Courses 91-100

published 29 September 2006

91. Montrose Medal Course (2004 position ? 104)

6544 yards; Par 71; SSS 72

Green fees £40-£44

Montrose Medal is a wonderfully strategic golf course characterised by a very strong start and finish. Over the first three holes the strength in design is coupled with traditional links terrain to terrific effect. The greens are large with some significant undulations, and through the summer months they are notoriously quick. The 16th is one of the hardest par 3s in Scotland: 235 yards to a very sloping green. The wind plays a significant role in any round here and on a squally day it can transform from a testing links into a brutal monster.

A very interesting golf course that starts with eight par 4s. Of these, four are short and four are long ? many of the former are classic links holes with good bunkering, very tricky greens and the odd blind shot. The course is not overly long but can be a stern test on a windy day. The recent re-design of some holes has added length and more complex greens with additional severe slopes. The course used to be approached by a boat from Malahide and this is one of the many vistas you can see from the course.

Green fees £40-£50

Tucked away on the Gower Peninsula is a rare golfing treasure. The plan here makes great use of the heaving links land, reducing the need for artificial hazards to just 40 bunkers. The green on the stiff 416-yard par-4 first is indicative of what?s in store. The bunkerless sunken putting surface is tucked into a small swale that?s surrounded by hillocks and natural run-off areas that will gather the good shot but cast off those not on line.

Green fees £75-£140

Green fees £125 including lunch

This is a stunning course that will challenge all abilities. More than that, the tranquility of this edge of Dartmoor will remain with you after your visit. Mature trees, hills, meandering streams and peace and quiet ? playing here is the best stress-buster in the South-West. This feels and plays like millionaires? golf, with few other visitors on the course and a clear passage of play usually assured.

Green fees £30-£50

Green fees £35-£50

Woking is relatively well-known as a charming heathland course. But what is less appreciated is that, for the first 13 holes at least, it represents an excellent strategic test of golf. It?s as strong as any of its Surrey rivals for its heathland looks and when we visited the greens were in excellent condition. It is a beautiful setting with a wonderful clubhouse ? I can?t imagine many places I would rather be for a post-round drink than the terrace here.

Green fees £85-£150

Stunning to look at and play. There is an abundance of mature trees with oak, beach chestnut and pines featuring prominently. The 7th, a par 5 with a fairway split by majestic pines, is surely one of the most beautiful holes in the UK. It?s also a good walk as this is the most undulating of the three courses at Woburn. It?s difficult to believe that the Marquess has only been open for six years, and easy to see why comparisons to Augusta National have been made.

Green fees £30-£59

There is a notice on the 1st tee of the Nicklaus course stating that the average golfer loses eight balls a round here ? need I say more? This course has it all, water hazards, out of bounds, ditches, doglegs, as well as up and downhill fairways. You will certainly need every club in the bag. This doesn?t mean you need to be a big hitter, just accurate and good at course management. Hire a buggy if you?re a first time visitor ? and buy lots of spare balls.

This long-established course on the Rosses Point peninsula ranks among the best-conditioned links I?ve ever played. It may lack the dramatic, towering dunes of other Irish seaside courses but it more than makes up for this with the serene beauty of its backdrops ? the Atlantic on three sides and the distinctive flat-topped mountain of Benbulbin on the fourth. It?s pretty exposed so a good test in tough conditions, with the best holes those from the 9th to the 13th as you work your way along to the promontory at the far end of the course.

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