Five Of The Best Clifftop Golf Courses

published 20 October 2017

Our historic links are the lifeblood and roots of golf, but clifftop courses offer a coastal contrast that is often even more dramatic

Five Of The Best Clifftop Golf Courses

Nefyn & District (Pictured above)

Par 70, 6,267 yards

Nefyn & District is blessed with a truly stunning setting and some of the finest views in golf.

It now has 27 holes configured as two distinct 18-hole layouts, but it is the holes on the promontory - The Point - that will blow you away… sometimes quite literally.

The fairway blowhole, through which the sea occasionally rises, is perhaps unique in golf.

The lighthouse hole will shine brightly in the memory, and there is even a footpath down to a beachside pub.

Sheringham

Par 70, 6,251 yards

Norfolk is a peaceful, idyllic county, and this beautiful clifftop course offers a fine contrast to its testing links.

Holes three to seven run closest to the precipice, and there are some terrific elevated vantage points that provide panoramic views over the rest of the course.

The closing four holes are flanked by the North Norfolk Railway, where a slice and a northerly wind make for a very bad combination.

Hit the ball straight, and this is a joyful place for golf.

St Andrews (Castle Course)

Par 71, 6,759 yards

St Andrews and Fife have more than their fair share of classic links including the Old Course, and whilst some purists are happy not to stray from these, David McLay Kidd’s contemporary creation is a wonderful alternative that offers fabulous views out to sea and back over the town.

There are some thrilling holes, plenty of impressive bunkering, and some tricky and at times mind-bending greens.

The par-3 penultimate hole is one of many memorable highlights.

Continues below

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Five Of The Best Bunkerless Courses

One way to avoid the sand is to…

Old Head

Par 72, 6,508 yards

While it has its detractors who think it is more style than substance, Old Head is an amazing links-like, clifftop hybrid perched on a truly spectacular peninsula on the coast of County Cork.

Less debatable is that it has the most breathtaking location of any course in the Golf Monthly Top 100.

The jaw first drops on the 2nd, a dogleg which hugs the shore, and from then on it is both a proverbial and literal rollercoaster ride all the way.

Bridport & West Dorset

Par 71, 6,213 yards

Some of our loveliest courses are also our least well known, and while this centurion on the Jurassic coast will never stage The Open, it is a delightful place for golf.

The beautiful location came to greater prominence when it featured in ITV’s Broadchurch, and although this friendly club is the oldest in Dorset, it has moved with the times.

The feature hole is the short but sweet 6th, played from an elevated tee down into a lovely valley.

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Rob Smith has been playing golf for 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played more than 1,200 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2022, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 81, 32 of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 and Next 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all but seven and a half... i.e. not the new 9 at Carne! Of those missing, some are already booked for 2024. He is a member of Tandridge in Surrey where his handicap hovers around 16. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.