Top 100 Golf Courses of England 2012
Top 100 Golf Courses reverts back to a Top 100 for England
A little more than twelve months ago we announced the extension of our England top golf course rankings to 200 courses. Having listened to feedback during 2011, we have now decided to revert back to a national English Top 100. The reason we are changing back is simple. Very few people have played the England Top 100, let alone the England Top 200. We found it virtually impossible to define the positions for English courses in the ranking range of 101 to 200.
During 2011 we launched and completed a project to identify the best courses in every English county. This has proved to be a successful way to showcase the best English courses on a regional basis. Our future plans are to further develop and refine our English Best In County rankings by continuing to use local help and expertise to accurately assess the golf courses across the individual English counties.
Andy Newmarch (our Marketing Director) and I have played eighty-five of England’s Top 100 Golf Courses between us and we’ve decided to challenge each other to see who can complete the entire England Top 100 first. We each have around thirty more courses to play, so it may take a year or two to establish the winner, but we’ll keep you posted. If you’ve already played the English Top 100, or a significant proportion, I’d love to hear from you. Please send an email to: info@top100golfcourses.com.
So what has actually changed since we last looked at England twelve months or so ago?
For the first time since we launched our individual country rankings back in 2006, we have a new English No.1. Following a successful 2011 Open Championship, Royal St George’s moves into pole position and upstages our long-standing numero uno (now No.2), Royal Birkdale. Swinley Forest jumps back into the Top 10 for the first time since 2008 and Sunningdale (New) continues its progression up the table to No.7.
Luffenham Heath moves back into the hundred after its centenary in 2011 and Tandridge makes a return too as it begins to showcase the quality of the renovation work. The Manor House in Wiltshire and the underrated Edinburgh course at Wentworth also rejoin the Top 100. From the Golden Age, Blackwell and Stoneham move into the hundred for the first time, but it’s a modern course that is our only brand new entry and it doffs its cap to the Golden Age of golf course architecture.
Set in glorious Northumberland countryside, with an elegant 18th century mansion at its heart, the Colt course at Close House was one of only a handful of European courses to open in 2011. Designed by Scott Macpherson of Turner Macpherson Golf Design, the Colt course is fashioned in the spirit of Harry Colt, featuring many of the great architect’s trademarks.
I do hope you enjoy our condensed England Top 100 and if you have any comments or feedback, I’d love to hear from you. And, just for the record, I’d like to remind you that Top 100 Golf Courses is truly independent, having no association with any magazine publications.
Finally a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post course reviews online. Please keep them coming, it’s your reviews that make the Top 100 website come alive.
Keith Baxter
Editor-in-Chief
www.top100golfcourses.com
To see in detail our new 2012 Top 100 Golf Courses of England click here.
