Top 100 links golf courses in GB&I (20-11)

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20. Kingsbarns
Fife, Scotland


AC: Similar to Castle Stuart in playability. 

MM: Great views but, alas for me, soulless.

CC: Good but not as good as some think. 

RM: Modern design at its best.

DC: In the top three best new links. 

Commentary: A great modern design.

19. Ballybunion (Old)
County Kerry, Ireland



SA: Without question one of a small handful of the best courses in GB&I. 

MM: Wonderful subtleties of design. 

DJ: Fun but not perfect.

LS: Almost pure Poa grasses. 

Commentary: Starts and finishes modestly; brilliant elsewhere.

18. Royal Troon
Ayrshire, Scotland



AC: Recent major rerouting of the 15th has only strengthened it. Not a course for a quick nine though.

SA: Quite a few bland par 4s and the out-and-back routing accentuates it. 

Commentary: Strong back nine and recent work has enhanced all of it.

17. St Enodoc
Cornwall, England



AL: The beauty grabs you first;then you see just how great the golf is.

SA: Iconic, bold and quirky.

CH: Front nine is weak in places – the big bunker on 6th masks a poor hole. 

LS: Some weak holes around the church. 

Commentary: Not every hole is brilliant but St Enodoc has a rare charm.

16. Skibo Castle
Highlands, Scotland



DJ: The new routing has greatly improved it

CC: Much better than it used to be. 

Commentary: The layout,conditioning and character are unrecognisable from five years ago.Now a firm and fescue- dominated links without a weak hole.

15. Lahinch
County Clare, Ireland



JN: For Americans,a great litmus test – either you embrace the outlandishness and dream-like quality,or you don’t get links golf.

CC: Old-fashioned links golf at its best. 

Commentary: Only a couple of panellists weren’t huge fans.

14. Royal Aberdeen
Aberdeen, Scotland



RG: Probably the purest links I’ve ever played – brutally tough in the wind. 

CC: Tremendous test of golf. 

AL: Magnificent.Will remain the best course in Aberdeen. 

Commentary: Fabulous front nine;less explosive coming home.

13. North Berwick
East Lothian, Scotland



KE: This is just golf at its finest. Tricky and interesting with wonderful vistas.

DJ: Is there a more fun course to play? 

DW: Great old-fashioned historic course. 

AL: As much fun as it’s possible to have on a golf course.

Commentary: You guessed it; it’s fun.

12. Waterville
County Kerry, Ireland



CH: Heaven on earth – worth the trip. 

JN: Great but not imaginative.

CC: Modern links golf at its best. 

DJ: The perfect way to spend a day or a lifetime – you never get tired of it.

LS: Now with fine grasses. 

Commentary: Brilliant redesign by Fazio’s team. Wild and wonderful.

11. Royal Lytham & St Annes
Lancashire, England



CC: The best links in England.

RM: It may not be the most scenic course but it is still seriously good.

CH: Strong course although lacks views. MM: Stunning golf holes, disappointing environs.

SA: The course relies on bunkering too much to be top class.

KE: Wonderfully strategic from the tee. Multiple bunkers are in play, in just the right way,for players of all abilities. 

AL: Too reliant on bunkers – the terrain is not special.

Commentary: Lytham will never seduce the first-time visitor like a Turnberry or Kingsbarns but it is bunkered like nowhere else in this list.

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