The Golf Monthly Top 100 Courses 2012. Fact, Fiction or Based On Advertising Spend?
Every year the same argument, how do Golf Monthly devise their list of top 100 UK & Ireland courses? Nobody I know in the golf industry in Ireland contributes to the list and I’ve certainly never been asked. Yet there it is, proud as punch every year, every course with a number as if to declare it’s better than one lower down.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the concept and am delighted to see previously unheralded courses such as Rosapenna Sandy Hills and Old Head finally get some recognition. However I do have some issues.
Solheim Cup venue Killeen Castle is held up as an example of a course with financial difficulties and thus little advertising spend, but nevertheless a magnificent venue conspicuous by its absence from the list.
The list, in my opinion however, is full of seeming inaccuracies, the most glaring of which from an Irish point of view is the positioning of Ballyliffin Glashedy (safe to say universally regarded by Irish pros, amateurs and industry workers as among the top five links courses in the country) at number 74 on the list. The venue was chosen as the iconic Irish links location by Oakley for their $6 million advertising shoot in 2011.
And Portmarnock Links have every right to feel hard done by at 90 on the list.
Also is it really correct to rank Irish Open venue Adare Manor at 98th on the list, 45 places lower than Hankley Common in Surrey?
Pic: Tiger Woods tamed at Adare, 2010.
Surely if you match both venues in layout, beauty, difficulty, features, size, playability, facilities, it’s performance hosting Major events, clubhouse and ambiance, Adare would come better than 98th.
Here’s the list. Grab some tissues, this may make you weep.
2 Royal County Down
3 St Andrews - Old
4 Turnberry Ailsa
5 Royal Birkdale
6 Royal St George's
7 Royal Lytham & St Annes
8 Carnoustie Championship
9 Royal Dornoch - Championship
10 Sunningdale - New
11 Waterville
12 Royal Portrush - Dunluce
13 Ballybunion - Old
14 Sunningdale - Old
15 Royal Liverpool
16 Kingsbarns
17 The European Club
18 Woodhall Spa - Hotchkin
19 Royal Aberdeen - Balgownie
20 Ganton
21 Loch Lomond
22 Doonbeg
23 Lahinch - Old
24 Royal Troon - Old
25 Castle Stuart
26 St Georges Hill - Red & Blue
27 Walton Heath - Old
28 Royal Porthcawl
29 Portmarnock - Red & Blue
30 Hillside
31 North Berwick
32 Nairn Championship
33 Old Head
34 Swinley Forrest
35 Wentworth - West
36 Gleneagles - King's
37 Burnham & Berrow - Championship
38 Formby
39 Saunton - East
40 The Berkshire - Red
41 St Endoc - Church
42 Rosapenna - Sandy Hill
43 Prestwick
44 Hankley Common
45 Royal West Norfolk
46 Royal St Davids
47 Royal Cinque Ports
48 Notts
49 Walton Heath - New
50 Machrihanish
51 Tralee
52 Western Gailes
53 Silloth On Solway
54 West Sussex
55 The Alwoodley
56 County Louth
57 Saunton - West
58 Aberdovey
59 Blairgowrie - Rosemount
60 The Berkshire - Blue
61 Rye - Old
62 Gleneagles - Queen's
63 Lough Erne
64 Southport & Ainsdale
65 K Club - Palmer Ryder Cup
66 St Andrews - New
67 Worplesdon
68 Moortown
69 Hunstanton
70 Trevose - Championship
71 Druids Glen
72 Gullane - No. 1
73 Liphook
74 Ballyliffin - Glashedy
75 Royal North Devon
76 West Lancashire
77 Aldeburgh
78 The Belfry - Brabazon
79 The Island
80 Woburn - Marquess
81 Bearwood Lakes
82 The Grove
83 Mount Juliet
84 Ladybank
85 Wentworth - East
86 Renaissance
87 Killarney - Killeen
88 West Hill
89 Cruden Bay
90 Portmarnock Links
91 St Andrews - Castle
92 Sherwood Forest
93 The Wisley Church & Mill
94 Woburn Duchess'
95 Nefyn & District
96 Carne
97 Woburn Duke's
98 Adare Manor
99 Woking
100 Royal Worlington & Newmarket
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the concept and am delighted to see previously unheralded courses such as Rosapenna Sandy Hills and Old Head finally get some recognition. However I do have some issues.
Pic: Rory McIlroy in Ballyliffin
On a debate on facebook yesterday, the general consensus from a cross section of my 5,000 golfing friends is that ‘money talks’ and the suggestion was popular that those choosing to pay to advertise with Golf Monthly were somehow more likely to be afforded a higher ranking than those that did not. Of course I cannot confirm if there is any credence whatsoever to that suggestion. Solheim Cup venue Killeen Castle is held up as an example of a course with financial difficulties and thus little advertising spend, but nevertheless a magnificent venue conspicuous by its absence from the list.
The list, in my opinion however, is full of seeming inaccuracies, the most glaring of which from an Irish point of view is the positioning of Ballyliffin Glashedy (safe to say universally regarded by Irish pros, amateurs and industry workers as among the top five links courses in the country) at number 74 on the list. The venue was chosen as the iconic Irish links location by Oakley for their $6 million advertising shoot in 2011.
And Portmarnock Links have every right to feel hard done by at 90 on the list.
Also is it really correct to rank Irish Open venue Adare Manor at 98th on the list, 45 places lower than Hankley Common in Surrey? Pic: Tiger Woods tamed at Adare, 2010.
Surely if you match both venues in layout, beauty, difficulty, features, size, playability, facilities, it’s performance hosting Major events, clubhouse and ambiance, Adare would come better than 98th.
Here’s the list. Grab some tissues, this may make you weep.
Top 100 UK and Ireland golf courses 2012: (Click read more to expand full list)
1 Muirfield2 Royal County Down
3 St Andrews - Old
4 Turnberry Ailsa
5 Royal Birkdale
6 Royal St George's
7 Royal Lytham & St Annes
8 Carnoustie Championship
9 Royal Dornoch - Championship
10 Sunningdale - New
11 Waterville
12 Royal Portrush - Dunluce
13 Ballybunion - Old
14 Sunningdale - Old
15 Royal Liverpool
16 Kingsbarns
17 The European Club
18 Woodhall Spa - Hotchkin
19 Royal Aberdeen - Balgownie
20 Ganton
21 Loch Lomond
22 Doonbeg
23 Lahinch - Old
24 Royal Troon - Old
25 Castle Stuart
26 St Georges Hill - Red & Blue
27 Walton Heath - Old
28 Royal Porthcawl
29 Portmarnock - Red & Blue
30 Hillside
31 North Berwick
32 Nairn Championship
33 Old Head
34 Swinley Forrest
35 Wentworth - West
36 Gleneagles - King's
37 Burnham & Berrow - Championship
38 Formby
39 Saunton - East
40 The Berkshire - Red
41 St Endoc - Church
42 Rosapenna - Sandy Hill
43 Prestwick
44 Hankley Common
45 Royal West Norfolk
46 Royal St Davids
47 Royal Cinque Ports
48 Notts
49 Walton Heath - New
50 Machrihanish
51 Tralee
52 Western Gailes
53 Silloth On Solway
54 West Sussex
55 The Alwoodley
56 County Louth
57 Saunton - West
58 Aberdovey
59 Blairgowrie - Rosemount
60 The Berkshire - Blue
61 Rye - Old
62 Gleneagles - Queen's
63 Lough Erne
64 Southport & Ainsdale
65 K Club - Palmer Ryder Cup
66 St Andrews - New
67 Worplesdon
68 Moortown
69 Hunstanton
70 Trevose - Championship
71 Druids Glen
72 Gullane - No. 1
73 Liphook
74 Ballyliffin - Glashedy
75 Royal North Devon
76 West Lancashire
77 Aldeburgh
78 The Belfry - Brabazon
79 The Island
80 Woburn - Marquess
81 Bearwood Lakes
82 The Grove
83 Mount Juliet
84 Ladybank
85 Wentworth - East
86 Renaissance
87 Killarney - Killeen
88 West Hill
89 Cruden Bay
90 Portmarnock Links
91 St Andrews - Castle
92 Sherwood Forest
93 The Wisley Church & Mill
94 Woburn Duchess'
95 Nefyn & District
96 Carne
97 Woburn Duke's
98 Adare Manor
99 Woking
100 Royal Worlington & Newmarket
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