Gaining Permission!

A special guest blog from Tim Gallant.

Tim manages to get more golf trips in than pretty much anyone I know. Here he gives some tips on how he manages to negotiate so much time away from his beloved wife. Read and learn!!

Golf trips can bring such joy. But careful planning is required!

You’re sitting around with your friends after a round at your local course, and soon the discussion turns to golf trips. Before you know it, you’ve hatched a plan for a week-long golf break full of sunshine, banter and maybe even a bucket-list course or two.

You select a date, and vow to get down to planning as soon as you’re back home. But at that moment, you suddenly remember one very important barrier: getting permission from your partner!

And it’s at this hurdle that many well-laid plans have died like roses without a drink of water in the Sahara; slowly withering away into a feeble non-existence.

Lucky for you, we’ve been in this situation more times than we can count, and have a few pieces of advice when trying to get a free pass from your nearest and dearest.

Be Johnny Appleseed
The key to getting the green light for any golf trip is to start planting the seeds early and getting approval so far in advance that there’s plenty of time for everyone to get on-board. Starting 12 months or more in advance can really help the sell-in process. Start with something like -

‘Dave and I were just talking about how much fun it would be for the two of us to head to California for a friend’s golf trip sometime in the future.’

Leave the date TBC at the moment (even if you’ve already circled the dates, checked flight prices and searched the local courses). When your partner quite rightly fires back that it is a crazy idea, just say things like ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen tomorrow. We were thinking in a year or two’.

This will go a LONG way into getting that trip off the ground, and is step-1 in the process.

Use points up QUICKLY
My friend Coleman likes to say ‘Points expire fast!’. What we mean is the points you build up for being Mother of the Year or Husband of the Month. When you are in the good books, that is the time to circle back to that idea you planted a few months prior.

 ‘You know, I was thinking about that California golf trip again. Dave says the flight deals are incredible right now.’

This is when you start the conversation about the nitty-gritty. How long you’ll be away from home, how much it will cost and who’s going. When this situation arises, it’s best to act like the hero.

Be the hero of the group
Any good sales person will tell you that you never start with what you actually want. No, you need to start high and work down. When your partner asks how long you want to go for, this is when you need to be the responsible hero. Exhibit A:

‘Well, Dave wanted to go for 10 days, but I said that’s crazy. I think we could probably do it in eight days. Maybe seven at a stretch, but I really don’t want to be away from home for more than a week’.

You might have had one week in your head all along, but psychologically making your partner think that you have whittled it down will go a long way into getting the thumbs-up. 

Don’t overextend
I’ve seen it a thousand times (and done it a few) where you over-reach and end up with nadda. Make sure you are realistic with your ask. If you’re planning a holiday with your family in Melbourne and want to golf - be realistic. You may want to play ten courses in the Sand Belt area, but realistically ask if you can do one or two morning rounds before the kids are awake. This is a bit of YOU time that is well deserved. Just don’t expect 5 x 36 hole days while the family think ‘Why are we even on family holiday together?’. That can get you put in the dog house real quick.

Throwing in a bucket list course on a golf trip will definitely help put a smile on your face

Think 4 shots ahead
Remember, the first trip will lay the foundation for all others. If your budget balloons and you play so much golf that you come back home a zombie, then your partner is less likely to sign-off on the next trip. You want everything to be effortless and for it to seem like you weren’t even gone!

To this point, be considerate in the lead-up and aftermath of a golf trip. Remember, you are LUCKY to be having a weekend/week/day golfing, so be sure to help with the things you might not normally do to let your partner know how much you appreciate them.

The above should keep most golfers in good steer and remember, batting .500 in this game is great. You may get a few trips knocked back, and that’s ok. Over the course of the years, you’ll still end up seeing some pretty great places.

There is one EXPERT move, which I have held for dire situations. This should only be reserved for those most solid of partnerships, where you know that, no matter what, forgiveness is on the horizon. I call this:

The Double-down
So let’s say your Johnny Appleseed didn’t go according to plan and your partner has effectively nixed your ideas for a golf weekend with your friends. You are still desperate to go, but know only a Hail Mary will likely save your chances of making this a ‘go’ operation. That’s when you reach for The Double-down.

For this move, you have to wait until your partner is on the verge of picking a fight with you. Just as things hang on a knife edge, you bring up the golf trip (the worst possible moment, thus doubling down on the amount of heat you’re about to get!), sending your partner into full fight mode. But you stay calm and don’t lose your cool! After things have blown over, your partner will (hopefully) realise that they overreacted to the mention of the golf trip, when they were really upset about something else. This is where you need to play the victim! Start by saying how you and Dave hadn’t seen each other much the last few years and you thought it might be a nice bonding trip, but apologise for even bringing it up. Don’t even mention the golf. And then, in your partner’s guilt, they will be forced to relent in order to save face.  

Try not to gloat though - play it cool and wait a bit before booking the trip (like 15 minutes).

I hope the above helps in securing that golf trip you’ve always dreamed of taking. While things like cost, time and logistics can prove challenging to overcome, in my experience, the gatekeeper for most of my trips comes in the form of a feisty Italian who would rather stab herself with a pencil than hear about any of my golfing trip plans :)

One final pearl of wisdom
If your partner says ‘Do whatever you want’, then my friend, accept defeat and pick up another battle down the line. Going on a golf trip when your partner has uttered these words is a death sentence. The next fight you have, you will be blown over by a tornado of accusations that will leave you floored like Ricky Hatton after a fight with Money Mayweather. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

Thousand Greens - a peer network for private golf

Retiring and spending your time playing some of the best courses in the world sounds like a great idea doesn’t it? Certainly Manish Goel thought so when he decided it was time to end the 9-5 rat-race and spend more time on the golf course.

But he found there was one problem with this plan – in the US it’s pretty hard to get access to many of the greatest courses. Manish explains, ‘I immediately went to the "lists", and to my dismay, realized that most of the courses were private and my personal network didn't extend to them. As I dug into the path of playing these clubs I felt that all the options were either unattractive, expensive, or required inordinate effort’.

Thousand Greens creator Manish Goel

For those of us in the rest of the world this is a problem we rarely face. Of the 43 world's top-100 courses that are in the US, 33 are not open to visitor play. Of the 60 courses in the rest of the world, only 7 are impossible to play without a member. 

Manish wasn’t to be deterred though, and Thousand Greens was born. The idea is disarmingly simple – create a community of golfers who are members at private clubs and willing to invite others to play with them, offering a way in to clubs that may otherwise be impossible to access.

The kernel of the idea came from Manish’s own experience. He says, ‘As a member at a northern Californian private golf club I had occasionally hosted referrals through friends or colleagues and had never had a bad experience. Golfers who belong to similar style clubs, and are willing to travel and play with other people, tend to share a certain easy-going nature, and a pleasant personality’.

The last few years have shown that people are willing to let strangers into their homes through AirBnB or jump into a strangers' cars with Uber, but would they be willing to have someone join them for a round of golf at their club?!

The answer is an emphatic yes. Manish has been delighted with the uptake, ‘I initially harassed all my golfing buddies to join. The idea has continued to spread through word of mouth, and we just crossed the 1,000 member milestone. We have 1070 members from 750 clubs from 15 countries around the world in the network, and are adding 1-2 new members a day.’

When you register on the site, your club is tiered according to its ranking. You are given three credits when you join and you earn a credit when you host someone and spend one when you are a guest.

Ranking the courses is probably the most difficult part of the experience to manage, but it is important. Manish explains, ‘There is the inherent asymmetry of desirability and demand. We needed to ensure that the members from the highly desirable clubs did not get inundated and get scared off'. In order to manage that, the rules state that you can only ask for a game at a course of the same or lower ranking to your own, unless the host has opened invites to all.

Manish is also keen to point out that this needs to work for the clubs as well and not be perceived by them as a threat. ‘The model needed to fit within the country club culture and ethos, and hence was designed strictly as an introduction mechanism without any commercial benefit to me, the host or the guest - just two golfers from similarly attractive clubs getting introduced to each other and agreeing to play together.’

It seems to be working. About 1 in 3 requests are being matched and 1 or 2 games are taking place every day with new connections being made all the time. 

The standard of courses on the site is very high, with many of the world’s top 100 courses represented. Remember those 33 courses in the USA you couldn't play unless you were with a member? Well 19 of them have members on the Thousand Greens network. 

However, it is not just for the uber-high end. Even if you don’t have access, through your status, to one of the very top courses, it's a great way to meet new people when you are travelling anywhere in the world and fancy a game. Even if the course you want to play is one you could play as a visitor, playing with a member brings a new perspective to a course, and normally a cheaper green fee too! 

I have been a member of Thousand Greens for a few months and have hosted 3 people at my club now. One of the great side benefits is that I now have connections at three great courses - Mid-Ocean, Walton Heath and Woodhall Spa - and look forward to visiting them for a return match at some time. It’s a great way to make new friends and build new golfing relationships.

Manish is quite rightly delighted with the progress to date, ‘This has exceeded my wildest expectations. It started as a crazy idea over a glass of wine, and now we have a 1000+ strong community of like-minded golfers who are all exchanging rounds and building friendships.The spirit of camaraderie that exists in this community is such a special vibe. In a zen like way, it makes my world a happier place. I feel fortunate’.

It really is a great initiative and I would encourage you to consider signing up at www.thousandgreens.com.  Manish may not have got the quiet retirement he was looking for, but the service he is providing to the golfers of the world through Thousand Greens is very welcome!

Golf in Surrey and the surrounding heathlands

The 18th Green, with stands going up, at Walton Heath

The British Masters has been a great boon for British (well, English) golf – returning to old favourites and helping us discover new courses. This week, the event goes to Walton Heath. Hopefully this will inspire more people to discover the great courses in this region. So often we Brits organise trips to foreign parts, forgetting we have some of the very best courses in the world on our doorstop. I finally put that right last month when I visited Surrey for a few days. The area makes for a great trip.

THE COURSES

The good news is that you can get access to most of the courses you would want to play on a trip to the Surrey/London area. Wentworth, Queenwood and The Wisley are notable exceptions but, if truth be told, these are not the strongest courses anyway.

If you are looking to focus on the highest ranked courses in the world then your picks should be Sunningdale Old (30th in the world), Sunningdale New (46), Swinley Forest (49), St George’s Hill (57), West Sussex (83) and Walton Heath Old (94). However, if you want to venture beyond that list, then you could add Berkshire, Woking, Worplesdon, New Zealand without really dropping the quality much.

I have written reviews of the courses I have played in the area, including some things to consider when planning your trip. If you want the full review, click on the link to reveal all.

Walton Heath
Walton Heath is a name inextricably linked with heathland golf. It was a perfectly pleasant course and, as the round went on, got better and better. But I would struggle to rank it in quite the same league as some of the others we played on the trip.

The first few holes didn’t do much for me. The par 3 1st hole may be the least inspiring opener of any top course I have played. Four of the next five were fairly long, tight holes as we headed towards the ever-louder M25. But, from the reachable par 5 8th, it really picked up with some lovely holes coming in.

And then it blossomed, bloomed and didn’t fade. The holes got more interesting - a few doglegs, well placed bunkers, more imaginative placing of heather. There was a lovely mix of short par 5s (from the members’ tees at least), strong par 3s and clever par 4s. The course had come into its own and became a real delight to play.

I would recommend playing this at the beginning of your trip. We played it last, and while a really good track it didn’t quite hit the (ridiculously high) heights of some of the others we saw.

You can play the course all year around, 7 days a week (although understandably there are some times reserved for members). Unlike the other courses, I could only book a tee-time a couple of months out which provided a logistical challenge when planning the trip.

Walton Heath has some great bunkering, and a great back 9

West Sussex
West Sussex is about an hour away from the other courses, but well worth the trip. This is real old school. They didn’t particularly want visitors, (you wont be able to tee it up as a fourball) and I have never seen as many naked octagenerians in one room as I did here (and I’ve seen a few)! However, the welcome was warm and the course was lovely.

Of the courses we played I would say that this was the tightest, the heather was more in play here than anywhere else on our trip and my score would definitely benefit from a repeat playing. But this is a course you will remember fondly.

Tim, the pro of over 30 years, told us that he describes the course as a ‘long short course’ and that made a lot of a sense after we played it. It is a par 68 but even from the yellow tees, at 5,961 yards, it is a real challenge with only 1 par 5 and and some long par 4s. The run of three par 3s in 4 holes on the front 9 is both a novelty and a delight!

There is plenty to keep you entertained on the way round - superb bunkering with gorgeous sand to hit out from, and challenging greens with everything from punchbowls to false fronts to take on.

So I would really encourage you to make a visit to West Sussex if you’re in the area. Is it really a world top 100 golf course? For some it will be, for some not. But it would be hard for anyone not to enjoy it.

Green fees, from £80, are available for 2 or 3 balls, seven days a week throughout the year.

West Sussex is wonderfully bunkered all the way round

Sunningdale – Old and New
With 2 courses in the world’s top 50 it has been said that Sunningdale has the best 36 holes of golf on one property you will find anywhere. I am delighted to say that those rankings are completely justified.

The New Course is the tougher challenge – I would recommend playing it first to give you an easier walk in the afternoon on the Old Course. The New plays through more open moorland than the Old, with some sweeping vistas.

Although the course is tough, it is playable from the tee as long as you choose an appropriate set for your ability. There are some carries required, but, from the yellow tees, if you can get the ball out 200 yards, you should be OK. And while there is plenty of heather to gobble up errant shots, it doesn’t come into play on every fairway and sometimes is a good distance back from the fairway line. 

The front 9 on the New Course is particularly wonderful - the 4th, 5th and 6th a real highlight. The 5th is a great Colt par 3, with carry over heather and a vast bunker to a two-tier green with trouble all around. 

There is plenty to think about from the tees at Sunningdale New

Some rank the New Course higher than that Old but, for me, the Old Course took things up another notch. The course winds its ways through the trees and we barely saw another soul all the way round - it became an almost spiritual experience. Swinley Forest and Morfontaine would be the only two to give this course a run for its money as my favourite inland course.

This is a course you can score on. There are short par 4s and 5s and often there’s no need to take a driver off the tee - finding the fairways with something shorter will probably help you score.

The course looked fantastic when we played. The heather eyebrows on the bunkers and the cross-bunkering on several holes were real highlights. The colours of the trees contrasting with the fairway and heather offer a visual feast. There is quite a lot of elevation change, with tees and fairways swooping down towards greens. All round, it’s just a magical place.

The green fees here are steep for sure. It’s £350 for 36 holes in the summer and access is only on selected weekdays, but you will never forget playing here. From the breakfast in the Critchley room to the sausage roll at the halfway house, the memories keep coming!

The 18th at the Old Course plays to the famous clubhouse

Swinley Forest
I have saved the best for last. Mike Clayton put it very well when he said recently when picking his favourite courses, ‘It’s beautiful, masterfully built by Colt and one of the game’s great treats. And it’s the ultimate proof there is no need to make golf difficult to make it great.’

Until recently, a tee time at Swinley Forest was a thing of myth and legend, but a new Secretary has meant that it is now possible for a visitor to get a tee time. An email is all that is needed and, like everywhere else we visited, the welcome was warm. There are certainly a few foibles - we weren’t allowed to see the hallowed toilets inside the main property for example! – but they can be easily forgiven.

This is a par 69 course - 5,900 yards from the white tees - but it doesn’t feel a short course to play, or a long short course like West Sussex. It is just right!

As Clayton says, it is really. The magnificent pines are almost always in view but they sit well back from the holes and act more as a backdrop than hazard. There is plenty of heather but, again, from the tee, it doesn’t impinge too much. There are few carries to worry the average golfer. Sunningdale New this is not. 

The par 3s here are wonderful, often cited as the best set in the UK, but the course has far more than that to love about it. If you can play only one inland course in the whole of Europe - make it this one!

Swinley Forest is a must-play in the area

 WHERE TO STAY

If you are looking to minimize travel then Bagshot would be a good place to base yourself. There is a perfectly serviceable Premier Inn there or the more glamorous PennyHill Park nearby. You are close to Swinley Forest and Sunningdale, with Walton Heath and St George’s Hill within 45 minutes drive.

If you are looking for a little more nightlife, then Woking or Guildford may be a better bet, but you will be doing a little more travelling to the courses. 

WHEN TO GO

Trying to second guess the English weather isn’t an easy challenge. We went in September and had pretty good weather. If I were pick the ‘safest’ time, I would go for June or July. These are usually the warmest and driest months, though nothing is ever certain. The courses had all suffered through the drought this year which meant that we probably didn’t see them at their best, but that is a relatively rare problem! 

However, if you are willing to take a bit more of a risk with the weather you will be rewarded with cheaper green fees. The trip we did cost £850 for the five green fees, the same trip in November would have been closer to £550.

I’m definitely going to be making a return trip before too long. St George’s Hill and Woking were two big misses on our trip and there are plenty of others to add in. And I couldn’t drive past Swinley Forest without teeing it up there again!

Chris Solomon's Favourite Golf Courses

Golf media has undergone a revolution in the last few years. While newspapers have shed golf correspondents and magazine circulations dwindled, new channels have emerged for engaging an audience. Nothing epitomizes this more than the rise of No Laying Up. What started as a Twitter account and a blog has now become one of the most influential voices in golf. Players are happy to spend hours talking to them on podcasts, tournament organisers woo them to cover their events and the biggest corporates want them to promote their products.

They have achieved this success, not just with good quality ‘banter’ (shudder) but by having an intelligent, articulate and thoughtful outlook on the game, presented in an entertaining way. At the start, some of the traditional media treated them with some cynicism, but there is now a real respect for what they have achieved.

Their coverage of golf course architecture and golf holidays has been a real highlight in the last couple of years. Whether you like the YouTube series on their Australian trip, the write-ups of a trip to the north of England or the regular check-ins with the world’s best architects, there is plenty to get stuck into.

Anyway, enough love. I am delighted to say that one of the founders, Soly, has shared his ten favourite courses for this series. Soly is a 1 handicap golfer who in recent years has played many of the world’s best courses – sometimes alongside some of the world’s best players. Thanks a lot Chris for taking the time to do this and the fantastic work with No Laying Up!

ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
It's the most fun you can have on a course for so many reasons. Ignoring all of the history (somehow), it's the most enjoyable strategic exercise I've ever experienced in golf.
UK Golf Guy Review

TARA ITI
Golf's ultimate paradise. The sum of its parts equals the best overall golf experience I've ever had. It's probably Doak's best work, and it's idyllic setting makes it feel like you're playing golf on the Truman Show.
No Laying Up Article, Planet Golf, Golf Club Atlas

ROYAL DORNOCH
As close to a perfect golf course as you can get. The course feels pretty remote, and once you get away from the clubhouse, you're shut off from the rest of the world. Pure turf, tremendous shot values, and everything you could want in a golf experience.
UK Golf Guy Review, top100golfcourses.com, telegraph.co.uk, Graylyn Loomis,

NORTH BERWICK
The back nine is as enjoyable as any nine holes of golf anywhere on the planet. 12-18 are near perfection, and it's a place you could play every single day and never get bored.
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf  

SHOREACRES
The best firm and fast experience I've had in the US. It may be viewed as Chicago Golf Club's little brother, but it's more fun, and it changed the way I view golf courses. Golf is so much more fun when the ball rolls, and besides links courses, I've never seen the ball roll like it did at Shoreacres.
Golf Club Atlas, Fried Egg

ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
So pure. So challenging. It breaks a ton of "rules" but that's what makes it special. Not only will you need every club in your bag, you might use them all before you make the turn.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Digest Feature

ROYAL MELBOURNE
A masterpiece. The scale is tremendous, the run up areas are specially maintained to be firm to promote run-up approach shots. The bunkers are cut straight into the greens, and the course is brilliantly routed around one enormous ridge.
UK Golf Guy Review, No Laying Up Tourist Sauce, Shackelford Golf Channel Analysis

PINEHURST NO 2
Probably my favorite course to play in the States. It's such a great test off the tee, yet it's not the end of the world when you miss fairways. Everything here comes down to your ability to hit the ball in the middle of the green, and the approach shots are as fun as you can get.
Golf Digest, YouTube Flyover

WEST LANCASHIRE
This is the course that probably belongs on this list the least, but it's my list and I don't give a damn. I've played it twice and I've walked off so curious as to why it doesn't rank higher. It's not too special of a design, but it's such a simple links, and impossible not to enjoy. 
West Lancs, Youtube guide

BANDON DUNES
Not the most heralded of the Bandon bunch, but it's always been my favorite. I can't seem to master it, and every time I try to pin my ears back and attack it, I get bitten. The reveal on the 4th hole and seeing it for the first time with my Dad is a golf memory that won't ever be washed away with time. 
Graylyn Loomis, Plugged-in Golf, Golf Advisor

BONUS - WHISTLING ROCK
Not the most amazing golf course in the world, but the most insane golf experience I think I've had. $40 million dollar clubhouse, serene setting in the mountains in Korea, not a blade of grass out of place, and a really fun layout that uses the landscape brilliantly. 
Whistling Rock, TGJ Podcast

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

St Andrews - The Old Course

Tara Iti

Picture - No Laying Up

Royal Dornoch

Picture - royaldornoch.com/

North Berwick (West Course)

Shoreacres

Picture - Geoff Shackelford

Royal County Down

Picture - www.royalcountydown.org/

Royal Melbourne

Picture - royalmelbourne.com.au/

Pinehurst No 2

Picture - www.pinehurst.com/

West Lancashire Golf Club

Picture - www.westlancashiregolf.co.uk

Bandon Dunes

Picture - www.bandondunesgolf.com/

Whistling Rock

Picture - www.whistlingrockcc.com

Jim Herman's Favourite Golf Courses

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been really delighted with the response to my posts about people’s favourite golf courses. In that time, a few notable figures in the world of golf have reached out to me to share their lists. Many thanks to Jim Herman for sending me his.

Jim is Cincinnati born and bred and reached the PGA Tour via an assistant pro role at Trump National Bedminster and the web.com tour. His career highlight, so far, has been his 2016 win at the Shell Houston Open.

Jim really loves the game and has an interest in playing the world’s greatest courses, not just those that the pros play week-in and week-out. You can hear his love for great courses come through on these podcasts from The Fried Egg and the Scottish Golf Podcast and you can follow him on twitter @gohermie. Over to Jim:

These are the courses that I enjoy playing the most, not the ones I necessarily think are “the best”. I don’t consider myself an expert, but more of a consumer of golf courses. If I read about a course that looks interesting, or see a picture of something that catches my eye, I try to go see it. It could be anything from a Palm Beach par 3 with my wife, to the latest Coore and Crenshaw.

I’m very fortunate to have played lots of Midwest courses when I grew up, then all the great New York and New Jersey courses while I was a club pro, and now I’ve had 13 years of touring golf all over the world. If I’m in the UK it’s normally sweater weather, and I’ll be walking with a push cart down the fairway with my friends and, the chances are, I’m loving it!

I just love everything about golf. I always have, and I guess I always will. So far I’ve probably played about half of the world’s special courses, and I hope to eventually get to every last one.

MERION GOLF CLUB
Merion has the best mix of holes on such an intimate property. Great history, and most important the membership bends over backwards to make you feel comfortable.
UK Golf Guy Review, NY Times, Philly.com

CARNOUSTIE GOLF LINKS
My favorite courses are much much harder than a typical amateur’s favorites. But I believe there is ‘good hard’ and ‘bad hard’, and Carnoustie is my first choice for good hard!
UK Golf Guy Review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS
My favorite stop on tour. I laugh when people say it’s an average course if you take away 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17 & 18.
UK Golf Guy Review, Monterey Herald History, Youtube - Tiger Wood 2000

CAMARGO CLUB
My first exposure to what a great golf course was. The best value in golf is the 36 hole Am qualifier at Camargo. Every high school golfer in Cincinnati should be caddying there.
Top 100 Golf Courses, Top 100 Blogspot

OMAHA COUNTRY CLUB
This is my hidden gem, or at least I don’t hear it talked about. I’ve played it a few times and think it deserves more praise.
Omaha Country Club, Golf Course Gurus

FORMBY GOLF CLUB
A little of Merion to it. Course unfolds in parts. But it’s all good. I wish I could’ve seen the holes down by the water.
Formby Golf Course, National Club Golfer

BETHPAGE (BLACK)
Another example of ‘good hard’. It’s not perfectly presented right now, but for the rounds of play it gets, and being open to all, its a heck of a deal.
Top 100 Golf Courses, Golf World Youtube Video

TRUMP NATIONAL (OLD COURSE) - BEDMINSTER
I know, I know, I used to be on the payroll. Ignore the politics, ignore everything. What’s on the ground today is a legit good golf course.
Trump National Bedminster, Phil Sokol

VICTORIA GOLF CLUB
I haven’t played Royal Melbourne yet, so I’ll go with this as my favorite Sandbelt. Hard to go wrong in that neighborhood. (Hoping to see more of Oz next year if anybody wants to host!).
UK Golf Guy Review, Victoria Golf Club, Geoff Shackelford

PRESTWICK AND ROYAL TROON
I’ll call it a tie between Prestwick and Troon. They are the best 36 hole day in golf. Some will say Shinny and National, and those are great as well. But I’d be happy all day, everyday trying to plot my way around Ayrshire
Golf Club Atlas feature, Planet Golf Prestwick, Planet Golf Troon, UK Golf Guy Troon Review

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

Merion Golf Club

Picture - www.meriongolfclub.com

Carnoustie Golf Links

Picture - www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Pebble Beach Links

Picture - www.pebblebeach.com

Omaha Country Club

Picture - www.omahacc.org

Formby Golf Club

Picture - www.formbygolfclub.co.uk

Bethpage (Black)

Picture - parks.ny.gov

Trump National (Old Course) Bedminster

Picture - www.trumpnationalbedminster.com

Victoria Golf Club

Picture - www.victoriagolf.com.au/

Prestwick Golf Club

Picture - www.prestwickgc.co.uk

Royal Troon

Tom Doak's Favourite Golf Courses

Next up in my Favourite Courses series is Tom Doak. Tom is considered one of the true greats of modern golf course architecture. Five of the top fifty courses in the World have been designed by Tom - Pacific Dunes (18), Tara Iti (28), Barnbougle Dunes (36), Cape Kidnappers (43) and Ballyneal (45) - and he has many other great courses to his name.

Tom is not scared to state an opinion and his Confidential Guide is often said to be the ultimate guide to the world’s golf courses. The 5th edition of the series is about to be published, covering Asia, Australia and New Zealand - essential reading for anyone planning a trip to those parts.

When I asked Tom to give me his Top 10 Favourite courses he made a good point. He said that is was kind of silly to try to pick 10 from the 1,500+ courses he has seen. But the good news is he did it anyway! Here they are:

ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
Duh.
UK Golf Guy Review

NORTH BERWICK - WEST LINKS
Left off many lists of great courses because it's not challenging enough for great players. Not a problem for me!
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

PRESTWICK
The original home of The Open fell off the rota in 1925 because it is too short and too cramped for large galleries, but the thrilling nature of the golf holes has never been in question.
Golf Club Atlas feature, Planet Golf

ST ENODOC GOLF CLUB
Lesser known links in the west of England, features stone walls as hazards, beautiful views of Daymer Bay, an ancient stone church inside the course, and the biggest bunker I've ever seen.
St Enodoc Website, Golf Empire, Golf Club Atlas

NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
The first great course in America, built by C.B. Macdonald as a homage to the great Links of the UK.
UK Golf Guy Review, NGLA website, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article

CYPRESS POINT
The most beautiful piece of land devoted to golf.
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100

HIMALAYAN GC, POKHARA, NEPAL
Set in a deep river canyon at the base of the Himalayas, with the 27,000 foot peak of Annapurna looming on the horizon.
Himalayan Golf Course Website, Skratch Video

ROYAL MELBOURNE
The ideal golf course that Augusta claims to be - perfect, tight playing surfaces, plenty of room for the member to get around, zero water hazards, yet a course that makes great players grind.
UK Golf Guy Review, No Laying Up Tourist Sauce, Shackleford Golf Channel Analysis

BARNBOUGLE DUNES
A true Links, roamed by wallabies and wombats, with some of the best short par-4 holes in the world.
UK Golf Guy Review, Top 100 golf courses, Golf Club Atlas Review, Planet Golf Review

ROCK CREEK CATTLE COMPANY, DEER LODGE, MONTANA
Laid out over a 40,000 acre Montana ranch, the long loop of holes features mountain vistas, a rushing trout stream, elk, buffalo, and great golf.
Rock Creek Website, The Walking Golfer

A big thanks to Tom for taking the time to do this. You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

St Andrews - The Old Course

North Berwick - West Links

Prestwick

St Enodoc Golf Club

Picture - www.st-enodoc.co.uk

NGLA

Cypress Point

Picture - Geoff Shackelford

Himalayan GC

Picture - www.himalayangolfcourse.com

Royal Melbourne Golf Course

Picture - royalmelbourne.com.au

Barnbougle Dunes

Picture - barnbougle.com.au/

Rock Creek Cattle Company

Picture - www.rockcreekcattlecompany.com/golf

Bernard Gallacher's Favourite Golf Courses

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Ryder Cup week and, to celebrate, I’m delighted to introduce Bernard Gallacher’s ten favourite golf courses.

Bernard will be forever associated with the Ryder Cup. He played in eight and captained the European team on three occasions - culminating in 1995 with what was only the second victory for a European Team on American soil.

Bernard also had a long and successful playing career on the European Tour and was the professional at Wentworth for 25 years. He is a frequent golf broadcaster and commentator and is a much respected voice in the game.

Here are his choices:

I’ve been lucky enough to play at some iconic golf courses in my life and choosing the top 10 is no easy task. Some of these hold incredibly sentimental value to me and have helped shape my career. They offer a great mix of stunning scenery, great design and challenging holes. Here are my top 10 golf courses…

 1. ST ANDREWS - OLD COURSE
The whole town of St Andrews eats, lives and breathes golf. When you play the course, you have a surreal feeling that time has stood still and you are playing the same course Old Tom Morris created all those years ago.
UK Golf Guy Review

2. MUIRFIELD
Muirfield is universally acknowledged as one of the finest seaside courses in the world and rightly so. I have a particular affection for this course, as it was where I won the inaugural Scottish Stroke Play Championships in 1967, aged just 17.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis

3. ROYAL BIRKDALE
This is a tough, quintessential links course situated on the golden links of the North West coast. I played my first Ryder Cup here in 1969 when I witnessed one of the sport’s finest and most enduring gestures. Jack Nicklaus conceded a short par putt to Tony Jacklin on the last green of the final match, which meant the match was drawn for the first time in the history of the competition. It was an iconic moment which summed up what a gentleman Jack is.
UK Golf Guy Review, Fine Golf

4. ROYAL CINQUE PORTS - DEAL
This is a course I play regularly to this day. On a breezy day, the bumpy fairways and fast greens offer a tough challenge for even the most accomplished golfer.
UK Golf Guy Review, Top 100

5. ROYAL PORTRUSH
Royal Portrush has been neglected as an Open venue since Max Faulkner, my former teacher and mentor, won The Open there in 1951. This Harry Colt-designed course will host next year’s Open and is already a sell-out, such is its popularity.
UK Golf Guy Review, Royal Portrush Website

6. WENTWORTH WEST
Wentworth will always hold a special place in my heart, as I was head professional there for a quarter of a century. The extensive modernising changes to the course in recent years means it is one of the finest inland courses in the world. Every hole offers a difficult challenge and Wentworth West is a worthy home for the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship tournament of the European Tour.
UK Golf Guy Review, Course Flyover

7. CARNOUSTIE
In my opinion, Carnoustie is the toughest course on the Open rota. It’s the only Open Championship course which finishes with water, and where there’s water involved, this becomes a mental barrier for players, as we saw with Jean van de Velde in 1999.
UK Golf Guy Review, van de Velde at Carnoustie

8. SUNNINGDALE - OLD COURSE
Sunningdale is a course I am privileged to play often, as I live nearby. A true heathland course which is comprised of ball-catching heather, pine trees and fast greens, Sunningdale is the perfect golfing venue. Playing there is one of the most pleasant experiences you can have as a golfer.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Club Atlas

9. ROYAL LYTHAM AND ST ANNES
Paradoxically, this a seaside course, but you can't actually see the sea! Royal Lytham and St Anne’s is a difficult, heavily bunkered course that has hosted many Opens, top amateur events and women’s major championships. I played there in the 1977 Ryder Cup and memorably (for me anyway!) I defeated Jack Nicklaus in the singles. I got off to a flying start – I was four up after four holes and then I just hung on! It was nervy to say the least.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Empire

10. WEST LANCASHIRE
West Lancashire is a hidden gem. I played an Open qualifier there in the 80's and thought it was one of the best seaside courses I have ever played. No architect takes credit for this wonderful layout because it has naturally evolved over time, but it stands out for me. The members are also very friendly, which is another reason to play there.
West Lancs, Youtube guide

St Andrews - The Old Course

Muirfield

Royal Birkdale

Royal Cinque Ports - Deal

Royal Portrush

Wentworth (West Course)

Carnoustie Golf Links

Picture - www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Sunningdale - Old Course

Royal Lythan and St Annes

Picture - www.royallytham.org

West Lancashire Golf Club

Picture - www.westlancashiregolf.co.uk

Bernard Gallacher represents Golf Care, a specialist golf insurance provider which covers golfers against common incidents such as injury, equipment theft and property damage. A big thanks to Bernard for taking the time to share his insights.

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

Zac Blair's Favourite Golf Courses

I’m delighted to introduce Zac Blair’s 10 favourite courses. Zac is one of the go-to players on the PGA Tour for anyone who wants to discuss golf course architecture. He has a real curiosity about what makes a great golf course and spends a lot of time experiencing courses not on the Tour. Zac can often be found on Twitter asking for advice on other great courses to see during the week of a tournament. He will also give his honest opinion of a course - a refreshing change in a world when media training and corporate blandness is so often the norm.

However, Zac is not content with just playing the best courses in the world, he wants to design one too. He has a bold vision to create a homage to the golden age of golf architecture at his planned Buck Club in Utah.

NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
It’s just the funnest course in the world that I’ve ever played. Anyone can go out and have a great time, you could play with a 15 handicap, 8 handicap, scratch player and professional and everyone’s going to have a good time.
UK Golf Guy Review, NGLA website, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article

ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
...because of the transition from hole to hole and the strategy involved.
UK Golf Guy Review

KAHUKU
It’s basically the roots of the game. It’s not in amazing shape but it is literally just pure golf.
Golf.com article, Kahuku website

PINE VALLEY
...because it’s the best collection of holes on 1 actual course (non composite).
Golf Digest Flyover, Golf Club Atlas

CHICAGO GOLF CLUB
In my opinion Chicago has the best set of greens of anywhere I have ever played. It also has some great template holes.
Fried Egg, Chicagology

FISHERS ISLAND
Fishers has some of the best par 4s (3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12) in the world in a beautiful setting that’s remained pretty intact. Is has amazing use of the land, and it’s also pretty amazing that there are only 1 or 2 fairway bunkers on the course. Raynor let the wind be a factor.

LA COUNTRY CLUB
LACC was my first real look at what a real golf course was with great topography, and awesome routing and great variety.
LA Country Club, Golf World Walker Cup Preview

SOMERSET HILLS
A place that is just extremely fun. Not the most difficult by any means but you could play it every day and be just fine!
Links Magazine, Geekedongolf

ROYAL MELBOURNE
The composite could probably rival Pine Valley for the best collection of holes. It has everything from scale, width, great variety to awesome one shot holes and still plays the way it was meant to play.
UK Golf Guy Review, No Laying Up Tourist Sauce, Shackleford Golf Channel Analysis

SAN FRANCISCO GOLF CLUB
A great every day course. The green complexes are some of the best I’ve played - proper width, tons of options and you immediately want to go back to the first tee. I would love to see it firm and fast. That stretch from 10 - 15 is all world (I’m shocked when I hear people say the course is just OK). I really think San Francisco is in the conversation of places I’d want to play if I could only choose one course forever.
Fried Egg, Links Magazine

These were Zac’s Top 10 but he really wanted to add something about the one that just missed out!

10a - CYPRESS POINT
It’s an extremely sporty course that gives you a ton of holes to to score on - if you do the right things and stay in position. As soon as you’re out of position though the course becomes quite difficult. 15 - 17 get most of the spotlight but the other holes are as every bit as good... yes even 18!
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100

Thanks a lot to Zac for sharing his list. I suspect there are not many PGA Tour players who would respond to an unsolicited Twitter DM within a minute and put the thought and time into doing this. Hugely appreciated and good luck with the Buck Club!

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

NGLA

St Andrews - Old Course

Kahuku Golf Course

Picture - honolulu.gov/des/golf/kahuku.html

Pine Valley

Picture - Tim Gallant

Chicago Country Club

Picture - www.chicagogolf.com

Fishers Island

Picture - www.fishersislandclub.com

LACC

Picture - thelacc.org

Somerset Hills

Picture - somersetcc.org

Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Picture - www.golfvic.org.au

San Francisco Golf Club

Picture - GolfDigest.com

Cypress Point

Picture - Geoff Shackelford

Tim Gallant's Favourite Golf Courses

An American living in Scotland, Tim Gallant seems to play more of the world’s very best courses than pretty much anyone else I know!

At North Berwick, he is a gracious host to visitors from around the world and he is a great guy to play with - his natural interest in golf course architecture and all things golf shines through! Tim is a great follow on Twitter (@tdgallant) and is a regular contributor on the Golf Club Atlas website. He is a 10 handicap golfer and brings a really interesting perspective to my Favourite Courses series.

NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
I love the course for its architecture, the scenery for its tranquility and the clubhouse for its history. A winning combination!
UK Golf Guy Review, NGLA website, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article

PINE VALLEY
Every hole is a joy to discover. Not only tee to green, but the putting surfaces themselves are sublime. It is like no other course I have ever seen and it has one of the best sets of 3 par and 4 par holes that I have played.
Golf Digest Flyover, Golf Club Atlas

MUIRFIELD
Simply put, Muirfield is flawless. And think about this: whether you start on the front or back, the challenge is almost identical: Tough 4, short 4, tricky 4, par 3, half par hole, tough 4, par 3, half par hole, great closer.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis

LA COUNTRY CLUB
There are a ton of half-par holes, chances for glory and chances for recovery. And more than any other course, LA gets it right with conditioning.
LA Country Club, Golf World Walker Cup Preview

ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
Strategic golf is great golf, but sometimes I prefer heroic golf. One that asks the player to hit the do or die shot and doesn’t apologise for insisting. That’s why I love Newcastle.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Digest Feature

NORTH BERWICK (WEST LINKS)
A home pick and one I am proud to make. 
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB
It may be the toughest course in the world, but that’s not why I love it. Oakmont is great to me because it has a variety that few will give it credit for, and has internal contours on the greens that are the best I’ve ever seen.
Oakmont, Graylyn Loomis

MERION
The routing is fantastic. Every hole is unique and I can’t think of a better end to a course than the challenge of 16 - 18. Stylistically, the course suits my eye, and I love the hairy bunker edges.
NY Times, Philly.com

MYOPIA HUNT
If I absolutely had to pick one course to play for the rest of my life, this one may be it. As a ten handicap, it is perfectly suited to my game. Chances for birdies and chances for a no return!
Top 100 Golf blog, Geekedongolf, Planet Golf

SOMERSET HILLS
My favourite Tillinghast design that I have played, and maybe my favourite course around the golf rich New York City.
Links Magazine, Geekedongolf

Choosing only 10 is hard and I’d like to give honorable mentions to those courses which just missed out, next for me are Sunningdale (Old), Prestwick and Crystal Downs.

Thanks Tim for putting this list together. Your membership at North Berwick will make you the envy of many who read this, and your comments about Muirfield’s front and back 9 really got me thinking.

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

National Golf Links of America

Pine Valley

Picture - Tim Gallant

Muirfield

LA Country Club

Picture - thelacc.org

Royal County Down

Picture - royalcountydown.org

North Berwick (West Links)

Oakmont Country Club

Picture - oakmont-countryclub.org

Merion Golf Club

Picture - meriongolfclub.com

Somerset Hills

Picture - somersetcc.org

Geoff Shackelford's Favourite Golf Courses

Geoff Shackelford is a prolific golf commentator and one of the most important voices in the game today. He has many strings to his bow - website host, architecture buff, podcast presenter, TV talking head, golf course architect, author extraordinaire.

What I have love about Shackelford is that he comes from a place of absolute authenticity and communicates passionately what he believes is best for the game. He cares about the state of the game, and protecting its future, and that shines through in his work. However he does this with a lightness of touch and a sense of humour that means he never comes across as pious.

Enough fawning? Over to Geoff!

My three principles for a favorite golf course are: can I remember every hole after playing it, do I want to play the course every day, and is it a great place to take a dog for a walk? Those three principles speak to many elements: routing, walkability, atmosphere, intimate scale, beauty, attitude and design ingeniousness. Ultimately, it’s all about fun factor and here are the places I could never grow tired of walking, playing, studying and savoring -

ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
The contours, the magical turf, the setting, the strategy, the history: it’s a marvel every time I’ve been blessed to see it or play the Old Course at St. Andrews. While the iconic holes provide the Instagram moments, it’s the shots you play elsewhere that provide the most thrills. Some gorse removal and return of more battered and broken down bunkers would be nice. As would seeing good players once again playing the Road as it was at its best.  
UK Golf Guy Review

PRESTWICK
If a course could be as cinematic as the Old Course, this is the one in different ways. If the Old Course is The Godfather, this is Citizen Kane. Kind of crazy and funny and surreal, but still brilliant fun to play and study. It’s the perfect size and acreage for a golf course with no dull moments, despite the claims of many that the “new” portions don’t come close to measuring up to the old parts. Over the course of 18 holes you need a bit of everything and Prestwick provides all of the joys imaginable. And such a welcoming staff and membership at such a historic club never hurts.
Golf Club Atlas feature, Planet Golf

NORTH BERWICK (WEST LINKS)
The best collection of holes and the perfect place to play every day. The transformation of this from “too quirky” to “so amazing” over the last 20 years may be the best thing that’s happened in golf architecture. The course I’d most want to play every day. I still haven’t a clue how the Redan spawned what it has, but I suspect like many longer Redan offshoots it was a better hole when the ball went a lot shorter and the hole played almost like a par-3 1/2.  
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

ROYAL DORNOCH
Possibly the most accessible links because of the views afforded of scenery and the opportunity to reflect on holes you’ve played or will play. Something about getting above the course after the sixth gives many a better understanding that they might not grasp on more traditional out-and-back links. The holes themselves are all so fun to play. Late evening golf here, playing firm, is as satisfying as the sport can get.
top100golfcourses.com, telegraph.co.uk, Graylyn Loomis, UK Golf Guy Review

CRUDEN BAY
You set out on a voyage of discovery and find nothing but pleasurable golf holes, scenery and intrigue. There is no possible way anyone could tire of playing here. I’m so happy more and more people are making the trip here and are consistently blown away. Recent improvements to the 9th hole have also shut up critics pointing to the lone uninspired hole. 
Golf Club Atlas, Cruden Bay Website

SOMERSET HILLS
Perfect scale, unusual setting and you’d never grow tired of this one, either. This is A.W. Tillinghast at his zaniest and the club has always taken care of what they have. Also, the late Frank Hannigan would kill me if this wasn’t on my list.
Playing the Top 100 blog, Frank Hannigan Portrait 

CYPRESS POINT
Design perfection - the 18th is still a strange ending even with MacKenzie and Hunter’s fairway bunkers recently restored. Every hole has character even without the surrounds. The experience has always been perfect, from the staff appreciating how lucky they are to be there, to the simple clubhouse, pro shop and locker room, to the maintenance. Believe it or not, I don’t think the architects get enough credit for how they managed the design creation and execution here. It was trickier than most would think, yet when you play it, the entire thing seems so effortlessly created.    
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100 

SHOREACRES
My favorite Raynor and one of my favorite places in the game. Another fine example that golf on mostly dead-flat ground with a few dramatic moments thrown in, can give you all the excitement you need. The greens here are so wonderfully bizarre and like with Raynor’s Westhampton, another recently restored masterpiece, you could just hit chip shots for fun all day around most of the greens and find yourself inspired. Superintendent Brian Palmer’s attention to the playing details adds to the prestige and enchanting vibe here.
Golf Club Atlas, Fried Egg

MORFONTAINE (VALLIERE)
Even with a couple of changes needing to be fixed, as close to a perfect nine for fun, architectural intrigue and beauty. If the game had more of these, it would be a lot more popular. Short, quirky, natural and downright dreamy. And you can do it all in a leisurely 80 minutes. 
Geoffshackleford.com, Planet Golf

MUSSELBURGH LINKS, THE OLD COURSE
This combines my affinity for golf, golf history, horse racing and 9-hole fun. I’m always happy playing golf here. The lack of concern for this place over the years by the Honourable Company is confounding. The place that gave them their start, has been under siege many times and just needs a little love. Musselburgh should be a living museum to the early days of the game. It still very much is, but this should be a shrine every golfer insists on visiting to say hello to the ghosts of early golf, early club making and to see what a perfect 9-hole community course could look like. 
Musselburgh Old Links

A huge thanks to Geoff for taking the time to put his list together with so much thought - the observations here are really spot on. You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

St Andrews - The Old Course

Prestwick Golf Club

Picture - www.prestwickgc.co.uk

North Berwick (West Links)

Royal Dornoch

Picture - royaldornoch.com

Cruden Bay Golf Club

Picture - www.crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk

Somerset Hills Country Club

Picture - www.somersetcc.org

Cypress Point

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

Shoreacres

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

Morfontaine (Vallieres)

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

Musselburgh Links, The Old Course

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

Pat Goss's Favourite Golf Courses

Pat Goss is the Director of Golf and Player Development at Northwestern University and coach to, among others, ex-world number 1 Luke Donald.

I met Pat a few years ago, when he and Luke collaborated with the writers of Freakonomics to look at applying behavioural psychology to help the average golfer score better. I was delighted to be one of those average golfers, although my handicap is up 1.2 since the experiment! Pat has a contagious enthusiasm for the game which shines through. Over to him:

For me to do this list is a bit of an embarrassment. To grow up playing municipal facilities around Crystal Lake, IL and end up doing a list of favorite golf courses you’ve played while leaving off Pine Valley, Seminole and Augusta seems unbelievable. The game has been incredibly good to me! There are plenty of great courses I haven’t played and look forward to seeing, but based on what I’ve been fortunate enough to play here goes...

1. CYPRESS POINT
Everything about this experience is incredible. 17-mile drive, the Pacific Ocean, and Monterey are all sense heightening. When I first played Cypress Point I expected the whole day would be playing a great course, but you’d basically be waiting to get to 15 through 17.  However, that wasn’t the case. I’ve never played a course that played out in multiple different scenes and built anticipation like Cypress. Playing down 1 you see the ocean and the anticipation begins, and then you play an incredible set of holes through pines that makes you feel like you’re in North Carolina or at a Heathland Course. Then, on 7 you turn the corner to play an amazing set of holes through dunes that gives you a lot of options and risk/reward. Then, you play some really strong golf holes, 11-14, that head you out to the beckoning ocean. You finally arrive and finish the most spectacular scene in golf as you play 15-17. Truly an incredible experience and great day.
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100

2. NORTH BERWICK GOLF CLUB
Absolute pure enjoyment to play. The quirkiness is fun and includes multiple stone walls, and as someone who loves the history of architecture, to play what’s credited as the original Redan hole is really cool.  It was also enjoyable and interesting to play a completely different version of the Biarritz than we see in the US.  I knew the North Berwick version of the Biarritz was a good challenge when my caddy, who is a good player himself, told me from a wedge distance that my only chance to hit it on the green was to run a 6-iron. I love that stuff. I’m also a sucker for any place that has a kids course and a charming town.
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

3. LAHINCH GOLF CLUB
I loved everything about the experience and couldn’t have been more excited to play two original Old Tom Morris designed holes. Who doesn’t love a partially blind par-3! Again, fun, quirky and charming - a hospitable place.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis

4. ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB
After a long day of coaching at Castle Stuart, I drove up and arrived after 6 pm, teeing off at 6:30 with one of the professionals from the shop.  We had the course to ourselves and finished just before dark.  Playing until 10 pm on a beautiful Scottish summer evening was part of the charm.
top100golfcourses.com, telegraph.co.uk, Graylyn Loomis. UK Golf Guy Review

5. SHINNECOCK HILLS
One trend you’ll catch on my list is that hard isn’t necessarily fun, in my book.  However, Shinnecock is the exception to that, which probably further shows what an amazing place it is.  First, to sit on the porch at the clubhouse with the expanse of the course below you, seeing nearly every hole, really gets you excited for the day. It may be the best and strongest test of golf I’ve played.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Monthly History

6. SWINLEY FOREST GOLF CLUB
I had always been excited to play the Heathland courses around London, especially knowing their history and influence on the Golden Age of Architecture. Swinley was my first course on a recent Heathland trips, and it blew me away. It was a beautiful walk with incredible bunkers, strong ground movement around the greens, interesting features and the purple of the heather. An amazing day.
UK Golf Guy Review, Swinley Forest Website, Graylyn Loomis

7. CHICAGO GOLF CLUB
The oldest 18-hole course in America with wonderful template holes and the history of CB MacDonald and Seth Raynor as the architects is another great experience. Incredible vistas throughout the course, beautiful blowing fescue (which they’ve worked diligently to keep playable), strong green complexes and great bunkering make for a good test and truly enjoyable walk. The understated aspect of the club is also part of the experience and speaks to the club’s commitment to being a great golf club of historical significance.
Fried Egg, Chicagology

8. MAIDSTONE CLUB
Since the work Coore & Crenshaw did this really jumped my list. Maybe the best dunes in America, sandy and fast ground, and the location right on the ocean make for a great day.  Part of what makes Maidstone fun is the whole experience.  Walking by the pool with the cabanas, lunch at the beach club (perhaps with a Southsider), the ocean access, as well as a great logo add to the atmosphere.
Maidstone Club, Graylyn Loomis

9. THE CLUBS OF THE NORTH SHORE OF CHICAGO
From Evanston GC on the south to Shoreacres on the north. Just load in Evanston on your google maps, put it on satellite imagery, and start dragging north up Lake Michigan to Lake Bluff, and you’ll be blown away by the sheer amount of golf courses. This is one of the strongest concentrations of great private clubs in the US. All in incredible condition with a great history of designers including Donald Ross, Harry Colt, Seth Raynor, and Charles Alison. There are too many great courses to single out one!
Fried Egg,

10. TWIN PONDS GC AND CRYSTAL WOODS GC
Twin Ponds was a 9-hole, par-28 with a range, putting green and small chipping area that is now a Home Depot. Crystal Woods is a family owned public facility in Woodstock, IL. Without the junior accessibility provided by these two facilities, and without the support of John Swenson at Twin Ponds and John and Jay Craig at Crystal Woods, I wouldn’t have been exposed to golf. I had many great days of golf at both courses and couldn’t be more indebted for the opportunity these courses provided me. These two courses are why I’m so passionate about municipal and accessible golf.  Golf needs more of these.
Crystal Woods Golf Club

Many thanks Pat for your selections. You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

Cypress Point

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

North Berwick

Lahinch Golf Club

Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Picture - royaldornoch.com

Shinnecock Hills

Swinley Forest

Chicago Golf Club

Picture - www.chicagogolf.com

Maidstone Club

Picture - www.maidstoneclub.org

Evanston Golf Club

Picture - www.evanstongolfclub.org

Crystal Woods Golf Club

Picture - www.crystalwoodsgc.com

Alan Shipnuck's Favourite Golf Courses

Next up in our ‘favourite courses’ series is Alan Shipnuck.

Shipnuck is the leading long-form writer in the game today. He was a twenty year old intern when he wrote his first cover story for Sports Illustrated and has twice been the recipient of an award from the Golf Writers Association of America. He breaks more exclusives than anyone in the world of golf and is not one to shy away from controversy. His golf.com podcasts, especially his Major wraps with Michael Bamberger, are among the very best in the business. He is currently taking on the whole of European Twitter in the build-up to the Ryder Cup.

If you are looking to explore his work further, may I direct you to this article on Masters winner Patrick Reed, this masterpiece on Pat Perez and this tour de force on the tragic death of Wayne Westner - all penned in the last couple of years. Nobody does it better.

On the range at Muirfield with the great Alan Shipnuck

Shipnuck has seen many of the world’s best golf courses. His Scottish road trip, chronicled in this article, is a must read for those planning a similar adventure. I met Alan on the range at Muirfield during that trip and battled the 30mph wind in the group behind him. Safe to say his elegance with the pen wasn’t matched with his irons on that occasion!

So here are Alan Shipnuck’s favourite 10 courses with some links if you want to delve a little deeper with these courses. You will see there is a nautical theme!

1. CRUDEN BAY
A nonstop thrill ride of fun, quirky holes up, down, and across wild terrain.
Golf Club Atlas, Cruden Bay Website

2. PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS
Demands more heroic shots than any other course and offers the most majestic view in golf.
UK Golf Guy Review, Monterey Herald History, Youtube - Tiger Wood 2000

3. NORTH BERWICK (WEST LINKS)
The quintessence of Scottish golf, with so many unexpected twists and turns and some truly iconic holes.
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

4. CYPRESS POINT
The first ten holes are peak MacKenzie in terms of bunkering and green complexes, while 11-17 is quite simply the best golf on the planet.
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100

5. ST ANDREWS - THE OLD COURSE
The most fascinating and charming course we have, and there’s nothing like those greens.
UK Golf Guy Review

6. MACRIHANISH GOLF CLUB
It begins with the best opening hole in the world and then just keeps on coming, with one great hole after another through heaving dunes.
Macrihanish Golf Club, Golf Empire

7. NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
The template of C.B. Macdonald’s and Seth Raynor’s skill, weaved into the ideal terrain.
UK Golf Guy Review, NGLA website, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article

8. LAHINCH GOLF CLUB
It has the kind of unforgettable holes that compels a man to cross an ocean.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis

9. MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB (THE SHORE)
As elegant and beautiful as a painting, loaded with risk-reward shots that stir the soul.
MPCC site, Golf Course Gurus,

10. CASTLE STUART GOLF LINKS
A stunning new design that feels like it’s been there forever.
UK Golf Guy Review, Top100GolfCourses.com

A big thanks to Alan for taking the time to put this list together. I love his selection - dramatic courses by the sea which don’t go for spectacle at the expense of quality.

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

Cruden Bay

Picture - https://crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk

Pebble Beach

Picture - www.pebblebeach.com

North Berwick (West Links)

Cypress Point

Picture - Geoff Shackleford

St Andrews - The Old Course

Macrihanish

Picture - machgolf.com

National Golf Links of America

Lahinch

Monterey Peninsula CC (The Shore)

Picture - ww.mpccpb.org

Castle Stuart Golf Links

Darius Oliver's Favourite Golf Courses

The second of our series on ‘Favourite Golf Courses’ brings us Darius Oliver’s selection

Oliver is the author of the famous ‘Planet’ series of books which can be found in the country’s finest golf clubhouses and on the most discerning golfers’ bookshelves. He has visited over 1,500 golf courses and his Planet Golf website is the internet’s go-to resource for top end golf course reviews and historical course rankings. He is also a co-author of the authoritative Confidential series of books.

Not content with just visiting and writing about golf courses, Oliver is also a golf course designer. His much-acclaimed creation at Cape Wickham sits at number 40 in the Ultimate Top 100 course ranking.

Here is Darius’ list of his favourite courses, with some reasons for his selections. I’ve added some links to help you explore the courses a little more.

NORTH BERWICK GOLF CLUB
The first course I played in the UK, and the one I don’t think I could ever play too often. Impossible to experience without a smile. 
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

CAPE WICKHAM
Personal bias perhaps, but I think it has the most exciting, most spectacular collection of holes on any modern course. And it still has improvement in it. 
UK Golf Guy review, Australian Golf Digest, Youtube

ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
Hole for hole my favourite course anywhere outside of Cape Wickham. 
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Digest Feature

ST ANDREWS OLD COURSE
With a links pass and without the crowds, this would probably be my #1.
UK Golf Guy Review 

ROYAL ADELAIDE
Charming, quirky, beautiful old golf club with one of my all-time favourite holes (the 3rd). 
Golf Club Atlas Photo Tour, Planet Golf

PRESTWICK GOLF CLUB
Like North Berwick, I adore Prestwick and am almost depressed walking off 18 that the fun has to end.
Golf Club Atlas feature, Planet Golf

THE HILLS (FARM COURSE)
Opens in December and is about the most gorgeous par three course anywhere in the world. Can be played quickly, at various lengths and with only a handful of clubs if necessary. 
Planet Golf, Mountain Scene

GOLF DE MORFONTAINE
Lovely club all around, but I’m particularly obsessed by their short course. I wish it were in Australia. 
UK Golf Guy review, Top100golf blog, Geoff Shackleford Article

CYPRESS POINT
No explanation needed, surely? 
Graylyn Loomis, Golf Digest, Playing the Top 100

WOKING GOLF CLUB
I love Heathland golf outside the winter months and could happily play out my golfing days here.
Woking Website, Golf Club Atlas

Darius added: ‘There are differences between what I regard as the best courses, and those that are my favourite. For example, I’m involved in a new par three project at the Hills in Queenstown, New Zealand which makes my Top 10 as it’s one of those rare courses I could happily play every day for the rest of my life.

The others on my list would fit that same criteria, being courses that would never bore me and that I could enjoy even as I got older and my game (hopefully not) deteriorated. Most are in the UK and Australia, just because of the nature of the clubs, the grasses and the fact that the game is much more interesting when the ball bounces and rolls.

In terms of the list, I regard Royal Melbourne (West) as the premier golf course in Australia. I’m not a big fan of Legend couch fairways, however, so it doesn’t make my list as I find it less enjoyable off the tee now than in the past. Royal Adelaide makes the list as the private club in Australia I would join if they were all equal distance from my home.

The courses most unlucky to miss out are Royal Dornoch, Royal Melbourne (West), Somerset Hills, Sand Hills, Sunningdale, Bandon Trails, Friar’s Head and Kingston Heath.’

Many thanks to Darius for putting his list together. Few humans have seen more golf courses than Darius so he brings a really interesting perspective.

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

North Berwick Golf Club

Cape Wickham Links

Photo - capewickham.com.au

Royal County Down

Photo - www.royalcountydown.org

St Andrews Old Course

Royal Adelaide Golf Course

Photo - royaladelaidegolf.com.au

Prestwick Golf Club

Photo - www.prestwickgc.co.uk/

The Hills (Farm Course)

Photograph - Darius Oliver

Golf de Morfontaine

Mike Clayton's Favourite Golf Courses

I played at Swinley Forest last week. Sitting in the clubhouse after the round, I reflected that I was hard pushed to think of a round of golf I had enjoyed as much. The course wasn’t quite going to score a Doak 10 or appear in a top 10 list of the best courses ever designed, but for pure joy it was pretty unbeatable.

That got me thinking about my top 10 favourite courses. I also thought about those in the game I really respected and wondered what their selections would be. Not the courses they rated highest technically, but those they simply enjoyed playing the most. So I asked them!

You will hear from players, writers, architects, teachers and critics. A huge thanks to them for giving up the time to share their thoughts and rationale. I hope you find them as fun to read as I did.

I start with someone who has pretty much fulfilled all of those roles at one time or another. Mike Clayton played on the Australasian and European Tour in the 1980s and 90s - winning 8 times. He set up Mike Clayton Golf Design in 1995 which has developed into the design firm Ogilvy, Clayton, Cocking, Mead and whose resume grows impressively with every year. His creation (with Tom Doak) at Barnbougle Dunes is lauded the world over as one of the very best courses built in the last 50 years.

Mike also is a very important voice in the development of the game. His thoughtful approach, drawing on years of experience and an appreciation of the game at all levels, makes him one of golf’s most sought-after commentators. The State of the Game podcast, which he co-hosts with Rod Morri and Geoff Shackleford, is unsurpassed when it comes to thinking about the challenges in the game today and a potential path for the future.

So here are Mike’s Top 10 choices, his reasons for selections and some links from me that you may enjoy:

SWINLEY FOREST GOLF CLUB
Geoff Ogilvy calls this his favourite course because he can play it with his Mum and his Dad and they all have an interesting round, answering the varying questions the course asks. It’s beautiful, masterfully built by Colt and one of the game’s great treats. And it’s the ultimate proof there is no need to make golf difficult to make it great.
UK Golf Guy Review, Swinley Forest Website, Graylyn Loomis

GOLF DE MORFONTAINE
It should be no surprise that the best 18 hole course in France was elegant. Perhaps it’s the game’s most elegant course. The rolling terrain on perfect sand amongst birch and pine makes Tom Simpson’s masterpiece one of the game’s most sought after rounds. And arguably the big course isn’t even the best course on the property. Simpson’s extra little 9 shows off some of the game’s boldest, and greatest, greens.
UK Golf Guy review, Top100golf blog, Geoff Shackleford Article

PRESTWICK GOLF CLUB
Golf before people thought it should be fair.
Golf Club Atlas feature, Planet Golf

NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
It’s the first great US golf course.
UK Golf Guy review, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article

SAND HILLS GOLF CLUB
The modern game changer.
Top100golfblog, Holy Grail Golfer

ROYAL MELBOURNE GOLF CLUB
The best and the most fun in the Southern Hemisphere.
UK Golf Guy Review, No Laying Up Tourist Sauce, Shackleford Golf Channel Analysis

PARAPARAUMU BEACH GOLF CLUB
Not New Zealand’s best but the most affordable and accessible first class golf there.
Golf Club Atlas feature, Paraparaumu Wesbite

NORTH BERWICK GOLF CLUB
See Prestwick!
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf

ROYAL WORLINGTON AND NEWMARKET GOLF CLUB
The best 9.
Top100golfcourses.com, Royal Worlington website, Fine Golf

NOTTS GOLF CLUB
Great inland English golf.
Notts Golf Club website, National Club Golfer, Top100golfcourses.com

A big thanks to Mike for these selections. His love of traditional golf courses which can be enjoyed by all shines through.

You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.

Swinley Forest Golf Club

Golf de Morfontaine

Prestwick Golf Club

Picture - www.prestwickgc.co.uk

NGLA

Sand Hills

Picture - holygrailgolfer.blogspot.com

Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Picture - www.golfvic.org.au

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Picture - www.paraparaumubeachgolfclub.co.nz

North Berwick Golf Club

Royal Worlington and Newmarket

Picture - www.royalworlington.co.uk

Notts Golf Club

Picture - www.nottsgolfclub.co.uk

McKellar and The Golfer's Journal - bucking the digital trend

Golf magazines have traditionally had a formula which it doesn’t take a genius to work out. Pick up any edition of a monthly golf magazine and it’s likely you will see some trusty old favourites. You can learn how to hit your driver further and eliminate your slice too. Looking for inspiration for a golf trip? The nearest Marriott hotel will be reviewed in all its glory. The letters page will inevitably have a couple of submissions advising that the game is in a terrible mess because of some old fuddyduddies chasing kids off the practice putting green.

It is a pretty tried and tested formula and probably appeals to the more casual reader, but some have thought there was an opportunity for a publication aimed at a more hard core golf audience. Step forward The Golfer’s Journal and McKellar. These are publications aiming to see out their days, not in a doctor’s waiting room, but on the bookshelves of the most discerning golf fans. In a world where more and more magazines are closing or going online this may appear to be an odd move, but they are hoping the quality of content and production will buck the trend.

That two journals should appear at the same time is probably a function of today’s golf media world. Many bemoan the loss of the traditional golf journalist. UK national papers have been jettisoning their golf correspondents at an alarming rate. The Times of London - one of the most venerated titles in journalism - no longer has a golf correspondent. Only the Telegraph and Mail have a full time golf journalist these days. In the US the situation is just as dramatic with one writer, Doug Ferguson, providing commentary to most of the nation's printed newspapers.

And yet, golf discussion and writing is thriving in many places - if you know where to look. Podcasts have revolutionised our insights into players and provide in-depth discussion of issues of the day. When Rory McIlroy took to the airwaves of No Laying Up a couple of years ago we heard from a top player directly in a way that had never happened before. Where McIlroy led, others followed and suddenly we were hearing directly from all of the leading players. The quality however, is variable. A snatched 10 minute interview organised at a sponsor’s request rarely works, and it is often the more obscure subject matter that provides the best content.

The niche website/social media feed has also been a source of rich content, discussion and debate in recent years. Foremost of these is probably Andy Johnson's Fried Egg which covers golf course architecture in an accessible and intelligent way - introducing many to the subject who may otherwise never have known their Redan's from their Biarritz.

So, while Fleet Street may have declined, interest in quality golf writing has burgeoned in recent years and the Golfer's Journal and McKellar have both stepped into this market.

McKellar is the brainchild of ex-Guardian golf correspondent, musician and novelist Lawrence Donegan and golf writer and architect buff Tom Dunne. Its self-stated aim is to 'bring together the finest writers, illustrators and photographers to celebrate golf’s history, to chart its future and to examine what makes the contemporary sport exciting, from travel and architecture to profiles of its most prominent personalities'.

The Golfer’s Journal (TGJ) is published by the creator's of The Surfer's Journal and has lofty ambitions, to 'cover the game wherever it may be played, casting a sophisticated light on the culture, history, places, and characters that define the game’s unique personality and undeniable allure'.

Without a doubt there are a lot of similarities between the two. They are both intended to be kept for years to come and be revisited, they both have in-depth articles on subjects you would not normally stumble across and seek to promote a more cerebral discusssion of golfing matters than you might usually find.

They also both come at a price-point significantly higher than your traditional golf magazine - both come in at around $20 per issue including shipping to the UK.

However, there are differences too. TGJ is supported by advertising from 'a select few premium sponsors that share our ethos and passion for the game' whereas McKellar has no adverts and makes its money from the cover price. TGJ is working really hard to create a brand around it - there is merchandise available, days to meet up with other supporters and promises of more innovation to come. McKellar feels more like a hobby project - slightly less polished.

TGV is printed on high-end glossy paper and filled with amazing full-bleed photos. Articles are often long and you get the sense that a huge amount of thought has been put into what content makes the cut. 

McKellar is a smaller publication - 80 pages to TGJ's 140 and printed on smaller, less glossy paper. Think more Reader's Digest than Conde Nast. The articles are shorter too and can be read in a few minutes.

As a result, the magazines feel different, despite having similar aims. The best way I can describe it is The Golfer's Journal feels like a coffee-table publication where McKellar would sit happier by the bed, or the toilet. 

McKellar has gone very hard on the quality of the journalism. The writers are really top drawer - in the first edition Geoff Shackleford, Mike Clayton and Lorne Rubenstein all contribute. Donegan talked about what they are trying to achieve on the excellent iseekgolf podcast recently and this is clearly a priority. He also eschews the traditional dawn or dusk golf course photography, which he points out can make pretty much any place look great.

There are no such concerns from The Golfer's Journal. Photography is at the heart of the publication and some of the images they have printed will stay in the mind for a long time. Every article is accompanied by beautifully shot images and there are many beautiful photo essays.

From both journals I have really enjoyed discovering new personalities, courses and stories in the game of golf and they have definitely inspired me to further reading. I would thoroughly recommend the biography of Titanic Thompson, possibly golf's greatest ever hustler, who I would never have heard of had it not been for edition 1 of the The Golfer's Journal. McKellar's article on Shell's Wonderful World of Golf led to several lost hours on youtube.

I would say that a good 80% of the content hits the mark. I have found a couple of the TGJ articles a little too reverential in their tone and possibly a little too 'up themselves' as we say in these parts. An article in McKellar about a college golf coach didn't do much for me. But these are small quibbles - I  really forward to both publications dropping through the door.

Both of them have launched podcasts to talk about some of their articles in more depth - I have found that listening to them after reading the articles works best. The Golfer's Journal podcast covers more wide-ranging topics, with some familiar voices from the No Laying Up team amongst others. This week the McKellar podcast branched out beyond just talking about the articles they have published which is great news as Lawrence Donegan hosted an excellent podcast a few years ago which had been sorely missed.

The Golfer's Journal will come out quarterly and it is possible to subscribe for two years worth of editions. Details of McKellar's publishing schedule are a little more sketchy - they haven't launched a subscription option yet - but we can expect another one later this year. On the iseekgolf podcast Donegan said they needed to sell under a couple of thousand editions to break even. Let's hope they sail past that and these two journals stick around and maintain the high standards they have set. The world of golf writing is all the better for them.

A Golf Trip to the Netherlands

When I told people I was off to Holland for a golf trip there were quizzical looks and three basic responses: 1. Are there any decent courses in Holland? 2. There won’t be many hills to climb there and 3. Are you really going for the golf or is it an excuse for a trip to Amsterdam?

The magnificent Utrecht de Pan is worth a trip to the Netherlands on its own

The reality is that there are some cracking courses, more hills than you would expect and Amsterdam was saved until the last night.

I’ve had Holland as a target venue for the annual golf trip with my mates for some time. In fact, half a dozen years ago we decided to make the trip but found that the logistics beat us. We try to do the trip over a weekend and we just couldn’t get onto the courses we wanted outside of a weekday.

The quality of courses has been a really well-kept secret, but in recent years word has been spreading. The latest Golf World Top 100 courses in Continental Europe had 4 Dutch courses in the Top 10 - the 4 we visited. I’ve put our itinerary with some notes on the courses below but I know that you're wondering what should you expect from a golf trip to Holland? Well, I'm glad you asked:

The courses are great value
We paid 400 Euros in total for golf on the four best golf courses in Holland at the end of May – tremendous value. Utrecht de Pan is one of the very best courses I have played and it cost us a mere £85 to play. That is simply tremendous. Visitor play is relatively light at these courses and they definitely aren’t trying to fleece you. If you were to look at all the golf trips I have done and consider the relationship between course ratings and green fees, this trip would give you the best bang for your buck.

Come equipped for all weathers
We had great weather on our trip. However, almost every person we met was keen to tell us how very lucky we had been with the weather. I was slightly taken aback as I had assumed the climate here was pretty benign. However, a bit of research showed me that there were more wet days in this part of the Netherlands, in pretty much every month of the year, than at home in Scotland, and the temperatures weren't usually much better either!

So make sure you come equipped for all weathers. The good news is that the wind blows pretty hard at the coast so expect whatever weather you have not to last too long.

Brace yourself for the greens
It became apparent early on in our trip that there was something up with the conditioning of the courses. There is a new EU directive coming into effect which restricts the use of pesticides on European golf courses. The Dutch Golf Federation has agreed to apply this regulation early and this is proving to be a major challenge for the courses. Tee boxes were shabby, greens were running rough and, to varying degrees, looked poor at all the courses we played.

Members at all the courses were really worried about the outlook and there was talk of ripping up the greens at Kennemer and re-laying with a different grass on a sandier base. There's an interesting article here which explains how some Danish courses handled the same challenge. Something will have to be sorted out soon to avoid the reputation of these great courses suffering enormously.

Hire a car – but you’ll need your wits about you
While there is not a massive amount of driving required to play the top 4 courses in the Netherlands you will be best served by hiring a car. Utrecht de Pan is an hour away from the coast and Royal Hague is the best part of an hour south of Kennemer with Noordwijkse in between. Driving on the motorways is a breeze but in the towns you need to be pretty on the ball. There are bikes everywhere, trams galore and we saw 2 accidents in 72 hours. Keep your wits about you.

It’ll take a bit of effort to piece it all together
In many ways the clubs here are set up like some of the old-school British establishments. Visitors are welcome at all the top courses, however times are very limited and there isn’t a massive amount of flexibility around that. For most of them this means playing during the week at times when the members don’t want to play. Kennemer is the only one that will let you play at the weekend which is worth bearing in mind when it comes to putting an itinerary together – although they only allow 12 visitors on the course at any time. Also, there are not online booking facilities. An email or phone call is required to get things going, although I found them all to be responsive, if not flexible. Koninklijke Haagsche also has a further complication in that it doesn’t allow fourballs but we got out early and as it was quiet they were happy for us to go as a four.

You’ll get a warm welcome…
Foreign visitor play in the Netherlands is still pretty light and wherever we went members were really keen to have a chat, find out what we thought about their course and most importantly how we felt it compared to others we had on our itinerary! The clubhouses themselves were really great buildings and we were very well fed and watered. Be aware though that there seems to be a challenge with accepting credit and debit cards, so make sure you have some cash in hand.

Finally, everyone speaks English perfectly, so have no fear about being able to communicate here. They may well put your own grammar to shame!

And so to the courses. Here’s a slight variation on our itinerary which I think would stand you in very good stead. This works for a Monday-Thursday trip. If you want to finish on a Saturday you will need to reverse the routing as Utrecht only allows play Monday-Thursday and you can play Kennemer on a Saturday!

Monday
Arrive at Amsterdam Airport. Under 2 hours from pretty much anywhere in the UK with regular flights, this is a cheap and accessible trip. Pick up hire car and drive to Kennemer Golf Club (45 minutes).

Kennemer (click on title for full review)
Host to more than 20 Dutch Opens, Kennemer was an absolute delight. It reminded me a lot of Gullane – this was probably the most classic links course of all of those we played. The ground was running very firm and fast and we could open our shoulders and get a really authentic links experience. There are three 9 holes courses here which you can play in any combination – A & C are the two we played. It’s the kind of course which will put a smile on your face. A lovely clubhouse looks over the estate and there is a particularly welcoming atmosphere.

Kennemer is a true Colt Classic

Overnight accommodation in Zandvoort aan Zee. Zandvoort is a nice little seaside town with plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops and a beachfront for bracing walks. It’s likely to be busy in high season and at weekends but don’t expect Blackpool levels of year-round debauchery! We stayed at the Amsterdam City Hotel which had a good selection of rooms, in a good location, at very reasonable rates.

Tuesday
Noordwijkse
Half an hour south of Zandvoort, Noordwijkse is probably the least illustrious of this quartet but it is still a course that can more than hold its own on this tour. It doesn’t have the polish of some of the other courses and it would probably be fair to say that the course could do with a little TLC. However, the course was good fun – again a linksy feel to it with some holes running through the trees to mix it up a bit. We actually played here the afternoon after Koninklijke Haagsche and this was more fun to play - you can make a score here without having to be incredibly straight. Before playing we expected this to be the ‘weakest’ course on our trip but it was much more than a fourth round filler.

Noordwijkse is a good fun journey through links and forest

Back to Zandvoort for another night of seaside fun.

Wednesday
Koninklijke Haagsche
Pack up your bags and bid a fond farewell to Zandvoort and head the ¾ hour to Koninklijke Haagsche, just north of The Hague. For many years this course has been rated number 1 in the Netherlands and one of the best in Europe – it’s one of only 2 Continental European courses to appear in the Ultimate Top 100 courses in the world.

I’m afraid though that the course didn’t quite do it for us. The very gnarly rough had been grown in in places to make too many of the fairways unhittable; the greens all seemed to be on upturned saucers with false fronts and run-offs galore; and the dramatic changes in elevation sapped our energy too much. If I had to split 10 rounds between the four courses on the tour this wouldn’t get more than 1 play. Others seem to love it so maybe we just weren’t in the right frame of mind.  The last hole was rather lovely though and the clubhouse did a good lunch, so all was not lost!

Royal Hague is a bit of a beast if truth be told!

Following your round at Koninklijke Haagsche, drive the hour to Utrecht. Utrecht is a great university town with a history back to the Middle Ages. We stayed in the NH Centre hotel which was well located and had good rates. This would be a good town to spend a little time walking around and there are plenty of cafés and restaurants to sit outside. Just be careful driving around here. Bikes have right of way, there are bus lanes everywhere, roads are narrow. All round it was a bloody nightmare!

Thursday
Utrecht de Pan
Make the 15 minute drive to Utrecht de Pan golf club. I say 15 minutes, but leave longer. I have never known a golf course be so hard to find. Forget Google maps, it was useless. I have put some navigation instructions in the course review, but you should still leave plenty of time.

It is, however, well worth finding. The golf course is simply phenomenal. In so many ways it reminded me of Morfontaine and it is almost impossible to give higher praise than that. This is a real Colt Classic. Carved out of the trees, the course feels like a secluded oasis of charm and wonderful design. From what I've read, there has been quite a lot of restoration work done on this course of late and my fears about trees coming into play too much weren’t justified - the tress had been taken back so they framed the holes but were rarely in play. The heather around the fairways was punishing at times but this wasn’t a course where we got through lots of balls. This course really was one of the very best I’ve played. That it is accessible to all for 85 Euros a round is just amazing. I would say it is worth getting on a plane to Amsterdam just to play here.

At the end of your round make sure that you leave some time to sit on the terrace and have something to eat – the barman here kept the beers flowing faster than anywhere I have found on my travels to date! You can then either head back to Schipol (within an hour) for a flight home or head into Amsterdam for one more night sampling what this great country has to offer.

Utrecht is old school charm with a stunning heathland course

Golf in the Netherlands is a secret to many but I would thoroughly recommend a trip. The golf is fantastic, the cost relatively low and the welcome will always be warm!

Some tips for playing Scotland's Golf Coast on a budget

North Berwick is one of the very best courses in the world, and loves welcoming visitors!

I consider myself incredibly lucky to live where I do. Gullane in East Lothian is a wonderful village. Just over half an hour from Edinburgh, and all the Scottish capital brings, but rural - with wonderful beaches and a caring community.

East Lothian can lay claim to being one of the golfing Meccas of the world. Within 10 miles of Gullane there are 12 golf courses, any of which would grace a golf trip itinerary. Muirfield and North Berwick are both in the top 40 of my Ultimate Top 100 courses in the world and there are 9 East Lothian courses in the top100golfcourses.com top 50 in Scotland.

The climate here is good (albeit it by Scottish standards!). It is the sunniest area of Scotland and the driest too. The greens are usually in tremendous condition all year round and the sandy soil and drainage means that even the heaviest rain rarely affects things for more than an hour or two.

This is a part of the world where golf plays a fundamental part in the community. The pub names give it away - The Old Clubhouse in Gullane and the Golfer’s Rest in North Berwick. You will see people walking down the streets of both those places with golf clubs on their backs every day of the year and no-one ever blinks an eye at you leaving your clubs in a corner of a restaurant while you have a meal. If you want to try something different, Gullane even has a shop that hires hickory clubs.

At Gullane Primary School the 4 houses that compete for the annual shield are named after local courses - Kilspindie, Luffness, Muirfield and Craigielaw - and the school's summer fair has a variety of golf related games to raise school funds. It’s just that kind of place.

The great thing about golf here is that it is pretty much accessible to all. However, such is the popularity of the area that in the peak summer months green fees can be high and accommodation prices go up to.

If money is no object then have a look at how to do East Lothian in style here. However, if you are looking for something more affordable, then, with some careful planning, you can enjoy this amazing golf location for a very reasonable price. Here are my top tips, and a draft itinerary, for doing East Lothian on a budget:

Pick your month with care
When planning a trip to East Lothian there are several factors to take into account, but weather will be high up on the list, as will green fees. Here are some stats to help you plan.

You can see here that the winter months may be dry and cheap but the sunshine hours are really restricted. The only months I would definitely avoid are November - February as they are cold and there's not much daylight. You can have days here where the streetlights don’t go off all day! Another thing to consider is that, even though the greens are great all year round, in November - February you will be playing off a mat.

Conversely, the hours of daylight in the summer are amazing - you could comfortably play four rounds in a day if you were so inclined.

However, July and August can often be wetter months - we’ve had some stunningly wet Augusts of late - and the green fees are higher. Above I have used the weekday green fees at North Berwick as a guide, and you can see that from April to October you are paying full whack.

If you are looking for a combination of a good value green fee with the best chance of good weather you could do a lot worse than look at March. It’s the driest month of the year, the days are getting longer and the green fees are still good. You should bring your thermal underwear though as the average high temperature is only 9 degrees C - but on a calm day with the sun out, fear not, it will feel much warmer. I would recommend trying for the end of the month as the clocks will have changed by then so there's will be more light in the evenings and less chance of a frosty start.

Stay local
When the pubs close in Gullane at midnight you will regularly hear visiting golfers bemoaning their decision to stay in Edinburgh. Taxis are hard to get and it can be a real pain to get to.

It may be only half an hour away but I would recommend staying locally. If you want to sample a night out in town then get a taxi in to Edinburgh rather than trying to do it the other way. There are plenty of good pubs and restaurants around here to keep you entertained and it saves on a trip at the beginning and end of every day.

I would recommend staying in either Gullane or North Berwick. There are pros and cons to both. Gullane has more golf courses but is smaller, and quieter. North Berwick has more pubs and restaurants and feels more of a proper town.

There is a good smattering of hotels and bed and breakfasts around but you are likely to find Airbnb the cheapest option and lots of places have sprung up over the last couple of years.

There are plenty of options around for food and drink as well and I've called a few out in the itinerary below. 
 

The Old Clubhouse is within 100 yards of Gullane Golf Club and a great spot for a post (or pre) match drink.

Don’t play one and go
I saw the redoubtable American golf writer Alan Shipnuck on the driving range one morning at Muirfield. He had arrived at Glasgow airport fresh off a transatlantic flight the previous day and driven straight to the first tee at North Berwick. After a night in Greywalls he was playing at Muirfield in the group ahead of us before doing the 2 1/2 drive to St Andrews for an afternoon tee time at the Old Course.

He wrote about it in this fantastic article thus:

Back at Greywalls, waiting for sandwiches we would eat in the car, a gent asked, “Where are you playing next?”
“Old Course.”
“Lovely! I hope the weather is good tomorrow.”
“Actually, we’re playing it today.”
“That doesn’t seem possible.”
Variations of this conversation would be common throughout the trip, and it always left us feeling self-satisfied with the ambition of our itinerary.

This is a feature of many Americans trips to Scotland. Their vacation days are so precious (the average American only gets 16 days holiday a year) that they try and squeeze every Open course in to a trip.

My advice would be not to even try. You will miss out on so much by ‘Open-bagging’ and not staying in one place for a few nights. There is so much great golf around East Lothian that it would be criminal to play only one and move on.

Chat to the locals
Hopefully you’ve got the idea now that this is a place where golf is central to many people’s lives, and certainly it’s a knowledgeable crowd. People will generally be only to happy to hear about your trip, your views of the courses and generally to engage. Even if you’re English, you should be fine!

So, with all that in mind, I have suggested an itinerary for a short trip that comes in at under £300 for four rounds in March, including golf and accommodation. I’ll do an update of my ‘East Lothian in luxury’ guide in the near future but I think this one should be accessible to most!

Day 1
Arrive in Edinburgh and travel to East Lothian and play at Dunbar Golf Course. Dunbar is about 45 minutes east of Edinburgh - it's worth hiring a car to get you around and in March won't cost you much at all. Golf has been played at Dunbar for 400 years but the course you play on today is a James Braid layout from the 1920s. After the first couple of fairly average holes the course becomes classic links. It's not long, but you'll have great fun. There's been a new greenkeeper in town for the last couple of years who is getting rave reviews.

After the round, drive 20 minutes to North Berwick for the night. There are AirBnB options at this time of year for around £100 which will sleep 4 easily. Have a drink at the Auld Hoose or The Golfer's Rest and a bite to eat at Herringbone or The Grange and you won't go wrong. 

Day 2
Drive 10 minutes to Gullane and tee it up at Gullane 1 in the morning. Gullane 1 is the course that you will largely see used for the Scottish Open. 16 of the holes are used for the tournament with a couple from Gullane 2. The course is a wonderful Scottish Links which starts in the village before going over Gullane Hill to the Firth of Forth and then returns back to the village. The course is the toughest of the three Gullane courses but it won't beat you up and is great fun to play. The rough can be fairly brutal in the summer, but in March you will be fine and the greens are amazing all year round.

The 2nd at Gullane Number 1 plays as the opener on the Scottish Open course

I would recommend trying to get off at number 1 as early as you can and then having lunch in the clubhouse before going out again in the afternoon on Gullane 3. This may be the shortest of the 3 Gullane courses but you will have great fun. It's a par 65 with only one par 5 but the par 3s and 4s all vary nicely in length and the greens are just as good here as on number 1.

If you do want to venture away from the Gullane properties then Kilspindie is just a 5 minute drive away in Aberlady and is another real gem of a course by all accounts. I have my first game there in a couple of weeks so will add a link to a review then.

For dinner I would heartily recommend eating just across the road from the golf club at the Main Course - a very friendly Italian restaurant and maybe having a pint in the Old Clubhouse (better for a drink than food in my experience). If you fancy something a bit more swanky then try the Bonnie Badger on the Main Street. This gastropub is owned by one of Scotland’s top chefs, Tom Kitchin, and the food is good - if a little pricey.

Day 3
Playing the West Links at North Berwick in March may be one of the best value golf experiences you can find. The golf course is one of my very favourites in the world. Its world ranking has been consistently rising and it's now up to 38. I have it higher than that. I just love this golf course. It's everything you could want in a golf course - fair, playable, breathtakingly beautiful, characterful and quirky. No-one would ever build a course like it again but thank goodness this golf course has emerged over the last 400 years. It's one you will never forget. 

So there we are, you have played 4 great golf courses in 3 days for under £250 in green fees (Dunbar £50, Gullane 1 £75, Gullane 3 £29. North Berwick £85).

The only 'must play' course you've missed in this trip is Muirfield, but the green fees there would break this budget at any time of year. Take this trip though and it will leave you with memories for life, and probably saving up to add Muirfield the next time you come!

The Renaissance Course - are the Tour gambling with the Scottish Open?

Few have been behind the locked gates of the Renaissance Course, just 5 minutes from Gullane Golf Club

The Scottish Open has been fabulously reimagined in recent years and is now one of the most prestigious events on the European Tour. However, there is a risk that today's decision to take it to the exclusive Renaissance Club in East Lothian will undermine that progress.

For the first decade of this century, the event was held at the magnificent Loch Lomond - a wonderful course, but not the best test for players wanting to hone their links game a week before the Open.

When Loch Lomond got into financial troubles, the event moved to the newly opened Castle Stuart for the next three years and the field immediately praised the move to a links course. The course was wonderfully photogenic, great fun to play and didn't beat the players up the week before a sterner test at The Open. Soon, players were waxing lyrical about the event and when Phil Mickelson won there in 2013, before driving down and winning at Muirfield the following week, many thought the ideal formula had been found.

The sponsors, Aberdeen Asset Management, and co-promoters, the Scottish Government, then had the great idea of taking the event on the road. The idea was to showcase the best links courses in Scotland, starting with Royal Aberdeen in 2014. Gullane followed in 2015 before they headed back to Castle Stuart in 2016 and on to Dundonald last year.

Even though links courses abound in Scotland, their ability to host professional events is hampered by the lengths players hit the ball these days. I wrote further about the impact on our courses here but, in a nutshell, courses like Western Gailes and North Berwick would just be over-powered. And, given the space constraints, they might both also struggle with the logistics of holding an event of this scale. There has been talk of Cruden Bay hosting but there is concern about what changes would have to be made to lengthen the course enough to make it a viable option.

If truth be told, the event probably suffered a little last year in Dundonald. The Kyle Philips course is perfectly pleasant but long-term event supporter Phil Mickelson said that he didn't really fancy learning a new layout and the course didn't win many rave reviews.

All this means that the options for future Scottish Open host courses are limited. Gullane, Castle Stuart and Royal Aberdeen work well but other choices all come with challenges. For example, Royal Dornoch would be amazing but is probably too isolated and Trump International would come with too much controversy. Aberdeen Standard Investment CEO Martin Gilbert said in the Scotsman last year of the Trump Aberdeen option 'Politics aside, Trump would be an ideal venue, but you can’t put politics aside.'

On many levels the move to the Renaissance course makes sense. It is close to Edinburgh and transport links are good, the course has lots of space for visitors and infrastructure and was built with tournament golf in mind so won't be over-powered by the modern player.

But on certain other levels it just doesn't feel right.

Firstly, the turf here doesn't play like a links course. Castle Stuart managed to get it right pretty much from day one and Gullane has the advantage of centuries of play. But for whatever reason, the turf at the Renaissance doesn't run like those. Maybe it will in the decades to come, but I suspect the players will be disappointed with what they find as an Open warm-up.

Secondly, Tom Doak is a great architect but I haven't heard the Renaissance described anywhere as his best work. Indeed in his 'Confidential' series he gives it a 'Doak 7’ while his collaborators give it a 6. The course itself is a bit of a slog in places and, while the carries won't bother the pros, it isn't like anything you will find on an Open rota course. Doak has come up with some wild greens which will make for some frustrated golfers at times - again, not like much you'll find on an Open course.

The three new holes at the Renaissance definitely do bring a new dimension to this course but it doesn't play as a traditional inks course

Thirdly, this is second only to Loch Lomond in the whole of Scotland when it comes to  exclusivity. You can only play the Renaissance Course once in your life unless you are invited by a member. Yes, you read that right - once in your life. The whole place is cloaked in a veil of opulence and exclusivity. At a time when there is so much talk of growing the game, it seems a real shame that the Scottish Government (who are still invested in the tournament through Visit Scotland) and Aberdeen Standard Investments feel that it is appropriate to play here. 

Alex Salmond writes in his book about why they didn't take the Scottish Open to the Renaissance Course before. He said, 'It is reasonably certain that Martin (Gilbert) has come under a fair bit of pressure to take the tournament further along the coast to Renaissance, the new and hugely impressive development near North Berwick, but at £100,000-a-whack for family membership it would not communicate an ideal message about Scottish golf being open to all'. 

The Renaissance course seems to just want to be a plaything for the uber-rich. It does nothing at all for the local community - local charities and school fundraisers all benefit from Archerfield and Gullane but the Renaissance never get involved.

Stewart Duff, Course Manager at Gullane talked to me recently about how great it is to have the Scottish Open this year starting and finishing in the heart of the village. You can see it as you drive into Gullane and it puts the community firmly at the heart of the event. . 

My worry is that there is a risk that the quality of the field will suffer at the Scottish Open when players realise the course isn't going to give them a good links test the week ahead of the Open; the fans won't be bothered to attend a course that has done nothing to introduce itself to the golfing community of Scotland; and the event will be diminished as a result.

I really do hope I'm wrong but this is a real gamble to take. I hope the benefits are worth this risk.

An interview with Gullane Course Manager Stewart Duff ahead of the Scottish Open

Stewart Duff - Course Manager at Gullane

I spoke to Stewart Duff, course manager at Gullane Golf Club ahead of next week’s Scottish Open. It was a great chat covering how he will be setting up the course next week, how he widens the fairways for the pros and what it takes to get the greens running to Tour standards. Thanks a lot to Stewart for the time. 

UKGG: When did you find out that the Scottish open was coming back to Gullane?

SD: They always announce who’s getting it next just before the tournament starts, so last year that was at Dundonald but we maybe knew six months in advance of that.

UKGG: I guess the Tour must have been happy with what they saw in 2015?

SD: It seems to work. It’s just a great location. It’s not like when the Open's at Muirfield and you don’t even know it’s there. You can see this as you drive in or drive out of the village and it feels like when the Open used to be here 20-odd years ago. The place used to be jumping, the shops were busy and there were no parking restrictions. It was just fantastic. So the European Tour sort of recreated that and the village feels included  in the competition.

UKGG: There was a concern in 2015 that the course may be just too close to the road - but that seemed to work out fine.

SD: There was a lot of concern and it’s always been the main criticism of the course. It’s maybe why the course ranks so lowly in the Golf World and Golf Monthly rankings as there are always a lot of comments about the road. But the European tour have screened it off so you’re not aware it being there and there’s dampening too so you don’t hear the traffic. It’s surpassed expectations for the European tour and ourselves.

The road behind the 18th at Gullane is screened off for the Scottish Open

When we were walking around trying to set up the course initially and trying to pick the right composite course for the event it was very much the view of the European Tour that it should start and finish in the village. They just know what they’re doing and they’ve got it right.

UKGG: How involved are the European Tour in how you set the course up for the week?

SD: They are constantly looking at the condition of the course. I remember the last time, in 2015, they were coming through in the winter months, and early spring. It was such a cold spring and we didn’t get growth until the first two weeks in June  Every time they’re were coming they were saying ‘this is great, this is great’ and then bang the growth came and they looked at the rough and said ‘Oh my God what’s happened to the rough’!

UKGG: How does it compare this year because it was a harsh winter?

SD: We wintered really really well, surprisingly given the harsh conditions. Spring was good and the only thing has been the dryness. It’s going to really benefit the fairways and the look of the course but it’s a constant battle to keep the glass cover.

It’s been very, very dry. Luckily we had about 30mm of rain on one day about two or three weeks ago and that has really helped, it was getting close to dust before that. We got the moisture levels back up and now it’s just started to edge back down again.

UKGG: Will you still be watering the fairways through the next week?

SD: We watered them on Sunday. I would love to say that was the last water on the fairways and I’m going to drought them right through to the tournament, but it just depends how sunny it gets, how hot it gets and how windy it gets.  We may have to top them up again but the whole idea is to get them dry, hard and fast.

UKGG: And how’s the rough looking?

SD: The rough is looking great. After that rain, a few pockets thickened up so I borrowed a big rake from Dunbar Golf Club. On the left of the first hole there was some lovely tall fescue which was looking great but then we got that rain and it started to thicken up. It was up to waist high and we needed to thin it as it could have been a horrible start for any player. We’ve been around the course and thinned it out a bit. The European Tour agronomist is here on Thursday and he may want some tweaks here or there. Everybody’s got a different view. You’ve done what you think needs done and then someone else comes in and says maybe do this or that.

While the fairways are wide at Gullane, the rough can still be punishing

UKGG: How does the course play when you’re setting it up for a tournament compared to a normal summer?

SD: An average player thinks it’s just a flick of a switch to get the greens going from 8.5 to 10.5/11 on the stimp but it’s not as simple as that. It’s not as easy as just dropping the height of the cut. We are just starting double cutting morning and then in the evening time. We started that yesterday, just about a week in advance. In 2015 we started it two weeks in advance as we had a big surge of growth. So it’s very much reacting to the weather conditions and then you start intensifying the things you’re doing.

In terms of tees, fairways and aprons we normally just cut them twice a week, but in tournament week we’re cutting them every day, so that’s not anything members are going to normally get. This is tournament preparation. Depending on conditions we might drop the height slightly but what you’re trying to do is take all the growth off the greens or just get minimal growth. The guidelines are to get them rolling at 10/10 ½.

What we like to do for the evening cut is take very, very little off. Then you know that you’ve got your timing just perfect. You need a good coverage of grass going into a competition. If you going into competition week and you’re cutting, cutting, cutting to get speed then your greens are going to get really weak. So it’s all about the preparation.

UKGG: Gullane is famous for its amazing greens all year round, does that put a lot of pressure on you?

SD: I think our greens are probably better in the winter time because there’s very little growth on them so they’re probably running faster, but not as smooth. Then in the summer you get the growth so they run smoother, but a bit slower and you’re constantly fighting to get the speed up on the greens.

UKGG: What did you think when you saw what happened at Shinnecock?

SD: No disrespect to the USGA, but I do think they get it wrong. I think they push them too much, too hard and it makes it farcical. But the R&A and The European Tour seem to have it right. They’re aware of the weather conditions on a links course, when the wind gets up even to 12 or 15 miles an hour it makes a huge difference

The R&A have learnt from Muirfield when they dried them out too much in 2013, they were stimping at 15 after a day’s play. As a greenkeeper you probably want them tricked up to protect the course but you don’t want to make a mockery of the players. At Birkdale last year they were rolling at 9 on the windy days

Golfers have to watch what they want and ask for. You’ve got committees saying they want them running at 10 every day but if you do that you’re putting pressure on the grasses so you need more fertiliser, fungicide and water - that’s not sustainable.  And secondly when the wind picks up it’s a problem.

Also every extra foot in pace puts extra time onto every round. Here at Gullane, ideally we have them at 9 every day but tournament play, providing it’s not too windy, will be 10/10.5.

The first will play straight up Gullane Hill to the narrow green, normally the second hole at Gullane 1

UKGG: There’s a lot of talk about how far pros are hitting the ball. This year is on track to be the longest average driving distance ever on the PGA tour. Is that something you think about when you're setting the course up?

SD: We’ve got a template for each hole and where the pinch-point should be. Surprisingly, in 2015 the Tour wanted the landing areas widened because they’d seen the rough getting up. Average width is about 30 yards for these guys which isn’t too tight. Castle Stuart’s a lot wider and I think the golfers like that.

UKGG: It’s shaping up to be the strongest field in Europe this year. Why do you think that is?

SD: I think this is perfect for the pros the week before the Open. It’s not too dissimilar from Carnoustie, apart from the hill and the elevation, but playability wise it’s going to be quite similar. It’s a great build up and you don’t want to beat these guys up. It’s just nice prep work for them leading into the Open.

Switching to the links courses, no disrespect to the inland boys who have great courses, has been great. These guys aren't used to playing links courses. It was really smart thinking by the European Tour.

UKGG: There’s a bit of a question as to how many different courses can host the event, as even though Scotland has a lot of links courses, you need a lot of space and the courses need to be long enough.

SD: I think it’s a bit of a challenge for the Tour. I’d love to see maybe 5 courses on a rota so they get it once every 5 years. I'm not sure if the clubs or the Tour would want that but it would be fantastic. Having it every year at one place is tough on a course, the membership and the staff.

UKGG: How many people will you have working on the course next week?

SD: We’ve got 25 full time and we bring in 10 or 11 guys. This year we have gone far and wide. We’ve got guys in from the States, from France, from Australia. I thought it would be good to have an international feel to it. I always send someone up to Kingsbarns every year. We sent people to Castle Stuart and it’s great experience for them.

UKGG: If you could choose the weather now for the week what would you ask for?

SD: I’d have the same as we had in 2013 at Muirfield. The course was white, burnt-out looking, a proper links course. Probably the best ever presented links course I’ve seen. So that’s what I’m after, the burnt-out look.

UKGG: And do you think you’ll get it? There’s still a bit of green out there!

SD: Well, as I say, if I don’t water the fairways that’ll help, but it’s all timing. I’ve got the Ladies' event to think of as well though. It’s very much like a game of snooker. You’re always thinking about your next shot all the time. I’m thinking ahead to the next tournament and opening it up to the members.

Then we’re into August and September which is a busy invitational time for the golf course. So that’s in the back of my mind. Nature has a way of balancing things out though. We’ve had a drought for two months, sure as dammit we’ll get two months of rain, that’s the way it works.

UKGG: Is there anyone particularly when you look at the field you think will do well?

SD: Who can pick? It’s so difficult. Rose seems to play well here, he did last time. Stenson did well at Troon. It’s just great seeing these guys. I’m dying to see Reed - it’s going to be great seeing him.

UKGG: It must be fantastic seeing these players playing your course?

SD: It’s a fact that everybody underestimates their own course. We’ve had loads of amateur events, qualifying events and no-one's ripped it apart. I remember on the first day in the commentary in 2015 them saying they were going to rip it apart, but they didn’t.

All you need is 15mph winds, we average 12mph in Gullane, and that offers the protection as well as the rough and the bunkering. The wind really gets in the players’ heads. Another great defence is our greens. These guys are used to big undulating greens but ours have very subtle borrows and I think the last time they found it hard to see those borrows and that seemed to help the course as well.

The 18th hole is again lengthened with a new tee cut into the hill

The Scottish Open is played at Gullane Golf Club from July 12th - July 15th and the Ladies Scottish Open from July 26th - 29th.

Golf in Paris - much more than Le Golf National

The world will be watching Le Golf National year as it plays host to the Ryder Cup. If truth be told, Le Golf National is never going to win any awards for great architecture and, apart from the few amphitheatre holes, it won't set your pulse racing. It is a step up from the dire PGA Gleneagles and Celtic Manor for sure, but if you are looking to play quality golf around Paris, there are far superior options. Here are some ideas for a pretty great golf trip around the French capital -

Fontainebleau (click on course name for detailed review)
If I had a Euro for every time I heard the phrase 'hidden gem' in the context of a golf course, I'd be a rich man. Yet, that's exactly what Fontainebleau is. This Tom Simpson course will test guile over length and is just a delight to play. The course is carved into the forest but isn't so tight as to intimidate.

This is an old-school members' club but they are happy to take visitors and you will get a warm welcome. The course is built on sandy ground and, even in a very wet May, it was in cracking condition. Only 45 minutes south-east of Orly airport, this makes for a great first stop on a trip to the area.

Les Bordes
Keep going another hour and a half south into the Loire and you will come across the amazing Les Bordes. Believe me, it is well worth the trek out of town to play here. For years this course has been shrouded in rumour, myth and secrecy. It was consistently ranked in the top 2 or 3 in Europe but little was known about it as it was virtually impossible to pay unless you were with one of the dozen members. 

That's all changed now (for a while at least) and you can get a game here if you ask nicely, and stay overnight at one of the lodges - details are on the link. The experience will live with you forever. Robert von Hagge created a brute of a golf course, as hard as anything you will ever play. As if to prove the point, there is a board up in the clubhouse with the names of all of those who have broken 80! 

The course will be immaculately presented and you will have the place pretty much to yourselves. For me, it was too brutally difficult to rank as one of the great courses of Europe but I would recommend making the trip if you are playing in Paris so you can judge for yourself. 

Saint Germain
This Harry Colt course has undergone some restoration in recent years and it is a really pleasant place to add to a Paris golf trip. In a previous era, when the ball didn't go as far and you could hold a professional golf event on a course under 7,000 yards without fear of humiliation, the greats like Faldo and Ballesteros strode these fairways. It would be put to the sword by the pros these days but the members haven't tried to trick it up unnecessarily.

It's not massively generous off the tee though and the green areas have a lot of swales and burrows, so accuracy off the tee and a good short game are the secret to scoring well here.

Saint Germain isn't in quite the same league as Fontainebleau and doesn't come near to Les Bordes or Morfontaine but it will leave you more than satisfied and it oozes history. You can play on certain weekdays and Saturdays in the height of summer when the Parisiens head south. Make sure you take time to enjoy a meal or a drink on the terrace looking over the putting green and 9th green - it's a lovely spot.

Saint Germain is to the north-west of Paris, about 30 minutes north of Versailles which would be a good base to play here and Paris National. 

There are some spectacular false fronts at Saint Germain

Le Golf National
Unlike pretty much every other course on this list, access at Le Golf National isn't a problem - this is pure resort golf. The course is centred around a Novotel hotel in an industrial park to the west of Paris. Sounds nice doesn't it?! 

As I say in my review, it's not an awful golf course by any means, but you will only really remember the first couple of holes and and the last few where water comes into play. The rest are fairly bland. This is a tough course too when they want it to be with a lot of rough in play which can get really hard to play from.

My memories may be slightly sullied by the poor condition the course was in at the end of May - no run on the fairways and bumpy greens. But, more than that - the place has no soul. That's not the end of the world, but every other course on this list beats it hands down for atmosphere.

The par 3 second at Le Golf National requires both length and accuracy off the tee

Morfontaine
Morfontaine is the undisputed number 1 golf course in Continental Europe. Tom Simpson designed this course in the 1920s to be the playground of a French nobleman. The course is simply magnificent. It is a heathland course with many holes framed by tall pine trees. The ground runs fast and every hole has new features to marvel at. It's not a long course, but you will be asked questions of your short game you may never have been asked before. The whole place has a magical feel to it. The clubhouse is like entering someone's private home and the tranquility of the whole course is quite something to behold. 

The 9 hole Valliere course was the original layout at Morfontaine and you need to play it if you are there. Geoff Shackelford puts it well when he says in his article, 'Memorable, playable, fun and fascinating, Valliere features some of the most outrageous man-made greens in golf.'

So that all sounds very good doesn't it? But there is, inevitably, a snag. This is one of the most exclusive golf courses in the world and getting a round is one of the hardest achievements in golf. The first time I played it I went through Private Golf Key but, be warned, it is expensive. If you ever meet a member, be sure to keep in touch!

One other course to consider is Golf de Chantilly which is close to Morfontaine. It's another one with a great reputation and open to visitors. I’ve not played it yet but Michael Clayton is one of the many to sing its praises.

There are a couple of things to take into consideration when planning a trip. Firstly, this is quite a tricky trip to do over a weekend as access will be hard at most courses then. You should be OK at the National and Les Bordes but for the others you will need to work on a weekday game. Also, do not underestimate the Paris traffic. At rush hour you can find short distances take for ever!

A golf trip to Paris takes a bit more effort than the obvious candidates of Spain or Portugal but you will be richly rewarded. I have always found the welcome very warm and don't worry if you don't speak the language, English is widely spoken although some attempts at a bit of French will be appreciated.

If you want a bit more inspiration for a golf trip to France have a look at my country guide here or my recent article on playing in the south where the quality may not be quite as high but it's more accessible and has a better climate!