Write a Review Competition Winners and Results
1st May 2010
More than 500 golf course reviews were posted in our first quarterly “write a review” competition and the quality was truly outstanding.
The selection process seemed simple enough… to create a shortlist. However, we ended up with 46 golf course reviews on our rather lengthy shortlist. Whittling 46 down to the 5 winning reviews was no easy task.
Before I share the winners with you, I’d like to say how much I appreciate almost every course review posted on the Top 100 website. It never ceases to amaze me how much effort golfers put in to create these thoughtful golf course reviews. Here are a couple of excerpts from reviews that on another occasion might have won:
Gleneagles (PGA Centenary) – 9 Mar 2010 – “It is the attention to detail that creates the unique character of the King's and Queen's courses that makes them a must-play destination for golf-goers in Scotland, but in contrast it is attention to detail that leaves golfers begging for more on the PGA Centenary Course.”
Swinley Forest – 11 Feb 2010 – “It’s often easy to forget you actually came here to play golf as you look around at the scenery in awe. Although I refer to the feminine beauty, many with an overload of testosterone will frown at the relative low yardage. But be warned! Many of the uphill 400-yard + par fours are only reachable in regulation by the lower handicapper.”
Sperone – 21 Jan 2010 – “What a stunning setting, what a sensational course, what a shame it’s not looked after. We more or less planned our 2009 summer holiday around the chance to play Sperone (not sure our wives were aware of this) and whilst we were far from disappointed, there is still a sense that this place could be so much better.”
Saunton (East) – 20 Jan 2010 – “The first thing that hits you is the view as you turn off the B3231 road to Croyde and into the car park. I’d defy any golf lover not to mutter at least Wow!! My buddy, who’d never played a links course before, blurted out a full blown PHWOAR!!”
New Zealand – 18 Jan 2010 – “The New Zealand Golf Club is very much a world away from the trials and tribulations of the rush of modern life... The course starts with a gentle par 4 in front of the clubhouse – with just enough option to slice one through the secretary's window to keep you on your toes…”
To read the full course reviews above (and below) simply click on the blue hyperlink which will take you through to the relevant page. Here are the winners:
5th Place – David Jones – won a round for four people at Finca Cortesin – Royal St George’s – 31 Mar 2010 – “Like any good relationship it was not love at first sight. When on the practice ground, I was struck by the sparseness of the land. The dunes which become your playground on the front 9, were a distant but tempting view as a handful of members got underway. They turned out to be the only people that we saw that day…”
4th Place – David McIntosh – won a round for four people at Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links – Gullane No.2 – 23 Mar 2010 – “With four days to go until Christmas and snow lying heavy all over Edinburgh and the East Lothian coast I made the short trip to Gullane wondering whether I would get out on the course at all. I needn't have worried as when I arrived the Gullane courses were open and in immaculate condition as usual…”
3rd Place – Colin Cotter – won a round for four people at Cruden Bay – Castle Stuart – 29 Mar 2010 – “One visit to the new Castle Stuart course was all it took to send it rocketing into the top couple of courses in Scotland that have disappointed me most. The philosophy behind the course is outlined in the course guide and I could spend hours writing a dissertation about why the course fails to live up to this philosophy, or why much of the philosophy is, in my view, flawed anyway. I am not saying this is a bad course, I'm still giving it 4 balls, but at this price it must be judged against the best, and I think it falls short.”
2nd Place – Matt Richardson – won golf & overnight stay for two people at Hanbury Manor – Kauri Cliffs – 19 Jan 2010 – “The course starts to show its full magnificence with the par-5 4th, a dog-leg right with a huge drop off down the right hand side, the final approach played to the backdrop of an amazing coastline to the south. Then the real intimidation begins. Standing on the 5th tee, with a 2-iron in my hand, I looked up to see what seemed like a postage-stamp patch of emerald green nestled on a steep hillside, with a huge chasm catching anything short or right, and tightly bunkered. My swing thought (unusually for me) was “can I manage to swing this club before the paralysis sets in?” Actually the green’s a little bigger than it looks, but still a tough target.”
1st Place – Anthony Daniels – won a round for four people at Waterville – Burnham & Berrow – 22 Feb 2010 – “More variety awaits at the 16th as this short par 4 is driveable if the wind is at your back. The green is possibly the most eccentric I have ever seen with a 45-degree bank running right through the middle of it, and it just so happened that the pin was right at the bottom of it. Muggins here managed to hit his approach to the upper level and was very pleased to still be on the green for my second putt!”
It’s amazing how things come full circle. We’re always looking for correspondents, especially those who live outside Britain & Ireland, who are keen golfers with a passion for course architecture, have attention to detail and have a flair for writing. I’d like to welcome Matt to the team who posted the fabulous prize winning Kauri Cliffs review. Matt has agreed to cover New Zealand for us, so keep your eye open for more Kiwi course reviews and perhaps an extended ranking list of top NZ courses in the future. If you live outside Britain & Ireland and would like to help us please let me know.
Kind regards,
Keith Baxter
Editor
Luffenham Heath awarded Open Championship Qualifying Upgraded Luffenham Heath course awarded Open Championship Qualifying for the 2013 Open The Luffenham Heath Golf Club, near Stamford, Lincolnshire, will host Regional Qualifying for the 2013 Open Championship, it has been announced. The course, widely regarded as one of the finest in the Midlands, has recently been upgraded and extended, and joins an elite list of 14 courses in Great Britain and Ireland to be selected by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews as venues for the first step towards qualification for the Open Championship at Muirfield, Scotland. The return of top-flight professional and amateur golf to Luffenham Heath follows extensive investment in the course, which has been extended to 6,550 yards from the new Championship blue tees, with the addition of two new greens, six new tees, plus six new bunkers to catch longer-hitting players. All 70 original bunkers have also been renovated, with extensive upgrading and a new maintenance regime overseen by recently appointed Head Greenkeeper Nick Nottingham, bringing the course’s greens, green surrounds, fairways and tees to the highest professional standards. Club Captain Michael Pring said: “To be awarded Regional Qualifying for the Open Championship is a great honour and underlines the outstanding quality of this historic golf course and the successful implementation of the changes we have made. “The Luffenham Heath has hosted major amateur events in the past and has also welcomed some of the greatest professionals, including five-times Open Champions Harry Vardon and James Braid. Now the course, which has never looked or played better, is ready to be part of the world’s oldest and most important major professional championship, the Open Championship.” Renowned golf course architect Harry Colt, also responsible for Top 100 courses including Wentworth, Sunningdale, Rye and Swinley Forest, designed the Luffenham Heath Golf Club, which opened in 1911. Past captains of the Club include The Prince of Wales (1928), later to become the uncrowned Edward VIII. Golfers from across the Midlands will have the opportunity to play the enhanced course this season as part of the club’s annual Pro-Am on Friday September 3, 2010. For more information and entries, call Club Secretary John Ingleby on tel 01780 720205 or visit: www.luffenhamheath.co.uk MEDIA CONTACTS Gary Firkins Landmark Media International Ltd Mobile 07961 481908 gary@landmark-media.com Steve Carr Gold Flag Golf Ltd Mobile 07941 348728 stevecarr@mashie.co.uk
Write a Review Competition Enter the Top 100 Golf Courses 'write a review competition', and the best 5 reviews will win a fantastic prize We have five amazing prizes to give away in our first 2010 quarterly competition and we’re giving them away because we value your golf course reviews. We value them so much that we’d like to encourage you to post some more. To win one of these amazing prizes (worth around £400 each on average) all you need to do is to post an online course review (click on the "write a review" tab on any of our golf course pages) between 1st January and 31st March 2010. You can post multiple course reviews and they will all be considered but you can only win one of the five prizes. Please remember our simple rules for posting golf course reviews – you MUST have played the course first. Please also ensure you correctly enter your email address, as email is the way we’ll contact each of the five winners. Rankings are key to what we do here at Top 100 Golf Courses therefore the winning course reviewer will have the luxury of first choice from all five prizes. The second placed reviewer will have four prizes from which to choose and so on. Naturally, the 5th placed reviewer will have to settle for whichever prize is left. We'll notify the winners and publish all five winning reviews online during April 2010. The best course reviews, in our opinion, are those that are objective, unbiased and written from the heart. We love to read all course reviews and we’re always thrilled to read course reviews for those courses that have fewer reviews already posted. To give you an idea, here is one of our favourite reviews posted in September 2009: “The Oxfordshire isn’t easy to love. I don’t really think I’d want to be a member here. But who could fail to have fun? It’s a riot, really… This sounds quite contradictory and ill thought out. I guess the bottom line for me is that here’s a course which looks hopelessly artificial, entirely out of place and where the clubhouse and associated ambiance is a grim corporate affair. Yet, this is a course which demands the golfer thinks tactically, which asks him to be honest with himself about what he might achieve and what he can realistically achieve with each shot (and I’m not just talking about the 17th which is, I admit, excellent). Basically, it’s long and tough but if you want to shoot your handicap and take easy options then it can be done. Having said that, I suspect most visitors would want to get their money’s worth and go for it, taking their chances. Quite right too…” The Prizes: Golf for 4 people (mid week) at Cruden Bay Golf for 4 people at Finca Cortesin Golf & overnight stay for 2 people at Hanbury Manor Golf for 4 people at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links Golf for 4 people at Waterville Competition Rules specific to this competition 1. First prize is a choice of one of these prizes, 2nd prize is choice of one of the remaining prizes and so on. 2. If a potential winner cannot be contacted by us within 7 days, the prizes will be given to the next best entrant. 3. There is no cash alternative to any prize. 4. Travel, food, accommodation (except Hanbury Manor accommodation - see below) are not included, and are completely at the winner's expense. 5. The prize will be in the form of a voucher, which will expire on 31st December 2010 (except Hanbury Manor - see below), and will be for a named individual & guests, proof of identity will be required on arrival at the golf course. 6. The Hanbury Manor prize entitles you and a guest to an overnight stay in deluxe accommodation including full English Breakfast at Hanbury Manor and 18 holes of golf per person. Your stay includes complimentary use of the Health Club but excludes treatments. Incidental charges must be settled upon departure. The voucher is Valid until 24th August 2010 and subject to availability. 7. All prizes are subject to availablity of tee times at the individual golf courses. 8. The prizes will be awarded for the best 5 reviews received on Top 100 Golf Courses website until 31st March, the results and winners name will be published on the website soon after. 9. The judge of the best reviews will be the site editor, Keith Baxter. His opinion will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 10. Although only one prize will be allowed per entrant, multiple entries are allowed. General Terms of using the site and entering the competition many be found here
The South West of England occupies a unique position in the nation's golfing landscape. Stretching from the Atlantic-battered tip of Cornwall through Devon's rolling moorlands, Dorset's heathland ridges, the Somerset Levels, the Cotswold escarpment, and the downland of Wiltshire, no other English region offers such dramatic topographical variety across its golf courses. Across six counties and more than 220 clubs, the South West has long been recognised as the second strongest golfing region in England. The latest rankings reflect a broader philosophical shift taking hold across Top 100 Golf Courses' assessments, placing architectural integrity at the heart of every evaluation. Best Golf Courses in South West England The Unchanged Elite St Enodoc Golf Club (Church), Cornwall, holds firm at the summit of the regional rankings, a position it has occupied without interruption since the inaugural South West Top 20 in 2017. Designed by James Braid in 1907, the Church course is widely regarded as the finest links in England outside the Open Championship rota. Saunton Golf Club (East) in Devon maintains second place, its ranking as rock-solid as the Braunton Burrows dune system that shields it from the Atlantic. Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (Championship) holds third, Somerset's great links on the Bristol Channel coast. Best Golf Courses in the South West by County Cornwall supplies the region's undisputed headline act in St Enodoc, alongside two more Top 15 entries in Perranporth and Trevose (Championship). Cornwall and its three Top 15 finishers confirm it as the go-to destination for anyone seeking pure, seaside links golf in the South West. Devon places five courses in the regional Top 15, the most of any county, with Saunton's twin links at second and seventh representing the finest 36 consecutive links holes in England. Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! brings historical gravitas, while East Devon and Yelverton represent the county's inland quality. Dorset contributes four Top 15 entries, clustered in and around Poole. Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown (Old) form one of the finest heathland and coastal trios in English golf, all within a few miles of one another. Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire collectively account for one Top 15 entry — Cleeve Hill in the thirteenth position. Gloucestershire's listings are headlined by the Minchinhampton complex, Somerset offers a cluster of quality parkland and clifftop courses anchored by Burnham & Berrow, and Wiltshire's ranked courses include the fine PGA venue at Bowood and the superb downland layout at Tidworth Garrison. What the Rankings Tell Us The Enduring Primacy of Links Golf Nine of the 15 courses in the regional standings are either true links or coastal heathland layouts, a proportion that speaks to the South West's Atlantic-facing geography. St Enodoc, both Saunton courses, Royal North Devon, Perranporth, Trevose, Burnham & Berrow, and Parkstone are all defined by their coastal character. Dorset's Heathland Cluster The Poole basin, taking in Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown within a five-mile radius, represents one of the most concentrated pockets of heathland quality in England. Willie Park Junior laid out Parkstone in 1909, later redesigned by James Braid. Harry Colt reshaped Broadstone from Tom Dunn's original 1898 layout. Harold Hilton, one of England's finest amateur champions, designed Ferndown's Old course just before the First World War. Three Golden Age architects, three outstanding courses, and a shared landscape of pine, heather, and sandy loam. Minchinhampton and the Gloucestershire Transformation The biggest story in the inland counties is the rise of Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. The club operates three 18-hole courses across two sites — Cherington, Old, and Avening — and all three appear in the current county Top 5. The Minchinhampton (Old) course makes the most notable move in the Gloucestershire standings, climbing several places to third, recognition of a layout that has been quietly improving in esteem. Cleeve Hill's presence is also significant: the common land course near Cheltenham, with its sweeping Malvern Hills views, has long been underappreciated. The Architectural Depth of the South West Beyond the headline names, the South West's collective 87-course ranking reveals genuine depth. In Devon, courses like Teignmouth and Bovey Castle sit firmly inside the county Top 10. In Wiltshire, the double-figure depth of the county chart includes Manor House Golf Club and Tidworth Garrison, two of the more characterful inland layouts in southern England. Planning Your South West England Golf Trip The South West as a region divides naturally into distinct golfing bases, each with a different character. The Cornwall Circuit — Basing yourself in north Cornwall around Rock or Padstow puts you within easy reach of St Enodoc, Trevose, and Perranporth, three courses with entirely distinct personalities that together represent some of the finest links golf in England. Bude & North Cornwall and West Cornwall add further options for a week-long visit, and the peninsula's coastal scenery between rounds is among the most dramatic in the British Isles. North Devon and Exmoor — Saunton's twin links are the centrepiece of any North Devon golf trip. Adding Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! makes a natural and historically rich trilogy. Yelverton to the south gives access to Dartmoor for a change of scene, and East Devon near Budleigh Salterton, a Herbert Fowler and Harry Colt collaboration 400 feet above Lyme Bay, rewards those willing to venture off the well-trodden North Devon circuit. The Dorset Heathland Triangle — Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown can all be played within a single day's drive of central Dorset, making this trio the natural hub of any Dorset golf stay. Isle of Purbeck and Remedy Oak extend the itinerary further east and west, respectively, and the combination of heathland golf with the Jurassic Coast as backdrop is genuinely unique in English golf. The Cotswolds and Wiltshire — Cleeve Hill is the gateway to Gloucestershire's inland riches, and the Minchinhampton complex offers outstanding value for a single-destination stay. In Wiltshire, Bowood and Tidworth Garrison are logical pairings for anyone visiting the county from the Cotswolds or the New Forest. For the complete South West England regional rankings across all six counties, visit the Top 100 Golf Courses South West England page.
