England's best, county by county

[Mark_Rowlinson]

One of my opponents at golf yesterday, as we supped a post-match pint, challenged me to name the best course in each English county. It all depends, of course, on what you mean by best. But as a long-standing GCA contributor my opinion was sharply fashioned by traditionalism. After I returned home I thought of many more candidates (and counties!) which had, foolishly, slipped my mind. Using the geographical distribution of the R&A Golfer's Handbook I came up with the following list. It is merely a list to provoke your comments and better knowledge. There are parts of the country of which I am woefully ignorant. Feel free to shoot it down. (Obviously there are qualifications to be made where a club such as Sunningdale or Woodhall Spa has several courses). Some counties such as Sussex and Yorkshire prosper by being split. Others, such as Surrey, lose out heavily.


Bedfordshire – John O’Gaunt, Dunstable Downs, Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands
Berkshire – The Berkshire, Swinley Forest, Bearwood Lakes, East Berkshire
Buckinghamshire – Woburn, Beaconsfield, Burnham Beeches
Cambridgeshire – Gog Magog, Peterborough Milton
Channel Islands – La Moye, Royal Jersey, Royal Guernsey
Cheshire – Delamere Forest, Prestbury, Reddish Vale, Wilmslow
Cornwall – St Enodoc, Trevose, West Cornwall, Perranporth
Cumbria – Silloth-on-Solway, Seascale, Penrith, Windermere
Derbyshire – Cavendish, Sickleholme
Devon – Saunton, Royal North Devon, Yelverton, Bovey Castle
Dorset – Broadstone, Ferndown, Isle of Purbeck, Parkstone
Durham – Seaton Carew, Brancepeth Castle, South Moor
Essex – Thorndon Park, Orsett, Colchester
Gloucestershire – Minchinhampton, Broadway, Painswick
Hampshire – Hayling, Blackmoor, Stoneham, North Hants
Hereford – Kington
Herts – Moor Park, Sandy Lodge, Ashridge, Berkhamsted, The Grove
Isle of Man – Castletown, Douglas
Isle of Wight – Shanklin and Sandown
Kent – Royal St George’s, Royal Cinque Ports, Prince’s, Knole Park
Lancs – Royal Lytham, St Anne’s Old Links, Pleasington, Clitheroe
Leicestershire – Charnwood Forest, The Leicestershire
Lincolnshire – Woodhall Spa, Seacroft, Lincoln
Manchester – The Manchester
Merseyside – Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale, Formby, Wallasey
Middlesex – Finchley, Fulwell
Norfolk – Royal West Norfolk, Hunstanton, Sheringham, Royal Norwich
Northamptonshire – Northamptonshire County, Kettering
Northumberland – Berwick-on-Tweed, Bamburgh Castle
Notts – Notts, Coxmoor, Sherwood Forest
Oxon – Huntercombe, Frilford Heath, Southmoor, Tadmarton Heath
Rutland – Luffenham Heath
Shropshire – Llanymynech, Church Stretton
Somerset – Burnham and Berrow, Bath, Yeovil
Staffs – Beau Desert, Little Aston, Whittington Heath, Enville
Suffolk – Royal Worlington, Aldeburgh, Woodbridge, Felixstowe Ferry
Surrey – Sunningdale, Walton Heath, St George’s Hill, Woking
Sussex (East) – Rye, Royal Ashdown Forest, Crowborough Beacon
Sussex (West) – West Sussex, Worthing
Tyne and Wear  - Northumberland, Tynemouth, South Shields
Warks – Harborne, Forest of Arden, Belfry, Sutton Coldfield
Wilts – High Post, Bowood
Worcs – Blackwell
Yorks (East) – Hornsea
Yorks (North) – Ganton, Pannal, Scarborough South Cliff, Fulford, Cleveland
Yorks (South) – Lindrick, Hallamshire, Abbeydale, Doncaster
Yorks (West) – Alwoodley, Moortown, Huddersfield, Ilkley

[Sean_A]

Not to throw a spanner in the works, but I think Broadway is in Worcestershire.  What do you think about Kidderminster?  I haven't been there in quite some time now, but I thought there were several very good holes on the course.  Redditch too has its followers and I dare say I could be one if some trees were taken out.

Ciao

[Adrian_Stiff]

I think a great way to put together a set of ratings is to collate a minimum of 10 opinions per county and get those people to list their top 20s. In some counties it needs to go to 50 because there are some great courses in Kent, Surrey, Sussex and more that lose out. 20 or 30 opinions per county would go a long way to truly finding the purest ratings. Everybody needs to be singing off the same hymn sheet though and thats where things might go astray.

Gloucestershire: There are 43 courses and most people wont have Painswick top 10 ( I love it but it still would not be in mine).

Sean - Broadway is affiliated to Gloucestershire, but at least part of it is in Worcestershire.

[Giles Payne]

Huntercombe is Oxon and seems to have been missed

[Paul Nash]

Two glaring omissions are Ganton and Hankey Common!

Others in the mix:
Kings Lynn - Norfolk
Hawkstone Park - Shropshire. There is also that new one just opened by the ex Rock Star - can't remember his name or the course - but it could be a contender in a baron county - it is certainly the dearest!
Ipswich (Purdis) - Suffolk
Littlestone - Kent
Manor House - Wiltshire

[Sean_A]

Giles

For sure Huntercombe should be mentioned in OXON.  

Adrian

The address of Broadway is in WORCS as is all the stuff around there including Broaway Tower to the south of the course, Saintbury to the northeast of the course and the Dormie House Hotel adjacent to the course.  Although the club is affiliated with the Gloucestershire GU and more generally associated with the Cotswolds and this is why folks don't realize its a WORCS club.  

Ciao

[Adrian_Stiff]

I quickly did this one, but there are lots of counties I dont have much first hand knowledge of
Bedfordshire   1   JOHN O'GAUNT
   2   ASPLEY GUISE
   3   BEDFORD & COUNTY
Berkshire   1   THE BERKSHIRE RED
   2   SWINLEY FOREST
   3   THE BERKSHIRE BLUE
Buckinghamshire   1   WOBURN DUKES
   2   WOBURN MARQUESS
   3   WOBURN DUCHESS
Cambridgeshire   1   THE GOG MAGOG OLD
   2   THORPE WOOD
   3   BRAMPTON PARK
Channel Islands   1   ROYAL JERSEY
   2   LA MOYE
   3   ROYAL GUERNSEY
Cheshire   1   DELAMERE FOREST
   2   MERE
   3   SANDIWAY
Cornwall   1   ST ENEDOC CHURCH
   2   ST MELLION NICKLAUS
   3   TREVOSE
Cumbria   1   SILLOTH ON SOLWAY
   2   CARLISLE
   3   BRAMPTON
Derbyshire   1   CAVENDISH
   2   KEDLESTON PARK
   3   CHESTERFIED
Devon   1   SAUNTON EAST
   2   SAUNTON WEST
   3   ROYAL NORTH DEVON
Dorset   1   FERNDOWN
   2   BROADSTONE
   3   REMEDY OAK
Durham   1   SEATON CAREW BRABAZON
   2   BRANCEPTH CASTLE
   3   CHESTER LE STREET
East Sussex   1   RYE
   2   ROYAL ASHDOWN FOREST OLD
   3   CROWBOROUGH BEACON
East Yorkshire   1   HORNSEA
   2   BEVERLEY & EAST RIDING
   3   BROUGH
Essex   1   ORSETT
   2   THORNDON PARK
   3   ROMFORD
Gloucestershire   1   THE PLAYERS CLUB
   2   ROSS ON WYE
   3   MINCHINHAMPTON CHERRINGTON
Hampshire   1   LIPHOOK
   2   HAYLING
   3   BLACKMOOR
Herefordshire   1   BELMONT LODGE
   2   BURGHILL VALLEY
   3   HEREFORDSHIRE
Hertfordshire   1   ASHRIDGE
   2   THE GROVE
   3   BROCKET HALL PALMERSTON
Isle of Man   1   CASTLETOWN
   2   PEEL
   3   RAMSEY
Isle of Wight   1   SHANKLIN & SANDOWN
   2   FRESHWATER BAY
   3   OSBORNE
Kent   1   ROYAL ST GEORGES
   2   ROYAL CINQUE PORTS
   3   CHART HILLS
Lancashire   1   ROYAL LYTHAM & ST ANNES
   2   FAIRHAVEN
   3   ST ANNES OLD LINKS
Leicestershire   1   LONGCLIFFE
   2   WILLESLEY PARK
   3   MARKET HARBOROUGH
Lincolnshire   1   WOODHALL SPA HOTCHKIN
   2   SEACROFT
   3   FOREST PINES
Manchester   1   MANCHESTER
   2   WORSLEY
   3   NORTHENDEN
Merseyside   1   ROYAL BIRKDALE
   2   ROYAL LIVERPOOL
   3   FORMBY
Middlesex   1   ASHFORD MANOR
   2   HENDON
   3   FULWELL
Norfolk   1   ROYAL WEST NORFOLK
   2   HUNSTANTON
   3   SHERINGHAM
North Yorkshire   1   GANTON
   2   FULFORD
   3   PANNAL
Northamptonshire   1   NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY
   2   WELLINGBOROUGH
   3   NORTHAMPTON
Northumberland   1   BAMBURGH CASTLE
   2   SLALEY HALL HUNTING
   3   ALNMOUTH
Nottinghamshire   1   NOTTS
   2   SHERWOOD FOREST
   3   COXMOOR
Oxfordshire   1   FRILFORD HEATH RED
   2   THE OXFORDSHIRE
   3   HUNTERCOMBE
Rutland   1   LUFFENHAM HEATH
   2   GREETHAM VALLEY
   3   RUTLAND COUNTY
Shropshire   1   HAWKSTONE PARK
   2   PATSHULL PARK HOTEL
   3   SHIFNAL
Somerset   1   BURNHAM & BERROW
   2   WESTON SUPER MARE
   3   BATH
South Yorkshire   1   LINDRICK
   2   ROTHERHAM
   3   SITWELL PARK
Staffordshire   1   LITTLE ASTON
   2   BEAU DESERT
   3   ENVILLE LODGE
Suffolk   1   ALDEBURGH
   2   IPSWICH
   3   WOODBRIDGE
Surrey   1   SUNNINGDALE OLD
   2   WALTON HEATH OLD
   3   WENTWORTH WEST
Tyne & Wear   1   CITY OF NEWCASTLE
   2   TYNEMOUTH
   3   NORTHUMBERLAND
Warwickshire   1   BELFRY BRABAZON
   2   FOREST OF ARDEN (ARDEN)
   3   SUTTON COLDFIELD
West Sussex   1   WEST SUSSEX
   2   GOODWOOD
   3   MANNINGS HEATH WATERFALL
West Yorkshire   1   ALWOODLEY
   2   MOORTOWN
   3   SAND MOOR
Wiltshire   1   MANOR HOUSE (CASTLE COMBE)
   2   CUMBERWELL PARK
   3   HIGH POST
Worcesteshire   1   BLACKWELL
   2   FULFORD HEATH
   3   KINGS NORTON

[Ian Andrew]

Gentlemen,

If I were looking for a one week taste of England, where would you send me? It’s pretty common for me to play 10 rounds and drive 500 miles in a single trip. If you think there are two one week trips, please by all means extend that to a second trip.

I expect to head to England next spring or fall, depending on my work schedule.

England remains my giant blank spot for me. I have only played Birkdale, Delamere Forest, Walton Old and Sunningdale Old. I’m in your hands, where would you send me?

Regards,

Ian

[Adrian_Stiff]

Ian - There are two distinct areas where you could play 10 good un's in a week.
1. Lancashire and Merseyside area
2. London area

Once you have done those, you are more into picking off groups of 5s perhaps, taking in South west - Yorkshire - Midlands - Norfolk - Bornemouth area - You probably need to go back to the London area for more from Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and Kent. There are probably 50 that you need to play from this area.

[John Mayhugh]

Ian,
Hardly an expert on golf in England, but you should make an effort to see Kington.  It's unique, and not in a bad way.
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,30926.0.html

[Mark Chaplin]

I'm surprised with the strength of Suffolk golf, no championship courses but a strong set of quality courses, in addition to Mark's four I'd add Purdis Heath and Thorpeness.

Ian - you could do two extremely high quality 10 day trips in the south east, never repeat and travel less than two hundred miles on each, with a little planning.

Top Tier Trip - Sandwich, Deal & Princes inland to Walton Heath, The Berkshire, Swinley Forest, West Sussex, Sunningdale, Hankley Common & St Georges Hill.

For the second tier/reasonable price trip I'd do Rye & Littlestone for the links then Royal Ashdown Forest, Addington, New Zealand, Woking, Worplesdon, Liphook, Knole Park & Crowborough Beacon.

[Mark Pearce]

Adrian,

How did you arrive at your order for Northumberland and Tyne & Wear?  I ask because you miss Berwick upon Tweed (Goswick) out completely and it is head and shoulders ahead of anywhere else in Northumberland or Tyne & Wear.  Also, anyone that thinks either Tynemouth of City of Newcastle is a better course than Northumberland is mad, IMHO.  I cannot see anyone coming to that conclusion based on playing them.  Despite our disagreements, you clearly aren't mad, so I'm assuming that ranking isn't based on plaing them?

[Adrian_Stiff]

Mark - It is an area I know nothing about so I just went by my database of collated magazine ratings. I was hoping you would help with Tyne & Wear... nothing ever seems to qualify from Tyne & Wear.... Tell me your top 10s please for those areas.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Ian what is it you want to see?  The best,  unique, the championship, the great?  A little definition and a new thread and you'll get even more opinions than Wade got on Ireland.  If I was a guy in your job I'd want to see 3 or 4 'classics',  and the courses that get something special out of their limited land/budget.  IMO of course.

[Mark Pearce]

Adrian,

To be honest, I struggle a bit with the boundaries.  I'd have put Northumberland in Northumberland, for instance!

I'm not sure there are enough courses of any merit in Tyne & Wear for a top 10.  Of those that may be in Tyne & Wear (rather than Nothumberland or County Durham) I guess I'd rate in this order

Northumberland
Tyneside
Whitley Bay (though I suspect someone will tell me this is Northumberland)
City of Newcastle
Tynemouth
Whickham
Gosforth (Bridlepath)

I haven't ranked South Shields (a bit of Mackenzie history) or Houghton le Spring as I haven't played either, though I'll be getting to South Shields later this summer.  TBH I'd only really recommend Northumberland and Tyneside of these.

In Northumberland I'm gobsmacked if the magazine ratings you have seen don't mention Goswick but I'm (sadly) willing to believe it.  With Seaton Carew Goswick has a shout as the best course in the North East.  I'd put Slaley Hall Priestman ahead of the Hunting (I appreciate this might be controversial but I think the Hunting is one of the worst examples of golf course architecture I have ever seen - decent site (possibly very good) utterly crap course).

[Adrian_Stiff]

Thanks Mark. I had Berwick #4 and Priestman #5 in my list.... Berwick is the same course as Goswick?

[Mark Pearce]

Adrian,

Yes, that's right.  The club is Berwick upon Tweed but the course is at Goswick.  There's another (public) course in Berwick called Magdalene Fields which I haven't played but hear is poor.  I'm really interested to know which magazines have Goswick anywhere but No1 in Northumberland.  As rankings go that strikes me as about as uncontroversial as it could be.  I know Mike Clayton has a very similar opinion of the Hunting course as mine.  Bamburgh Castle is a very beautiful course.  It's a "Dumb Blonde" in the Confidential Guide and, on a good day, there really cannot be as good a view on any golf course in the world as there is from the 15th tee but as a course?  Fun but nothing much to right home about.

[Sean_A]

Doesn't West Midlands still count as a county?  If so thats where Little Aston and Sutton Coldfield are.   

Ciao

[Scott Warren]

I thought Sunningdale and Wentworth were in Berkshire?

[Mark Chaplin]

Scott - Wentworth is in Surrey however you are right the Sunningdale Golf Club is situated in Berkshire but the club is affiliated to Surrey Golf Union and hence a Surrey club. I believe the county boundary goes through their land.

[James Boon]

Its good to see several threads on the front page discussing golf in England. Perhaps its something to do with our little country having the World no. 1 and 2 golfer  or perhaps its that people are finally realising that England offers a wider range and greater depth of golfing experience than our celtic neighbours   

I'm going to leave my comments on the best in each county down to the East Midlands as those will probably be the courses and counties I know best.

Derbyshire:
MacKenzie's Cavendish is certainly the best as far as most GCAers are likely to be concerned and I'd agree. However, a lot of people would list Kedleston Park as the best, a James Braid course set in the grounds of Kedleston Hall, with more recent work by DJ Russell. After that there I'd not be recommended much to anyone travelling to the county, but if I had to list a 3rd it course it would just be Horsley Lodge ahead of Chesterfield and Chevin.

Nottinghamshire:
This is where the cream of the East Midlands lies. Notts (Hollinwell) and Sherwood Forest are head and shoulders above the rest, with Hollinwell the clear winner for me  After that its Coxmoor well ahead of the rest but not as good as the first two.

Leicestershire:
A tricky county this. I'd say its out of Braid's 9 hole Charnwood Forest, Longcliffe or the Leicestershire, and I'd struggle but probably just put Charnwood ahead as its my favourite and would also offer more for a GCAer, but I expect a lot of people would go for one of the other two? Stapleford Park might get a look in but I've not seen it myself yet. However, if we pull Rutland back into the county, then that makes Luffenham Heath the clear winner, perhaps with Ben Stephen's Rutland Water fighting it out with the others mentioned.

Cheers,

James

[James Boon]

Gentlemen,

If I were looking for a one week taste of England, where would you send me? It’s pretty common for me to play 10 rounds and drive 500 miles in a single trip. If you think there are two one week trips, please by all means extend that to a second trip.

I expect to head to England next spring or fall, depending on my work schedule.

England remains my giant blank spot for me. I have only played Birkdale, Delamere Forest, Walton Old and Sunningdale Old. I’m in your hands, where would you send me?

Regards,

Ian

Ian,

Most people will probably send you to the south east (Royal St George, Deal, the London heathlands) and this could probably be combined with a trip to the south west to see Burnham & Berrow, Saunton, Royal North Devon and St Enodoc.

I'd happily back that trip up as a great experience but for someone happy to drive, here is a possible trip I mentioned on a thread some time ago, is a little different and offers a good variety of what is on offer. It would go something like this...
- Arrive Manchester Airport
- Play the Lancashire coast: take your pick from Royal Birkdale, Formby, Hoylake etc
- Drive through the Midlands taking in your pick of Cavendish, Beau Desert, Hollinwell and Woodhall Spa
- Alternatively take a route a little further north through Yorkshire to take in Alwoodley, Moortown and perhaps Ganton?
- Play the Norfolk links: Hunstanton and Brancaster
- Head towards London Heathrow, taking in Royal Worlington & Newmarket or perhaps Huntercombe on the way.
Big name, open rota, championship links can be compared to low key, beautiful and timeless links. Tough championship heathland can be compared to smaller scale parkland courses inland.

Cheers,

James

[Ben Stephens]

Leicestershire and Rutland are together as one golf union - LRGU.

Having been at county boys level and played most of Leics + Rutland Golf Courses.

I would put the following in order for LRGU courses

1. Luffenham Heath
2. Willesley Park
3. Longcliffe

If the two counties were separate it would be

Leicestershire

1. Willesley Park
2. Longcliffe
3. The Leicestershire

other mentions - Stapleford Park, Charnwood Forest, Rushcliffe - its a relatively poor area for good golf courses - very few really stand out.

Rutland

1. Luffenham Heath
2. Rutland Water
3. Greetham Valley (Lakes) - (even though GV is now affilated to the Lincs Golf Union its still within the Rutland border)

other mentions - Rutland County, Greetham Valley (Valley)

I was involved in the design of the the 2nd and 3rd best courses in Rutland

Cheers
Ben

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Mea maxima culpa! Ganton and Huntercombe were dreadful oversights (now corrected). As I said, I used the RandA Golfer's Guide for course locations. There is one awful howler in the 2011 edition: Royal Worlington and Newmarket is listed in Worcestershire with an address in Redditch!

[Bill_McBride]

Giles

For sure Huntercombe should be mentioned in OXON.  

Adrian

The address of Broadway is in WORCS as is all the stuff around there including Broaway Tower to the south of the course, Saintbury to the northeast of the course and the Dormie House Hotel adjacent to the course.  Although the club is affiliated with the Gloucestershire GU and more generally associated with the Cotswolds and this is why folks don't realize its a WORCS club.  

Ciao

Broadway is indeed a short distance from the Cotswold Way.   My wife and were hiking along that road/trail in 1990 when I saw the course and went back that afternoon to play.  The professional was very kind and loaned me clubs; I think the green fee was 3 quid, maybe 5.

Glad to see Painswick on Mark's list, rankings be damned!