The Golf Pilgrim Top 100

Littlestone attracts a high standard of golfers - the average handicap of its membership is a good indicator.  But a few years ago it was graced by "the worst golfer ever to play in The Open"!

When filmmakers needed a course to shoot "The Phantom Of The Open" - the true story of hapless novice Maurice Flitcroft who somehow found himself among those trying to qualify for the Open Championship, they chose Littlestone.

It may not be as famous as some other Kent courses such as Royal St George's and Princes - which really have staged The Open, but like them, it's a true test of links golf.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/littlestone

https://www.littlestonegolfclub.org.uk/

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Malone Golf Club sits in the midst of one of the most exclusive areas of Belfast, with 27 parkland holes around a huge lake.  The championship 18 is ranked as the best course in the city, and you sense that is true from the moment you enter via a Magnolia Lane-like entrance.

If you're staying in Belfast, or on a golf tour and fancy an alternative to Northern Ireland's famous links courses, you won't be disappointed.

https://malonegolfclub.co.uk/

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A near neighbour of Royal Porthcawl, P&K, as it is affectionately known, earns plaudits in its own right and is ambitious in its plans for the future.

A round here is a game of two halves - the original course was designed by Harry Colt, but newly acquired land after the Second World War allowed Philip Mackenzie Ross to plot a route through dunes for a new back nine.

https://www.pandkgolfclub.co.uk/

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A parkland course in the suburbs of Belfast, Belvoir Park takes you on a roller-coaster ride through tree-lined valleys, on a routing that has changed little since Harry Colt designed it a century ago.  Peter Alliss called it the "Augusta of Northern Ireland." 

Belvoir Park is so popular that the club has 1,200 members, and it hosts 50,000 rounds of golf every year. 

https://www.belvoirparkgolfclub.com/

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For decades, Swinley Forest was in a world of its own: an ultra-private members' club in a secluded area on the Berkshire/Surrey border, with few outsiders able to enjoy a course rightly rated one of the best in the world.

And while some traditions remain -  you can pick and place your ball all year round, and your WHS index isn't recognised  - it now welcomes visitors.

Harry Colt designed it, and golf historians believe it was his favourite of all his many great courses.  If you play here, you will understand why.

https://www.swinleyfgc.co.uk/

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"It's in the hole!!"

Yes, the moment every golfer dreams about… but was it Neil or was it Ian who celebrated a hole-in-one?

It was a perfect sunny day with barely a hint of a breeze, and Ardglass was looking at its most spectacular. Perched on cliff-tops with views of the Irish Sea from every hole, this course has become a favourite destination for golfers who also play at nearby Royal County Down.

Former US PGA winner Rich Beem is an honorary member of the club and tells us why Ardglass is so special.

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For the first time in the history of The Golf Pilgrim, we think a Top 100 club is charging too little for visitors to play their course!  Dunstanburgh Castle has been offering a a special twilight deal where a round costs just £30….oh, and that also includes a pizza and beer afterwards!

The regular green fee is still incredibly good value for a links course with stunning views which has now leapt into England’s Top 100. 

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Unlike so many of Ireland’s finest courses, Galgorm Castle is not a links, and it is miles from the sea. But you are never far from water. 
14 of the 18 holes feature water hazards, with lakes and rivers cutting through the course. 
Galgorm has staged many professional tournaments, with Ryan Fox and Aaron Rai among those who’ve challenged for titles here.  

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It’s the home of England Golf and has a fearsome reputation as one of the most difficult courses in the country. 
Woodhall Spa’s Hotchkin course is rated as one of the best heathland courses anywhere, but is its bunkering too penal?

Course managers past and present discuss the challenge of maintaining its 143 sand traps. 

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Castlerock is on prime links golf land on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. Its close proximity to Portrush and Portstewart is both a blessing and a curse; the Mussenden course used to be seen as living in the shadow of its famous neighbours, but visitors to the area often add Castlerock to their itinerary and are delighted with what they find. 

And if its 18 holes aren’t enough of a challenge, the 9 hole Bann course is rated as even trickier..

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