10. Bamburgh Castle
Northumberland, England
It’s hard to know where to look at times – the eponymous Bamburgh Castle is quite a sight from on high while Northumberland’s famous golden beaches seem to stretch away forever. It’s also an endlessly entertaining golf course, packed with quirky holes and changes of elevation.
9. Cruit Island
Donegal, Ireland
Connected to the mainland by a small, stone bridge, Cruit (pronounced ‘Critch’ somehow) is a one-off. The 9-hole course in the very north-west of Ireland entertains and confounds in equal measure with its blind doglegs and tiny, hidden greens. Of course, there’s no excuse, well less at any rate, on the back nine when you have seen it all once.
8. Castletown
Isle of Man
It sometimes seems that this golf course is an island – the sea appears to extend in all directions. There are several highlights on this unusual blend of clifftop, links and moorland but none more so than the 5th, a cape hole that swings from left to right, and the 17th, where you must drive over the rocks and sea below to find the fairway.
7. Thurlestone
Devon, England
Harry Colt’s holiday course between Plymouth and Torquay on the Devon coast encapsulates the joy of being alive that golf can provide at its best. The sea is never out of view and the next thrilling hole is never far away. Spend a summer’s evening here and you might never be able to drag yourself away.
6. Shiskine
Isle of Arran, Scotland
On the west coast of the Isle of Arran, which is visible from Royal Troon, Shiskine is a golf course in a category of its own. A 12-holer, the challenges range from the relatively straightforward to the outrageous, with some tees and greens on shelves cut into the cliffs and others within yards of the ocean. It’s an experience you will never forget.
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5. Gleneagles
Perthshire, Scotland
If you think that golf can only be spectacular by the ocean then you obviously have never been to Gleneagles. This is an uplifting experience – and we can’t separate the experience of the King’s and the Queen’s. It’s a wonderland of a location – with craggy mountaintops and rolling moorland in all directions.
4. Kingsbarns
Fife, Scotland
This course was built to thrill and it hits the spot repeatedly. There is a sea view from all 18 holes, thanks to the terraced nature of the design, which slopes down towards the sea. The real show-stopping moments come at the 12th and 15th, with the later calling for a daring tee shot over the rocks.
3. Turnberry
Ayrshire, Scotland
President Trump describes the Ailsa as golf’s Mona Lisa and he has a point. Thanks to Martin Ebert’s redesign, the Ailsa now hugs the shore in a way it really didn’t before while the 9th is now a long par 3 over the rocks below from one cliff top to another. The 10th is a real showstopper with its infinity green while the 11th is now played alongside the sea.
2. Nefyn
Gwynedd, Wales
Blowholes, lighthouses, clifftops, ocean views – Nefyn is an assault on the senses. This North Wales beauty is perched on the Lleyn Peninsula. The 2nd is a taste of what’s to come – it’s on the back nine that Nefyn really hits the heights. It’s unforgettably entertaining – and you can even call in for a pint on the 16th at the charming Ty Coch down on the beach below.
1. Old Head
Cork, Ireland
Hanging on to the very southernmost extremity of Ireland by little more than a thread of land, Old Head is, quite simply, in a category of its own when it comes to drama. Many other courses claim to offer clifftop drama but none come near to the scale of Old Head. Vertiginous drops, carries over the Atlantic Ocean and greens hard by the cliff tops – Old Head has it all.
The hardest courses to get on in the UK
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