I've Been To Every Golf Club In The UK&I With 3 Courses - These Are My Recommendations…

There are in the region of 3,000 golf courses in the UK and Ireland and a very slightly smaller number of golf clubs. While the norm is a one-to-one ratio, there are still a healthy number of two-course clubs such as Archerfield, Ballybunion and Carden Park. Surprisingly, this is also true in the Golf Monthly Top 100 where The Berkshire, Saunton, Sunningdale and Walton Heath each have two entries.

Far rarer are the clubs which have three 18-hole courses. Some actually have even more such as the St Andrews Links Trust with six and a 9-holer, and the Manor and Ashbury Resorts in Devon with their mind-boggling 103 holes.

Others such as Killarney used to have three but no longer do. So for the sake of this article, we are looking exclusively at clubs with 54 holes, and by that I mean clubs that welcome green fee golfers; sorry Wentworth! By my reckoning, there are ten, and I am lucky enough to have visited them all.

Portstewart

Having played its three remarkably different courses this Summer, I am going to kick off with the ever-improving Portstewart Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Just a hop along the coast from this year’s Open host Royal Portrush and its own pair of excellent links, this extremely welcoming club is one that is very much heading in the right direction.

In its 131 years it has developed into one of the finest golfing set-ups in the UK&I. It is also blessed with a glorious expanse of mountainous dunes now occupied by its premier course, The Strand. This has hosted plenty of prestigious events, none more so than the 2017 Irish Open which was won by former world number one, Jon Rahm, who said, “The golf course is amazing. It’s probably one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever seen, if not the most.”

It would be hard to argue with this with the sea on one side and the expansive River Bann on the other. I hadn’t been here for almost 30 years and was very taken indeed. I also enjoyed the more forgiving and tranquil Riverside Course which had been expanded into a full 18 since my last visit. It would be wrong to mention my 70-foot putt for birdie on the closing hole, but that won’t stop me!

On the other side of town is the chalk and cheese Old Course with eight of the original holes played along by the rocks and the remainder over the road. At £15, I wonder if there is a better-value 18-holer anywhere? Everyone in the clubhouse was extremely friendly and helpful, and I really couldn't have enjoyed it more.

Rosapenna

Just across the border in County Donegal, Rosapenna has three excellent courses, two of them in the Top 100 including its newest addition, Tom Doak’s dreamy St Patrick’s Links. Sandy Hills Links is also right up there, but that’s not to detract from the fun and challenge of the Old Tom Morris Links. I have stayed here a couple of times and think it is a brilliant place to base yourself with a fine hotel, excellent cuisine and a very golfy ambience in one of the loveliest locations in the country.

Woburn

England has four sets of golfing triplets, including the only club whose lucky members can boast three courses in the Top 100. Having only opened for play in 1976, Woburn is a relative youngster that has built itself an enviable reputation. The jewel in its triple crown is the Marquess' Course, its youngest course which has hosted the British Masters four times as well as the Women’s British Open twice.

The courses have all been carved out through thick pine, at times with scarily little room for manoeuvre, and as the Duke's and Duchess' courses each have their own charms, there will be differing opinions about which is best. The Golf Monthly view has the Marquess’ leading the way at 77, but as we often say, we would encourage everyone to play them all in order to make up their own mind.

The Belfry

Just over an hour away, The Belfry has three strong courses including the one that has hosted more Ryder Cups than any other, The Brabazon. This is something of a slice of Americana imported to the Midlands, and is a challenging and exciting course with a pair of very famous holes. The 10th is a short par 4 protected by water that is drivable by some - not me - and has produced great drama in tournament play.

The closing hole is a tough right-to-left dogleg with a long approach over water. I remember playing it once with the then Director of Golf, going for the green with my second, heeling it almost through my own legs, narrowly missing my playing partner, but finding the 3-tier green with my third and just missing the most unlikely and undeserved par.

Frilford Heath

Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire has a fine pedigree and would probably be better known if it was closer to other big names. The Red is a traditional and challenging heathland test that calls for both length and accuracy. The Green was expanded to a full 18 by Cotton and Pennink in the late 1960s, and local architect Simon Gidman designed the Blue in the mid-1990s. Each is among the best golf courses in Oxfordshire.

Minchinhampton

Our least well-known club with three courses is Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. This is also unusual in that while its Old Course is up on common land near the village, the two newer additions, the Avening and the Cherington, are a couple of miles the other side. They are the work of father and son with Fred Hawtree designing the former in 1975, and Martin adding a fine parkland course about 20 years later.

Celtic Manor

The only 54-holer in Wales is the host of the 2010 Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor. Huge change took place at this time with the creation of The Twenty Ten, the first course to be specifically designed for golf’s greatest team event. Roads were moved, the hotel was expanded and upgraded, and no expense was spared in creating a complete resort.

Alongside every conceivable practice and training facility, the Roman Road and Montgomerie courses complete the set-up, and at under £100 in the Summer, you are unlikely to play a Ryder Cup venue for less. There are plenty of thrilling holes, perhaps some less so, but with its hotel and the chance to play three different courses this makes for a perfect destination for short breaks for golfing groups.

Carnoustie

Last but certainly not least we head to Scotland and its trio of trios; nine courses of which four are in the Top 100 and two in the Next 100. The Championship Course at Carnoustie is the only Open host that is a triplet, and it’s a real beast with its lethal sting in the tail at the last three, but all the better and more memorable for it. Part of any keen golfer’s education, you will want the ubiquitous wind to be behaving. The Burnside and Buddon courses are also very good indeed and with the onsite accommodation, this is a first-class golfing destination.

Gullane

Three or four years ago I played the courses at Gullane as part of an ambitious plan to play all of the courses in East Lothian in less than a fortnight. Each of these - Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3 (where do they get these names?!) has so much to enjoy. In a fortnight of amazing golf, these were highlights among the highlights.

Gleneagles

I have saved a personal favourite for last; Gleneagles. I have visited this amazing place a few times and honestly cannot think of a finer golf resort. There are three terrific courses, especially the King’s and Queen’s though that is not to decry the more modern appeal of the PGA Centenary, and it’s a home from home you simply never want to leave.

Having never really thought about this topic before, I was surprised to find just how high-level our clubs with three courses really are. Of the 30, we have 10 in the Top 100, and a further 4 in the Next 100. Only Frilford Heath and Minchinhampton, just an hour apart by car, aren’t represented in these upper echelons. But that is not to take anything away from them at all as they both have a great deal to offer the discerning and curious golfer. Well-known for hedging my bets, I would recommend them all!