HOLES LOTTA LOVE
Golfing writer Nic Brook reveals his scorecard of the finest golf courses in Britain to add to your putt-it list
Now golf has emerged from lockdown restrictions, clubs up and down the country will be hoping visitors might boost their local economies.
Today Nic Brook hacks his way around Great Britain, choosing his personal “bucket list” of courses.
Some are famous, others less so, most are at the seaside – but even if many major tournaments are unable to take place, all are worth a tee-time trip for amateurs...
1 Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Kent
The club was set to host the 149th Open Championship last month before being stymied by coronavirus, with the organisers, the R&A, postponing it for a year.
It’s been my favourite venue ever since I first walked the links in 1985, a week before landing my first job in golf journalism. Like all Open venues, it is dear to play, but is the most enjoyable on the rota – a links course that usually won’t beat you up. The rolling dunes are epic. Visitor green fees per round from £160. royalstgeorges.com
2 Aldeburgh, Suffolk
A tremendous heathland course beside the lovely coastal town on the Suffolk coast. Aldeburgh lies very close to the Adnams brewery, so the clubhouse provides the finest beer to compliment the fine lunch at the end of your labours. Two balls only, so play is brisk and no-nonsense. From £65. aldeburghgolfclub.co.uk
3 Royal West Norfolk, Brancaster
Ever since the geography teacher told our third-year class about “the only inland tidal bunker in the world” on the 8th, I’ve wanted to play Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast. It doesn’t disappoint, especially when the tide starts to rise. All of a sudden some fairways and greens become islands, while the clubhouse can be cut off from the village. From £70. rwngc.org
4 Ganton, North Yorkshire
Inland and further north is one of our best heathland courses. Ganton has hosted the Ryder Cup, Curtis Cup, Walker Cup and the Amateur Championship three times. South Africa’s Gary Player once declared it the only inland course worthy of hosting the Open. Play when the gorse is in blossom, but try to stay out of it. From £60. gantongolfclub.com
5 North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
It’s hard to pass Muirfield, just a few miles along the coast and a whole host of magnificent tracks close to Edinburgh, but North Berwick has such a lovely feel. Golf has been played here on the edge of the Firth of Forth since the 17th century.
The sea comes into play on six holes but isn’t the only obstacle to avoid. Stone walls have to be negotiated on this charming, but challenging test. From £100. northberwickgolfclub.com
6 New Course, St Andrews, Fife
Every golfing pilgrim should play St Andrews Old at least once in their life, but they should also ensure their visit to the “Home of Golf ” includes a round on at least one other of the auld grey toon’s lovely courses.
The New course is a challenging layout, arguably tougher than the Old. St Andrews is also all about atmosphere. The royal burgh has a charm all its own. I defy you not to fall in love with the place. From £40. standrews. com
7 Blairgowrie, Perthshire
The Rosemount course at the Blairgowrie club in the heart of Perthshire is one of the finest inland 18 holes imaginable. Laid out after the First World War by Dr Alister Mackenzie (who went on to design Cypress Point and Augusta National), it was later refined by five-times Open Champion James Braid. The fairways meander through heather, pine and silver birch. From £25. theblairgowriegolfclub.co.uk
8 Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire
The east coast of Scotland hosts some tremendous golfing destinations. Aberdeenshire is home to Royal Aberdeen, Murcar Links, Newmachar, all worthy of accolades. But Cruden Bay has always appealed, ever since I saw iconic LNER posters advertising the resort and its course. The links look stunning. One day... From £145. crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk
9 Prestwick, Ayrshire
The west of Scotland has a tremendous stretch of courses along 40 miles of the Ayrshire coastline. Open venues Royal Troon and Trump Turnberry grab the headlines, but Western Gailes, Glasgow Gailes, Barassie and Dundonald are also superb.
My favourite is Prestwick. The club inaugurated The Open Championship in 1860, hosting it 23 times.
Some regard the links here as too quirky and old-fashioned, but I love the character of this most historic of courses. From £125. prestwickgc.co.uk
10 Hillside, Southport, Merseyside
A lovely golf coast similar to Ayrshire is found north of Liverpool, with a series
of great links built as the city suburbs expanded in the late 19th century. It’s unfair to single out a course as they are all good – perfect for a North West tour, especially as every clubhouse is within a wedge shot of a railway station.
Open venue Royal Birkdale is superb, with its neighbour Hillside equally worth a visit. The course has a slow start before one of the world’s finest back nines weaving through the dunes. From £85. hillside-golfclub.co.uk
11 Southerness, Dumfries
This lovely layout epitomises the spirit of the game played in communities across Scotland. Founded in 1946, the club is modern by Scottish standards, yet looks like it has been here for ever.
The flat course meanders along the Solway Firth, affording fabulous views of the Dumfries & Galloway hills, as well as the Lake District fells to the south. Perfect, quiet holiday escape. From £40. southernessgolfclub.com
12 Silloth on Solway, Cumbria
Just across the Solway Firth resides another isolated, and often overlooked, classic. Silloth, rather like Prestwick, is delightfully non-conformist in layout, with blind drives and hidden greens making this rollercoaster amid the gorse a thrilling challenge. It also boasts some of the most competitive green fee deals anywhere, with two midweek rounds, lunch and dinner available for just £87. Awesome. From £35. sillothgolfclub.co.uk
13 Royal Lytham & St Annes, Lancashire
This Lancashire beauty holds many personal memories as I’ve watched amateur greats playing here in the Lytham Trophy, as well as each one of the Opens played here since Tony Jacklin’s win in 1969.
Hidden amid red-brick suburbia, it doesn’t feel like a seaside course – until the breeze gets up. Then it can change from benign to brutal in an instant. From £150. royallytham.org
14 Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, Wirral
The friendliest club on The Open rosta – you’re embraced like a member during your visit. Steeped in tradition, the club has not been afraid to embrace change, recently building a totally new short 15th hole.
It measures only 134 yards, but is visually stunning, playing into the prevailing wind. It’ll be either an easy par, or a card-wrecker. From £115. royal-liverpool-golf.com
15 Nefyn & District, Gwynedd
Golf in Wales is the best value in Britain. Gwynedd has a good few, notably Royal St David’s at Harlech, and Aberdovey. Nefyn is a must though – cliff-top golf at its finest. Nine holes edge out into the Irish Sea on a huge rocky outcrop above the National Trust village and beach of Porthdinllaen. From £26. nefyn-golf-club.co.uk
16 Pennard, Gower
Pennard is a magnificent seaside course a few miles west of Swansea, on the Gower Peninsula. Unlike other coastal tracks, “the links in the sky” pitches on undulating hummocks and dunes 200ft above sea level looking out towards Three Cliffs Bay. Clubhouse and catering are heavenly. From £40. pennardgolfclub.com
17 St Enodoc, Cornwall
Regarded by many as the West Country’s finest links, the Church course at St Enodoc is a testing challenge. Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman was a club member and is buried in the graveyard beside the 10th hole.
Look out for his poem “Seaside Golf ” in the clubhouse, but also the parody: “How low it flew, how left it flew, It hit the dry-stone wall/ And plunging, disappeared from view/ A shining brand new ball...”
From £95. st-enodoc.co.uk
18 Royal Blackheath, London
As a student I had a conversation with Keith Mackenzie, the then Secretary at the R&A, and asked him where he suggested playing golf in London. He said this was it. The South East London club is the oldest outside Scotland, and in recent years the course has been modernised. Find time to have a tour of the museum after your round. From £95. royalblackheath.com