81-90 Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland 2023/24

Golf Monthly's full list of the UK and Ireland's Top 100 courses

Ballybunion Golf Club Old Course with the top 100 UK and Ireland logo
(Image credit: Evan Schiller / Ballybunion Golf Club)

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81-90 Courses

81. PARKSTONE GOLF CLUB

Parkstone Golf Club 6th hole

(Image credit: Parkstone Golf Club)
  • Location: Poole, Dorset, England
  • Founded: 1909
  • Designed by: Willie Park Jr
  • Green fee: £70-£150
  • 23/24 ranking: Down 1

One of Bournemouth’s big-hitting trio, Parkstone is one of many UK courses that has been striving to rediscover its heathland roots in recent years. Recent improvements are now fully bedded in on this fine layout that features many attractive holes.

There are several thrilling tee-shots, such as the 3rd where you play from a causeway crossing water, and each of the short holes is a real gem.

- Parkstone review and key info


82. BLAIRGOWRIE GOLF CLUB ROSEMOUNT COURSE

Blairgowrie Rosemount 18th green

(Image credit: Mark Alexander)
  • Location: Blairgowrie and Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland
  • Founded: 1889
  • Designed by: Alister MacKenzie and James Braid
  • Green fee: £80-£120
  • 23/24 ranking: Down 8

A beautiful layout that weaves its way through majestic pines. James Braid is one of the most prolific architects in the Top 100, and the Rosemount is his 1930s reworking of an earlier Alister MacKenzie design.

While finding the fairways on this tree-lined classic is more about accuracy than brute force, the reward for so doing will be the chance to play from a perfect lie.

- Blairgowrie Rosemount review and key info


83. WOKING GOLF CLUB

Woking GC pictured

(Image credit: Paul Severn)
  • Location: Woking, Surrey, England
  • Founded: 1893
  • Designed by: Tom Dunn
  • Green fee: £100-£155
  • 23/24 ranking: No change

Woking has long been regarded as architecturally significant. The short par-4 start is followed by a superb par 3 recently enhanced by the removal of a large oak and bunker improvements.

There’s no let-up in quality throughout, with the vista from the elevated 6th tee perhaps the best on the course. It is both a case study in strategic course design as well as a beautiful place to play.

- Woking review and key info


84. ROYAL NORTH DEVON GOLF CLUB

Looking back down a hole at Royal North Devon Golf Club

(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Location: Westward Ho!, Devon, England
  • Founded: 1864
  • Designed by: Old Tom Morris
  • Green fee: £50-£130
  • 23/24 ranking: Up 1

A historic, unique and characterful seaside course, it’s golf in a pure form. Set on a flat coastal plain at the edge of Westward Ho! it’s one of the country’s most natural layouts.

Covered in sea rushes and grazed upon by sheep and wild horses, it can take a couple of rounds to begin to understand the subtleties of this great links. Although RND appears to be flat there are many undulations and run-offs to deceive and perplex.

- Royal North Devon review and key info


85. WOBURN GOLF CLUB DUKE'S COURSE

Woburn Duke's

(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Location: Woburn, Buckinghamshire, England
  • Opened: 1976
  • Designed by: Charles Lawrie
  • Green fee: £160-£345
  • 23/24 ranking: Up 1

The Duke’s is where it all began on the Duke of Bedford’s Woburn Estate, with Charles Lawrie crafting the first of the now three courses through avenues of pine, birch and chestnut in 1976. It's a beautifully maintained, tree-lined gem of a course offering a secluded round.

Accuracy off the tee is key around the Duke's. If you don’t have it, you’ll often find yourself playing your second shot out sideways.

- Woburn Duke's review and key info


County Sligo Golf Club general view

(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Location: Rosses Upper, County Sligo, Ireland
  • Founded: 1894
  • Designed by: Harry Colt and Martin Hawtree
  • Green fee: €230-€250
  • 23/24 ranking: Up 4

Founded in 1894, County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point is a superb Harry Colt design that is one of the oldest links in Ireland. 

Throughout the round, the views of the Ox Mountains and the golfing test are outstanding. When you reach the distant loop of holes around the turn, you feel as though you are in a different world.

- County Sligo Championship review and key info


87. ABERDOVEY GOLF CLUB

Aberdovey GC

(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Location: Aberdovey, Gwynedd, Wales
  • Founded: 1892
  • Designed by: James Braid
  • Green fee: £50-£130
  • 23/24 ranking: Down 9

This traditional and enjoyable out-and-back links is tucked between beach and railway line. In just over 130 years, some of golf’s greatest architects have contributed to the layout including Herbert Fowler, James Braid and Harry Colt.

It is beautifully situated on the northern mouth of the Dovey estuary and runs in a figure-of-eight routing. The bunkering is visually impressive although perhaps the best hole, the short 12th, is excellent without.

- Aberdovey review and key info


88. FERNDOWN GOLF CLUB OLD COURSE

Ferndown

(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Location: Ferndown, Dorset, England
  • Opened: 1913
  • Designed by: Harold Hilton
  • Green fee: £80-£195
  • 23/24 ranking: Down 1

Ferndown is a pristine heathland course with sandy fairways and heather lurking to either side of the mown surfaces. It's always beautifully conditioned, boasting exceptional playing surfaces.

With pine trees and firs also lining many of the holes, it’s an extremely attractive layout. Host to many top level competitions, Percy Alliss was professional at Ferndown and son Peter counted the club as his spiritual home.

- Ferndown Old review and key info


89. WALLASEY GOLF CLUB

Wallasey Golf Club from above

(Image credit: Wallasey Golf Club)
  • Location: Wallasey, Wirral, England
  • Founded: 1891
  • Designed by: Old Tom Morris, James Braid, Donald Steel
  • Green fee: £85-£235
  • 23/24 ranking: New entry

Over 130 years, Wallasey’s links has had design input from Old Tom Morris, Hawtree and Taylor, James Braid and Donald Steel.

More recently, the design and presentation has stepped up several gears under course manager, John McLaughlin, and is now a thrilling journey through some of the best dunes in English golf. Wallasey is an ever-improving links blessed with a brilliant topography.

- Wallasey review and key info


90. SHERWOOD FOREST GOLF CLUB

Sherwood Forest GC

(Image credit: Sherwood Forest)
  • Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
  • Founded: 1895
  • Designed by: Harry Colt and James Braid
  • Green fee: £60-£145
  • 23/24 ranking: Down 6

Sherwood Forest Golf Club dates from 1895 and they have been at the same site since 1912, playing over a course originally laid out by Harry Colt but remodelled by James Braid in the 1920s.

It's an attractive, natural heathland layout lined by heathers and birches, and it's also a very testing course where placement from the tee is essential. The greens are always fast and true. 

- Sherwood Forest review and key info

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

With contributions from