Top 10 Golf Courses in Somerset 2015
Somerset Best in County rankings updated
One of the larger English counties by area, Somerset is rather sparsely populated with fewer than a million inhabitants spread throughout the region. That means there’s lots of room to explore the large tracts of unspoilt beauty in this lovely county, from the Somerset Levels to the bracing beaches that run along the Bristol Channel.
There are plenty of top sporting activities to take in across this major cider producing county, whether it’s watching events unfold at Bath Rugby, Somerset County Cricket Club or Yeovil Town FC, or spending a day at Taunton or Wincanton horse racing.
On the other hand, for those who prefer to participate rather than spectate when it comes to spending time at an outdoor activity, there are more than thirty golf courses dotted around the county, ten of which we feature in our Best in County chart.
Top 100 Golf Courses recently surveyed every club and professional across the county and now, having taken all the responses into careful consideration, we present the latest edition of our Somerset Top 10 rankings.
Remaining at the number 1 position, the Championship links at Burnham & Berrow also rides high in both our England Top 100 and Great Britain & Ireland Top 100 listings. Herbert Fowler, Harry Colt and Alister MacKenzie all had a hand in fashioning this wonderful old course and it’s one that still presents a formidable challenge in the modern era.
Climbing four places to number 2, we have the course at Bath Golf Club. It too has a strong architectural pedigree, with J.H. Taylor, James Braid and Harry Colt having all contributed to its development down the years. Known locally as “Sham Castle,” the course is laid out on a free-draining estate, with wonderful views overlooking the spa town.
Weston-Super-Mare moves up the chart one place to number 3 and this links layout is also blessed with panoramic views across the Bristol Channel towards Wales. Redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1922, the course has been described by one recent reviewer as “a very fair course and if you play well you can score well”.
The course at Enmore Park also rises three places in the standings to number 4 and this premier parkland track is located at the foot of the Quantock Hills, three miles west of Bridgewater. Along with Burnham & Berrow, the Fred Hawtree-designed layout hosted the Boys Amateur Championship in 2011.
There’s only one new entry in our updated listings at number 10 and it’s the old links at Minehead & West Somerset, which is the oldest course in the county. The club’s original course – a 9-hole affair that was constructed by the North Devon professional John Allan in 1882 – was extended to a full 18-hole layout in 1901 and it remains much the same today as when it was built more than a century ago.
Many thanks to all those who helped with our re-ranking process for this region. To view details of all the courses in our Somerset Top 10 rankings click the link. If you’ve played extensively across the southwest region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Top 100 Golf Courses never claims to publish definitive golf course listings but we do like to think they’re the most informed.
Jim McCann
Editor
Top 100 Golf Courses
