[M. Shea Sweeney]

Choose five courses to play in the British Isles- (nevermind travel)

[Mark Saltzman]

2 I've never played:

1. Royal Portrush
2. Royal Dornoch


And 3 I want to play again:

3. St.  Andrew's Old
4. Royal County Down
5. Sunningdale (Old)

[Andy Shulman]

How about these: (1) The Old Course; (2) North Berwick; (3) Lahinch; (4) Gleneagles-Kings; and, (5) Royal Dornoch.  I've played all but Dornoch, which is at or near the top of my GB&I wish list.  The last two ensure that the work of James Braid and Old Tom Morris are included.

[Shane Wright]

1. Royal County Down
2. Old Course
3. Ballybunion
4. Royal Dornoch
5. Cruden Bay....i need to see it again, with more than 8 minutes of sleep and knowing where im going this time

[Ben Jarvis]

Apart from a somewhat unkown links by the name of Rosslare, I yet to to experience UK golf. My top-5 on the wishlist is;

1. Old Course
2. Royal County Down
3. Royal Dornoch
4. Ballybunion (Old)
5. Royal Portrush (Dunluce)

[Kevin Pallier]

MS

I presume you mean GB&I ?

I've been fortunate to visit a lot of courses over there but 5 courses I've seen that I would definitely a) recommend to others b) want to revisit

TOC
RCD
Royal Dornoch
North Berwick
Muirfield

5 that I am yet to get too but are high on the priority list
Castle Stuart
Macrihanish
The Addington
St Enodoch
Painswick...based on everything I've read on GCA

[Ash Towe]

Muirfield ( A repeat visit would be great )

Yet to play but next year looking good.

RCD
Royal Portrush
Sunningdale
Ballybunion

Someday
 Royal Dornoch

[Sean_A]

ST ENODOC: some great and crazy holes, plus great use of crap land for a few holes - it all adds up to a beguiling experience

LAHINCH: I haven't seen the new iteration, but the old version was a great mix of quirk, old time golf and straight up good golf

PRESTWICK: I just wouldn't want to miss those jumble of holes in proximity to the house, plus 13 is such an out of the box hole it must be seen

WOKING: a great example of what putting a course in capable hands can do - its not as majestic as some other heathland courses, but one of the most interesting sets of greens in England more than make up for that

NORTH BERWICK: it has weak holes, but so many holes are interesting and to this day, some of the most unusual shots are on offer that it is a crime not to want to play this gem  

Ciao

[Mark Chaplin]

Five I've never played;

Ganton
Royal County Down
Royal Portrush
St Enodoc
Renaissance Club

Obviously I could name another five Irish courses but never having played a new links course I'm interested in seeing
how one from a top GCA plays.

[Mike Sweeney]

Need to see:

RCD
Ballybunion
The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
The Addington - has always intrigued me.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Not one mention of Askernish, Machrie, Warkworth (Northumberland), nor even a nod in the direction of Prestwick St Nicholas which if you play Prestwick, you should consider St Nicholas, both display the work of Charlie Hunter. And last but not least Old Moray.

While the other courses are more than great, these have a class of their own offering the golfer the pleasure of a good game in surroundings that encouraged him/her to take up the game in the first place.

Championship quality, no – but none the less great courses in their own right.

Melvyn

[Mark Chaplin]

Melvyn  - fine course in their own right but there are at least 100 of similar merit that 99% of people will never have heard of Hayling Island, Knole Park, Purdis Heath, The Sacred Nine, Woodbridge and West Lancs are just a few that spring to mind in England alone.

[Sev K-H Keil]

My recommendation to American friends is aways 3 links, 2 heathland courses:

The two big D's - Deal and Dornoch
Royal County Down

Swinley Forest and Sunningdale Old

Of the courses I haven't played, I would love to see:

Askernish
Machrie
Renaissance Club
Ganton
Alwoodley

[Melvyn Morrow]

Mark

Yes you are right, but the nee, IMHO is for others to see more that the usual handful - Subject to weather, frame of mind and playing partners, these courses can offer just as much pleasure and some great golf, but I is that same old story, we will keep going to the names we know. So just trying to throw out a few more names that, IMHO qualify for any list of courses to play, in fact courses that should be experienced.

While many of the main courses that are near the top of the average list, I find that the pleasures comes from the playability of the course on that day and not being held up or delayed in my purpose, something we have all experienced on TOC, Dornoch Cruden etc., etc. So I do recommend going of the well beaten track and trying the other great but less known courses.

All the best

Melvyn

[Jud_T]

Five I've played:

TOC
Prestwick
Ballybunion
Lahinch
Portmarnock

Five I most want to play but haven't:

North Berwick
Rye
Machrihanish
Westward Ho!
Brancaster

[Anthony Gray]

  Cruden Bay
  Prestwick
  North Berwick
 TOC
 Castle Stuart

  Anthony

 

[Ron Csigo]

TOC
North Berwick
Prestwick
Lahinch
Loch Lomond

[Kirk Gill]

Five courses. It's like picking the five English bands that I'll be allowed to listen to. Jeez.

Since the question refers specifically to "The British Isles," I'll leave the Republic of Ireland alone. I'll leave out any I've played (a small number).

Swinley Forest.
Pennard
Dornoch
North Berwick

And for the last one, I'd have to go through all of Sean Arble's photo essays and find one course where I just want to go and BE for a while. Play a number of times. Hang out in the clubhouse. Hang out in the local town. Absorb the feel of the place. Rye, or Formby or Ganton, etc...... if they'd let me !

[Bill Shamleffer]

St. Andrews, The Old Course
North Berwick
Royal Dornoch
Prestwick
Machrihanish

[Dan Boerger]

Royal Dornoch
Royal Portrush
Sunningdale Old
Cruden Bay


and ...


Ratho Park (I have a buddy there, multi time club champ, and would really like to get out with him sometime)

[Jim Franklin]

RCD
TOC
Royal Dornoch
Ballybunion (old)
Muirfield

[Simon Holt]

North Berwick- Sean, out of interest what holes do you think are weak?  Not saying I disagree (yet) but I am curious!
The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Muirfield
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)

RCD is the equal of all these but that is my personal 5.

[Jon Wiggett]

1. Alwoodley for the feel
2. North Berwick for the quirk
3. Kilspindie for the fun
4. TOC for the history
5. Brahan because its mine

Jon

[Sean_A]

North Berwick- Sean, out of interest what holes do you think are weak?  Not saying I disagree (yet) but I am curious!
The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Muirfield
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)

RCD is the equal of all these but that is my personal 5.

Simon

#s 1, 3, 5, 8 & 18 are all arguably less than good holes so this must add up to some weak stuff - or at least stuff that doesn't bring anything to the North Berwick table.

Ciao   

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Woodhall Spa

Royal Birkdale

Royal County down

St Andrews

Western Gailes

Very hard to select just five of my favourites from home...but in this list I think you have the finest inland course in the UK to start the list.
Then what I think is the best of the "fairest" links courses anywhere

Then a simple classic piece of the finest architecture anywhere..

No list can be complete without the Old Course

And finally the best of pure old school links architecture, as a course would have played 22 years ago.

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