The Best 9 Hole Golf Courses in The UK

[Brian_Ewen]

https://www.golfshake.com/course/news/19190/The_Best_9_Hole_Golf_Courses_in_The_UK.html


Anstruther Golf Club
Ashton-on-Mersey Golf Club
Beckside Golf Club
Bonar Bridge Golf Club
Churchill & Blakedown Golf Club
Corrie Golf Club
Evesham Golf Club
Forbes of Kingennie Golf Course
Leadhills Golf Club
Newent Golf Club & Lodges
Osborne Golf Club
Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club
Ryston Park Golf Club
St Idloes Golf Club
Strathtay Golf Club
Tarland Golf Club
Temple Golf Club
Whalley Golf Club

[Brian Finn]

I believe St. Olaf at Cruden Bay and the Channel Course at Burnham & Berrow would fit on this list.  Perhaps they were excluded because they are part of a larger facility, and not standalone 9 holers. 

[David_Tepper]

Portmahomack (Tarbat) GC

https://portmahomackgolfclub.com/

[JohnVDB]

Portmahomack (Tarbat) GC

https://portmahomackgolfclub.com/

Agree I’d put it in there before Bonar Bridge.


But more importantly, Durness isn’t on there.

[Sean_A]

Nor is Covesea, Reigate Heath Flempton, Leckford Old and my beloved Alnmouth Village.

Ciao

[Ben Stephens]

Nor is Covesea, Reigate Heath Flempton, Leckford Old and my beloved Alnmouth Village.

Ciao

Flempton is under the radar and around 10 miles from Workington - its a very good nine holer with three different loops of 3 and I would be happy to be a member there and play evening golf

[Tony_Muldoon]

Have never got the love for Anstruther. Most of it is a famers field with a max of 4 interesting holes close to the sea. The famous Par 3 is not "Quirky", its a curiosity to be played once...only.  I think it gets recognised because of location and once a once a reputation is established most golfers repeat those views.


For a 9 holer with the best Fish 'n Chips I've ever eaten: Seahouses (they sell a 9 hole ticket with card) Lewis's Fish after.


St David's City another contender, pure fun.


Most of these scores are way to high.  4.5 out of 5 leaves no room for excellent to be identified. At Bonar Bridge my group were critical of  the walks between holes and the flat greens with little interest. One of the commenters praised the former and none said anything about the interest of the greens.

[jeffwarne]

No Durness
No Traigh
No Covesea
hmm..
I've only played two others from the list, Anstruther(Tony's spot on) and The Sacred 9


I've been wanting to get out to Corrie and St. David's City(maybe in a couple of weeks) for awhile

[Jerry Kluger]

Royal Worlington was absolutely wonderful and has one of the best par 3s I have ever played.

[Mark Pearce]

I'd love to know which 4 holes at Anstruther Tony thinks might be interesting.  The 5th is very, very hard.  It's a poor golf hole.  But probably the only interesting one on the course.  Alnmouth Village is in an entirely different class and its absence reveals this list for what it is.

[Ben Malach]

I haven't seen everything on the list or all of the best 9's in the UK, but I found the 9 holes at Reigate Heath to be very solid. The way that the course uses the only major dramatic landform on site in so many ways is a fabulous lesson on simplicity. Also, I would also like to mention how good of a walk it is. This is a huge compliment as it's easy to see how one could build a lesser course here.

[Marty Bonnar]

Having just walked Traigh again this morning, it really should be in there. Going to wait until this howling gale and squally rain passes before venturing out with clubs, though!
F.

[Tom_Doak]

Having just walked Traigh again this morning, it really should be in there. Going to wait until this howling gale and squally rain passes before venturing out with clubs, though!
F.

Marty:


I thought Traigh was a lovely spot, but I had no idea how to play the second hole after my one attempt.  Is there an approved way to tackle it beyond "hit and hope" with the second shot?




I'm surprised to have hardly heard of any of the courses listed, but they would have to be pretty good to be better than Reigate Heath or Leckford Old.

[Marty Bonnar]

Having just walked Traigh again this morning, it really should be in there. Going to wait until this howling gale and squally rain passes before venturing out with clubs, though!
F.

Marty:


I thought Traigh was a lovely spot, but I had no idea how to play the second hole after my one attempt.  Is there an approved way to tackle it beyond "hit and hope" with the second shot?




I'm surprised to have hardly heard of any of the courses listed, but they would have to be pretty good to be better than Reigate Heath or Leckford Old.

Tom,
the Club website probably has the best advice. 





I’ve tried - and failed - both routes!
F.

[Niall C]

I agree with many of the comments on this thread and it is definitely nowhere near a best of list in my view, but at least it did make me go and play one of the courses listed, that being Leadhills.


The course is located a few miles off the M74 approx midway between Carlisle and Glasgow. It's an open moorland course with nice springy turf (after a dry summer that is) that apparently doubles as a ski slope during the winter. While I'm no agronomist I'd suggest the greens are 60% moss, 35% grass and 5% rabbit scrapings and must "run" at a good 2 or 3 on the stimp. Needless to say the greenkeeping is basic.


Reputedly it's also the highest golf course in Scotland. It's not a long course even by nine holer standards but neither is it a pitch and putt. There are a couple of really quite good holes where you drive over a gully. For the paint by numbers crowd, the stats for it are 2,296 yards from the tips with a slope rating of 105.


By no means a bad course, and good fun to play provided you enter into the spirit of things, however wouldn't crack my own personal top ten in Scotland never mind the UK.


Niall

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

It's been said (by Ronan Rafferty, I think) that Fintona in Co. Tyrone (part of UK) is one of the best 9-hole courses in Ireland. I can't confirm as I haven't played it.

[John Mayhugh]

I'd love to know which 4 holes at Anstruther Tony thinks might be interesting.  The 5th is very, very hard.  It's a poor golf hole.  But probably the only interesting one on the course.  Alnmouth Village is in an entirely different class and its absence reveals this list for what it is.

I agree that Alnmouth Village is a step above Anstruther, but thought there was still much to like about Anstruther.

• The second hole with a war memorial to the side and the sea behind the green.
• The short par 4 4th with a stone wall and array of buildings.
• The par 3 6th with the green site cut into the slope and a sort of grass wall behind
• A steeply uphill par 3 7th
• I also sort of liked the steep climb on 1 and judging the shot back downhill on the 9th (with the wall and town behind).

I wouldn't say Anstruther is a great course, but thought it had a lot of charm and enough interest to play it again, even if the 5th hole wasn't there.

[Sean_A]

I'd love to know which 4 holes at Anstruther Tony thinks might be interesting.  The 5th is very, very hard.  It's a poor golf hole.  But probably the only interesting one on the course.  Alnmouth Village is in an entirely different class and its absence reveals this list for what it is.

I agree that Alnmouth Village is a step above Anstruther, but thought there was still much to like about Anstruther.

• The second hole with a war memorial to the side and the sea behind the green.
• The short par 4 4th with a stone wall and array of buildings.
• The par 3 6th with the green site cut into the slope and a sort of grass wall behind
• A steeply uphill par 3 7th
• I also sort of liked the steep climb on 1 and judging the shot back downhill on the 9th (with the wall and town behind).

I wouldn't say Anstruther is a great course, but thought it had a lot of charm and enough interest to play it again, even if the 5th hole wasn't there.

I concur, but this is a best of list. I would play Anstruther again, but it doesn't make my lists.

Spangles hits on something with 9 hole rates and separate cards as part of 18 designs. Seahouses doesn't work on any level as an 18 holer, but it's lovely as 9 or 10 holer. Highly recommended and the house seems to be a local hangout.

Could say much the same about Nefyn's old section as a separate course.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

A fair few nice 9-hole courses have unfortunately been extended to 18-holes over the years.
If pace of play continues to slow down as it has over the last few years then pretty soon 9-holes will take the same amount of time as 18-holes did in times gone bye!

Atb

[Ian Mackenzie]

Portmahomack (Tarbat) GC

https://portmahomackgolfclub.com/

Agree I’d put it in there before Bonar Bridge.


But more importantly, Durness isn’t on there.

+1 for Durness.


Played it last September. It was mind-bending.
Some of the best views in golf.