The idea was simple – to come up with the best 1st to 18th holes in this instalment of the UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses.
Of course, any hypothetical selection such as this is highly subjective. But we’ve tried to create a fictional course delivering the right blend of ebb and flow, challenge and enjoyment.
It’s a little quirky too with a run of three, straight par 3s. Whether you agree with all the choices or not, around on this eclectic top 100 dream course would blow you away!
1st - Trump International Golf Links Ireland Par 5, 561 yards
1st hole Doonbeg
The opener at Trump International Golf Links Ireland (Doonbeg) leads right into the dunes and gives a clear indication of the dramatic terrain to come.
2nd - Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Par 4, 425 yards
Royal Porthcawl 2nd hole
Playing right out to the shoreline, beach and out-of-bounds lurk to the left side on the 2nd at Royal Porthcawl and become more of a factor as you near the green.
3rd - Royal County Down Golf Club Championship Links, Par 4, 475 yards
3rd at Royal County Down
There are incredible views over Dundrum Bay on this formidable par 4 at Royal County Down where bunkers provide significant threat on both drive and approach.
4th - Old Head Golf Links, Par 4, 427 yards
4th at Old Head Golf Links
There can be few more striking holes than this clifftop test at Old Head Golf Links. Playing out towards the lighthouse, anything veering left will disappear over the cliffs.
5th - Cruden Bay Golf Club Championship Course, Par 4, 463 yards
5th at Cruden Bay
From an elevated tee, this cracking hole at Cruden Bay sweeps through the dunes, turning gently right to left towards a huge sloping green.
6th - Sunningdale Golf Club New Course, Par 5, 510 yards
The stunning 6th at Sunningdale New
You look across an expanse of beautiful heathland at Sunningdale Golf Club New Course before firing down to a fairway sweeping left to right, before climbing again to the green.
7th, Hankley Common Golf Club, Par 3, 183 yards
The 7th at Hankley Common
It’s the near perfect simplicity of this par-3 at Hankley Common that makes it so enticing. The ball must carry a swathe of heather and rough to a two-tier green.
8th – Royal Troon Golf Club Old Course, Par 3, 123 yards
the "Postage Stamp"
One of the most famous short holes, the putting surface of the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon is incredibly narrow and vicious bunkers wait short, left and right.
9th - Trump Turnberry Ailsa Course, Par 3, 187 yards
The striking and iconic 9th at Trump Turnberry
Playing over the rocks and the waves to the iconic lighthouse at Trump Turnberry, the tee shot on this hole is one of the most exciting in golf.
10th - Sunningdale Golf Club Old Course, Par 4, 488 yards
The 10th on the Old Course at Sunningdale
Played from an elevated tee to a fairway lined with trees and heather, and shaped from left to right. A very tough par 4 at Sunningdale Old Course, but one to earn your stop at the famous halfway hut!
11th - Hillside Golf Club, Par 5, 509 yards
11th at Hillside
The fairway on the 11th at Hillside kinks right before turning left between dunes to a green framed by a circle of high pines.
12th - Kingsbarns Golf Links, Par 5, 566 yards
The 12th at Kingsbarns
A fabulous long hole, hugging the shoreline. The 12th at Kingsbarns ends with a daunting shot to a 65-yard-long green with the sea waiting short and left.
13th - North Berwick Golf Club West Links, Par 4, 400 yards
The 13th at North Berwick West Links
The 13th at North Berwick is one of the most unique holes in golf where your approach must carry an old stone wall to reach the long, narrow putting surface.
14th - Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course, Par 4, 445 yards
Foxy - The 14th at Royal Dornoch
There are no bunkers on “Foxy,” it doesn’t need them. Find the fairway on the 14th at Royal Dornoch and then aim to hold the plateau green.
15th – Royal St Davids Golf Club, Par 4, 427 yards
This is how the golfing gods intended the game to be played; a supremely natural, bunkerless hole played through the dunes at Royal St David's.
16th - Royal Portrush Golf Club Dunluce Links, Par 3, 202 yards
“Calamity Corner” is one of Harry Colt’s best par 3s. The tee on the 16th at Royal Portrush shot must carry to a raised green over a rough-filled chasm.
17th - St Andrews Old Course, Par 4, 455 yards
Playing over the sheds on the 17th of the Old Course, then into the shallow green with bunker in front and road behind will raise the hairs on the back of your neck.
18th - Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course, Par 4, 444 yards
The toughest closing hole in championship golf, bunkers, out-of-bounds and the snaking Barry Burn set the pulse racing at Carnoustie.
OUR ECLECTIC DREAM 18 TOP 100 COURSE:
Par 72, 7,290 yards
- Hole 1: Trump International Ireland - Par 5, 561 yards
- Hole 2: Royal Porthcawl - Par 4, 425 yards
- Hole 3: Royal County Down - Par 4, 475 yards
- Hole 4: Old Head - Par 4, 427 yards
- Hole 5: Cruden Bay - Par 4, 463 yards
- Hole 6: Sunningdale New - Par 5, 510 yards
- Hole 7: Hankley Common - Par 3, 183 yards
- Hole 8: Royal Troon - Par 3, 123 yards
- Hole 9: Trump Turnberry Ailsa - Par 3, 187 yards
- Hole 10: Sunningdale Old - Par 4, 488 yards
- Hole 11: Hillside - Par 5, 509 yards
- Hole 12: Kingsbarns - Par 5, 566 yards
- Hole 13: North Berwick - Par 4, 400 yards
- Hole 14: Royal Dornoch - Par 4, 445 yards
- Hole 15: Royal St David's - Par 4, 427 yards
- Hole 16: Royal Portrush Dunluce - Par 3, 202 yards
- Hole 17: St Andrews Old - Par 4, 455 yards
- Hole 18: Carnoustie Championship - Par 4, 444 yards
-
LPGA Tour Announces 2025 ScheduleThe 2025 LPGA Tour season will have two new events including a visit to Mexico, while the biennial International Crown returns
-
How Adam Scott Helped Shape The Design Of The Two New L.A.B. Golf PuttersToday marks the exciting release of the L.A.B. Golf OZ.1 collection. Let’s take a closer look at what golfers can expect…
-
Golfer Emulates Father By Completing Golf Monthly Top 100... For The Second Time!Following in his father’s footsteps, reader Michael Howlett set himself the enviable task of playing every course in the Golf Monthly Top 100
-
Which Golf Courses Do We Rank 101st-200th In The UK And Ireland?The Golf Monthly Next 100 for 2023/24 showcases the courses ranked 101st-200th in the UK and Ireland
-
Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland 2023/24Golf Monthly's new ranking of the UK and Ireland's Top 100 courses
-
Dumbarnie Links Golf Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key InfoA modern masterpiece, Dumbarnie Links boasts a wonderful, elevated setting above the Firth of Forth and a great mix of holes to both challenge and tempt you
-
St Enodoc Golf Club: Church Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key InfoThe Church Course at St Enodoc Golf Club is one of the most distinctive and individual courses in the Top 100, packed with variety and views
-
Hollinwell Golf Course: Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key InfoThe very fine routing at Hollinwell Golf Course has some delightful changes in elevation and many exceptional holes over a vast and very attractive heathland
-
Nairn Golf Club Championship Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key InfoGorse-lined, criss-crossed by burns and pockmarked by perilous pot bunkers, Nairn delivers superb Scottish links golf
-
Gleneagles Golf Resort King's Course: Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key InfoNowhere gives you the chance to pit yourself against James Braid’s design mind in quite as gloriously serene a setting as Gleneagles King’s course
