NCG Top 100s: meet the panel for our Scotland list

Courses and Travel

Sep 18, 2019

Meet the panellists who decided our rating of the best golf courses in Scotland

We sought to assemble a panel who had a deep understanding of Scottish golf. Our panellists even include a man who has played every single golf course in the country, as well as a photographer, a greenkeeper and some very good players.

• View the NCG top 100: Scotland’s best golf courses

Dan Murphy, NCG editor

Handicap: 3

Home club: Alwoodley

Courses played in shortlist: 108

What makes a great course in four words: Design, turf, consistency, options

Chris Bertram, NCG Top 100s editor

Handicap: 11

Courses played in shortlist: 90

What makes a great course: Variety, entertainment, turf, clever.

Tom Irwin

Handicap: 0

Home club: Alwoodley

Courses played in shortlist: 88

What makes a great course: Firm, fast, fun, fiendish

George Oldham

Handicap: 12

Home clubs: Prestwick St Nicholas, Troon Welbeck

Courses played in shortlist: 58

What makes a great course: Setting, challenge, condition, history

Neal Stewart

Handicap: 6

Home club: Haggs Castle

Courses played in list: 125

What makes a great course: Variety, challenge, greens, fairness

Ed Battye

Handicap: 1

Home club: Bradley Park

Courses played in shortlist: 85

What makes a great course Options, turf, uniqueness, wow

Dave Cannon

Handicap: 9

Home club(s): Royal Liverpool, Old Head, The European Club

Courses played in shortlist: 52

What makes a great course: Landscape, fairness, greens, variety

Jim Banting

Handicap: 5

Home club: West Sussex

Courses played in shortlist: 66

What makes a great course: Elegant, sophisticated, utterly unforgettable

Craig Higgs

Handicap: 11

Home club: Shipley

Courses played in shortlist: 52

What makes a great course: 18 interesting golf holes

Dove Jones

Handicap: 12

Home club(s): Royal Liverpool, Crail

Courses played in shortlist: 62

What makes a great course: Strategy, fairness, condition, variety

Alan Ferguson

Handicap: 4

Home club(s): New Golf Club; Crail Golfing Society; St Andrews Golf Club

Courses played on shortlist: 99

What makes a great course: Setting, memorable holes, ambience

Phil Bedford

Handicap: 5

Home club: Enville

Courses played on shortlist: 50

What makes a great course: Humpy, rumpy, lumpy, bumpy.

John Mcloughlin

Handicap: 0

Home club: West Lancs

Courses played in shortlist: 51

What makes a great course:

Design compliments natural surroundings

Peter Rudd

Handicap: 7

Home club(s): Woodbridge, Thorpeness

Courses played in shortlist: 62

What makes a great course: Great design, condition, setting

Alan McPherson

Handicap: 10

Home club(s): The Glen and Dunbar

Courses played on shortlist: 125

What makes a great course: Natural, inspiring, scenery, special

• View the NCG top 100: Scotland’s best golf courses

Dan Murphy

Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.