The ranking took into account both quality and value in determining the order. It has been designed to reward quality of course and value for money on an equal basis. Read the full criteria and article.
Golf Empire founder, Ed Battye, was a member of the four man panel that drew up the list which can be seen in full below. Ed has played 98 of the 100 and for most of the venues you can read his personal golf course review.
"In my eyes Silloth is a golf course that has the ability to transcend your typical ‘championship links’. It has charm, character, intrigue and an identity all of its own but at the same time presents the truest, and quite often, stiffest of challenges to the golfer. It's an inspirational golf course with an endless collection of brilliant golf holes."
"If you’re in Fife and looking for a game away from the links then Ladybank would be as good a choice as anywhere. In fact few courses away from the coast in Scotland can better what is on offer at this mature and well-conditioned private-members venue. The course is a very consistent heathland layout that requires accuracy."
"St. Enodoc Golf Club, sitting proudly above the affluent village of Rock on the North Cornish coast, is a much revered and cherished place to play golf. It is held in extremely high regard by a number of notable golfing personnel, institutions and publications."
"Playing at The Machrihanish Golf Club is perhaps not as romantic a prospect as it was several years ago. None-the-less it’s a fabulous golfing experience. Located close to the bottom tip of the Kintyre Peninsula near Campbeltown its remoteness, and therefore its magical appeal, is not as obvious as it perhaps was decades ago."
"Pennard is one of those fantastic links golf courses that has a little bit of everything. Its remote and rugged location on the Gower Peninsula mixes strategy and quirkiness to good effect and boasts a handful of truly excellent holes. The high cliff-top setting also provides some of the best views you're likely to see from a golf course."
"Royal Worlington & Newmarket at Mildenhall is a golf course that I have wanted to visit for a long time. Much has been written about this charismatic club over the years since it’s foundation in 1893. It has received high acclaim from many respected sources but likewise has had its detractors too."
"If anyone dare claim there is a better 36 holes of links golf at one golf club in England than at Saunton I'm pretty sure I could make an unquestionable case for this wonderful piece of linksland. One of the things that confirms this for me is, not only the quality of every single hole, but the subtle yet significant differences between the two courses."
"It was an impulsive, crazy… and some would say utterly ridiculous… decision that took me to The Machrie in the Spring of 2018. Having entered an open competition at Gleneagles, near Perth, on Saturday 13th April a friend and I had debated at great length about where to stop off ‘on route’ from West Yorkshire for a game of golf on the Friday. "
"Ganton, located in the Vale of Pickering between York and Scarborough, is rightly regarded as one of the UK’s very best inland golf courses with an extremely rich history and a strong sense of tradition. Along with Royal Birkdale and Muirfield these are the only clubs to have staged the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup."
"With around 3,000 golf clubs in the UK it’s inevitable that courses will get bracketed by style and character. Whether it be parkland, heathland or links it’s usually quite easy to compare one similar type of course to another. Not at Boat of Garten! This is one of the most unique golf courses I have ever played. "
"We’d already driven for over six hours and covered more than 350 miles before boarding a ferry in Oban sailing to Lochboisdale. The Lord of the Isles took a further five and a half hours before it eventually docked a little after seven that evening. We were tired and hungry, in need of food and sleep."
"I've been raving about the golf course at Hollinwell to anybody who would listen for the last 20 years since I first played it. Back then Notts appeared little known outside the Midlands save for those who were in the know. That day I played for the first time I knew I had stumbled upon something extra special."
"Sherwood Forest is a superb heathland golf course that is played over an amazing isolated property which reveals its full beauty through holes seven to 14, both visually and playing wise. The other holes aren’t bad either though and many a first time visitor will be surprised at just how good the quality of golf on offer is at this Nottinghamshire great."
"Delamere Forest must go down as the biggest surprise of the year for me, and a very pleasant one at that. Living less than an hour and half away from this Cheshire course I had heard it was impressive but it wasn’t until October this year that I got to experience just how good it actually is."
"Alwoodley Golf Club is undoubtedly one of Great Britain & Ireland’s leading lights when it comes to inland golf. Very few courses can surpass the debut work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie as a golf course architect in terms of quality, playability, strategy and ultimately as a true test of golf."
"If you like your links golf a little bit on the extreme side (I do) then you will love Perranporth. It not only has a ‘wow’ factor, it has several of them! It’s crazy, it’s radical, it’s wild, it’s raw, it’s eccentric, it’s indulgent, it’s fun, it’s frenzied, it’s frantic, it’s quirky and it’s exhilarating. Above all else… it’s a truly amazing golfing experience."
"My round at Aberdovey was played in possibly the worst weather conditions that this golf course reviewer has ever experienced on a golf course. Persistent rain from daybreak and a forecast that showed it was set in for the day meant it certainly wasn’t a morning for playing golf."
"There’s very little that hasn’t been written about the golfing mecca that is St. Andrews. Golfers (and indeed non-golfers) flock to this corner of Fife from all over the World to savour the delights of the ‘Grey Auld Toun’ and for most it is mainly to play, or at least see and walk, The Old Course; the spiritual home of golf and where it all began for our beloved game."
"Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, often referred to as Brancaster, is a course that time has forgotten about. And it’s much the better for that. It’s an atmospheric old fashioned links, laid out on a thin parcel of land, close to the North Sea where the 18 holes are wedged between the sandy beach on one side and acres of marshland on the other."
"Before I even begin to tell you how good this golf course is I want to let you know just how perfect the entire set-up at West Sussex is. The golf course is almost perfect. West Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs, is quite simply a wonderful place and a magnificent location to golf."
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