they are not as spectacular as on the North. The course does flow...

Pelican Hill (Ocean North)

Charles Blair MacDonald had been dead for over half a century when Pelican Hill was created. But his maxim—“Don’t confuse the canvas with the artwork” applies here. Only three holes lack stunning vistas of the Pacific Ocean and Santa Catalina island....

Wickenburg Ranch (Big Wick)

This was our first ever desert course as we entered Arizona from the west travelling across the barren Mojave from LAX and then turning left off I10 to the town of Wickenburg. What an exciting adventure it was to play a course surrounded mainly by th...

Oakland Hills (North)

Since the renovation a few years back, I would put the OHCC North course up against any other MI country club's main course. The greens are even faster than the South's, and with the new tees added, the par 70 layout is quite challenging. It is mor...

Lost Dunes

Very special place tucked away in SW Michigan for predominantly Chicago cottage owners. You must take a forecaddie, and they are excellent. The Tom Doak design takes advantage of the sand dunes and conditioning was great. Several holes have force...

Indianwood (Old)

One of the best layouts I have played in Michigan. Excellent variety and you can actually hit out of the fescues. Unfortunately, lack of maintenance is starting to show since their last big event (Senior Championship).

Franklin Hills

Pristine course and classic Donald Ross. The clubhouse (Albert Kahn) is superb. Service was top-notch. The only shortcoming I could see was a very limited range.

Lakes - Pauanui

The Lakes is situated in the middle of the stunning Coromandel Peninsula, about 2 hours from Auckland. The Coromandel itself is one of my favourite areas in the whole country, which is quite a boast for New Zealand, and is well worth a visit whether...

Oakland Hills (South)

Amazing course and as long as you want it. The rough is a 1/2 shot penalty and the Rees Jones fairways bunkers can be a full shot penalty. The subtle breaks on the greens are confounding, especially when they roll them to 12 feet. It is surprising...

Reunion Golf & Spa Resort (Palmer)

The Palmer course at the Reunion Resort is not your typical Florida golf course. The bunkers are more penal than the water hazards. Additionally, the greens are huge and multi-tiered. The only straight putt I had all day was 3 feet.The first hole...

Desert Forest

I love this course for its purity. The routing is fantastic which gives the player the choice of walking, pull cart, EPC, caddy or cart. The greens (hybrid bentgrass) are perfect and the fairways (bermuda) are the proper width knowing there is des...

Vidago Palace

Played the course in December 2018. The course was in really wet condition. Fairways and most of the greens were not in really good condition. There is a big lack of maintenance visible. I think it is a pitty because the layout and the design of the...

Emeralda (River & Lake)

Built on an old plantation on the outskirts of Jakarta, the Emeralda GC was originally conceived to be a 36 hole complex with a course each designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. In 1994 Arnold Palmer unveiled his course which comprises the Ri...

Royale Jakarta (West & South)

Royal Jakarta GC opened in 2008 and was designed by American architect Bob Moore from JMP Partners. The founding members of the club comprise many of the most successful business leaders in Indonesia and they have managed to site 27 holes on rolling...

Damai Indah (Pantai Indah Kapuk)

On a humid and stormy day in Jakarta we headed to Damai Indah PIK Course via a 30-minute bus ride from the city centre. Thankfully, a police escort was provided to help us move through the heavy traffic and security check points that define road trav...

Kukui'ula

The Club at Kukui'ula is a high quality real estate development on the south coast of Kauai, not far from Lihue. The site was formerly a sugar plantation. Central to the development is the golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf. Weiskopf has designed...

Puakea

Puakea Golf Club is a public access golf course in Lihue on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The course was originally built as a 9-hole facility on an old sugar cane plantation just 2 miles from Lihue airport. In 2003 the course re opened after a maj...

Poipu Bay

The golf course was designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Jnr and opened for play in 1991, and occupies a rolling plateau wedged between the sea and the mountains. The translation for Poipu is 'crashing waves', and when players hit the...

Princeville (Makai)

Robert Trent Jones Jnr is one of my favourite architects. His output of quality courses around the world is steadily mounting. In Australia he made a real impact with Coolum, Meadow Springs, Joondalup , Cape Schanck and The National’s Old Course – my...

Hokuala (Ocean)

Jack Nicklaus designed 36 holes of golf on the coast in Lihue, Kauai in 1987. Initially the development was known as Kauai Lagoons, and the two courses were named The Lagoons Course, and The Kiele Course. Adjacent to the airport, and attached to the...

Centurion Club

I’ve been umming and ahhing over this review for some time. It’s not easy to be objective about a course that isn’t your cup of tea.My feeling is that Simon Gidman has done a good job with land that has plenty of interesting movement. The routing is...

Emerald Hills Country Club

The Club at Emerald Hills is one of the top tracks in southeast Florida. Having said that, if you play the wrong tees, you will hate it. For example, if you are on steroids, don’t like the people you are playing with or have self-loathing issues by...

St Andrews (Castle)

The course lived up the reviews I had read and the tales from some friends who had the pleasure of playing it over the years. The major memory of the course were the undulations in the greens! This isn't a classic links like the core business of the...

Mar Hall - Earl of Mar

I played Mar Hall in autumn 2018 with a good friend. We both enjoyed the course and the layout. We found the course to be very enjoyable to play, it lived up to every yard as we found it very soft going. Drives were not rolling too far and on some of...

Biltmore Hotel

I played the Biltmore about 4-5 years ago. Not all Donald Ross courses have aged well. This one certainly has not. However, do not ye despair! Silva was doing a redesign in 2018 and the new Biltmore either has or is about to be relaunched. It is...

Neguri

Gran campo de golf, buen recorrido los 9 primeros (links) y extraordinario en sus 9 últimos, gran atención por parte de los empleados desde que entras por la puerta, te sientes como en casa. Recomiendo el campo ya que esta al nivel de los mejores de...

Victoria Golf Club

Separated from Royal Melbourne only by a road, Victoria naturally displays some of the same characteristics as its famous neighbour, although the land has less movement in part, and is not set on such a grand scale. Victoria sets its own standards,...