Top 100 courses under £100: 100-91
100 – Kilmarnock Barassie, Ayrshire
2013 green fee: £60
Recently extended, Barassie now has 27 holes, with the newest of them reaching all the way to Dundonald. Expect high-quality surfaces to hit and putt on and the kind of bunkering that must be respected.
Why it’s special: A quintessential west-coast Scottish links
99 – Seascale, Cumbria
2013 green fee: £35
The funny thing about Seascale is that in one direction are the hills of the Lake District and in another the Irish Sea. The industrial backdrop to the south unfairly dominates conversations about this honest links at the most remote outpost of Cumbria.
Why it’s special: Incredible value and an experience few get to enjoy
98 – King’s Lynn, Norfolk
2013 green fee: £50
Tight, tree-lined and featuring several doglegs, King’s Lynn is the gateway to any trip to Norfolk. By all means contine to Hunstanton and Brancaster but a round here is much more than a warm up – it’s a treat in its own right. Not the longest but demands respect.
Why it’s special: You could be playing at one of Surrey’s finest
97 – Sheringham, Norfolk
2013 green fee: £65
Sitting on the cliffs just to the north of this pleasant coastal town, get Sheringham on a clear day and you will be glad to be alive. Natural and rugged, the toughest holes are usually those beside the railway and specifically the tremendous closing stretch.
Why it’s special: The views of the sea and the sound of the old trains
96 – Bude & North Cornwall, Cornwall
2013 green fee: £33
The South West seems to do holiday golf as well as anywhere else in Britain and Bude fits very much into that category. A seaside course of little more than 6,000 yards, there is a testing finish almost in the very centre of town.
Why it’s special: The views from the putting green are sensational
Isle of Purbeck is an unusual course – it is near the sea yet actually more heathland in nature than anything else, with outbreaks of gorse and heather. 95 – Dalmahoy, Edinburgh
2013 green fee: £65
To the west of Edinburgh going towards Livingston, Dalmahoy was good enough to host the Solheim Cup in the 1990s. It was designed by James Braid and finishes in some style with a closing hole that crosses a gorge.
Why it’s special: The fabulous 18th-century manor house provides the backdrop
94 – North Hants, Hampshire
2013 green fee: £60
This is where the reigning US Open champion Justin Rose grew up and by mastering his home course’s tree-lined fairways and tight heathland turf he honed his ball striking and accuracy. One of Hampshire’s finest.
Why it’s special: This is one of those courses where you rarely see any other holes
93 – Hayling, Hampshire
2013 green fee: £60
This south-coast links is over 100 years old but the design owes much to the work of Tom Simpson in the 1930s. It’s rugged and natural with plenty of gorse to avoid. Oh, and a magnificent art deco-style clubhouse.
Why it’s special: Arguably the only true links to the west of Rye on the south coast
92 – Downfield, Angus
2013 green fee: £69
Classy Downfield is a verdant, parkland treat in a region much better known for its flinty links courses. Get this Open qualifier in the summer months and you will love the conditioning but don’t be deceived – it is a substantial test from the back tees.
Why it’s special: There are some wonderful risk-and-reward par 5s
91 – Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
2013 green fee: £48
This is an unusual course – it is near the sea yet actually more heathland in nature than anything else, with outbreaks of gorse and heather. It was touched by the hands of the great Harry Colt in the 1900s.
Why it’s special: The views here are amazing and in all directions
CLICK HERE to find out who made it to 90-81 in our list…
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
