THE TOP 100 OF SCOTLAND (Latest Golf World List)

[Adrian_Stiff]

1   TURNBERRY
2   MUIRFIELD
3   ST ANDREWS OLD
4   CARNOUSTIE
5   LOCH LOMOND
6   ROYAL DORNOCH
7   KINGSBARNS
8   ROYAL TROON
9   NAIRN
10   GLENEAGLES KINGS
11   NORTH BERWICK
12   ROYAL ABERDEEN
13   PRESTWICK
14   WESTERN GAILES
15   CASTLE STUART
16   CRUDEN BAY
17   MACHRIHANISH
18   ST ANDREWS CASTLE
19   GULLANE NO1
20   BLAIRGOWRIE ROSEMOUNT
21   THE MACHRIE
22   RENAISSANCE
23   SOUTHERNESS
24   DUNDONALD
25   THE CARNEGIE CLUB
26   MACHRIHANISH DUNES
27   ST ANDREWS DUKES
28   ST ANDREWS NEW
29   ARCHERFIELD FIDRA
30   SCOTSCRAIG
31   LADYBANK
32   BOAT OF GARTEN
33   DUNBAR
34   BRORA
35   ARCHERFIELD DIRLETON
36   MONTROSE MEDAL
37   MORAY OLD
38   CRAIL BALCOMIE
39   TURNBERRY KINTYRE
40   LUNDIN
41   PANMURE
42   MURCAR
43   GLENEAGLES QUEENS
44   FRASERBURGH
45   LEVEN LINKS
46   MONIFIETH MEDAL
47   SHISKINE
48   DOWNFIELD
49   GLENEAGLES MONARCH
50   SPEY VALLEY
51   ST ANDREWS BAY TORRANCE
52   THE ROXBURGHE
53   ST ANNDREWS JUBILEE
54   PRESTWICK ST NICHOLAS
55   KILMARNOCK BARRASIE
56   WEST KILBRIDE
57   KILSPINDIE
58   TAIN
59   IRVINE
60   BELLEISLE
61   ROWALLAN CASTLE
62   ELIE
63   GOLSPIE
64   PORTPATRICK
65   GULLANE NO2
66   GLASGOW GAILES
67   ST ANDREWS EDEN
68   NAIRN DUNBAR
69   LUFFNESS
70   LONGNIDDRY
71   EDZELL
72   ASKERNISH
73   GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY
74   STRANRAER
75   DALMAHOY EAST
76   ROYAL MUSSLEBURGH
77   NEWBURGH
78   FORTROSE & ROSEMARKIE
79   POWFOOT
80   ROYAL BURGESS GOLFING SOCIETY
81   PITLOCHRY
82   GLEN (NORTH BERWICK)
83   BRUNTSFIELD LINKS
84   DUFF HOUSE ROYAL
85   EAST RENFREWSHIRE
86   THE CARRICK
87   CARDRONA
88   MORTONHALL
89   CRAIGELAW
90   KILMACOLM
91   DUDDINGTON
92   MELDRUM HOUSE
93   INVERNESS
94   BRUNSTON CASTLE
95   LANARK
96   CARNOUSTIE BURNSIDE
97   MAR HALL
98   HAGGS CASTLE
99   NEWMACHER HAWKSHILL
100   THE HIRSEL

[Mark Chaplin]

Suprised to Mac Dunes so high and The New Course at 27 below the Dukes and The Julibee Course outside of the top 50

[Kalen Braley]

Mel is going to blow a gasket when he sees the Castle Course in the top 20! 

[Marty Bonnar]

I like the fact that of the Top 20, there's only 1 you need to be invited to.
Ah, Bonnie Scotland...
 
F.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Mark I was suprised to see Troons Portland course missing, quite a few on that list I know nothing of. Golf World are doing a Top 100 of England next month and one of Wales and Ireland I think to follow. Generally I think the list is pretty good.

Kalen - Yes I know, I already ordered a new head gasket for him, a bottle of whisky, his chair and a glass of milk.

[Marty Bonnar]

Gleneagles Monarch?
They REALLY need to update their database.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Marty - Thats my error, I called it wrong.

[Marty Bonnar]

Adrian,
still interesting that the 2014 RYDER CUP will be played over what is only Scotland's 49th best course
cheers,
FBD.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Adrian,
still interesting that the 2014 RYDER CUP will be played over what is only Scotland's 49th best course
cheers,
FBD.

NO comment!

[Sean_A]

This is a stupidly long list.  Honouring courses like The Glen, Tain and Glasgow Gailes demonstrates why it is better to keep the numbers tight and ignore the so called attractive 100 label.

Ciao

[Mark Pearce]

Astonishing that somewhere like Elie can be rated as low as 61.  That said, it seems to me that there are a lot of courses here that could justifiably rank anywhere between 20 and 70.

[Keith Phillips]

surprised by absence of Crail - Craighead - I've only played it once but thought it was very well done, and an outstanding complement to Balcomie Links

[Jud_T]

RCAA #22 with a bullet!  Are there really 12 courses better than Prestwick?

[Tom_Doak]

Do they give points for stupid in this system?

[Jim McCann]

Keith,

I agree the Craighead should be featured but the two most glaring omissions in my book are
Blairgowrie (Lansdowne) and Letham Grange (Old).

With the greatest respect in the world, Grantown-on-Spey is NOT Scottish Top100 material and
the fact that it occupies a place in the third quartile (along with Askernish!!!) is quite astonishing.

[Chris DeNigris]

Nairn top 10?....hmmmm, maybe in the Highlands.

RD and NB each at least 4 spots too low.

[Philippe Binette]

elie 62nd..,

in my top 20 in the world as fun place to play golf

[Kris Shreiner]

TD,
Nice one!

Chris D,

Totally agree. That one alone confirms Mr. Doak's assessment. An absurd placement for Nairn. It's not even top 10 in the Highlands. I'll never figure out what the folks that rate it highly are seeing out there. Over half the holes are a snooze.

[Brian_Ewen]

Trying to figure out why Edzell is there ?

[Simon Holt]

Brian,

I know what your getting, Edzell is a nice walk; beautiful scenery.  Whats the hole with the paintball place next door to it and the telegraph poles running down the right hand side?  Not the best hole out there.

On a more serious note, and with all due respect to the courses featured, what do us Scots think this says about the strength of depth in our golfing map?  Do you think it is a case of a magazine getting bored half way through and just filling in spaces or that maybe we dont have the golfing arsenal that we and the rest of the world presume we have?

I think it is a mixture of the two and Mr. Arble has nailed it.  One of his past comments about the strength of depth in England vs Scotland is probably a better discussion that which course fits where in this list.

S

[Simon Holt]

For what it is worth here is my personal top 20 played.  Embarrassing 'not played' are Prestwick, Carnoustie and the new boy Castle Stuart.

To all visiting golfers to our shores- these are the courses I would suggest playing; these are the ones I would happily go back to without putting any down to bulk out my list.  Not too precious about this order but its close....

1. Muirfield                (East Lothian)
2. TOC                     (Fife)
3. North Berwick        (East Lothian) 
4. Royal Dornoch        (Highlands)
5. Turnberry              (Ayrshire)
6. St. Andrews New   (Fife)
7. Renaissance Club    (East Lothian)
8. Kingsbarns             (Fife)
9. Loch Lomond         (Dumbartonshire)
10. Royal Troon          (Ayrshire)
11. Gullane No. 1        (East Lothian) 
12. Brora                    (Highlands)
13. Gullane No.2         (East Lothian) 
14. Dunbar                (East Lothian) 
15. Balcomie               (Fife)
16. Elie                       (Fife)
17. St. A Jubilee          (Fife)
18. Luffness                (East Lothian) 
19. Leven                   (Fife)
20. Kilspindie               (East Lothian) 

Nothing to do with the fact I grew up in East Lothian and went to University in Fife.

It does show that IMO you can visit lots of great courses all within a short drive of each other, some with a high price tag and others more affordable.  A golfer staying in East Lothian could play all those courses for £400-£450 if he/she took out Muirfield and RC for price and access reasons.  That’s $600 (a round at Pebble?) to play 6 good courses, 35 minutes from Edinburgh Airport to NB, all within 15 minutes drive of North Berwick.

In Fife, stay in St Andrews.  1 hour from the airport depending on the bridge, around the same money for the 7 listed Fife courses all within a 30 minute drive of St. A.  Perhaps the golf is slightly more expensive there with the courses listed but you can always take out 1 headliner.

S

[Kevin Pallier]

Anytime I see a list with Turnberry at #1 - I question it

For mine there is a big drop off in quality from around the 20 or so best courses in Scotland and that's about where the list should end. Not that I agree the courses listed therein by GW.

[Mark Pearce]

I have a few embarrassing "not played"s on Simon's list (Kingsbarns, Troon (to be sorted this summer), Dunbar) and one unembarrassing one (Loch Lomond).  With obvious additions (Prestwick, Carnoustie) it's a pretty good list and in something approaching the right order, IMHO, though I might move Gullane 1 down the list and add Lundin.

[Sean_A]

Anytime I see a list with Turnberry at #1 - I question it

For mine there is a big drop off in quality from around the 20 or so best courses in Scotland and that's about where the list should end. Not that I agree the courses listed therein by GW.

Kevin

Yes, whatever that cutoff number is it is certainly less than 100.  I don't understand celebrating courses which are mediocre or otherwise unrecommendable from a travel PoV being issued by a golf magazine which loads up on travel suggestions.  I bet if you ask the invidual members of the panel if there are many courses on the list they wouldn't suggest folks travel more than a minimal distance to play that each would come up with a very, very large handful.  The list is almost meaningless because of its length. 

For me the only must sees that I have played (none of the newbies) are Prestwick, N Berwick, Cruden Bay, Dornoch, Aberdeen, Brora and TOC.  Of course for those on one of the first junket trips to Scotland than any of the Open rota should be seen if thats your bag.  One, two or all may impress greatly.  That said, I personally have a lot of time for Dunbar, Machrihanish, Nairn and Southerness, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them except to fill out trips.  The same is true but to a lesser extent for Gullane #1.  There are some others which will cause a smile to appear on anybody's face, but they aren't particularly special, good or otherwise more worthy than a great many other courses in courses in Scotland.  They are more the sort to drop by if convenient and see what gives.     

Ciao     

[Ben Stephens]

For what it is worth here is my personal top 20 played.  Embarrassing 'not played' are Prestwick, Carnoustie and the new boy Castle Stuart.

To all visiting golfers to our shores- these are the courses I would suggest playing; these are the ones I would happily go back to without putting any down to bulk out my list.  Not too precious about this order but its close....

1. Muirfield                (East Lothian)
2. TOC                     (Fife)
3. North Berwick        (East Lothian) 
4. Royal Dornoch        (Highlands)
5. Turnberry              (Ayrshire)
6. St. Andrews New   (Fife)
7. Renaissance Club    (East Lothian)
8. Kingsbarns             (Fife)
9. Loch Lomond         (Dumbartonshire)
10. Royal Troon          (Ayrshire)
11. Gullane No. 1        (East Lothian) 
12. Brora                    (Highlands)
13. Gullane No.2         (East Lothian) 
14. Dunbar                (East Lothian) 
15. Balcomie               (Fife)
16. Elie                       (Fife)
17. St. A Jubilee          (Fife)
18. Luffness                (East Lothian) 
19. Leven                   (Fife)
20. Kilspindie               (East Lothian) 

Nothing to do with the fact I grew up in East Lothian and went to University in Fife.

It does show that IMO you can visit lots of great courses all within a short drive of each other, some with a high price tag and others more affordable.  A golfer staying in East Lothian could play all those courses for £400-£450 if he/she took out Muirfield and RC for price and access reasons.  That’s $600 (a round at Pebble?) to play 6 good courses, 35 minutes from Edinburgh Airport to NB, all within 15 minutes drive of North Berwick.

In Fife, stay in St Andrews.  1 hour from the airport depending on the bridge, around the same money for the 7 listed Fife courses all within a 30 minute drive of St. A.  Perhaps the golf is slightly more expensive there with the courses listed but you can always take out 1 headliner.

S

Get down to Carnoustie asap!!