National Club Golfer GB&I magazine - top 100 links plus the next 50 listed

[Thomas Dai]

Acquired a copy of this magazine from the lobby at my club this morning and opened it to find that posters herein have been contributing to the ranking which places RCD at number 1. More support for firm and fast?
Atb

PS - the hard copy magazine is out but there doesn't seem to be a cross-reference to the ranking on the National Club Golfer website

[Thomas Dai]

No weblink, it won't photograph and my scanner's knackered so I've typed out the ranking -

1 Royal County Down
2 Muirfield
3 Carnoustie
4 Tunberry Ailsa
5 Royal St Georges
6 Royal Birkdale
7 TOC
8 Portmarnock
9 Royal Dornoch
10 Royal Portrush
11 Royal Lytham
12 Waterville
13 North Berwick
14 Royal Aberdeen
15 Lahinch
16 Skibo
17 St Enodoc
18 Royal Troon
19 Ballybunnion Old
20 Kingsbarns
21 Royal Porthcawl
22 Prestwick
23 Royal Cinque Ports
24 Formby
25 Western Gailes
26 Cruden Bay
27 Castle stuart
28 Saunton East
29 Royal Liverpool
30 Nairn
31 Rye
32 Trump Aberdeen
33 Royal West Norfolk
34 European Club
35 Hunstanton
36 County Louth
37 Hillside
38 Rosapenna SH
39 Doonbeg
40 Carne
41 West Lancs
42 Machrihanish
43 Ballyliffin Old
44 Machrie
45 New Course StA
46 Silloth
47 Rennaissance
48 Royal St David's
49 Burnham & Berrow
50 Gullane 1
51 Enniscrone
52 Aberdovey
53 Dundonald
54 The Island
55 Mach' Dunes
56 Gailes Links
57 Portstewart
58 Tralee
59 County Sligo
60 Moray Old
61 Jubilee at StA
62 Panmure
63 Dunbar
64 Luffness
65 Southport & Ainsdale
66 Montrose
67 Southerness
68 Conwy
69 Brora
70 Wallasey
71 Pennard
72 Prince's
73 Lundin
74 Seacroft
75 Castletown IoM
76 Ballyliffin Glashedy
77 Portmarnock Hotel
78 Portsalon
79 Leven
80 Murcar
81 Ashburnham
82 Donegal
83 Tenby
84 Rosapenna OTM
85 Trevose
86 Askernish
87 CArnoustie Burnside
88 Elie
89 Crail
90 Goswick Berwick-u-Tweed
91 Westward Ho!/RND
92 Gullane 2
93 Pyle & Kenfig
94 Ballybunnion Cashen
95 Dooks
96 Royal Dublin
97 Littlestone
98 St Annes Old
99 Irvine Bogside
100 Archerfield Fidra

Phew, sore fingers now!

atb

[Marty Bonnar]

National Club Golfer is a parochial rag at best, so let's cut them some slack.
However, some minor observations...
Skibo at 16 - Ha!
Nice to see Leven in there!
Despite being a decent enough golf course (albeit with some beyond ridiculous shaping and features), Archerfield Fidra is in no way, shape or form, a Links.
F.

[Paul Gray]

I see the best golf course in the world is only the 32nd best in Britain and Ireland. 

[Marty Bonnar]

I see the best golf course in the world is only the 32nd best in Britain and Ireland. 

He has bought himself into the top 4 however 
F.

[Pete Lavallee]

Skibo and St Enodoc better than Ballybunnion Old? Wow!

[Rob Marshall]

I'm sure I'm going to be in the minority but I would put Lahinch ahead of Royal Portrush and the Valley at Portrush is miles better than Portsalon.

[Sean_A]

Interesting exercise.  I did try some tilting at windmills by pushing for a promotion of several courses to the top 25 bracket.  A few were included

Formby
Deal
St Enodoc
and remarkably Ballybunion (couldn't believe this wasn't originally a top 25 bracket).

I failed with

Rye
Portstewart
Cruden Bay
Renaissance

In the bottom 25 bracket I pushed for a few courses which made it

Crail
Portmarnock Hotel
Littlestone

Most failed though

Turnberry Kintyre
Narin & Portnoo
Strandhill
Perranporth
Saunton West

Two big surprises for me were that Portrush Valley wasn't included at all (for me a comfortable top 75 links) and that Rosapenna Sandy Hills was originally in the top 25 bracket.  I took several looks at the listing to make sure of both cases.  I don't think its terribly significant, but Trump Aberdeen was moved down to the 2nd 25 bracket after originally being in the 1st bracket.   

All in all, not bad.  Bottom line, there are a load of very good links. 

Ciao

[Garland Bayley]

Can it be a links if most of the players ride around in golf carts?

[Bill_McBride]

Can it be a links if most of the players ride around in golf carts?

Where?

[David_Tepper]

"Skibo at 16 - Ha!"

Martin -

It is surprising to see Skibo ranked so highly, especially since so few people are actually able to play it. It could be the least played course on the entire list.

That being said, the course has been changed a bit (for the better I am told) over the past 3-4 years. Skibo was ranked #24 in the GolfWorld(UK) GB&I ranking list earlier this year.

DT

[Paul Gray]

Can it be a links if most of the players ride around in golf carts?

I feel your pain.

They paved paradise.....

[Michael Graham]

Martin, and others that have played Skibo. I would like to hear your thoughts of the course. I'm playing Skibo in June and would be interested in knowing why you feel it is in a false position on this list. Where would you place in the top 100 GB&I links, if at all?

Michael

[Thomas Dai]

There is supposed to be a follow-up listing next month of a further 50 courses, the ones that didn't make the initial 100. Saunton West, Perranporth and the Kintyre at Trumpberry are apparently included.

One course I was surprised/disappointed not to see in the inital 100 is Narin & Portnoo.

As to Skibo at 16, David Thomson, the director of golf at Skibo, who apparently redesigned the course, is one of the 24 NCG panalists. A curious aside here, when up that way a year or so ago I had an interesting conversation with 4 Brora chaps (and club members) who indicated that they thought Skibo was the best course in the area! No comment from me, make of it what you wish. Now who's going to be brave enough to stump up the large amount of cash needed to play Skibo and give us a full photo-tour updating the existing 2007 Courses by Country piece?!

atb

[Adam Lawrence]

There is supposed to be a follow-up listing next month of a further 50 courses, the ones that didn't make the initial 100. Saunton West, Perranporth and the Kintyre at Trumpberry are apparently included.

One course I was surprised/disappointed not to see in the inital 100 is Narin & Portnoo.

As to Skibo at 16, David Thomson, the director of golf at Skibo, who apparently redesigned the course, is one of the 24 NCG panalists. A curious aside here, when up that way a year or so ago I had an interesting conversation with 4 Brora chaps (and club members) who indicated that they thought Skibo was the best course in the area! No comment from me, make of it what you wish. Now who's going to be brave enough to stump up the large amount of cash needed to play Skibo and give us a full photo-tour updating the existing 2007 Courses by Country piece?!

atb

Thomas - my understanding is that Tom Mackenzie has done the redesign work at Skibo.

[David_Tepper]

Has anyone actually played Skibo in the last 24 months?

[Michael Graham]

I'm playing Skibo in June for the first time. Having a read lots of conflicting reports about it over the years I'm looking forward to seeing it in person. I'll make sure to take plenty of photos.

Michael

[Rich Goodale]

I played a few holes with a 6-iron a couple of years ago on a tour of the new holes.  T MacKenzie (and Gary Gruber) did them, not David T.  Skibo is one of the greatest golfing experiences in the world, but the golf course per se is mid-100 GBI, at best.

Oh yeah, the rest of the list is mostly pish, too.

rfg

[Thomas Dai]

Adam and Rich,

You guys could well be correct about T MacKenzie (& G Gruber).

I am merely acting as a Postman on this one, although delivering with fingers and keyboard rather than a little red van!

To quote the NCG magazine "David (Thomson), a PGA pro for 35 years, has re-designed Skibo Castle, where he is the director of golf".

Sean,

Thanks for the background on the input. As you rightly say "..there are a load of very good links".

How did the other GCA posters involved in compiling this ranking find the process?

atb

[Garland Bayley]

Can it be a links if most of the players ride around in golf carts?

Where?

One of the top 100 above, Ashburnham.

[Thomas Dai]

Can it be a links if most of the players ride around in golf carts?

Where?

One of the top 100 above, Ashburnham.

I wonder how many of these courses don't have buggies, even if they're just for disabled folk (who may also have to take a caddy/driver).

atb

[Paul Gray]

And Hayling can't make the top 100? Not that I'm biased. 

[Mark Chaplin]

Rye certainly doesn't have buggies at all. Never seen one at Sandwich, Deal only for doctors certificate, personally I'd ban them.

I've heard lots of good things about Skibo in the last year.

Nice to see all of the Kent links in the top 100.

[Jim McCann]

Having played all bar a dozen of the courses on the list, I was surprised that Saunton (West) and Seaton Carew didn't comfortably
make the Top 100 cut.

Similarly, from north of the border, Turnberry (Kintyre) and Fraserburgh (Corbie Hill) must surely have been close to making it.

As for Skibo Castle, I played there just over two years ago and found it a very polished links where the conditioning had improved
immeasurably since I was last there in 2008.  

[Sean_A]

Leaving aside the obvious ones like Skibo and Rosapenna Sandy Hills, I'm surprised to see West Lancs so high - sitting ahead of Machrihanish, Enniscrone, Renaissance and Pennard - all of which are great courses. The pics I've seen on the Golf Arch pics site make it look nice but nothing mind blowing: Sean?

Also, Sean - why even bother if you have to persuade the panel to include Ballybunion Old in the top 25?

Sheehy

West Lancs is sneaky good...nobody talks about it.  I think it holds its own in an area of tough competition.  The course is in a less than salubrious area so perhaps that is why it is overlooked.  If I go back to the area and had time to play something other than Formby, West Lancs would be my first choice.  I am not sure its top 50 for mine, but perhaps not far off...I would need to see it again.   

Ciao