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In this video, Women's Editor, Alison Root is joined by Top 100 senior panellists Fergus Bisset and Jezz Ellwood. They discuss this years Top 10 from Golf Monthly's Top 100 golf courses in UK & Ireland.
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00:00Hello everyone, Alison Root here from Golf Monthly and welcome to Royal Porthcourt Golf Club.
00:06In this video, we're going to look at the top 10 courses in the UK and Ireland from Golf Monthly's
00:13Top 100 rankings in association with Peter Miller. I'm joined here by Rob Smith and Jeremy Elwood
00:21who run the Top 100 Courses panel and we're going to discuss why these 10 courses are so special.
00:28We're going to run through from 10 to 1, so stay tuned to find out which one comes out on
00:36top.
00:36So, let's get started.
00:47We're going to start with number 10 and 9 together because this is Sunningdale Golf Club, the old and new
00:54courses.
00:56Interestingly, they've swapped around from the last time we did the rankings.
01:00So, at number 10 is the old course and I know, Rob, that's a particular favourite of yours.
01:05So, tell me a bit about that.
01:07It is indeed a particular favourite of mine, but to be fair, so is the new.
01:11Over the years, it's probably the question I've been asked the most is,
01:14which is your favourite course in the Top 100?
01:16And I've always given a wishy-washy answer of both at Sunningdale because it's just the perfect golfing day out.
01:22But I think I'm now veering on the side of the old because it has more old-fashioned charm.
01:27It's perhaps a little more forgiving than the new, which is definitely a more severe test, I would say.
01:32And it's the sort of course that's got so much variety that it just keeps a smile on your face
01:38all the way around.
01:39It has swapped this time with the new and I think that's because some of the panellists really appreciated the
01:44severity of the test of the new compared to the old.
01:47But they are different, aren't they, even though they're side-by-side in places.
01:51Yeah.
01:52And the new, which I know when we first put it above the old a few years ago, the secretary
02:00and some of the members were happy with that
02:02because traditionally the old had always been up there and the new was, even though new is a bit of
02:07a misnomer
02:08because it's still a very old golf course, they were pleased that we'd put the new above it.
02:12And I think I probably prefer the new, I've played it a little more often than the old.
02:17It does start with a very difficult par four and then a nice little par three.
02:22But then once you've played that par three and you're on the third tee, you really are sort of heading
02:27into the, not wilderness,
02:28but the middle of nowhere and you do get this wonderful feeling of isolation when you're out in that heath
02:34land.
02:35And there isn't really a weak hole, I don't think, and the fifth and the sixth holes as a back
02:40-to-back par three, par five pair
02:42are probably as good a two-hole combo as you'll play anywhere in land, certainly.
02:47Well, I think the fifth is just the perfect par three.
02:51I picked out a couple of comments from our panellists.
02:53Because we want to, we pay heed very closely to what they say.
02:57Jamie Hudson, who's one of our panellists, who's recently moved up to Prestwick,
03:01he says, Sunnydale's old course is where golf transcends into art, which I think is lovely.
03:06Every round here is a celebration of the rich history, the precision of design,
03:10and the joy of playing golf at its finest.
03:12It's not just a golf course, it's a dream realised, which I think is pretty poetic
03:17and I think perhaps better than I could manage as a writer.
03:20I wouldn't say that, Rob. You'll be doing yourself out of a job.
03:23And similarly, Russ Greenbridge, and he said,
03:25Sunnydale New is maybe not as famous for the old, but in my opinion is the better of the two
03:30courses
03:30as it sets the bar to which I will judge all other courses and golfing experiences.
03:35That bar is now raised so incredibly high and I'm not sure it will ever be beaten.
03:40So high praise indeed from our panellists.
03:43Indeed. Well, there you go, Sunnydale.
03:44It's a great experience all round.
03:45Absolutely.
03:48So moving on to number eight, we have the championship course at Carnoustie.
03:54Yes.
03:54It shows you that the criteria we use are all-encompassing because it's not classically beautiful, is it?
04:01No.
04:02The terrain and the surrounds are not classically beautiful.
04:05The beauty is within the holes themselves.
04:08Absolutely.
04:09And I think people say it's one of the best bunker links courses there is.
04:13If you play it and manage to stay out of the bunkers, you've done a pretty good job.
04:18And it also obviously has one of the toughest finishes of any course in the UK and Ireland.
04:24We all know there have been disasters on that 18th hole over the years
04:28and it's not difficult to see why when you play there.
04:33Especially if it's into the wind and you're trying to get home into, it's a very difficult test.
04:39Fall there is something to celebrate in the bar afterwards.
04:43And I think you're quite right.
04:44It's all about the design as opposed to the terrain.
04:47The Barry Burners, of course, is a big feature and it comes into play a number of times,
04:52but particularly obviously on 17 and 18.
04:55But so it's also brutally tough.
04:56I think that's fair to say.
04:58And that won't necessarily be for everybody, but it's absolutely deserving its place in the top 10.
05:06So moving on to number seven, we have Royal Portrush.
05:11This is an absolutely beautiful course, but we have it at number seven.
05:14It's gone up at a place this year.
05:16And of course, it's soon to be hosting the Open Championship this summer.
05:19It's a brilliant Harry Colt design over fabulous rugged dunes and lynx land.
05:27It's tough.
05:28The new holes that came into play last time the Open was there have been very well received.
05:33And everyone who goes gives nothing but good feedback.
05:36It's not one that anyone ever seems to be disappointed with.
05:39People may get beaten up by a Royal Portrush,
05:42but they'll still come off smiling at how enjoyable and varied the 18 holes are.
05:47Yeah, I think we asked our panellists, didn't we, for their favourite course from the top 100
05:52to go in the supplement that accompanies this project.
05:55And Royal Portrush was the most popular choice.
05:58They've done loose links there as their favourite course.
06:01So it has a lot of support out there.
06:03Friendly for everybody.
06:04Friendly for everybody.
06:04Yeah, to a degree, but you probably won't be thinking that when you stand on the tee of Calamity Corner.
06:09Absolutely, it'd be wonderful.
06:10And it's interesting how difficult it is again to define the top 10
06:14based on the feedback from our panellists.
06:16Because if we take a quote from one of them who played Royal Portrush last year,
06:21Gronje Killen is one of our panellists who's based over in Ireland.
06:25And she said,
06:26For me, my number one course, and definitely in the top five in the golf monthly top 100.
06:31Well, of course, it isn't quite, but maybe it should be.
06:34Everyone has their own view on this, and there's no absolutes on it.
06:37So that's very interesting that some people have it so high.
06:42Well, moving on to number six, which is a course that I have played, is Royal Birkdale.
06:49Right, I was lucky enough to play Birkdale a couple of summers ago.
06:51I hadn't been for some time.
06:53And what I completely love about it is that although you don't really get to see too much of the
06:58sea from it,
06:59you do go through some lovely dunes, and every hole is remarkably different.
07:04It's also one of the friendliest clubs in the top 100, let alone the top 10.
07:08You get an incredibly warm welcome from such an old traditional club, which is a lovely thing to happen.
07:12I found that as well.
07:14Yes, absolutely.
07:15And they are also moving with the times.
07:17So we've got a new par 3 that's just very recently come into play there, what is now their 15th.
07:23There are other changes happening at the 5th and the 7th.
07:25So there's a lot going on there.
07:27Royal Birkdale is rightly at the very top of the list.
07:30And it's been, I believe, our leading English course throughout the rankings.
07:35And I guess for average golfers, you do get this double par 5 finish.
07:40So even if you've thrown a few shots away, there is this final chance, especially if they're downwind,
07:46to perhaps nick a couple back at the end, which is quite rare.
07:49Yeah. And we've touched on the warm welcome you get there.
07:52And I think that in evidence of that, a comment from one of our panellists, Richard Healy,
07:58he says that the course, the welcome, the facilities and the experience were all top draw.
08:04What a privilege and a joy.
08:06And the interesting thing there about how warmly he was welcomed is that he was there as a secret shopper,
08:12which a lot of our panellists now do.
08:14So he paid his own way, and yet he still felt, it's not cheap, he still felt an incredibly warm
08:19welcome when he went there.
08:23Now, we're now moving on to the top five of our top 100 rankings in association with Peter Millar.
08:31So at number five, we have Royal Doorknock.
08:34We do. The championship course there, which I did play last year, so I have played that fairly recently.
08:40I got a chance to see the work that had been done on the seventh and eighth holes,
08:45which you play six holes and then you climb up through the gorse.
08:49I don't know how much that gorse is still there. Quite a lot, I think.
08:52And the seventh hole used to be a dog leg around to the left, but it now plays straight on
08:57to an infinity green.
08:58I think Mackenzie, Tom Mackenzie, did the work up there.
09:01And that was a joy to play that, and then I think you now play the eighth from a slightly
09:06different teeing position as well.
09:08So I have seen it recently, and Doorknock, of course, is just, I'd say, of course, it is investing a
09:13huge amount in a new clubhouse.
09:15I think it was something like 14 million pounds.
09:19Wow.
09:19So I think a lot of people think Doorknock and maybe one or two others in Scotland going to play
09:25there is almost like a pilgrimage, a sort of rite of passage.
09:28I think the green fee was £10 the first time I played there.
09:31It isn't now.
09:32It's not now.
09:33But it's still a glorious place to go and one that attracts pilgrim, golfing pilgrims from all over the world.
09:39Yeah.
09:39And if we look at one of our comments from one of our panellists, Jason Eaton, who's one of our
09:45new panellists, he says,
09:46if you love links, love sea views, and love tough golf courses, then this is the course for you.
09:52Yeah.
09:52I think that sums it up entirely.
09:56So moving on to number four, Rob, I believe this is a course that you played fairly recently, and that
10:03is Muirfield.
10:04Yeah, I was lucky enough to go up two or three years ago and play all of the courses in
10:07East Lee Oates in a ridiculously tight, short space of time.
10:11And Muirfield, of course, is just a sublime design.
10:16It's classic old-fashioned golf.
10:19The bunkering is just pristine.
10:21Everything is exactly where an expert would put it, and I'm fine.
10:25I hope it's an expert.
10:26But you just look at every hole and think, how would you ever change it, or why would you ever
10:31change it to make it any better?
10:33So it's a really great test of golf from start to finish.
10:36Again, the difficulty will sometimes be tested by the wind, and these Lothian coasts can be quite windy at times.
10:44Always in tip-top condition.
10:46The clubhouse has tons of charm as well, and one of the best lunches in golf.
10:51I loved it.
10:52Having not been there for many years, I loved going back and enjoyed every minute of being there.
10:56Yeah, I think they say, or have said in the past, Muirfield, you see it all in front of you,
11:01don't you?
11:01It's largely true.
11:02I think there's one hole where you play up and over a crest, which kind of confounds that just a
11:07touch.
11:07But generally, you can see what the task is ahead of you, and it's just a question of whether your
11:12game is up to meeting the challenge.
11:16For Muirfield, one of our panellists, Andrew Oliver, who's a member of St. Anne's Old Links, went there for the
11:21first time last year,
11:22and he was absolutely blown away by it.
11:25He said, really, will you find a course which is so unrelenting in its strategic options?
11:30It's unobvious difficulty, but all-round fairness.
11:34Never have I left a course wishing so much that I could turn the clock back and start again.
11:39So that's Muirfield for you.
11:40Absolutely wonderful.
11:45At number three, we have the Trump Turnberry Resort, the Ailsa course.
11:50Yes. Well, this is one I played quite a long time ago for the first time, before the changes that
11:57Martin Ebert did in 2017.
12:00And I thought it was fantastic then, loved it then.
12:02And when the changes came in, I was fortunate to play it.
12:05You are right up close to the shore on a number of holes.
12:10And with work that's been going on of late, not in time for these rankings, but for the next ones,
12:15there's a couple more holes that are going to be taken closer to the edge to really optimise the visual
12:21drama.
12:21So, you know, Turnberry famously is far from cheap.
12:25Yep.
12:27But it is a fantastic place to play.
12:29It is stunning.
12:30It is.
12:30I'd love to go back.
12:31I haven't played it since they've made the changes.
12:34The seventh green will be right by the clifftop now, and the eighth tee will be moved accordingly.
12:39There's some new mounding going in and some other tweaks on the back nine.
12:43So, again, it's lovely to see a course that, no matter it being as wonderful as it is,
12:47it's still wanting to get better.
12:48So, I mean, that shows the commitment.
12:51And so, with Turnberry, one of our panellists, James Holland, who's a member at Albra and a very good golfer,
12:57he said, because it had been his first visit up there for a little while,
13:01he said, it is so much better than what I played before the changes, and it was good then.
13:05It used to be brilliant, and it's now even better.
13:11So, now, number two, we have the old course at St Andrews.
13:15The old course at St Andrews is probably the most iconic course in the world.
13:21Most famous in the world, probably.
13:22It is.
13:23So, people will travel from all over the world to play the old course,
13:26and it's a strange one, too, because if you just look at the design of the course itself,
13:31which very much is a product of nature rather than a brilliant modern architect, if you like,
13:39old Tom Morris is just a natural plot of land that is seeping with history.
13:44Of course, it's a test of goals, but it's more than that, because it puts chills on your back.
13:51Absolutely.
13:52It's a spine tingler.
13:54It's just a must-play, probably the most bucket list course we have in the UK and Ireland.
14:01The ultimate experience, even if, when you break it down, the golf course is probably not the very finest golf
14:08course,
14:08but when you factor everything else in, it's just got everything you'd want, hasn't it?
14:13It absolutely has.
14:14And also, it is the only golf course in our top 100 that only has two par threes and two
14:20par fives.
14:21Indeed.
14:21So, you know, the majority of the holes are par fours of varying lengths,
14:26and there are some that have chances to score, like 12, is it, and the 9 and 10 around the
14:32turn.
14:32Yeah.
14:33And then there are some that are definitely not chances to score, like 17.
14:36Yeah.
14:37One of our panellists made his first trip there last year,
14:41another very good low single-figure handicapper called Caffel Devlin,
14:45and he said it is a must-play for golfers worldwide, it has all the history, but also still has
14:51all the quality.
14:52So that combination of the two, as we've said, it's really the most atmospheric course we have in the top
14:57100.
15:00So, number one, we have Royal County Down.
15:04We do, the championship course there, which, as a setting, it's hard to beat.
15:09There isn't really anywhere in our top 100 where you have the sea and mountains as the backdrop at various
15:16points
15:17in Newcastle and County Down, and you head out along the coast for three holes, is it,
15:23and then turn back on the extremely frequently photographed par three, fourth,
15:29and you're looking back towards the town and some of those iconic buildings on the skyline,
15:34and it's just, it's a magical place to play golf, isn't it?
15:37It is. I think it's the place that has the best combination of terrain itself,
15:42and then, of course, the setting, the mountains of Mourne going around are spectacular.
15:47The views out over the bay are wonderful.
15:50It's, again, going back to the idea of a non-golfer would go there and think,
15:55wow, this is just a fantastic place to go for a walk.
15:58If you take your clubs with you, so much better.
16:00Yeah, and it's beautifully bunkered as well, isn't it?
16:03Those natural bunkers, which really enhance the visuals at all points of the course.
16:09Yeah.
16:10And, you know, there are some cracking holes there.
16:13The ninth, where you kind of drive over this fairway, drops down sort of 60 feet, doesn't it?
16:19Yeah.
16:20So you've got that element of blindness in places, which, you know, not everyone is a fan of,
16:24but I think you've got to factor in that this course was designed 100 and whatever it is years ago,
16:30and that was how things were done back in those days, and some courses have retained some of that.
16:36Some courses have got rid of most of that, but I think if you take blindness out of golf,
16:42you're losing something from the overall package of what golf offers.
16:46And so, according to one of our panellists, Gavin Cairns, this is a Harry Colt design set within a truly
16:52distinguished championship setting.
16:54A course of truly worldwide renown with storied pedigree set at the foot of the Montmoren Mountain Range.
17:01A truly exceptional golfing experience awaits on this length, and it does.
17:05It's number one for a reason, and I think we'd all recommend for anybody to go there if they ever
17:11get the chance.
17:12Indeed.
17:13Thanks for watching this video.
17:15If you've played any of these courses, we'd love to hear from you.
17:19It's bye for now from Royal Porthcourt Golf Club.
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