Meet the 14 golf course enthusiasts who have contributed to this list of England's Top 100 Courses
Dan Murphy, chairman
Occupation: Editor of NCG
Handicap: 3
Home club: Alwoodley
Courses played in shortlist: 158
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Royal County Down – it’s in a class of its own to me and ticks every box.
What makes a great course in 4 words: Design, turf, consistency, options
What you’ve learned about English courses: The quality of the inland golf. And the sheer depth – 40 or 50 courses only just missed out.
Tom Irwin
Occupation: Publisher of NCG
Handicap: 0
Home club: Alwoodley
Courses played in shortlist: 116
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Skibo Castle – the high life in the Highlands, perfection
What makes a great course in four words: Firm, flat, fun, fiendish
What you’ve learned about English courses: It’s just a crying shame that England isn’t renowned for its golf courses because it’s a huge selling point.
Sean Arble
Occupation: Automotive Manufacturing
Handicap: 9
Home clubs: Burnham & Berrow, Tantallon (North Berwick)
Courses played in shortlist: 87
Favourite GB&I course outside England: North Berwick West Links – perfect balance of quirk, challenge, beauty and brains
What makes a great course in four words: Variety, terrain and greens
What you’ve learned about English courses: There’s not really a great deal between the best courses and the second and third-tier courses.
Jim Banting
Occupation: Golf journalist and author
Handicap: 5
Home club(s): West Sussex
Courses played in shortlist: 121
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Royal County Down – visually spectacular, tough, unyielding but pure genius.
What makes a great course? Elegant, sophisticated, utterly unforgettable
What you’ve learned about English courses: That few clubs can afford to rest on their laurels.
Ed Battye
Occupation: Owner and manager of golfempire.co.uk
Handicap: 1
Home club: Bradley Park
Courses played in shortlist: 140
Favourite GB&I course outside England: The Old Course – ground zero for golf, strategically superior.
What makes a great course in four words: Options, turf, uniqueness, flow
What you’ve learned about English courses: The depth – even down in 80th or 90th place are courses well worth seeking out and playing.
Colin Callander
Occupation: Golf writer
Handicap: 8
Home clubs: Welwyn Garden City, R&A, Elie
Courses played in shortlist: 90
Favourite GB&I course outside England: The Old Course – not the best course but atmosphere all of its own.
What makes a great course: Challenge, condition, history, fun
What you’ve learned about English courses: Us Scots tend to be somewhat demeaning about English courses but that certainly is not fair.
Dave Cannon
Occupation: Getty Images Photographer
Handicap: 9
Home club(s): Royal Liverpool, Old Head, The European Club
Courses played in shortlist: 122
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Turnberry. Views, beauty, challenge, tests every club, magnificent, fair.
What makes a great course: Landscape, fairness, greens, variety
What you’ve learned about English courses: How good they are aesthetically from the perspective of a photographer.
Craig Higgs
Occupation: Golf Genius sales director
Handicap: 11
Home club: Shipley
Courses played in shortlist: 57
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Turnberry – the course is now on a par with the views.
What makes a great course in four words: 18 interesting golf holes
What you’ve learned about English courses: What sets English courses apart is that there are so many good courses that are near each other.
Dove Jones
Occupation: International Golf Communication Specialist (marketing, PR, writing)
Handicap: 12
Home clubs: Royal Liverpool, Crail
Courses played in shortlist: 64
Favourite GB&I course outside England: New Ailsa shot for shot; North Berwick for quirky challenging fun.
What makes a great course: Strategy, fairness, condition, variety
What you’ve learned about English courses: The lesser known courses have a charm all their own and shouldn’t be overlooked.
John McLoughlin
Occupation: Course manager at Warrington GC
Handicap: 0
Home club: West Lancs
Courses played in shortlist: 59
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Royal County Down – fits into the landscape flawlessly.
What makes a great course: Design compliments natural surroundings
What you’ve learned about English courses: We’ve got fantastic heathland, links and parkland courses – we’ve got the full spectrum.
George Oldham
Occupation: Writer
Handicap: 12
Home clubs: Prestwick St. Nicholas, Troon Welbeck
Courses played in shortlist: 70
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Turnberry – incomparable setting and challenge of great historic holes.
What makes a great course: Setting, challenge, condition, history
What you’ve learned about English courses: I have been reminded, rather than learned, of the sheer wealth and variety of courses.
Peter Rudd
Occupation: Telecom company owner and director
Handicap: 7
Home clubs: Woodbridge, Thorpeness
Courses played in shortlist: 74
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Waterville – superb design, majestic setting and terrific finishing holes.
What makes a great course: Great design, condition, setting
What you’ve learned about English courses: There are a lot of very good courses – more than people realise – and a lot of variety.
Jimmy Scade
Occupation: Retired stockbroker
Handicap: 12
Home clubs: Wildernesse, Rye, Brora
Courses played in shortlist: 82
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Nairn – a true, traditional links, fair and well-maintained.
What makes a great course: Fair, well-maintained, welcoming
What you’ve learned about English courses: I’m amazed that there could possibly be 100 better courses than Royal Cromer.
Steve Watton
Occupation: Company director
Handicap: 2
Home club: Enville
Courses played in shortlist: 94
Favourite GB&I course outside England: Royal Dornoch – inspiring beautiful links, amazing green complexes, hole variety
What makes a great course in four words: Beauty, strategy, wow factor
What you’ve learned about English courses: There’s so much depth that you could easily produce a top 200 or 300 list in England.