Castletown

The Isle of Man is home to no fewer than eight interesting and varied golf courses. As such, it makes for an excellent golfing destination. Without doubt, the jewel in its crown is the Alister Mackenzie design at Castletown. This beautifully rumpled and in places elevated links is set on the craggy Langness Peninsula, which juts out into the Irish Sea. The headland is exposed on three sides to the sea, which means wind is a constant factor.

There is a very strong pedigree here, with the original holes laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1892. Alister Mackenzie made substantial design changes 20 years later, with further work by Philip

Mackenzie Ross after WWII. Aside from the glorious setting, there are plenty of memorable holes, including Castletown’s very own Road Hole, which has the road and beach to the right and a sea of gorse to the left. There is a particularly dramatic finish, with the closing two testing par 4s each flirting with the rocks and oblivion.