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10 best British golf courses Book ahead to play on some of the most famous, challenging and majestically set courses in the UK

Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland

The indisputable, iconic home of golf, St Andrews Old Course is a place of pilgrimage for golfers from around the world. Join the hallowed ranks of pro golfers to play the course that Tiger Woods calls “the ultimate.” One of the world’s oldest courses is joined by 5 other courses at St Andrews links, all open to the public.

Price: £64-130 a round
Web: St Andrews (www.standrews.org.uk/)

Royal West Norfolk, England

Set on the blustery North Norfolk coast and sandwiched between the North Sea and saltmarsh, Royal West Norfolk is wonderfully atmospheric. You walk across the beach to get from the clubhouse to the course and at high tide you’ll be marooned on an island. Look out for high winds and rapidly changing conditions.

Price: From £45 a round
Web: Royal West Norfolk (www.rwngc.org/)

Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland

One of the oldest clubs in Ireland has two courses that cater to all standards. The Championship Links are testing with patches of gorse and heather-rimmed bunkers while the Annesley Links are considerably less intimidating. Both share the same spellbinding view of Dundrum Bay.

Price: £75-180
Web: Royal County Down (www.royalcountydown.org/)


Nefyn Golf Club, Gwynedd, Wales

This gorgeous coastal club has sea views, the Snowdonia mountain range hulking on the horizon and a pub a minute’s walk from the 12th green. Prices are fair and the relaxed atmosphere lets you take your time. And you’ll want to, considering the setting.

Price: From £20-62 a round
Web: Nefyn Golf Club (www.nefyn-golf-club.com/)

The Belfry, Warwickshire, England

Carved out of lush North Warwickshire countryside, The Belfry’s three courses are rightfully considered as some of the best in the world. The PGA National is England’s only PGA course and Brabazon is revered as the spiritual home of the Ryder Cup. If these sound intimidating, there’s always the Derby, a great all round course for every level of ability.

Price: From £40-140 a round
Web: The Belfry (www.thebelfry.co.uk/)

Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England

A classic links course with a strong record of holding pro tournaments. Deceptively bumpy, the course is very challenging. As with all links courses, the wind makes its presence known. The Royal Liverpool also has the largest collection of golf memorabilia outside St Andrews.

Price: From £50 a round
Web: Royal Liverpool Golf Club (www.royal-liverpool-golf.com/)

Royal Birkdale, Southport, England

Known simply as Birkdale until 1951 when King George VI granted the Royal Charter to the club, this is one of England’s top courses. Surrounded by towering sand dunes it demands skillful reading of the greens which are watched over by the splendid art-deco clubhouse. The exhilarating seaside setting adds an extra edge when the wind freshens.

Price: £120-150 a round
Web: Royal Birkdale (www.royalbirkdale.com/)


Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland

Hosting the Open Championship in July, the Ailsa course at Turnberry is a classic. Next to the Firth of Clyde, the course has views of the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran. The 9th hole is backed by the famous lighthouse and from here you can see Robert the Bruce’s ruined castle. Book now to secure a tee after the Open (16-19 July).

Price: £100-210
Web: Turnberry Resort (www.turnberry.co.uk/)

Braid Hills, Edinburgh, Scotland

Braid Hills is a municipal course so won’t be beaten on price. It’s also more relaxed than some of the others on our list. It’s one of the best public courses in Scotland, sitting loftily above Edinburgh with stirring views to the castle and beyond. It’s a tough, hilly course with gorse bushes to trap wandering putts.

Price: £16 a round
Web: Braid Hills (www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/detail-74)

Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England

The Hotchkin course at Woodhall Spa is widely regarded as the best inland course in the UK. Surrounded by pine, and birch trees, the heathland course is a delight to play but tricky. Gorse, heather and deep sand traps make for a challenging round.

Price: £55-80
Web: Woodhall Spa and Golf Club
 

Scotland is home to more than 550 golf courses, the vast majority with names unfamiliar to most visiting American golfers. Intent on playing a wish-list of the most famous, trophy courses during a week or so in the home of golf, most will miss the true treasures of the game -- those unsung heroes that provide perhaps the most genuine Scottish golf experiences of all.

Stray even a few miles from the well-trodden path followed by most visitors and there are golfing wonders to enthrall even the most jaded golf traveler. Many of these courses, together with a sizeable number of more famous names, are participating in VisitScotland's "Drive It Home" promotion and are giving away free rounds of golf this year (see accompanying article) to show overseas visitors just how good they are...and I can assure you, they really are good, just take a look at this brief sampling.

Scotland's Southwest may be famous for its British Open venues at Prestwick, Royal Troon and Turnberry, or for many, the shining star in the golf galaxy that is the southwest, Western Gailes. But these are only the tip of the iceberg that conceals a wealth of other golf riches, too often overlooked.

The tiny island of Islay (population 3,000) is better known for the peaty, single malt whiskies produced by its 7 resident distilleries than for The Machrie, its solitary golf course. But what a wondrous links The Machrie is. Designed by the Scots golf hero, Willie Campbell and opened in 1891, this is good old fashioned links golf at its very best and a real treat for any who relish the opportunity to test their skills against the fickle ways of Mother Nature.

Friendly on the rare occasions when conditions are calm, The Machrie can become a monster when the winds pick-up and the real fun begins. Ranked among Scotland's Top 20 Courses, how this gem that sits just a short 30-minute plane ride from Glasgow Airport, is unknown to so many visitors, remains a Great Scot golf mystery.

Still in the southwest and only a 55-minute car-ferry ride from the mainland, is the small, picturesque Isle of Arran, often referred to as Scotland in miniature. Tourist's come here for the beauty and history of the island, but golfers and especially golf architects come to discover the amazing 12-hole links at Shiskine, a century old masterpiece of golf architecture.

Ignore the fact it's missing half a dozen holes and pit your abilities against a crusty old time classic, filled with blind shots and so many other idiosyncrasies of links golf in its original, pure form -- Shiskine is one for the memory book.

The small county of East Lothian sitting only a half hour's drive from Edinburgh, has played as important a role in golf's history as St. Andrews, yet still manages to escape the attention of many visitors. The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the world's oldest golf club and authors of the original 13 rules of golf, presides over 15-time Open venue, Muirfield. North Berwick's 177 year old West Course, contains two of the most impersonated holes in golf and deserves to be experienced by far more visitors than is the case. And there are many more concentrated in this small area, the three links layouts at Gullane and the not so new, Luffness New Course, a character-filled Old Tom Morris design, among them.

But East Lothian's excellent golf is not limited to only centenarians and there are layouts of far more recent vintage that call out to be played -- a call that should be heeded. Craigielaw may be an unfamiliar name, but this 8 year-old youngster of a links took Scotland's golfing establishment by storm when it first opened to unanimous acclaim that East Lothian had birthed a new star, every bit the equal of its far older neighbors. Craigielaw has matured a lot during the ensuing years and a good thing has become even better, earning this sparkler a permanent position among East Lothian's best.

There's a similar story to be told about the exceptional heathland layout at Whitekirk, with its superb practice facilities, impeccable greens, stunning views and warm visitor welcome. Perhaps it's just as well East Lothian is not flooded with visitors, as that might take from the intimacy and very special feeling of being an honored guest.

St. Andrews and surroundings needs no introduction to any visiting golfer, but with so many super-star courses around, it's almost inevitable that at least a few very special golfing treats, manage to fly under the radar.

Lundin Links is only a 15 minute drive from the heart of St. Andrews, but for some, too inconvenient to drive to. Sadly, this is their loss, Lundin is a good old links that shouldn't be missed by any golfer. The original layout, by a designer unknown, dates from 1868, but some extensive restyling by the great James Braid half a century later, produced a beauty. Complete with a railway track running through the middle this is traditional links golf amid beautiful surroundings and a testy challenge good enough to make it a final qualifier for The British Open.

Drive in the opposite direction from St. Andrews, past Scotscraig, the 13th oldest golf club in the world and a very special links, more than worthy of attention. Proceeding across the Tay Bridge and into Angus, you are now in Carnoustie Country, home to the host of 7 British Opens and an impressive collection of other golfing plums with names less famous, but all calling out to be played.

Sharing the very same windswept coast as Carnoustie, the links at Monifieth shouldn't be resisted, but neither should nearby Panmure, where Ben Hogan refined his links game before winning The Open at Carnoustie in 1953. And only another 15 minutes drive along the shoreline sits glorious Montrose, an austere, and unforgiving classic links in the grand tradition, where golf has been played since the 16th century.

Aberdeen is the gateway to Scotland's whisky country; it's the stepping off point to visit one of the heaviest concentrations of ancient castles in the land and is the center of a select collection of top drawer golf courses. The links at Royal Aberdeen, Murcar and Cruden Bay have become much better known during recent years, but there are also some amazingly good layouts of far lesser fame.

Take a short hour's drive north of Aberdeen and Fraserburgh Links will reward you as few courses can. Parish records show that golf has been played on Fraserburgh Links since 1613 although it took another 158 years before Fraserburgh Golf Club was officially founded in 1771, making it the world's 7th oldest. This is where the Moray Firth and the North Sea converge, creating a unique microclimate where Mother Nature becomes even more cantankerous than usual. Be prepared for a bumpy ride around Fraserburgh's substantial sand dunes and an experience reminiscent of how golf must have been more than a century ago. Take time to recover in the clubhouse after your round -- it's one of the most welcoming you'll ever find.

If you are looking to sample the wares at a few whisky distilleries, to discover the dramatic beauty of the Highlands, or explore an ancient castle or two, make it a full day excursion and include a round on the delightful moorland layout at Ballater. It's only 45 minutes inland from Aberdeen, but takes you into another world and proves there's far more to Scottish golf than links alone.

The Scottish Highlands are as inspiring as the name implies and although top ranked Royal Dornoch and Nairn will no doubt be at the top of your must-play list, experiencing one or two of the hidden gems of these parts should be no less of a priority. There are plenty of them and if you have any appreciation for whisky, this is where it partners with golf, better than anywhere.

Play the links jewel called Brora, where sheep still graze the fairways and the Clynelish Distillery will be a short stroll from the clubhouse. There's a magnificent, but under-utilized, Old Tom Morris layout that combines links and heathland holes into a magical golf cocktail in the charming Royal Burgh of Tain and the Glenmorangie Distillery is on the door-step.

If you are still keen to experience more whisky and golf, include a round on Old Moray at Lossiemouth, another Old Tom Morris design dating from 1889 and all 40 plus distilleries of Speyside will be within easy striking distance. This is where some of the most prestigious names in whisky make their home - The Macallan, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glen Elgin, Glenfarclas, Dalwhinnie and Strathisla, is just the beginning.

Scotland's inventory of courses is huge, it's of a consistently high quality and most are names still unfamiliar to the majority of overseas visitors. It takes no real effort to include at least a sampling of a few of these gems into any Scottish golf trip - it's something that will bring an entirely new and very intriguing dimension to your overall Scottish golf experience.

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