Pretty as a picture
Rob Smith takes a tour round some of the most strikingly beautiful holes in our Top 100, whether glorious par 3s or stirring longer tests
Aglance at the criteria for evaluating our finest courses reveals that, while visual beauty is an important constituent, it is not quite so influential as others. Its value – both for individual holes and the views around it and beyond the course – counts for 15 per cent. Many golfers from a purely personal perspective would perhaps increase its weight. One of golf’s great debates is whether you would rather play a good course in a wonderful location, or a strategically excellent design in a less attractive setting. Regardless, the integrity of the Top 100 criteria has stood the test of time and rightly reflects that we all like different things.
So, what makes a beautiful golf hole? While this is naturally in the eye of the beholder, it is probably a combination of two things when it comes to golf holes. One is simply its physical appearance rather than whether or not it is technically a great design – the strategy, precise placement of bunkers or water, green site and immediate surroundings aren’t so important. In simple terms, it is a golf hole that a non-golfer might admire.
The second factor is the complete opposite. It is just how well designed and pleasing the hole is from a playing perspective. The good news is that there are countless holes that more than satisfy both visual and cerebral desires in the Golf Monthly Top 100.
Par 3s
Short holes perhaps come most readily to mind when we think of beautiful golf holes because they are a complete entity that can be instantly captured in one breathtaking moment as you step onto the tee. The 5th on the New course at Sunningdale, the new 11th on the Ailsa at Turnberry and the downhill 13th at Hollinwell are just three where, despite your desire to get on with things and try to hit the green, you also want to wait a while to soak it all in.
Let’s not forget that there are also thousands of delightful par 3s all over the UK&I at less celebrated courses that are just waiting to be discovered.
The awe-inspiring approach to the 1st green in the towering dunes at Doonbeg
Par 4s
The most obvious beauty of a par 4 is in the inspirational view waiting for you on the tee. More often than not it will involve elevation, as this reveals more of the hole and excites the golfer.
Three such holes in the Top 100 are: the 2nd at Trevose, with a desert of sand and the sea as a stunning backdrop; the 14th at Trump International Scotland, where you peer down a corridor of magnificent, grassy dunes; and the 14th at Tandridge, which is played from way up high into a valley before crossing a ditch and climbing to a beautifully sited, well-protected green. All three have gorgeous, inviting and very photogenic views for the drive.
Par 5s
The opening hole at Trump Doonbeg is a brilliant example of a hole whose beauty you can enjoy from the clubhouse, which acts as a real siren
call to get out and play. There’s a lone fairway bunker on the right, then a welcoming party of seven more up by the amphitheatre green in the towering dunes. This makes for as compelling an opening hole as any.
The benefit of some par 5s in terms of beauty is that occasionally you get the triple whammy of a wow-factor drive, an intriguing second and a lovely approach. One such example is the closing hole at Adare Manor. From the tee, the river protects the left for as
far as the eye can see, with bunkers waiting for anything too long and right. The approach asks whether you cross the river now or later, and the green itself is beautifully positioned in front of the manor. Great beauty all the way.
The physical and architectural beauty in our Top 100 is enormous, and looking through the galleries in the more detailed reports on the Golf Monthly website will reveal that there isn’t a course where great beauty in one form or another doesn’t exist.
25 St George’s Hill (Red & Blue) GF: £240
Step back a century to the very best golf course design, and St George’s Hill near Weybridge is right up there with Swinley Forest and the two Sunningdales. It’s a perfect example of Golden Age golf course architecture. What sets Harry Colt’s course apart are its gentle but still significant elevation changes. These add greatly to the visual appeal as well as asking questions of your club selection. If you had to point to a signature hole, the par-3 8th is an absolute star in a very strong cast. Scenic, majestic and testing, this exquisite one-shotter plays over a valley of heather and sand.
GM verdict: Everything here is premier league, from the undulating pine-clad holes to the very distinctive clubhouse.
24 The Golf Course At Adare Manor GF: €300-€380 plus caddie fee
In 2015, 20 years after Adare Manor opened, Tom Fazio was engaged to fully reinvigorate the original Robert Trent Jones Senior design. As this was already pretty good, he kept the same routing while effectively rebuilding every tee, bunker, green and water feature. Every blade of grass was replaced. Today’s course has been described as the most Augusta-like experience in Europe, and its staging of the 2027 Ryder Cup is eagerly anticipated. In its 15th, 16th and 18th holes you have as spectacular and memorable a par 4, par 3 and par 5 as you’ll find just about anywhere.
GM verdict: A sumptuous and brilliantly conditioned parkland course full of drama and variety.
23 Ballybunion (Old) GF: €300
Ballybunion justifiably enjoys a worldwide reputation for its imperious setting on Ireland’s wild west coast. The club dates back to 1893, and following a very enjoyable limbering up over the opening six holes, the Old course shifts into overdrive as you reach the rugged cliffs at the 7th. From then on, you work your way though spectacular dunes where it is all too easy to be distracted by the visual feast that awaits. Golfing legend Tom Watson has been singing its praises for more than 40 years and even served as the club’s captain in 2000. Named after the great man, the 11th is a superb par 4 that slaloms its way along the shoreline.
GM verdict: A superb links examination blessed with some of the most exhilarating dunes in golf.
22 Waterville GF: €300 (off-season rates on application)
Although golf was played here in Kerry a long time ago, it petered out until new owners took over in the 1960s. The links opened in 1973, so has its 50th birthday this year, with Tom Fazio involved in improvement works in recent years. It is almost completely surrounded by water, but with wonderful views of the nearby mountains, too. The opening two holes lead down to the shore before the next two hug the edge of the dunes and beach. Great closing stretches always leave you wanting more, and Waterville delivers here, as you head back to the shoreline at the 15th for a thrilling finish. GM verdict: A supreme links test in a remote and quite heavenly setting that is always a joy to experience.
21 Royal Porthcawl GF: £145-£195
There’s a special feeling as you drive out of town towards Rest Bay and catch your first glimpse of the Porthcawl clubhouse. The terrain slopes gently up and away from the shore, so one of the very best things is the sea views from every hole. The start is pretty tough as you hug the beach over a challenging opening trio. You then turn back for the long par-3 4th, with its brand new tee complex, where a vast undulating green adds to the test. There are so many good holes, with the short but extensively bunkered 7th living proof that even the shortest of par 3s can more than hold its own.
GM verdict: A splendid links from beginning to end and one of the best clubhouse views anywhere.
20 Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart Golf Links) GF: £210-£405
Now part of the impressive Cabot portfolio, Castle Stuart Golf Links is one of the most spectacular modern courses to have been created this century. The work of entrepreneurial golf designer Mark Parsinen and renowned course architect Gil Hanse, the layout played host to three consecutive Scottish Opens between 2011 and 2013 and then again in 2016. Set over an incredible stretch of coastline, the links is incredibly natural. Hanse and Parsinen utilised what nature provided and tweaked it subtly to produce a course that is ostensibly simple, yet far more complex when closely examined. GM verdict: Although still relatively young, there’s a sense of permanence to be enjoyed on the Castle Stuart fairways.