What Makes A Great Golf Course? Our Panel Of Experts Reveal All...

One subject that’s guaranteed to spark a good old debate amongst club golfers, other than the answer to slow play and the handicap system, is courses – more specifically, the Top 100 UK and Ireland Courses. 

Our list has seen a lot of changes over the last two decades, and it’s always a fascinating project to put together. Recently, we ventured to Tandridge in Oxted, Surrey, a Harry Colt gem, which currently sits at number 97 on our list, to talk with three experts, GM Top 100 panellists Jamie Hudson and Matt Weavers, plus the head pro at Tandridge, Chris Evans.

In this fascinating Q&A, we discuss a range of topics, including what makes a Top 100 course so special. Our experts also name a few courses that you should add to your ‘must play’ list and share a few of their favourite experiences. It’s sure to make you start planning another trip… 

Watch the video of our panelists discussion below:

GM: We have a lot of very good courses in the UK and Ireland. What separates the very best?

Jamie: I think about the three Vs: versatility, variety and views. How do the holes play for a scratch golfer, a professional and an 18-handicapper? How do they play off the whites and the yellows? I consider the mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s – so the shape of the holes, how they are routed, and the wind direction. Finally, the views. You spend a lot of time on the golf course looking around whilst not hitting the ball. What does it look like? How does it set up scenically?

Matt: I’m a sucker for a visual golf course. I’d far rather play a less strategic course in a beautiful setting than vice versa. When it comes to strategy, though, I like to think where you need to be off the tee, so it’s not just straight shot, straight shot. Tandridge is a great example. There is a little bit of width off the tee but you’ve got to be in the right place in the fairway to be able to attack a pin.  

GM: Courses are making constant improvements. Are there any common themes among the changes you are witnessing?

Matt: Lots of courses are doing bunkering work. Some of this is down to technology, so it’s a case of repositioning and putting them further down the fairways. Not everyone has land to move tees back, so a way to improve the course would be to reposition or add bunkers. I’m also seeing more ‘sand scrapes’, something you get at Dumbarnie Links, for example, a brand new course that has its riveted pot bunkers but also these blown out style of bunkers. We’re seeing these eyebrows, too, with the fringing, which add to the visual appeal. 

Jamie: Lots of clubs are having a real push towards sustainability. Whether it’s irrigation projects or tree removal, for example, it’s something that’s important, not just in terms of saving money but helping the environment. 

GM: What’s your favourite Top 100 course in the UK&I and why?

Chris: I’m going to put my own case across for Royal Birkdale. I used to go and watch The Opens there and I’ve played it as a pro and an amateur. I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with two Top 100 courses, so I’ve only ever been at two clubs: Princes in Sandwich and Tandridge. I’d say my last round of golf would have to be the front nine at Princes and the back nine at Tandridge!

Jamie: I was struggling with this until Matt made said to me, ‘What’s the one course you’d play if it was your last round?’ Undoubtedly, for me, it would be Royal Dornoch. It has everything.

Matt: The Old Course at St Andrews. I have a special affinity with this place, because I went to university there. Not only does it have all the history, but it has the best par 3 in the world, the 11th; the best par 4 in the world, the 16th; and the best par 5 in the world, the 14th, all in the space of six holes. 

GM: Some first time visitors say the Old is underwhelming. What do you make of those comments?

Matt: St Andrews has infinite variety, which is another reason I love it so much. It changes from day to day. Take the 1st, for example, with the widest fairway in golf. If you’re trying to just make par there, it’s not too difficult. However, if you’re trying to make birdie when the pin is on the front, all of a sudden you don’t want a 70-80 yard pitch over Swilken Burn. You have to lay it back into the right place, and you do that depending on where the wind is on that day. What is a relatively benign opening hole can play many different ways. That’s what St Andrews does. It may not grab you the first time you play it, but the strategic variety puts it up there. 

GM: Tandridge is an example of a course that’s managed to break into the Top 100, tell us about some of the improvements that have been made here…

Chris: I’ve seen the golf course change dramatically in my 26 years here, first of all with the woodland project, which was established throughout the site. In the mid 2000s, we started looking to re-establish lots of the old Colt features that had maybe been lost over the years. The club had a very clear vision, and we had Colt specialists in. It’s been a long journey since 2007 with constant improvements. We’re not stopping here, there’ s always something else in the pipeline. The club is very forward thinking and that is exactly what a golf club needs. Hiring the right kind of people to assist us has been a real ace card.

GM: Links or inland?

Jamie: It’s difficult to say. The reason I didn’t say my favourite was Sunningdale is because I can’t pick between the Old and New! Heathland has its place. Links is a treat whether you go in December or July, but you get a shorter period for great heathland golf. 

Matt: The wind is always different on a links. On heathland we don’t get it as variable, so that makes a difference. 

Chris: Links is the ultimate golfing test. I can always remember a conversation at Princes when one guy came in with 22 points. It was blowing a gale and he was absolutely thrilled! 

GM: Name some other courses golfers should make time to go and play…

Jamie: Pennard. Everyone goes to South Wales to play Royal Porthcawl, but they don’t take that extra journey. Pennard is so fun. I also love St Patrick’s Links and if you go there you must push on to play Cruit Island, which is a nine-holer. 

Matt: Western Gailes sometimes gets missed because of the other top courses in the area, but oh my goodness, it’s great, and it’s my benchmark for links golf conditioning. It’s always immaculate. Also Burnham and Berrow is great value for a top 30 course, stunningly good. One more, a non links, would be Hindhead, which has a superb front nine in amongst the valleys and incredible vistas. 

Chris: A place with great affinity for me is Ashburnham. It’s a links course with just the most incredible layout and the quality of the holes tests every aspect of your game. It’s always windy, always pouring, but guaranteed to be a fantastic day. One for the purists! 

GM: What course(s) would you have on your own Top 100 list? 

Chris: I’m going to go across to Ireland to County Louth. I played the club pros there a few years ago and I thought it was the best bunkered course I have ever played. They always cost you a shot. I think I shot level par for the two rounds and missed the cut. I went home and told the missus that I’d made the cut just so I could have a few more pints of Guinness in the local pub in Baltray. The whole hospitality, the club, the members, the facilities and the golf course was absolutely fantastic.

Matt: Skibo Castle is just stunning. The reason it’s not on the list is because they don’t allow visitors, which they used to. We’ve all heard of ‘millionaires golf’. This is ‘billionaires’ golf! It’s a stunning links with unbelievable views from all around, and the service you get is incredible. 

Jamie: I’m going to give a shout out to a nine-holer because they never get on the list and get the credibility. Durness is one of the most electric nine-hole courses in the world. Nobody is there and you’re playing around cliffs. I’d love to see a nine-holer break the Top 100 list one day. As for an 18-holer, Glasgow Gailes is a wonderful links course with unbelievable conditioning and does a lot on what is pretty flat land.

GM: How important are the non golfing aspects where ranking is concerned?

Chris: It’s crucial. One thing our team strives for is top customer service. There’s nothing better in getting great feedback or an email from a customer who has really enjoyed their day out. Lots of golf clubs on the Top 100 list make it on because they have that whole package. 

Jamie: Prestwick Old is fantastic. From the moment you contact the secretary to when you talk to the pro shop, everyone there is friendly and makes you feel like they want you to be there. The facilities at the clubhouses are not that important to me but the practice facilities are essential. I know some courses don’t have the space to do it, but you want to feel ready for your round. I enjoy practising as much as I do playing, so the short game area is key and I’m a sucker for a grass range.

Matt : We’re here to have fun and, for me, practice facilities are important. If I didn’t have that I’d play worse and my enjoyment could go down and I might not want to come back. I also like a clubhouse where you’re looking over the 18th. The 19th is important, too. Birkdale is a great one because you can look straight down the 18th from the veranda with a nice cold drink, which adds to the experience.