The Golf Pilgrim Top 100

Deer me!  Golfers at Knole Park must share the course with several hundred deer, as well as visitors to the National Trust's impressive stately home and grounds, once frequented by Henry VIII. But lovers of more recent history can walk in the footsteps of The Beatles, who filmed two music videos here!  Some steep climbs provide splendid views of the Kent countryside, but a misplaced shot coul...

Strewth! What a pair of golf courses! Neil goes Down Under and finds that it's not just Australian beaches that have sand as far as the eye can see.  Perfect your bunker shots here and you'll never have a problem getting out of them anywhere. Melbourne West is regularly rated in the top 10 courses in the world, and the East course is also one of the best in Australia. https://www.royalme...

Who doesn't like a bargain?  Seacroft is the cheapest Top 100 Course in England, with a round available for less than £40 in winter, and even in summer you can get a twilight round for less than £50. And being a links course, it's still very playable in winter, with a different set of seasonal tees to provide a fresh test. https://www.seacroft-golfclub.co.uk/ www.thegolfpilgrim.com Win a...

Is there a course in the UK with more sand? Let us know...but it certainly has the longest bunker we've ever seen, running more than two hundred yards along a fairway.  We didn't count how many rakes it needed..... Chart Hills was designed by Sir Nick Faldo but after suffering from poor drainage has undergone major renovations in recent years, and has been rewarded with a place in Englan...

Back to Surrey for the third of the famous three Ws. In recent years it has replaced thousands of trees with an abundance of heather. And we delve into West Hill's fascinating history, which has a touch of the macabre. www.westhillgc.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/west-hill Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

The writer who created Sherlock Holmes played a major role in the creation of this heathland gem.  Arthur Conan Doyle was a founder member and the club's first President, and lived nearby.  As did legendary golf commentator Peter Alliss, who was also a big fan of Hindhead, which boasts some spectacular holes you will never forget. www.hindheadgolfclub.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/hindhea...

A celebratory episode, as Wentworth West, the home of the BMW PGA Championship, is the hundredth of the Top 100 Courses in England that Neil has managed to play.  So we have cameo appearances from BBC cricket oommentator Jonathan Agnew (who's seen hundreds of centuries in his career, but none that have taken four years to complete.) Plus former Ryder Cup player Rafa Cabrero Bello on why Neil...

France's only links course, originally designed by Harry Colt, plays host to a Ryder Cup-style match between French and British journalists.  Would Neil and Ian write themselves into Wryter Cup history?  Sadly, if we said yes, it would be fake news.... www.golfdegranville.com www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/granville-links Win a round of golf with Neil and Ian at Top 100 Course Silloth-on-Solway!...

Ryder Cup Special! It may be 12 months away but we are all looking forward to Europe defending the trophy on American soil.  Our special guest is Sky Sports golf reporter Jamie Weir, who managed to stir up the crowd at the last Ryder Cup in Italy with his Capgate story about Patrick Cantlay.  Jamie visited Bethpage Black a couple of days before Neil played the course which is regarded as one of th...

How do you get to play exclusive courses which are normally reserved for members and their guests?  One solution is to pay to play in a charity golf day.  Every year, Somerst Hills, a quirky but highly regarded Tillinghast creation, opens its doors to raise funds for a worthwhile cause.  www.somersetcc.org www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/somerset-hills Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinio...

If Colin Montgomerie has nightmares, they are likely to feature the 18th at Winged Foot, where he had a great chance of finally landing an elusive major title in 2006.  Yet Americans tend to remember Phil Mickelson blowing his chance to win that US Open on the same hole.  More recently Bryson DeChambeau tamed the famous course, but there were no spectators to cheer him on because of Covid restrict...

The Golf Pilgrim heads to the USA! Baltusrol, 25 miles west of Manhattan has hosted 18 major championships, including victories by Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson. It's rated number 97 in the Top 100 Golf Courses of the world, and is the first of a quartet of AW Tillinghast courses that Neil is playing this week. baltusrol.org www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/baltusrol-lower Do you agree with our...

Some flags are Red Some flags are Blue Why play one great course When the Berkshire has two? You can tell we love these wonderful heathland courses.  And with so many Surrey gems in the vicinty, we ask why more tourists don't come to the west of London for golfing holidays, rather than head for Scotland and Ireland. www.theberkshire.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/the-berkshire-blue www.the...

What's great about Little Aston? Well, apart from a magnificent course and possibly the best putting green anywhere, they make a point of welcoming visitors with a small gift. www.littleastongolf.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/little-aston Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

If you build it, who will come? The big yellow diggers have transformed this part of Staffordshire into the JCB owner’s fields of dreams. It’s now hosting LIV events, so it’s good enough for the professionals. But is it somewhere mid-handicappers will enjoy? www.jcbgolfandcountryclub.com www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/__jcb Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Are there more dramatic opening holes in the UK and Ireland? The scenery and the giant dunes help make Portstewart's front 9 among the best links courses anywhere.  But is it a game of two halves?  Well, the club are improving holes on the back 9 to keep the thrills coming. And even in a three club wind, Ian manages a decent round. www.portstewartgc.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/portstewa...

A special episode on the fabulous Dunluce Championship Links which hosted The Open in 2019, and will again in 2025.  With a special guest appearance from actor James Nesbitt who is a Royal Portrush member and lives in the town. It's Ian's favourite course for many reasons -  and he has family connections to the club...but listen right to the end for a painful tale of heartbreak, when glo...

The course which Bernhard Langer made famous - by climbing a tree to play a shot. And he wasn't the only top player to leave his mark on this famous Yorkshire course. www.fulfordgolfclub.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/fulford Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Ashridge is a great example of how your enjoyment of a course can depend on whether it's set up for recreational golfers or top amateurs.  When we played a couple of years ago on the eve of a high-level competition, the rough was so punishing, the round became an ordeal.  But on our latest visit, Ashridge was a delight.  Did that mean it was easy?  Of course not! www.ashridgegolfclub.ltd.uk w...

Woodbridge is a hidden heathland gem within the beautiful Suffolk countryside. Its quirky holes spurred Neil on to believing he would manage a stellar round but there was a sting in its tail - and a recently discovered Second World War look-out. woodbridge.intelligentgolf.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/woodbridge Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Mrs W collects the champagne again as Neil imagines Parkstone's former pro and famous BBC commentator Peter Alliss having a right good giggle at his attempts to ascend its dramatic  false fronts. Meanwhile, Ian and Neil discuss how nature conversation has been critical to making this one of the England's most picturesque courses. www.parkstonegolfclub.com www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/park...

A gift from East Devon's Captain briefly elevates Neil's game to rarely-seen levels of golfing skill! Lots of conservation work is changing East Devon for the better and check out the green fees for visitors...some bargain prices for visitors to this very scenic course. www.eastdevongolfclub.co.uk www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/east-devon Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Remedy Oak may only be twenty years old, but ancient woodland and a 16th century monarch help to make it feel a lot more mature. And with lots of water to swallow errant shots, a member's advice is to give your Pro V1s a rest and use cheaper balls! www.remedyoak.com www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/remedy-oak Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Remember the golf course that saw the start of the LIV revolution, with black London taxis ferrying the players to each hole for a shotgun start? After two years, the LIV circus has moved on - to JCB in Staffordshire, but Centurion still hosts an Aramco event for the top female players. It's a private club, only members and their guests can play - but Neil and Ian were invited to take on a co...

We're all looking for hidden gems to play....Tandridge certainly isn't hidden, but it is a gem that you might not know much about. Surrey is blessed with so many great heathland courses, but this is a parkland track that took our breath away with some dramatic holes.  In it's centenary year, has it ever looked better? Well...that's a subject for debate ...even among its members...