Top 10 most breathtaking golf courses: UK & Ireland
All Square 3min read •
24 Jul 2023
Did we leave any of your favourites out? Here’s our countdown of the Top 10 most breathtaking golf courses in the UK & Ireland.
10: Staley Hall (Hunting), England
Sometimes called the ‘Augusta of the North’ thanks to its blooming rhododendrons, undulating greens and towering Pines, this manicured and beautiful parkland course in the north of England features rolling moorland, forests, streams and lakes.
9: Trump Turnberry (Ailsa), Scotland
The scene of the famous 1977 Open, better known as the ‘Duel in the Sun’ when Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson battled it out in a head-to-head tussle. Renovated in 2017, the changes to the 9th hole have created one of the most exhilarating holes in all of golf. Played across the bay to the famed Turnberry Lighthouse, the hole is as beautiful as it is dramatic.
8: Ilfracombe Golf Club, England
Set in an official ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ on the rugged coastline of North Devon, overlooking the Bristol Channel to South Wales and Lundy Island, Ilfracombe is blessed with remarkable scenery, awesome views from every tee and superb course maintenance.
7: Druid’s Glen, Ireland
Just south of Dublin in the magnificent Wicklow Hills, this rolling, incredibly beautiful course has an American feel and is trimmed to perfection. Water plays a big part and some of the holes, like the downhill par-3 12th, are some of the most visually stunning you can ever play.
6: Adare Manor, Ireland
Set among 840 acres of pristine parkland, with cedar and oakwood trees and the natural water hazard of the River Maigue, this has been called the most beautiful parkland course outside of Augusta National. Host of the 2026 Ryder Cup, each hole could be crowned the feature hole.
5: Nefyn & District Golf Club, Wales
This cliff-top course is famous for its iconic ‘Point,’ a tiny promontory that juts out from the Lleyn Peninsula into the Irish Sea. Nefyn & District is a truly awesome location to play golf, rivalling Old Head Golf Links in Ireland. The fairways hug the coastline and the greens are perched close to the rugged shoreline.
4: Gleneagles (Kings), Scotland
Of all the courses at this world famous resort, the Kings course is probably the most breathtaking. It’s carved through pines and silver birch trees which provide natural ampitheatres on several holes, and it rises and falls over moorland in the romantic and mountainous Perthshire counryside.
3: St. Andrews, Scotland
Little introduction is needed for the Home of Golf. Tiger Woods’ favourite golf course is steeped in history. Few places in golf can make you stop and draw breath as much as standing on the par-4 reachable 18th tee, as the setting sun casts long shadows across the undulations of the final fairway, the Swilken Bridge and the Valley of Sin, towards the green and clubhouse.
2: Old Head Golf Links, Ireland
Opened in 1997, Old Head is laid out 100 metres up on a narrow headland, two miles out in to the Atlantic Ocean. Waves crash and seagulls fly beneath you with hole 12 especially dramatic, while the 17th ‘Lighthouse’ hole and 18th are two of the most memorable closing holes at any course in the world.
1: Royal County Down, Northern Ireland
The Championship Course here is laid out next to the Mountains of Mourne, and with rolling sand dune-lined fairways adorned with blooming gorse and heather, it’s almost unmatched in links beauty. A standout among the many unforgettable holes is the 9th, which starts with a drive, framed by hills and a church steeple. It’s one of the most photographed holes in world golf. Breathtaking.
