The Top 100 List

Wentworth Golf Club’s West Course sits in a rare spot in UK golf culture: it is both a real, playable members’ experience and a global stage that most golfers recognise from the BMW PGA Championship and decades of TV coverage. That familiarity creates a different kind of anticipation, because you are not just turning up to another top 100 course in the UK and Ireland, you are stepping into a place you have watched for years. For many golfers, the hard part is access, with invites and corporate days often being the only routes in, which makes the journey feel even more “once in a lifetime” before a ball is struck.

The first impression matters, and Wentworth delivers it in layers: the famous drive, the iconic clubhouse silhouette, and then that first tee that feels like the most televised patch of turf in British golf. With tournament infrastructure going up, grandstands and DP World Tour signage add to the theatre, even if the stands are empty. The clubhouse experience is a huge part of the review, not as fluff, but as part of the overall golf travel and golf experience story: service that feels effortless, a relaxed atmosphere without snootiness, and small details like an iced towel after the round that make you feel looked after. For anyone planning a special golf day in Surrey, that matters.

On the course, conditions are a headline. In a summer where many courses can look brown and stressed, Wentworth can sit inside its own microclimate, keeping fairways lush and soft while the rough stays punishing. That contrast shapes strategy immediately. Off the tee, it rewards getting the ball in the right spot rather than simply surviving. The rough looks innocent but grabs the club, and trees often force a proper punch-out, so the best advice is simple: if the driver is not behaving, take a hybrid, find the fairway, and give yourself a chance. The course can look flatter on TV, but the undulation surprises you, especially on par threes and across the early stretch.

The West Course’s calling card is the putting surfaces. Sub-air greens, designed to regulate moisture and firmness, create a level of consistency most amateurs rarely feel in the UK. The roll is true, pitch marks stop quickly, and the surface can be so pristine you notice minor impressions underfoot. It becomes a talking point for golf architecture debates too: some critics mark Wentworth down because it does not fit neatly into a single identity like heathland or parkland, with lakes, shaping and a “championship” feel that sits between styles. But judged as an 18-hole set, it can be brilliant from start to finish, with iconic holes like 18 offering a genuine risk-reward finish that begs the question: should rankings reward purity of type, or the quality of the day you actually have?

Walton Heath Golf Club sits at the heart of the Surrey sandbelt, and it feels every bit the heavyweight when you arrive: two heathland golf courses woven together on the same land, major pedigree, and a history that includes Ryder Cup composite routing and recent elite women’s events. Our Walton Heath Golf Club review comes from a two-day pairs event that quickly turned into a story about how conditions, pressure, and course design shape your day. With the Old Course ranked inside the UK top 100 courses and the New Course also highly rated, the obvious question becomes simple: which is the better test, and which is the better time?

We played during a genuine British heatwave, and the course was, in a word, baked. The fairways ran forever, the turf looked scorched, and the usual visual cues between fairway and rough blurred into one brown canvas. That changes decision-making off the tee and into the greens, because extra run can be a gift or a trap depending on the landing zone. Pace of play also became part of the experience, with long waits and a marathon round that made hydration and energy management feel as important as club selection. Even so, the greens held up well, proving how much conditioning matters when the weather turns extreme.

Design-wise, Walton Heath is defined by two hazards that keep coming back: heather and bunkers. The heather here is not a gentle penalty; it is a genuine shot-stopper that can mean a lost ball or multiple hacks just to escape. That brutality is part of why the Old Course plays as a sterner test, even when holes look “straight” on a planner. Meanwhile, the bunkering is strategic rather than decorative: fairway bunkers sit right where you want to land, and green-side bunkers demand commitment to carries, especially when the ground is rock hard and approaches bounce on. It is classic heathland golf that rewards patience, conservative targets, and a plan for misses.

Comparing the Old Course and New Course, we found the Old to be tougher and the New to be more playable, with more short par fours that invite you to have a go. The Old Course builds into a superb closing stretch, while the New Course offers more obvious scoring chances but still punishes lazy lines with heather and cleverly placed sand. Add in signature hole challenges, match play swings, and the reality that the same venue can feel completely different in lush spring conditions versus a parched summer, and the biggest takeaway is this: Walton Heath is a thinking golfer’s venue, best enjoyed when you embrace strategy, accept the odd bad break, and come ready for a proper test of ball-striking and nerve.

Swinley Forest Golf Club sits near Ascot in Berkshire, yet it feels like it lives in its own little pocket of time. Our Swinley Forest Golf Club review is less about a checklist and more about the experience, because this is one of the most talked about heathland golf courses in England for a reason. It is ranked inside the Top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland and appears on world lists too, but the first surprise is how unshowy it all feels. The clubhouse is grand without being intimidating, the welcome is genuine, and the pace is calm. If you are planning UK golf travel or a bucket list golf break, Swinley rewards giving yourself time rather than rushing to a tee time.

Part of the mystique is access and etiquette. Swinley Forest is famously not set up like a high volume visitor venue, and even the practical details reinforce that. We were hosted as a member’s guests, and it shapes everything from how you check in to how hospitality is handled. The tiny pro shop is brilliantly stocked, the breakfast is the kind you remember, and the view over the practice area, the first tee and the 18th green sets the tone perfectly. Then you hear one line that sums the club up: preferred lies all year round, because a gentleman should never have to play off a bad lie. It sounds indulgent, but it is really a statement of intent: enjoy the golf, enjoy the day, then step back into the real world.

On the course, Swinley is classic heathland golf: heather, pines, sandy soil, and colours that pop in summer. The elevation changes are more engaging than you might expect, with dips and rises that keep every walk interesting. Strategy is present without feeling punitive, particularly through bunkering that looks beautiful while still demanding respect. Picking “best holes” is oddly hard because the flow is the point; each hole feels like it belongs exactly where it is. That said, the par threes stand out as a set, each one presenting a clear, intimidating question from the tee. The signature hole conversation inevitably lands on a par three, where carries over heather, firm greens and sharp drop offs make commitment mandatory.

Great golf days often end with great food, and Swinley’s post round rhythm is part of its appeal. The terrace is made for a slow decompression, and the service matches the course: polished, friendly and unforced. We also talk candidly about modern life intruding in surprising ways, like distant road noise in an otherwise magical setting, and how that contrast can be jarring on a course of this quality. Ultimately, the biggest takeaway for anyone chasing top ranked golf courses in the UK is that rankings are not only about design pedigree. They are about how a place makes you feel. For us, Swinley Forest does something rare: it delivers excellence with ease, and that is why it becomes the new number one.

Chasing the Top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland forces you to notice the small differences that separate a good day from a truly memorable one, and our Liphook Golf Club review is all about that contrast. We head into the Surrey Hampshire sand belt expecting classic summer heathland golf conditions, only to get a proper soaking. Even so, the course still delivers that unmistakable heathland feel: sandy turf, heather waiting to punish the wild miss, and shaping that makes you think from the tee. If you are building a list of UK heathland golf courses to play, Liphook deserves attention because it gives you the atmosphere of the famous neighbours without the same level of noise or intimidation.

The weather becomes part of the strategy. In heavy rain you focus on grip, gloves, umbrellas and pace of play, and it is easy to miss how well the holes sit in the land. Yet Liphook’s presentation cuts through the gloom, especially with moisture making the greens and fairways look intensely vivid. The conditioning is elite and, crucially, the greens are on another level. We played close to club championship preparation and the speed, smoothness and firmness are the best we have experienced on our Top 100 journey. Fast greens with serious undulation reward good putting, but they also expose guesswork. You can feel a putt that “must be straight” turn into a big breaker, and suddenly you understand why members keep talking about being made to look silly.

A standout part of the day is hearing a member’s view of how the course has evolved. Liphook has had a redesign and re-routing in recent years, turning weaker stretches into holes that demand proper decisions rather than autopilot golf. The best holes are not just pretty, they are instructive: a par five where a drive that looks perfect can kick into heather, a par three framed so cleanly it feels simple until wind and bunkering bite, and a long par four that can become a scorecard wrecker when you are forced to lay up and then face a fiercely protected green. This is modern golf course design done with restraint, keeping the heathland character while sharpening the choices, and it makes repeat play more rewarding.

Value matters too, especially for visitors building a golf trip around Surrey sand belt courses. Liphook’s twilight green fee in summer, around £135, is exceptional for a UK top 100 calibre visitor experience, and it is the sort of rate that encourages you to return and learn the greens properly. We also explore a growing trend in golf marketing and planning: “digital twins” for golf courses, interactive 3D models with 360 photos that let you virtually walk holes before you travel. For golf tourists, societies and anyone who likes course management, a 3D golf course tour can turn a blind round into a smarter one, helping you choose lines, understand hazards and get more from your day, whatever the weather.

Formby Golf Club sits on England’s famous Golf Coast, but it doesn’t fit the simple label of “classic links”. Our Formby Golf Club review kept coming back to the same idea: it’s a rare hybrid of links golf and a more enclosed, wooded feel, with turf, bunkers and undulation that still demand proper seaside shot making. The experience starts before the first tee, with a grand entrance, a huge putting green and a striking 18th green right by the clubhouse. If you’re researching top UK golf courses, golf trips in North West England, or the best courses near Liverpool and Southport, Formby stands out as a premium day that still feels relaxed.

Course conditions were the headline. For a green fee in the £300 range, expectations are high, and Formby meets them with immaculate presentation: sharp edges, pristine fairways, and some of the best greens we’ve putted on so far. The bunkering is a masterclass in strategic design, sitting exactly where you want to land the ball, offering risk and reward rather than pure punishment. Even small details, like perfectly kept pathways and gates, reinforce that “classy” standard. When a club looks this tidy, you feel invited to play boldly, but you also know every small miss will be noticed, especially once the wind gets involved.

The routing is a big part of why the course lingers in the memory. The opening holes settle you in, then the course kicks up a gear from the third, where a sweeping dogleg and intimidating bunkers create one of the most exciting tee shots on the Golf Coast. From there, Formby delivers a run of strong holes that keeps you engaged through smart angles, clever framing trees and a constant sense of movement in the land. The par fives shine, including a short but demanding hole where a tight drive sets up a tempting second into a raised, dune framed green. The par threes are playable rather than showy, with bailouts that feel fair, but run-offs that punish poor judgement.

Beyond the scorecard, Formby’s clubhouse and hospitality complete the story. From historic quirks like the famous hippo head to the modern comfort of the facilities, it feels like a place built for members and visitors alike. We even proved how easy it is to get swept up in that welcome by accidentally leaving without paying our food bill, then ringing back in embarrassment. Add in the scenic approach through the local mansions, the strong variety of the challenge, and the sense that you’re in nature rather than a flat, featureless landscape, and you’ve got a bucket list UK golf course. If you’re planning a Golf Coast itinerary alongside names like Hillside, Royal Birkdale and Lytham, Formby deserves a serious slot.

Castletown Golf Links on the Isle of Man is the sort of top 100 golf course that reminds you why links golf feels like an adventure, not just a tee time. When your day begins with a ferry from mainland UK, the travel stops being a hassle and turns into part of the story. That is a recurring theme for golfers chasing the UK and Ireland Top 100 courses: the best rounds often come with a journey, a bit of uncertainty, and a feeling you have earned the first tee shot. Add in the Manx TT weekend energy, a last-minute obsession with weather apps, and the anticipation of playing a true coastal course, and you arrive already buzzing.

Getting the weather right matters on an exposed links, and Castletown sits in a position that can change mood fast. We talk through a simple but surprisingly effective “triangulation” approach by checking nearby forecasts and reading what the Irish Sea is likely to do. The reward is proper links conditions: sunshine, a stiff breeze, and just enough wind to force creativity without making the round feel like survival. For anyone planning a golf trip to the Isle of Man, that balance is key. Pack for changeable coastal weather, respect the wind, and leave room in the schedule to enjoy the setting, because the views are constant and genuinely arresting.

A big part of the day is the welcome, and playing with the general manager Andy turns the round into a guided tour without it ever feeling like a sales pitch. Small touches like a stroke saver, a bag tag, a ball, and a distinctive divot tool create that “we’re glad you’re here” feeling that destination golf lives or dies on. At the same time, we are honest about expectations: the clubhouse and changing facilities are basic compared with some top 100 venues, and the polish is not the headline. The on-site cafe has a great atmosphere and strong food, but this is a place where the golf course and landscape do the heavy lifting.

What makes Castletown Golf Links special is the rugged, handsome coastline and the sense the land is falling into the sea. You are surrounded by ocean for much of the routing, with cliff tops on one side and beach on another, plus the striking contrast of modern elements like the nearby runway. We also touch on the course’s architectural roots, including Old Tom Morris and later work by notable designers, and how surprisingly little of that history is showcased on site. Value is another standout: a peak-season day pass around £180 feels compelling for a course with this level of drama. Conditioning is the one area we think could elevate it further, but the rough-edged character also suits the environment and adds to the authenticity of links golf.

From a pure golf perspective, the highlight holes are memorable for both design and emotion. The road hole style fifth is a sweeping curve beside the sea that invites a bold line and punishes hesitation, the short par-four fourth demands precision with danger left, and the seventeenth is a heart-in-mouth tee shot over a ravine with waves below. We also talk about playing from the black tees, not just for distance but for angles and visuals, and why asking the pro shop for “must-try” championship tees can make a once-only visit feel complete. Add in a quirky lack of par threes, a running side bet, and a signature hole challenge that turns nerves into chaos, and you get a round that is as fun as it is spectacular. If you are a top 100 hunter, Castletown is an outlier worth the effort, because the setting, the journey, and the golf combine into something you will talk about long after the ferry ride home.

Wallasey Golf Club has quietly turned itself into one of the most talked-about links golf venues in England, and our Wallasey Golf Club review explains why it has re-entered the UK Top 100 golf courses list at 99 and looks ready to climb. The course delivers a rare blend: a true English links experience with an Irish style links feel, thanks to big dunes, dramatic land movement, and holes that run beside and over a dune ridge. Add in firm, fast turf and a steady coastal wind, and you get the kind of golf that rewards imagination, flight control, and smart misses rather than brute force. For golfers planning a UK and Ireland golf trip, it’s a serious alternative when tee times across Ireland feel oversubscribed.

One of the biggest surprises is how complete the experience feels from the moment you arrive. The Merseyside welcome is real: friendly staff, members who set the tone, and a clubhouse that feels like a proper members’ club without a hint of snootiness. Inside, Wallasey’s history is everywhere, including a huge portrait of Dr Frank Stableford, the man behind Stableford scoring, plus the famed Bobby Jones portrait signed by Jones himself. That heritage matters, but it never overshadows comfort: a traditional building with a modern, relaxed feel where you can sit, refuel, and soak up the view over the 18th. If you care about golf travel details, the “first tee journey” and clubhouse atmosphere are part of the value.

The heart of the story comes from our chat with course manager John McLaughlin, whose role blends greenkeeping leadership, agronomy, ecology, architecture, machinery investment, and people management. He describes a “perfect storm” of post-COVID golf growth, Liverpool’s international tourism pull, and a club willing to invest in staffing and infrastructure. The practical outcomes are clear: expanded green complexes, more short-grass run-offs, less penal rough, and a deliberate push towards playability for the average golfer while keeping scratch golfers honest. He also highlights the craft behind what many golfers photograph most now: immaculate grass transitions and flow between greens and tees, maintained with obsessive attention to detail.

On the course, that strategy creates momentum and joy. We pick favourite holes, talk through what makes short par fours so compelling, and why the par threes feel challenging without feeling cruel. The wind forces creativity, from keeping long irons down to choosing safer targets, and it turns scoring into a mental game as much as a technical one. We also share our Stableford match play side bet, how the “signature hole” shifted to the famous 12th, and why Wallasey feels like it offers top-tier conditioning for a green fee that still compares well against modern premium links prices. If you’re building a UK top 100 golf itinerary, Wallasey belongs on the shortlist now, not later.

Burnham and Berrow Golf Club sits firmly in the conversation around UK top 100 golf courses, but our golf course review comes with a rare caveat: we played it in proper links golf misery. We arrive as a 20-person golf society for a Ryder Cup weekend and immediately feel the place’s old-school warmth, from the compact clubhouse to the practice setup where putting green, chipping area and range sit right by the pro shop. That tight footprint makes organising a big group easier and adds a buzz, especially when you can look out and see the first tee and the 18th green from the terrace. Even before a ball is struck, it feels like a “proper” traditional club rather than a glossy resort.

Then the weather forecast proves painfully accurate. The rain starts as drizzle and becomes relentless, with wind and cold layered on top, which changes not just scoring but perception. It is hard to lift your head and take in architecture when you are focused on staying dry, keeping grips usable and simply finding your ball. That raises a bigger point about golf course rankings and ratings: how can any reviewer fairly judge a layout when conditions remove visibility, comfort and even the ability to think clearly? We end up admitting that the back nine dominates our memory, not because the front nine is weak, but because the worst rain smothered those early holes.

Despite that, the core of Burnham and Berrow shows through. The course is a stern test with constant uneven stances, variable lies and the classic humps, hollows and mounds that force shot-making rather than stock swings. The greens are full of slope and subtlety, so even a “safe” approach can leave a testing putt. Condition-wise, we note it is early season, and while it is clearly well kept, it does not quite match the absolute peak surfaces we have seen elsewhere. Still, as a links golf challenge it holds its own, which explains why it hosts serious amateur events and Open qualifying style golf.

The par threes become the headline, with the ninth and the fourteenth standing out as holes that demand commitment and a clear plan. One unexpected takeaway is the value of a pin position sheet, especially on long greens where club selection can swing by two clubs once you know exactly where the flag sits. We also trade favourite holes, from a brutally strong opener, to a blind short par four that tempts indecision, to back-nine tee shots framed by rolling dunes with no obvious landing area. Add in match play pressure, a cameo from Wales number one Toby Hunt, and our own Ryder Cup side bets, and you get a review shaped by competition as much as by design.

In the end, Burnham and Berrow does not land in either of our top fives, and we question whether its published ranking number truly reflects our day. But the most telling verdict is simple: we want to go back. Wanting a second look, in better weather, says more than any scorecard. If you love authentic English links golf, strategic par threes, natural undulation and a club that feels rooted in its community, Burnham and Berrow Golf Club belongs on your list, ideally when the top 100 gods decide to smile on you.

Every great golf story has a journey behind it, and ours is a decade-long mission to play the Top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland. Episode 67 of the Top 110 Golf Podcast lands at Delamere Forest Golf Club, the closest Top 100 track to us geographically and a course that surprises from the moment you arrive. We also look ahead to a huge Irish golf trip featuring headline names like Portmarnock and County Louth at Baltray, because planning is half the fun and the after-golf matters almost as much as the golf itself. If you love UK golf course reviews, heathland golf, and honest rankings debates, Delamere turns out to be a perfect case study.

The round itself becomes the “Duel At Delamere”, a scratch-style match play battle that quickly gets spicy as Chris and Hookie push each other into a rare scoring zone. The big takeaway is mindset: when the goal shifts from “a nice day out” to “I want birdie here”, focus sharpens, putting tightens, and suddenly every hole feels like a problem worth solving. We talk about how great competitive golf does not need money on the line, just a proper opponent and a course that rewards commitment. The greens feel true and makeable once the pace clicks, and the par threes stand out as some of the hardest we have faced, long enough to demand a real strike and punishing enough that a safe miss still leaves work.

Delamere Forest Golf Club also delivers a vibe we have not had at the big resort venues: it is a members’ club, quiet in the car park, relaxed on the first tee, and genuinely welcoming. The no tee sheet culture is a novelty, with simple windows for two-balls, three-balls, and four-balls, plus the kind of place where members bring the dog and wander out for nine. We meet head professional Martin Brown and discover, by pure chance, that he is a Top 100 panelist. That leads into one of our favourite conversations about golf course rankings, why huge jumps are rare, and how “options” around the greens can separate elite layouts from very good ones, especially when comparing links golf with inland courses.

On the course, Delamere feels like a Surrey heathland design dropped into Cheshire, built into rolling land with constant movement but no exhausting climbs. The round builds in quality, stacking strong holes into a crescendo rather than front-loading the fireworks. We pick out standout holes including the eighth, the wild ninth with its tiny landing area, the signature 14th with a brilliant reveal and second-shot vista, and a glorious 18th that deserves more attention among great finishing holes. Add in good practice facilities, a clubhouse terrace with views over multiple holes, and a summer weekend rate around £165, and Delamere becomes one of the best-value Top 100 golf experiences in the North of England. Whether you are new to playing Top 100 courses or chasing your own rankings list, this is a must-play test of strategy, nerve, and touch.

Hillside Golf Club sits on England’s North West coast in the heart of Merseyside golf, surrounded by famous neighbours and big expectations. Our Hillside Golf Club review starts with a theme we keep coming back to on the Top 110 journey: the full day matters as much as the scorecard. After a brutally wet winter, we somehow land 18 degrees and full sun, and Hillside is in startling condition for March. Fairways are firm, greens are quick, and the place feels like a proper links test without the rough turning the day into a ball-losing slog. For anyone searching top 100 golf courses UK or planning a links golf England trip, this is the sort of shoulder-season surprise that makes winter rates feel like a steal.

The first thing Hillside sells is not marketing, it is hospitality. The “Hillside welcome” is real: friendly, informative, and relaxed, from the pro shop to the bar to members on the course who actively want visitors to have the best experience. The clubhouse strikes a rare balance between modern comfort and old-school golf club character, and the terrace overlooking the first tee adds theatre and pressure in equal measure. Practice areas are close and convenient, even if the legendary pyramid of range balls remains elusive. That members-club atmosphere is a big SEO-worthy takeaway for anyone comparing visitor experiences across Southport golf, Royal Birkdale, and nearby staples.

On the course, Hillside’s ranking around the low 50s in UK and Ireland feels fair, and the debate about it being a “back nine course” is more complicated than the cliché. The front nine is stronger than you are led to believe, and the middle stretch has a rhythm that keeps changing gears without losing flow. Terrain variety is a major reason Hillside stands out: flatter openings by the railway, sections framed by trees, then dune-like shapes that feel natural rather than manufactured. The par threes are a highlight for scoring golfers and architecture nerds alike: strong settings, clear targets, sensible length, and just enough danger. One tee shot on the 7th sums it up, a horrible low runner that catches a path and somehow chases towards the green, proving links golf rewards the strangest bounces.

The signature-hole talk naturally lands on the 11th, a par five with an elevated tee and proper drama built in. It is also where our on-course challenge falls apart early, with gorse, water worries, and damage limitation. That mix of excitement and playability is a recurring Hillside trait: bail-out areas exist, green surrounds are not absurdly punishing, and the course stays fun even when you are off your game. The greens deserve their own mention: fast, true, and subtly difficult to read, turning “straight” short putts into puzzles. If you are planning a golf break in England, looking for top 100 courses near Southport, or weighing up shoulder-season green fees, Hillside offers a complete day: welcome, variety, great food, and an 18-hole experience that lingers.