Bring 17 people together and ask them to evaluate the top 100 golf courses in England – or any country – and you’ll not be surprised to learn you can get 17 different opinions.
So when our intrepid panel of experts saw the final NCG Top 100 England rankings they had some favourites they passionately believed should have made a better showing on the countdown. Here are some of the layouts they feel should be higher up the hit parade…
Neil Gray: The London Club (Heritage), New Zealand and The Berkshire (Red & Blue).
Dove Jones: Worplesdon and Trevose.
Steve Watton: Silloth. I feel that is one of our very best links courses. The other is Seascale. There was fantastic variety of holes, great par 3s, and constantly changing terrain.
Steve Carroll: Ganton, but I live in Yorkshire so I’m probably biased. I also fell in love with Royal Liverpool.
Tom Irwin: I would have Woodhall Spa above the Sunningdale courses. Other than a slightly peculiar 18th it is a heathland without fault following the Doak renovation.
Seacroft and Silloth suffer at the unconscious bias we all have against unfashionable locations. Both are in down-at-heel seaside resorts, miles off the beaten track. Both are remarkable examples of links architecture, fun, quirky, challenging. Seacroft is like a battered old vintage novel, Silloth as pure as it comes. They would both be comfortably in an English Top 10 for me.
Sean Arble: Rye – that’s comfortably top 10 for me – and JCB. There are very few courses that can match those greens. It’s a lot of fun to play. Finally, Worlington. In some ways, it’s the perfect golf course.
George Oldham: I’ll settle for Hillside, Trevose and Little Aston.
John Mcloughlin: Royal Liverpool and Formby Ladies.
Dan Murphy: I personally think Walton Heath Old belongs in the top 10 – it remains the quintessential heathland. I’m sorry to see Bude & North Cornwall slip a few places because it’s a one-off. And I think Huntercombe could be significantly higher than the 90s.
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Greg Webber: New Zealand, Little Aston possibly deserves to be a little bit higher and, perhaps an understated course, Thorpeness.
Ed Battye: Silloth – I think it’s about 20 places too low! I think it’s top three in England. And Hollinwell.
Niall Flanagan: Coombe Hill, Sunningdale New and New Zealand.
More from NCG Top 100 golf courses in England
- RANKING ROW: The courses that should have been higher
Visit the NCG Top 100s homepage for all this and much, much more.
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