[Kris Shreiner]

Jim,

I AM tough on Nairn, but only because I just don't see what the fuss is about. It really isn't anything special from my view. The runs of holes you mention I would characterize as GOOD, at best. The word GREAT, to me, means just that. I think we all tend to use that word a bit loosely.

When I played there, the folks couldn't have been nicer. I love Scotland, and the Highlands hold particular fondness for me. But when a course gets accolades, AND one can't see the justification...

In the spirit of kindness, I will refrain from blasting it in the future.

Cheers,
Kris

[Scott Warren]

West Sussex seems to have slipped significantly since 2008, which is unfortunate.

Any resident of or visitor to southern England ought to make the effort to play it. It's a hell of a lot of fun and has some incredible -- and uncommon -- holes at 3-8 and 11-17.

[Giles Payne]

I too don't get Hankley - nice track, but as Ben says the greens are a little ordinary.

One course in the second 100 that no one has pickes is  St Andrews New - obviously it is overshaddowed buy its elder brother, but I think that it is better than a number in the top 100. I also think that Lytham is vastly over rated.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Golf World was given the exclusive first play of Trump's course....

I don't quite understand how a course as magnificent as Gleneagles Queen's Course can slump from No. 41 in 2000 to outside of the Top 100 now.  Same goes for St. Andrews New which was No. 38 in 2002. 

Nairn is rated way too high.

[Sean_A]

Nairn is ranked too high, but the course is much better than Kris gives it credit for.  #s 3, 4, 5, 12, 13 and 14 are all good holes with 3 and 13 being very good.  A Doak 6 is about right, I think #69 on my Links100 ranking - which doesn't include many worthy courses.  I would have thought Nairn would come in top 100, but fighting for a spot.  That could be said for several courses on this list.

The question I have is how Machrihanish can be seen as better than Silloth and Brora (not in top100??).  I think Silloth and Brora are are dead even in quality with Machrihanish just behind both because of its inconsistent quality on the back nine even though it has the best 9 of any of the the three.  All three ahead of Nairn - tee hee.

Ciao

[Robin_Hiseman]

A glaring omission from the Top 200 list would be Camberley Heath.  Hemmed in by housing and roads, but a real suburban oasis and one ridiculous hole asides, a very good heathland course.

Does anyone think that a course like Askernish should get a look in?

[Mark Chaplin]

Sean - Machrihanish has in my opinion always been seen as something of a romantic due to its location and opening drive. I'd agree it is over rated. I'm sure Brora and in time Askernish will be viewed in the same light.

[Scott Warren]

Robin,

You should ask Melvyn what he thought of Askernish. When he visited. To generate all the strong opinions he has expressed in the DG. And in his lengthy feature interview.

Yeah, ask Melvyn for his first-hand appraisal.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Hmmmm....let me think about that one Scott...

[Melvyn Morrow]

Scott here we go again

Because little Scottie did not get what he wanted he goes on and on about my visits to South Uist. Well I am still not going to answer you but others on this site are aware of my trips through e-mailed they sent me regards your childish behaviour.

I am surprised when you did your search on me you did not find your answers, still I am not going to tell you a thing. But others know on GCA.com. I made a point of answering others.

I remember a long e-mail I sent you answering other questions but that was before I realised you had done a search on me. That finished you in my eyes, so keep trying to take the piss out of me but all you are doing is showing your true character, apparently a great guy unless you do not get what you want.

Laugh as much as you want, it just portrays you in your true colours. 

Melvyn
 

Robin

Although not able to play the course, I would have thought it should have had at least the equivalent  rating as Machrie or Machrihanish. But then that is why I consider these listings a total waste of time and money.

Melvyn

[Scott Warren]

So tell the rest of the DG all about how you went to Askernish and saw the course. To generate all those opinions you shared in your non-farcical feature interview.

I'm just funning, Melvyn. Just imagine the things you could say about Askernish if you'd actually been there to see the reclaimed course!

[Melvyn Morrow]

Scott

You have a problem, get help, there must be more to your life. If not then I am indeed sorry.

In your case I am happy to remain a figment of your imagination. Put it down to my whole life and those before me are just glimpses from your Dream Time period - that should please both of us and no doubt the others on this site.

Scott, I am done with you.

[Sean_A]

A glaring omission from the Top 200 list would be Camberley Heath.  Hemmed in by housing and roads, but a real suburban oasis and one ridiculous hole asides, a very good heathland course.

Doc

Very good call on Camberly Heath - this should be vying for a top 100 spot given some of the others on the list.

Ciao

[Jud_T]

Let's see...Turnberry is apparently better than Muirfield, Dornoch, TOC, Sunningdale, Portrush, Ballybunion, Lahinch, North Berwick and Prestwick.  Guess I missed something....

[Sean Leary]

Let's see...Turnberry is apparently better than Muirfield, Dornoch, TOC, Sunningdale, Portrush, Ballybunion, Lahinch, North Berwick and Prestwick.  Guess I missed something....

Jud ,plus, where is Kingsley on this list? Horrible list without Kingsley 

[Adrian_Stiff]

All the comments just highlight to me how we all see our best courses so differently. Turnberry to me is #1 and somewhere like Royal North Devon would certainly be well below many of the clubs that have fallen out of the top 200. I think the newer clubs have gotten a real raw rap but this could be a panel change that see things different or more old school.
Askernish is likely to have had hardly any raters see it and in that respect those newer courses will suffer.
On the subject of Trump I spoke to someone 'well learned' today about it being number 8 and they thought it was probably worth number 1.

[Rory Connaughton]

The RoI courses almost seem to be listed at randomly.  Certainly we have come to expect a top grouping that includes Portmarnock, Ballybunion and Lahinch as well as the European but I agree with Brian that the order seems a little off and after that . . . . I think The Island, Enniscrone and Rosses Point could all come well ahead of Carne and Glashedy (though I enjoy both courses).  I have never played Doonbeg or Rosapenna so I can't opine there but for those with experience, is Doonbeg superior to Baltray or the three that I mentioned above?

[Niall C]

It is interesting how Nairn gets that ranking. They have the big gin palace(horrid looking edifice that it is; it belongs in a Star Trek movie) and apparently some folks think the golf there grand....how?

Name or show me ONE great hole on the entire course. I can't find even two or three very good holes that have anything memorable or unique. The green on #8, especially for a short four, is an abomination, unless they've SIGNIFICANTLY altered it.

Just where is the world class golf on this course? I'm begging ANYBODY to show me what I'm missing. So it is reported to have some of the best greens/conditioning in Scotland. Over a mediocre routing and mundane ground, I struggle to find the highlights.

Kris

As we all know by now, your wife tells you what courses to like and which not to like which is why your so hard on Nairn. I imagine the gin and tonic set at Nairn probably offend Mrs Shreiners socialist sensibilities, that and the fact that Nairns greens are superior to Dornochs in both conditioning and design.

Sean

I've no idea about ultimate rankings in a UK and Ireland top 100 as I've not played enough courses but I have played Machrihanish, Silloth and Brora and would definitely say Silloth on top with Machrihanish a credible lap behind and Brora trailing quite a fair back from there. All are great fun to paly which shouldn't be underestimated in a poll like this but take away the charm of Brora, the sheep on the course and all that, and its fundamentally not as good as the other two.

Niall

[Sean_A]

Niall

I couldn't be nearly as definitive as to where each individual course should be rated.  I more or less think Silloth, Brora and Machrihanish are in the same class and could see an argument for any being the best.  I can't understand the idea of one being superior to the other two, which is why I question where Machrihanish is rated. The great thing is I think Pennard really is superior to all three and yet it doesn't usually come close to top 100.  Rankings - who would own em??

Ciao

[Kris Shreiner]

Niall,

My views are mine alone on Nairn, and any other course I have played. My comment on the greens at Nairn was for conditioning ALONE. By the way, they were AWFUL when I played it.  Nairn's greens can't even BEGIN to compare to RD's on architectural quality. Nor can the rest of the place on a golf level.

The queen has her face buried in some socialist rag just now. It has Nairn listed as a must visit on the Highland Trial...but not for the golf!

Cheerio,
Kris

[Niall C]

Kris

I suspect we will always disagree on the quality of Nairns greens. A lot of my links golf has been at courses like Gullane where sometimes it isn't so much contouring as more slightly sloping so in that regard I don't need big breaks this way and that to like a green. That said, and I'm rubbish at remembering numbering of holes, but some of Nairn greens have a quite a lot of movement, the downhill par 3 for one and the green on the long par 4 a couple ahead of that are two that stick out.

All in all, the greens at Nairn probably have the same ratio of flattish/heavily contoured greens as Dornoch but I've not done a number count to verify.

Niall

[Jon Wiggett]

On the subject of Trump I spoke to someone 'well learned' today about it being number 8 and they thought it was probably worth number 1.

Problem is Adrian, if the course is not open how do you rank it? I am sure it is a great course but the ranking of it at number 8 makes a joke of the rankings. Also, Archersfield at 100

Jon

[Tom Birkert]

I would be interested to know when these rankings were done, because while I am an admittedly biased fan of the New Course at Sunningdale, I think some of the recent work done to the course really does not help. There has been widespread gorse bush removal, which has made significant changes to the 1st, 4th, 8th and 17th.

Most significantly is the noise impact, a load of bushes and trees on the right hand, far side of the 7th tee have been removed, which means that now you can see cars on the nearby road, and really hear them too. This noise of cars now can be heard on large parts of the course and really detracts from the serenity and calm that one used to feel.

The bushes in question were not ever in play, but I feel that their noise deadening qualities weren't appreciated before they were removed.

[Adrian_Stiff]

On the subject of Trump I spoke to someone 'well learned' today about it being number 8 and they thought it was probably worth number 1.

Problem is Adrian, if the course is not open how do you rank it? I am sure it is a great course but the ranking of it at number 8 makes a joke of the rankings. Also, Archersfield at 100

Jon

Well previously ofcourse they had a new course section and lots of choice to pick a new best 10, but no more so I suppose their rules have moved. The course opens very soon and I suppose the raters have played/seen it. Perhaps the rankings could have been delayed a month or so. I have not seen Archerfield but have heard good things but perhaps not enough raters have played it for it to be higher, this is a big problem for newer courses and a lot of newer ones have suffered this time, it might only be a key person dropping out and there could be big changes.

[Kris Shreiner]

Niall,

For the record, my gal played Nairn once in a Ladies Open medal and said the greens were in superb condition and the fastest links greens she had ever played. She felt they may be the fastest she has EVER played. She can move it (off 11) and has played some top U.S. tracks...so I'm on my own with my take. She did feel the rest of the course was fair to good, but not exceptional in any way.
The surrounds must also be weighed into any discussion of greens, and there again RD has Nairn clipped by a significant margin in my view. In the end, if you like it, that's great. Play away. For my dough, there are simply much better options up there.

Perhaps sometime we can play a round on each together and show each other what we see. Maybe I'l come away having a greater appreciation for Nairn. Greens in quality condition can certainly elevate a course's appeal. I've never seen Nairn in that presentation. The ground however, is the ground, and there the place is somewhat wanting when held against stiff links competition of a high caliber.

Cheers,
Kris

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()