The Golf World Top 100 GB and Ireland golf course ranking is out in Today’s Golfer Magazine this week. I think it is a strong list, largely rewarding the kind of courses that I like. But, as with any such ranking, it is unlikely anyone will agree with everything on it!
The Top 100 editor, panel, and criteria have changed since the 2020 ranking so there are quite a few ups and downs in this one. A full explanation of how they mark the courses and who is on the panel can be found here - https://todaysgolfer.co.uk/courses/best/golf-courses-in-the-uk-and-ireland/
It’s important to understand the methodology before getting stuck into analysis. Any golf course ranking is a function of two things - the criteria for assessment and the people doing the scoring.
The Golf World ranking uses six criteria to assess courses - Design (40% weighting), Setting (15%), Memorability (15%), Playability (10%), Consistency (10%) and Presentation (10%). Note that there is nothing included about the other facilities onsite. This immediately differentiates this list from the Golf Monthly one for example, where condition and presentation make up 30% and club facilities and experience another 20%.
As such, this list is more about the golf course design than the overall experience. There are no extra points here for pyramids of Pro V1s on the range.
The fact that ‘playability’ is one of the criteria, and not ‘challenge’ or ‘resistance to scoring’, immediately skews the results. Carnoustie and Muirfield would shoot up the rankings if the panel was looking at these things.
Personally, I prefer the approach that US Golf Magazine takes, where they simply ask the panel to put the courses in ‘buckets’ of where they think they should be ranked rather than try to break assessments down to component parts. That way, the issue of whether to rank a course on, for example, playability or challenge goes away.
Editor Chris Bertram has assembled a group of well-travelled enthusiasts to sit on the panel. I will declare an interest at this stage as I am one of them, although others have certainly visited more courses on the list than me. Bertram himself has played all 100 courses on the list and the average is over 80.
Several architects and others in the industry contribute too, but no touring professionals. They tend not to have the time to get around a significant number of these courses frequently. There is a good handicap spread on the panel but half of them are single figure players.
There are a lot of big movements in the list this time due to changes in the panel and stewardship of the list. While that’s understandable, it will hopefully settle down for the next iteration. There shouldn’t really be too many violent movements from one list to the next and the next one is likely to be more evolution than revolution.
Other lists claim to be definitive, which is clearly ridiculous. Bertram says ‘There really is nothing to choose between the top three and if you were to play them all on consecutive days and tell us we had the ‘wrong’ order, we would not put up too much of an argument.’
It should also be noted that, unlike with some other panels, all raters arrive unannounced and pay their own green fees so there’s no sense of ‘owing anything’ to the club, or a special show being put on.
One final point, some people will no doubt suggest that positions are driven by back-handers and advertising spend. Unfortunately some lists in the past have given the industry a pretty bad name. All I can say is that, from everything I have seen while being involved in this one, that’s not the case here. I can safely say St Andrews didn’t spend their way to top spot!!
So without further ado, here is the list and some of my thoughts on the themes coming through. Please do let me know what you think the panel got right - and wrong.
THE LIST REWARDS PLAYABILITY AND FUN…
The main theme coming through in this ranking is that courses which are fun and playable, with charm and character, have done well. There’s a great quote in the magazine from Alister MacKenzie who said that ‘no hole can be considered perfect unless it can be played with a putter’. Courses where that is possible have all done well.
The list has plenty of examples. The following courses have all hit an all time highs in the 2022 ranking -
Royal Dornoch - 4th (up 2)
If you buy the magazine you will find a ‘love letter’ that I wrote to Royal Dornoch. It opens with the line ‘Royal Dornoch is a course which rewards brains over brawn’ and that pretty much sums it up for me.
North Berwick - 10th (up 9)
It’s incredible to think that 30 years ago the West Links at North Berwick wasn’t even in the top 100 lists - it debuted in 73rd place in 1996. Since then the march up the rankings has been relentless. It was always going to do well in a list which rewards fun, character and playability.
North Berwick - Perfection
Swinley Forest - 19th (up 15)
Geoff Ogilvy sums up Swinley Forest perfectly when he says you could play it with multiple generations and everyone would have a great time. It has achieved a lofty position but it’s thoroughly justified.
Silloth on Solway - 47th (up 15)
I visited Silloth for the first time recently and absolutely loved it. Silloth has many of the characteristics which are rewarded elsewhere on this list but it is definitely a challenging course too. However, the challenge is never to the detriment of your enjoyment.
Pennard - 60th (up 30)
Wow. Pennard wasn’t even in the top 100 in 2014 and it has shot up to 60th place in this list. Personally, I think this one might be punching a little above its weight, but I can see why some other panellists like it so much. Definitely a top 100 course and the setting is just incredible.
Pennard - The Links in the Sky
West Lancs - 67th (up 13)
West Lancs used to be bypassed for some of the ‘great’ names in the area but it’s good to see it getting the recognition it deserves. There is something special about the club and the course - it’s just an old-fashioned, high quality links test.
…BUT COURSES WITH A TOUGHER CHALLENGE DON’T FARE SO WELL
I was chatting to an ex-European Tour player recently about the courses he thought were the best in GB and Ireland. Royal County Down, Carnoustie and Muirfield were his top 3. He felt they were the sternest and most rewarding challenges for good players. He thought that the likes of North Berwick and Prestwick were overrated. He won’t love this list. There is no doubt that a lot of the fallers would have been rewarded if they swapped ‘playability’ for ‘challenge’ as a key criteria.
Here are a few courses that have suffered in this iteration as result of the move to rewarding playability -
Carnoustie - 17th (down 9)
Carnoustie is a tough course with a level of challenge a strong player will revel in but the average golfer may find too much. The finish is as hard as any closing stretch anywhere in the world but, if you finish with three pars, the bragging rights will last a lifetime!
Trump International - 21st (down 7)
A friend of mine plays off low single figures and he thinks Trump International is one of the very best courses in Scotland. Another friend plays off 18 and vows never to return to the course as it took him months to get over the ordeal last time. Hit it straight, or take a lot of balls!
The dunes of Trump International
The European - 57th (down 29)
Modern, challenging courses have generally suffered on this list. The magazine explicitly calls out that The European suffers as a result of the move towards playability saying, ‘Pat Ruddy loves tough courses and his own track is definitely that.’
Parkland courses have generally suffered in the list. Woburn once had three courses in the top 100, now it has none. Wentworth was once 12th, now it’s 71st.
THE CLASS OF ‘22 IS STRONG - BUT WILL THEY LAST?
The list of new entries this year is quite something. Looking back over the history of the Golf World rankings, I think this is the first time there have been two new courses straight into the top 25.
Ardfin - 14th
Ardfin debuting at 14th is quite incredible, especially given that this list generally rewards width and playability. Ardfin is one of the most spectacular golf courses anywhere in the world, but it is a difficult course. Getting around without losing a ball is beyond most mere mortals. It’s a testament to Ardfin’s brilliance that it has debuted in such a high position. If the course was just a bit more playable, a top 10 would be beckoning. It really is that good.
Sensational Ardfin
Rosapenna, St Patrick’s Links - 24th
Tom Doak’s course opened to much acclaim last summer and it had many golf course architecture aficionados drooling. One told me that he believes Rosapenna could challenge Portrush and County Down as the best course on the island of Ireland. Width, playability, a celebration of the ground game and imagination - Rosapenna has them all.
Dumbarnie Links - 69th
Before it opened, there was some skepticism about Dumbarnie Links. Did Fife really need another high-end, pay-and-play golf course? Well the course has won over the critics. Multiple half holes, wide fairways, interesting greens and wonderful views over the water turns out to be a popular combination.
Views and fun abound at Dumbarnie
Elie - 85th
Elie is the only new entry from an established golf course, the others are all new creations. It’s amazing that Elie has never been in the top 100 before - it is a course that celebrates all that is good in the game. The course rewards imagination and guile, in a wonderful setting. When people ask me which course they should add to a Fife itinerary, Elie is always at the top of my list.
JCB - 90th
JCB’s story is interesting. The course was conceived to help build the reputation of the JCB organisation globally. Hosting events is part of that strategy and the course is more than capable of doing that. But amateurs can enjoy too if they select their tees carefully. It’s a good test, but with subtleties and nuance too. Robin Hiseman’s design is the best inland course built in England for decades.
While the class of ‘22 is strong, getting into the Top 100 certainly doesn’t guarantee a course will stay there. Only a third of courses built in the last 30 years which made it into the Top 100 are still there today. Many have come and gone swiftly. Some have fallen from high positions. Mount Juliet peaked at 27, The Wisley at 37th.
Some other recent creations, like The Castle Course and The Renaissance. are just clinging on to the top 100. Great settings and well-known architects aren’t enough to secure a long term place on this list, the course needs to absolutely deliver too. That’s not to say these aren’t fine courses, but the standard required to get into the top 100 really is high.
WHY THE OLD COURSE?
Golf World first started ranking the GB & Ireland Top 100 courses in 1988. The Old Course at St Andrews was in 5th place then and has fluctuated between 2nd and 8th place since. The 2022 edition marks the first time that it has topped the list.
This won’t be without controversy. While many golf course architecture nerds will nod in agreement, others say the course is too straightforward and easy. Knowing this challenge may come, Golf World have taken four pages in the magazine to explain why it gets the pick. Tom Doak gives the architect’s view, Richie Ramsay the professional’s and I make the case from the amateur’s standpoint.
One theme that comes through in these pieces is the different options that the course gives you to get to the hole, and how the challenge is different every time you play the course. This really is a place where you can let your imagination run riot. So many other courses dictate how you play a hole – here you are only limited by your own creativity.
There’s one line from Tom Doak in the article that really made me smile. They asked us all what we would say to those nay-sayers who claim that the Old Course is just a flat piece of land and, without its history, would be fairly mundane? Doak’s answer was blunt, ‘Lots of people are ignorant, and I’m very happy for them to leave the course to those who appreciate it’.
IT’S WORTH BUYING THE MAGAZINE
The supplement Golf World has put together for this list is great. Every course has a write-up, and the thinking behind a course’s position is often explained which is helpful. On top of that there is a whole bunch of great articles.
Mike Clayton has a magnificent essay on course architecture - both modern and historic which is one of the best things I have ever read on the subject. There’s an alternate view to the current trends in course design from ‘The Secret Architect’ and Paul McGinley writes intelligently on the future of the game and course architecture.
For the first time the magazine has also listed courses from 101-200 which really helps to illustrate the depth in quality we have on these shores.
You can either get the rankings supplement with the magazine or buy it as an ebook here.
All this may sound like I am in the pay of the publishers of Today’s Golfer. I can assure you I’m not. But it is good to see such a quality product put together, one that I think would be of interest to anyone with a passion for golf courses and their design.
I’m sure some people will get worked up about some aspects of this list, and of course people have differing views about what they enjoy in a golf course. The rankings don’t pretend to be definitive and I don’t get too concerned about whether a course should be 18th or 24th. But I think the direction of this list is good.
Courses which most golfers would really enjoy have thrived. And I am prepared to stick my neck out and say there are no bad courses on the list. I am pretty sure that if you randomly picked one to play at you would have a great time. We are so lucky to have these great courses on our islands. Here’s to playing a few more of them before the 2024 list comes around!