Travel, Leisure and Recreation

There are, quite literally, thousands of gold courses in Great Britain and Ireland which makes visiting every one of them to find your favourite an impossibility. What’s more, there are a large portion of these that aren’t really worth the green fees as well as those that are prohibitively expensive, members only, or otherwise restricted. However, no matter where you live or where you’re visiting, you can be assured of finding high quality golf courses to enjoy a good round of golf alone or with friends.

Royal Birkdale

There are four Royal English golf courses that are British Open venues – Birkdale, St Georges, Lytham St Annes, and Liverpool. Royal Birkdale is widely considered to be one of the best courses in the world and is certainly one of the best places in England to play golf. It is situated just outside Southport and poses a real challenge to all golfers, including the best of the professionals. Winds can whip up a frenzy making every round a completely different challenge.

St Georges

St Georges, just outside Sandwich is also one of the most popular courses in England and was, in fact, the first English course to host the Open Championships. To this day it is the fourth most used Open venue. This natural course benefits from undulating ground and plenty of sand, although if you don’t keep the ball firmly on the fairway you’re unlikely to see it as any kind of benefit. Expect a real challenge from a course that has enjoyed numerous high profile celebrity members.

Ails, Turnberry

There are some equally stunning and challenging courses just over the border in Scotland, too, though some aren’t for the faint of heart. 18 miles away from Ayr, for example, lies the incredibly scenic Ailsa course, part of the Turnberry Resort. With views to the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran, it can be easy to forget that you’re there to play golf and instead spend the hours taking in the incredible scenery. When you do turn your attention back to the game in hand, though, you will be treated to an array of incredible holes including Bruce’s Castle which takes you past the ruined castle of Robert the Bruce.

Muirfield

Muirfield, the third most used Open Championship course, has hosted the Open 15 times and features coastal fairways, deep and difficult bunkers, and some incredible driving opportunities. There’s also very deep rough to have to contend with as well as small greens which make approach shots a real challenge even for the most initiated of golfers. Muirfield is definitely a course that every golfer should try to play at least once.

Ciaran Oliver is a traveller and writer for Caddiemaster providers of the finest electric golf trolleys on the market.