In order, with explanations, live from the Denver Airport with endless amount of time to kill.
1) Royal Cinque Ports. There are several reasons I joined Deal, and the biggest one is the quality of the golf course. Deal has a tremendous variety of green complexes, from the stark plateau green at the 6th (one of my favorite short fours in the world) to the brilliant punchbowl green at the 3rd, from the halfpipe green at the 12th to the roly-poly affair at number 1. The greens present an incredible number of recovery options, and they are all well-connected with the golf holes leading up to them. Moreover, the terrain at Deal makes for ideal golf, especially on the holes close to the clubhouse.
2) Woking. It was my favorite inland layout I played on my trip. The greens are borderline outrageous but decidedly brilliant, with a great balance between subtlety (1, 4, 6, 9, 17) and boldness (2, 3, 12-15, 18). The bunkering here is pretty much perfect, not too much and not too little. The routing changes directions constantly and is intimate throughout. The course is classic heathland, and an absolute joy to play.
3) Royal St. George's. Solid throughout, with a great dunes setting on the front nine and calmer yet still brilliant holes on the back. 4 is a world class golf hole, and the par fours and 8-10 are tremendously underrated. I was most surprised by the green complexes here, which are much more varied and bold than I expected at a championship course. 13, 15, and 17 all utilize top-notch greens that are highly unique. The course's two weaknesses: lack of a good short four, and an average set of par threes (especially at 3 and 11). I think Sandwich is a hell of a golf course, and I am psyched to see it in the Open this year.
4) Swinley Forest. A Colt masterpiece, the course starts slowly (the only great hole of the first 6 is the short 4th), but picks up when the golfer climbs the hill at 7. From then on, the golfer is treated to hole after hole of engaging golf, routed through forest with a scale that is hard to believe considering Swinley's modest length. A great set of five par threes, along with several great long par fours, make Swinley a definitive heathland layout.
5) Huntercombe. Willie Park's first layout, Huntercombe uses 13 bunkers and loads of great mounding and greensites to challenge the golfer. The 4-hole loop to start is one of my favorite opening stretches, and I loved the quirkiness of the blind short par three at the 1st. The course is definitely on the short side, and it has a couple of average holes (18 is not the most exciting finish, and 11 is a strange short par four). Yet the use of ground contours makes Huntercombe engaging and a must-see for any modern golf architect.