British winners at the World Golf Awards

St Andrews Old Course was named the World’s Best Golf Course for the second year in succession

St Andrews
St Andrews

St Andrews Old Course was named World’s Best Golf Course for the second year running

St Andrews Old Course was named the World’s Best Golf Course for the second year in succession at the second annual World Golf Awards.

With an estimated 60 million golfer visits taking place in 2015 to the 32,000 golf courses and resorts worldwide, the World Golf Awards focuses on the leading 130 nations who are shaping the future of this dynamic industry.

So awards are also made on a country-by-country basis as well as the overall ones.

The Brabazon at the Belfry was again named as England’s Best Course of 2015 at the World Golf Awards. This course has hosted more Ryder Cup matches than any other.

This is an interesting award as the course divides opinions, some believing it relies too strongly on the excellence of its 10th and 18th holes for its reputation.

It was a good night for The Belfry as it also won the award for England’s Best Golf Hotel.

Another having a successful night at prize-giving event hosted by Steve Rider and Ela Clark at Conrad Algarve, Portugal, was Leisure Link Golf Holidays International. This firm won both the England's Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator 2015 and England's Best Outbound Golf Tour Operator 2015 awards.

In Scotland, St Andrews Old Course cleaned up a trio of wards in the Best Course categories for the world, Europe and Scotland. It was a good evening for the Auld Grey Toon as The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa at St Andrews also won the Best Golf Hotel award.

Scotland's Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator 2015 was awarded to Platinum Golf Scotland, and the outbound equivalent went to Strike Golf Travel.

Celtic Manor World Golf Awards

Water, water everywhere on Celtic Manor's Twenty Ten course

Celtic Manor was another dual winner, taking home the awards for Wales’ Best Golf Hotels and Wales’ Best Course. Wales' Best Inbound Golf Tour Operator 2015 was won by The Wales Golf Holiday Company.

Ireland's Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards was won by Ballybunion’s Old Course.

Voting for the World Golf Awards was by professionals working within the golf travel and tourism industry – senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents and media professionals as well as by the public. Votes were submitted online via the World Golf Awards website.

The aim of the World Golf Awards is to raise the golf tourist customer experience and stimulate both the domestic and international golf tourism market.

Roderick Easdale

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.