published: Jan 29, 2025

updated: Jan 30, 2025

NCG Top 100s: England – What is the best par 5?

Matt Coles

There are so many amazing par 5s in England, but which do our panellists think are the best?

Hoylake Royal Liverpool NCG Top 100s England best par 5

Our panel have played the best English courses ahead of compiling the NCG Top 100s: England list – but what is their favourite par 5?

From links holes with plenty of bunkers and gorse, to heathland par 5s, running through heather and tree-lined fairways – there really is something for everyone when it comes to golf in England.

There are iconic par 5s around the country. From those you will have seen on TV at the Open Championship and the DP World Tour, to those that surprise you when you first play them…

But what do our panellists think? There are many incredible par 5s around the country, but will our panellists have gone for the same? Or will there be several different par 5s in their mentions?

What do our panellists rate as the best par 5 in England?

Steve Watton: Sunningdale (New) 6th hole. The scenic beauty with everything laid out in front of you when stood on the back tee is simply awe inspiring.

David Walker: Woking’s 14th – the risk-reward, the history and the fact the clubhouse is in bounds.

Mike Robertson: I love the 8th at Alwoodley. A dog-leg left and a testing drive with OOB up the left, but once round the corner the hole is beautifully set.

Michael Verity: 16 at Royal Liverpool (which plays as the 18th at the Open). So many options, so much jeopardy depending on wind/conditions and the route/risk you decide on.

Neil White: First hole on The Berkshire (Red). Spellbinding opener

Ed Battye: 2nd at Perranporth – ‘Whim Wham’

Royal St George's NCG Top 100s England best par 5 — *Don’t go right off the 14th tee at Royal St George’s…*

Dan Murphy: The 14th at Royal St George’s. With a course boundary, a stream crossing the fairway and some awkward bunkering, this is a strategic masterclass.

Craig Redston: The most memorable to me is the 9th at Thorndon Park. [There are] not many par 5’s where you can see the green from the tee. It’s a great hole.

Chris Griffiths: St Enodoc – Hole 16. Great challenge, stunning, and makes you think about placement. Culminating with an exceptional green complex.

Andi White: Silloth 5th hole, picturesque and alongside the sea

Philip Bedford: Enville (Lodge)’s 10th hole

Craig Morrison: The 8th at Royal West Norfolk – always good but at very high tides it might just be the high water mark of English golf.

Royal West Norfolk Golf Club NCG Top 100s England best par 5s — *The high tides come rolling in on the 8th at Royal West Norfolk*

There were a couple of par 5s around the country that had more than one of our panellists smiling…

Jim Banting: 16th at Royal Cinque Ports – offer choice and requires accuracy and distance control

Neil White: 16th Royal Cinque Ports – brutal, yet beautiful

Dan Gould: Wentworth West, Hole 18. Putting yourself in the shoes of icons and landing your approach on the green over the water – immense.

Jason Ling: Wentworth West’s 18th – a stunning finishing hole

However, one par 5 in particular is held in very high regard…

Steve Carroll: 11th, Hillside – What a view from the tee! Downhill, you think it’s reachable but it’s a beast into the wind. The bunkers seem to be right in my hitting zones and the angled green complicates matters.

Joss Powick: The 11th at Hillside, every view is picture perfect. It is both tough and rewarding.

Neil Gray: The 11th hole at Hillside is a very well bunkered strategic par 5, that demands accuracy for every shot.

Pat O’Connor: Hillside’s 11th – Only 510 yards but into the prevailing wind!

David Elliott: Hillside, 11th. Ticks all the boxes of a fantastic hole. Visually stunning, tough and a pleasure to play!

Dove Jones: Hillside 11th – great view – distracting from a hole that demands full concentration to score

Chris Myatt: Hillside – 11th Hole. A sweeping fairway framed by towering dunes, played to from an elevated tee and to an undulating green guarded by a tall pine woodland

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Now have your say

Would you agree with our panellists? What do you think is the best par 5 in England? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!

About the author

Matt Coles

Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…

Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.

He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.

Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…

Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.

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