A person might rightly think that an extended visit to a relatively small group of islands would allow a golfer to play all, or most, of the golf there was to be had. Perhaps that would be the case if visiting Hawaii, for example, but Great Britain and Ireland? The courses are so numerous and diverse that not only is one trip not enough, but a half dozen may not even suffice in completing the rounds.
Natives of the five countries (England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) may obviously feel differently, but for most American golfers there are essentially two islands — Great Britain and the island of Ireland. Politically speaking, Ireland is divided into the Republic whose elected officials gather in Dublin, and Northern Ireland which, like England, Scotland and Wales, is governed from London.
Are all five worth visiting, though? And how do they stack up against each other?
The answer to the first question is a resounding “Yes.” A slight uncertainty might involve Wales, about whose golf little is known in the U.S., but its offerings hold their own. Its finest links is Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, which dates back to 1891 and was granted its Royal status in 1909. Located 35 miles west of Cardiff, the capital city, the course was designed by Scottish greenkeeper Ramsay Hunter. Though not part of the Open Championship rota, Porthcawl has hosted numerous tournaments of note, including seven British Amateur Championships, three Senior Opens, several European Tour events, the 1964 Curtis Cup and the 1995s Walker Cup that featured both Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods. It will also stage next year’s AIG Women’s Open.
There are, perhaps, three other links — Pennard Golf Club, Royal St. David’s Golf Club and Aberdovey Golf Club — that compare favorably with the best in the neighboring countries.
Pennard is something of an oddity in that it traverses heaving dunes on cliffs high above the ocean. Course architect Tom Doak includes the James Braid design among his all-time favorites, and says it is one of the most spectacular courses he’s ever seen. He would also hesitate to recommend it for general consumption as it’s so quirky.
Royal St. David’s, named for the patron saint of Wales, is found in the town of Harlech whose impressive, medieval castle overlooks the links. With Tremadog Bay to the northwest and the peaks of Snowdonia National Park to the northeast, it’s not surprising noted golf writer Bernard Darwin, a regular visitor to Wales, was so taken with the place. “Small wonder if the visitor falls in love with Harlech at first sight,” he said.
Though obviously fond of Harlech, Darwin was especially enamored with Aberdovey where he was club captain in 1897 and president in 1944. Squeezed between the Cambrian Mountains and Cardigan Bay, the course has been altered by an impressive group of architects, including Herbert Fowler, Harry Colt and Braid and was, said Darwin, “the course that my soul loved best of all.”
The Welsh coastline has a handful of other terrific courses — Ashburnham Golf Club, Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club, Conwy Golf Club, Tenby, Southerndown, Borth & Ynyslas, Nefyn, Machynys Peninsula, Bull Bay, and North Wales — but it’s at that first quartet that visiting American golfers who love links golf will feel confident they have played something truly special.
The danger, of course, is that because there’s so much great links golf elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland that Wales might be at the tail end of a trip — if at all.
If it’s links you want, then Ireland versus the rest of the United Kingdom is the championship match. Northern Ireland has one Open Championship venue (Royal Portrush Golf Club) and some other fine examples, one of which is Royal County Down, which many Americans regard as the best course in the world outside the U.S. England has six Open venues and at least two dozen other world-class links that will never host the championship because of their lack of space or remote location, such as England’s Saunton, Royal North Devon, St. Enodoc, Hunstanton, Brancaster, Hillside, Formby and Silloth. The tussle for the top spot, though, is clearly between the Gaels, the choice boiling down to how big you like your dunes.
For the most part, Scotland’s links lie fairly low and don’t possess much elevation change. The Old Course at St. Andrews is the obvious example, but the dunes at Muirfield, Carnoustie Golf Links, Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Royal Troon Golf Club, Trump Turnberry (Ailsa course) and North Berwick Golf Club are fairly tame compared with those of the Republic where they often rise, heave, and swirl like massive ocean waves.
If you can’t decide between them based on the courses, other factors such as history and hospitality are in play. The people met at Scottish clubs make a visit or day better, but no one beats the Irish for hospitality. Scotland, however, wins the history contest by a few hundred years.
But why limit the debate to just links courses? Include heathland classics as well as parkland, moorland, downland and woodland venues. In that case, England probably emerges as the country with the greatest density of good golf in the world.
Whichever is the country of choice, though, the best courses of Great Britain and Ireland will keep any golfer satisfied and eager to return for more.