South West England – Best in County Rankings 2023

Welcome to the latest of our regional updates for England as we now move into the more southern parts of the country. Following our recent revision of three counties in the northeast, we now focus on six counties in the southwest, namely Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Over five million people live here in an area extending to over nine thousand square miles, with easily the longest coastline of any English region. More than two hundred clubs are registered with the various local golfing authorities and we feature courses from nearly half those clubs across the six county listings.

Five counties retain the same number one but there’s a new top dog to contend with in Gloucestershire. We’ve also added twenty-five new tracks which now means we profile almost a hundred in this region. If there’s somewhere we’ve overlooked then please let us know – we don’t do “ultimate” or “definitive” lists so please get in touch and we’ll check out any recommendations.

Cornwall

The Church course at St Enodoc Golf Club (pictured above) entered our World Top 100 chart at #87 in 2018 and it’s since risen to #74 in that esteemed global listing – with that in mind, it’ll be no surprise to learn that it’s still our #1 for Cornwall.

A recent reviewer summed up the golfing charms of St Enodoc pretty well when they wrote: “an exceptional course, matched by a lovely clubhouse with great service, in a stunning part of the country.”

Trevose

Only two courses make upward moves in the revised standings and the foremost of these is the Championship course at Trevose Golf Club, advancing one place to the runner-up spot. Tom Mackenzie has completed a renovation project at the club, rejuvenating most of the holes on the layout, and such is the quality of the work undertaken, a reviewer has posted that the rankings of St Enodoc and Trevose should, in their opinion, be switched.

The Harry Colt-designed 18-hole layout at Newquay is the other Cornwall climber, and it also rises by one place to #6.

St Austell

The highest of our six new entries for Cornwall is the course at St Austell Golf Club, arriving at #10. The club was established in 1911 with an 18-hole layout in play three years later. James Braid visited in November 1926 to advise on course improvements but it took more than a decade before his plans were implemented, with the remodelled layout opening on 25th September 1937.

The other new entries for this county are St Mellion (Kernow) at #12, Truro at #13, Looe at #14, Lanhydrock at #15 and Carylon Bay at #16.

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Cornwall.

Devon

The East course at Saunton Golf Club (pictured above) remains our #1 for Devon and it also ranks very highly in both our English national chart (at #24) and our Britain & Ireland chart (at #53). A reviewer from a couple of months ago was impressed, writing: “a spectacular piece of land greets you at Saunton… but don’t let the terrain be what you judge the East on as the layout of the course is spectacular in itself, with hole after hole of golfing splendour!”

Eight courses advance in our new table, with all of them making just a one-place improvement. The highest of these climbers is the West course at Saunton (at #2), swapping places with the old links at Royal North Devon Golf Club. 

Honiton

There are two newcomers to the Devon chart and the leading course is the 18-hole layout at Honiton Golf Club, making its first appearance at #19. The course dates back to when the club was founded in 1896, starting out with nine holes but quickly becoming an 18-hole track, and it occupies a compact property of around 90 acres, with glorious views across the Blackdown Hills.

The other Devon new entry is Ilfracombe at #22.

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Devon.

Dorset

Retaining its status as number one course in Dorset, the short 18-hole heathland layout at Broadstone Golf Club (pictured above) is an old Tom Dunn design from 1898 that Harry Colt remodelled during and just after the Great War. Like Saunton (East) the course is well regarded in both our English (#36) and Britan & Ireland (87) Top 100 charts.

Unfortunately, it’s a little too short to host most elite amateur or professional events but it has staged other important tournaments in the past, including the English Women’s Amateur (three times) and the Women’s Amateur back in 1951.

Knighton Heath

Progressing two spots from #10 to #8, the course at Knighton Heath Golf Club was described in a post a few weeks ago as “great fun and well worth finding the time to play… it may be built in a compact area of just 90 acres but there is little feeling of holes being squeezed in… the clever bunkering is a feature and the mainly flat greens are a dream to putt on.”

Came Down

The first of five new entries for Dorset is the course at Came Down Golf Club at #10. Set out by Tom Dunn in 1896, when the club was called Dorchester Golf Club, the original 9-hole course was extended to eighteen holes by J.H. Taylor before Harry Colt was engaged to redesign the course in the late 1920s.

The other four Dorset new entries are Lyme Regis (at #11), Rushmore (at #12), Meyrick Park (at #13) and Weymouth (at #14).

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Dorset.

Gloucestershire

We have a new #1 for Gloucestershire and it’s the 18-hole Cherington course at Minchinhampton Golf Club (pictured above), where Fred Hawtree laid out eighteen holes in the mid-1970s then his son Martin added another eighteen in 1995. The Cherington and Avening courses utilize a combination of holes from father and son, with a composite course used in the past for Regional Open Qualifying.

Cleeve Hill

The biggest jump in this county re-ranking is made by the course at Cleeve Hill Golf Club (up three to #3) which Old Tom Morris laid out in 1891. Another Tom, architect Tom Doak, had this to say about the course a while back: “here is a chance to appreciate golf as you may never have understood it – an energizing walk over glorious open countryside, with some unique hazards to overcome along the way.”

Lilley Brook

The first of three new Gloucestershire entries in this updated county table is the course at Lilley Brook Golf Club, where Alister MacKenzie fashioned a new 18-hole course for the club shortly after it was established in 1921. For some reason, the layout was remodelled in 1964, so that only nine of the original holes from the Good Doctor are still in play today.

The other two newcomers in this county are Cirencester (at #17) and Henbury (at #18).

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Gloucestershire.

Somerset

The Championship course at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (pictured above) is still our #1 in Somerset. Also ranked #26 in England and #62 in Britain & Ireland, this 18-hole track has been refined down the years by a number of eminent golf course architects, including former members Herbert Fowler and Hugh Alison. Currently, Tom Mackenzie is overseeing a long-term upgrade project on the course.

Minehead & West Somerset

The best upward move in this updated county chart is made by the 18-hole layout at Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club (up two to #8). The course was laid out as a 9-hole affair by Royal North Devon professional John Allan in 1882 before it was expanded to eighteen holes in 1901. Nowadays, it plays to just over 6,200 yards, with par set at 72.

Oake Manor

The first of thee new Somerset chart entries, the course at Oake Manor Golf Club enters at #10, slightly ahead of Mendip Spring (Brinsea) at #12, Burnham & Berrow (Channel) at #13 and Farrington (Duchy) at #14. An early 1990s Adrian Stiff design, Oake Manor features water hazards at half the holes on the scorecard.

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Somerset.

Wiltshire

Retaining the Wiltshire #1 spot that it first captured in 2016, the course at Bowood Estate (pictured above) is an early 1990s Dave Thomas design that is now designated as the PGA Official Golf Course and Academy Course for the South West of England. It can be stretched to just over 7,300 yards from the back tees, where the old Standard Scratch Score is 76 (against a par of 72) so choose your tees very carefully if you decide to tee it up here.

High Post

The course at High Post Golf Club makes the greatest headway in the new Wiltshire standings, shooting four places up the chart to #5. Located on chalk downland, the layout is a J.H. Taylor and F.G. Hawtree production which celebrated a hundred years in operation last year. Many of the original design traits, like grassy hollows and subtly contoured greens, are still very much in evidence here.

Ogbourne Downs

The first of the Wiltshire new entries is the course at Ogbourne Downs Golf Club, arriving at #10. It’s another Taylor/Hawtree co-production that was built when the club moved to its current location in 1929. Initially founded as North Wilts in 1907, the club changed name to Swindon Golf Club before it finally became Ogbourne Downs in 1995.

The other Wiltshire new entries are Upavon (at #12), West Wilts (at #13), Chippenham (at #14) and Marlborough (at #15).

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Wiltshire.

Jim McCann

Editor

Top 100 Golf Courses