Great Golf Holidays - Top 10 Courses
Just for fun, here is a list of our Top 10 Courses. We haven't gone for any Open Courses because that would be too predictable.
No, this list simply represents 10 fantastic courses where we have spent many memorable hours over the years.
As you will see, the reasons for choosing these courses vary considerably, but rest assured, if you were to choose any one of these courses as part of your golfing break, you would not be disappointed!
Pennard - Known as the 'links in the sky', Pennard is a gem of a course with some of the best views around. However, Pennard makes this list mainly due to Mike Bennett, the friendliest Club Pro in Golfingdom - a real LEGEND!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Dragon Hotel, Swansea - playing Pennard, Machynys and Ashburnham.
Woodhall Spa - Regularly featured in the Worlds Top 20, The Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa is simply awesome! The bunkers are MAD and the greens PERFECT. Be sure to get some stories from the starter ref: the bunkers. Holing out from one of said bunkers on the 17th to win our match is a memory that will live with me forever. Oh, and its probably the only course in the Worlds Top 20 that is worth every single penny of its green fee!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Best Western Admiral Rodney Hotel, Horncastle - playing Woodhall Spa - Hotchkin, Woodhall Spa - Bracken and Louth.
Monte Rei - One of the latest additions to golf on The Algarve, Monte Rei is a stunner! Every hole brings a smile to your face, even after you have 4 putted the previous one. You even get a little memento as you walk off the 18th. Off the course, the service is impeccable but be warned, you might have to sacrifice a months worth of beer tokens to play this one!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Porta Nova Hotel, Tavira - playing Monte Rei, Quinta de Cima and Quinta da Ria.
Cruden Bay - Cruden Bay describes themselves as 'a unique and unforgettable experience'! I can vouch for this as I have only played it once, 10 years ago, and I can still pretty much remember every hole on a course that offers some of the wildest links I've ever played. Besides, any course with views of Slains Castle, which Bram Stoker used as inspiration for his story of Dracula, has got to be dramatic!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Ardoe House Hotel, near Aberdeen - playing Cruden Bay, Royal Aberdeen and Stonehaven.
Praia del Rey - If any course is worth driving one and a half hours (on the wrong side of the road) to get there, then Praia del Rey must be it. This represents 18 holes of pure pleasure, and the stretch 12 to 17 offers breathtaking golf. I spent a weekend there and played the course 3 times, terrific..... Or was it a dream? If you are considering a golf tour to Lisbon, don't miss this golfing oasis.
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Hotel Quinta Da Marinha, Cascais - playing Praia del Rey, Quinta da Marinha and Oitavos.
Royal Porthcawl - There are many fantastic courses in Wales and Royal Porthcawl is considered the very best of them! Unfortunately, the course is listed here for the wrong reasons, because when I played it, it beat me up so bad, I developed an instant hatred for golf! However, it is also for this reason that I consider it my nemesis..... And I am returning this summer to take it down! mmmmm, Update, it beat me up again!!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Dragon Hotel, Swansea - playing Royal Porthcawl, Pyle & Kenfig and Southerndown.
Oceanico Old Course - Probably, the most talked about course on The Algarve, and certainly the one that everyone wants to play again, and again, and again. You just can never get bored of this Vilamoura classic. A word of caution though, because of this, The Old Course does get busy and play can be slow. However, of all the courses in The Algarve, and there are some great ones, The Old is simply the best! Enjoy!
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Vila Gale Marina Hotel, Vilamoura - playing The Old Course, The Victoria Course and The Millennium Course.
Montrose - Another classic Scottish links and one of the friendliest courses in Scotland. When we played it, the sun was shining and there was no wind - golfing heaven! And, playing the back 9 in level par all added to one of the most enjoyable rounds I have ever played.
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Best Western Queens Hotel, Dundee - playing Montrose, Scotscraig and Downfield.
Penha Longa - You might have gathered by now that I like playing golf in Portugal and courses like Penha Longa ensure I keep returning. This is a beautiful course which regularly hosts the Portuguese Open prompting golf professionals to vote it as one of the best courses on the European Circuit. Not even the noise from the nearby Estoril Race Track can upset your enjoyment here.
Recommended Itinerary. 3 days, staying in the Penha Longa Golf Resort, Sintra - playing Penha Longa, Oitavos and Estoril.
Downfield - A Scottish Course that's not a Links! Now there's a thing! Actually, this is a very good course and certainly up there amongst the best parkland courses I have played. Be careful not to have too much fun mind, as the members can be a bit 'stuffy'. However, this did not detract from a thoroughly enjoyable round of golf.
Recommended Itinerary. As above under Montrose.
