No. 10: Swinley Forest (England, UK)
One of the puzzling developments in golf course architecture in recent years is the divergence in treatment of classic courses in the US and the UK. While any American club with some money and architectural pedigree (and some without the latter) is restoring (or ‘restoring’) their course to its original design, many clubs with classic courses in the UK are modernizing their courses, with new bunkering styles and hole redesigns.
We already encountered one such course, Stoneham (no. 33) in the south of England. But a much more prominent example is Swinley Forest, a very private club with a small—and apparently very elite—membership in the middle of Surrey’s famous heathland belt. This course has long been highly regarded but like some of its neighbors, its reputation has only grown in recent years. It appears to have become close to settled consensus that this is one of the top three heathland courses in the country. While I haven’t seen the contenders outside of London (i.e. Woodhall Spa), I think I saw all the London area ones. And there was indeed little doubt to me that Swinley Forest was top 3 in this set.
Which is why it’s so puzzling that since my visit, the club appears to have made significant changes to the course. Some of the changes were underway at the time of my visit—reshaping bunkers, removing Rhododendrons, adding heather-covered mounds. And some of these changes—namely removing the Rhododendrons—were good. But I didn’t like the heather-covered mounds that had been added throughout the course. I appreciate the desire to add heather on a heathland course, but it’s penal and some of these clubs are getting carried away with the amount that they’re adding. And I thought that the mounding was poorly done, better suited to a Michigan public course than a Colt masterpiece.
Since my visit, several more significant and disturbing changes appear to have been made, namely a complete reshaping of the green surrounds on the 7th and 17th. The pictures that I’ve seen make it look like they completely ruined both, adding heather-covered mounds around the former and smoothing out the shaping on the latter, making it look like something by Rees Jones. Whoever directed these changes should be banned from having any association with the game of golf for the rest of eternity. At Stoneham, the alterations to the bunkers were a mixed bag, with some looking good and others not so much. Here, almost all of the changes to the design appear to be negative. I simply don’t understand what the people in charge here were thinking.
So it’s with a bit of a heavy heart that I write about a Swinley Forest that no longer exists, one that as Colt’s ‘least bad’ course never should have had any design changes, save for maybe adding a few back tees. My day here in the summer of 2018 was one of my most memorable. It was a hot and dry summer in southeastern England and because British courses don’t irrigate their fairways, every course I played was baked out, brown,…and perfect.
Swinley actually gets off to a pretty slow start, with three shorter par 4s that, with the exception of the blind drive on 2, aren’t too interesting. The famous long, uphill par 3 4th certainly changes that. I’m not sure I agree with those who count it among the world’s best par 3s, but it’s certainly very pretty…and very difficult. The other noteworthy feature in the modest opening stretch was the green complex on the long par 4 6th. This green, which lays so simply on the land, is one of Colt’s most beautiful.
One of the puzzling developments in golf course architecture in recent years is the divergence in treatment of classic courses in the US and the UK. While any American club with some money and architectural pedigree (and some without the latter) is restoring (or ‘restoring’) their course to its original design, many clubs with classic courses in the UK are modernizing their courses, with new bunkering styles and hole redesigns.
We already encountered one such course, Stoneham (no. 33) in the south of England. But a much more prominent example is Swinley Forest, a very private club with a small—and apparently very elite—membership in the middle of Surrey’s famous heathland belt. This course has long been highly regarded but like some of its neighbors, its reputation has only grown in recent years. It appears to have become close to settled consensus that this is one of the top three heathland courses in the country. While I haven’t seen the contenders outside of London (i.e. Woodhall Spa), I think I saw all the London area ones. And there was indeed little doubt to me that Swinley Forest was top 3 in this set.
Which is why it’s so puzzling that since my visit, the club appears to have made significant changes to the course. Some of the changes were underway at the time of my visit—reshaping bunkers, removing Rhododendrons, adding heather-covered mounds. And some of these changes—namely removing the Rhododendrons—were good. But I didn’t like the heather-covered mounds that had been added throughout the course. I appreciate the desire to add heather on a heathland course, but it’s penal and some of these clubs are getting carried away with the amount that they’re adding. And I thought that the mounding was poorly done, better suited to a Michigan public course than a Colt masterpiece.
Since my visit, several more significant and disturbing changes appear to have been made, namely a complete reshaping of the green surrounds on the 7th and 17th. The pictures that I’ve seen make it look like they completely ruined both, adding heather-covered mounds around the former and smoothing out the shaping on the latter, making it look like something by Rees Jones. Whoever directed these changes should be banned from having any association with the game of golf for the rest of eternity. At Stoneham, the alterations to the bunkers were a mixed bag, with some looking good and others not so much. Here, almost all of the changes to the design appear to be negative. I simply don’t understand what the people in charge here were thinking.
So it’s with a bit of a heavy heart that I write about a Swinley Forest that no longer exists, one that as Colt’s ‘least bad’ course never should have had any design changes, save for maybe adding a few back tees. My day here in the summer of 2018 was one of my most memorable. It was a hot and dry summer in southeastern England and because British courses don’t irrigate their fairways, every course I played was baked out, brown,…and perfect.
Swinley actually gets off to a pretty slow start, with three shorter par 4s that, with the exception of the blind drive on 2, aren’t too interesting. The famous long, uphill par 3 4th certainly changes that. I’m not sure I agree with those who count it among the world’s best par 3s, but it’s certainly very pretty…and very difficult. The other noteworthy feature in the modest opening stretch was the green complex on the long par 4 6th. This green, which lays so simply on the land, is one of Colt’s most beautiful.
And then, the course takes off like a rocket ship. I loved the uphill par 4 7th, with its blind approach over a bunker well short of the green. To me, this was one of the world’s great approach shots—very difficult, but with plenty of safe space short and left. I thought the green, like on 6, was another masterpiece of subtlety, perfectly balancing the difficult rest of the hole. Sadly, that green complex has been ruined and the balance lost.
I count a lot of long par 4s among my favorite holes—the 2nd at Pinehurst no. 2, the 13th on Pacific Dunes, most of the holes on the back nine at Rye—but I’m not sure that there are two better long par 4s in the world than 9 and 12 at Swinley Forest. If you don’t carry the fairway bunker up the left side on 9, you can run through the fairway into heather-covered ridges. 12 is similar, requiring either a draw or something that hugs the tree line closely to avoid running through the fairway. The approach to 9 reminds me of the approach to the great 5th at Pinehurst no. 2. And the approach to 12 reminds me of nothing, at least on an inland course. The heaving contours leading into the green were probably most reminiscent of those leading into the green on the great 3rd at Royal Cinque Ports.
Sandwiched between these are two other great holes—a perfectly designed long par 3 with a carry bunker short and the rest of the trouble at the sides and a quirky short par 4 with a blind, uphill drive into tight space. Some might find the latter a bit awkward but I thought it worked great—you can avoid the narrowest of the space by laying back less than 225. Or you can go for the green, with a heathery sea of death left but just enough room short and right of the green.
The run home is not quite the equal of the middle stretch, but that’s like a bit like saying Peyton Manning wasn’t Tom Brady. The par 4 14th is one of the prettiest, simple holes that I’ve seen, with an approach across some proper Colt mounding to another perfect, simple green. 15 is a short par 5 with a great uphill second shot that narrows the closer you get and ruthlessly rejects shots that come up short. I thought 16, with its narrow, heather-lined fairway and narrow, two-tiered green was one of the hardest par 4s I had ever played. And the par 3 17th, with its small, perched green that dropped off steeply in every direction, wasn’t much easier (fortunately those in charge a few years back have saved us from that…). The course finishes with another tough par 4, one which appears to have been helped by the addition of back tees, one of few good changes here. Now it takes a solid drive to carry the creek and an accurate one to fit between it and the bunker on the left.
The run home is not quite the equal of the middle stretch, but that’s like a bit like saying Peyton Manning wasn’t Tom Brady. The par 4 14th is one of the prettiest, simple holes that I’ve seen, with an approach across some proper Colt mounding to another perfect, simple green. 15 is a short par 5 with a great uphill second shot that narrows the closer you get and ruthlessly rejects shots that come up short. I thought 16, with its narrow, heather-lined fairway and narrow, two-tiered green was one of the hardest par 4s I had ever played. And the par 3 17th, with its small, perched green that dropped off steeply in every direction, wasn’t much easier (fortunately those in charge a few years back have saved us from that…). The course finishes with another tough par 4, one which appears to have been helped by the addition of back tees, one of few good changes here. Now it takes a solid drive to carry the creek and an accurate one to fit between it and the bunker on the left.
There’s no doubt that the version of Swinley Forest that I saw was worthy of its accolades. Although you might have wondered what was supposed to be so special after the first few holes, you certainly wouldn’t have felt that when standing on the 13th tee. Because of its reputation for exclusivity, I was reluctant to try to play here and it was a bit of a challenge to arrange. But I’m so glad that I did. It was one of the most idyllic, serene days of golf I’ve ever experienced (I saw maybe 5 other people on the course in 36 holes). Given that as well as the changes that have been made, this is one course on my list that I might be just fine never seeing again.
No. 9: West Sussex (England, UK)
Rounding out the trio of aristocratic southeastern England clubs is perhaps the least heralded, West Sussex. While it gets significant praise from almost all who have played it, I don’t think it draws the attention or visits of places like Sunningdale or Walton Heath because it’s quite private and is significantly further away from London—probably an hour-and-a-half by train. That’s too bad because to me, it was the second-best of the London heathland courses and should make lists of top 100 courses in the world with room to spare. But I rarely see it on these lists while the New at Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, and St. George’s Hill have become fixtures.
Ok, so what makes this course so great? The one thing that doesn’t—probably the only thing that keeps this course in my mind from being a top 25 world contender—is the greens contouring, which is not very interesting even by London heathland standards. Everything else does. Pleasant land, a lot of heather, great variety of holes with an especially good mix of stern holes and quirk. And great bunkering; this is possibly the best-bunkered course that I’ve seen. They’re brilliantly placed, superbly shaped, blending in perfectly with their surroundings, and feature beautiful, white sand that is apparently native to the region. Noteworthy in particular is the fairway bunkering, which is the best I saw on any course in the UK or Ireland and helps make this course possibly the best test of driving that I’ve seen.
I think that many considered the short par 5 1st—which, like at Rye, is the course’s only par 5—to be one of the course’s real weaknesses. It probably was 25 years ago when the historical imagery on Google Earth shows that it had no bunkering in the driving zone. Now it does—two bunkers on the left narrowing the fairway at just the right distance, about 275 yards, which adds a good driving challenge to the superb approach, running between two bunkers. Apparently these and other fairway bunkers have been added or moved by architect Donald Steel, who’s a member of the club. So at least English courses aren’t batting a 0 with their recent renovations.
The next 6 holes are simply outstanding. They consist of 4 par 4s, each of which is an outstanding driving hole, but in very different ways, and 2 world-class par 3s. The 2nd has a bunkerless fairway but the heather continuously encroaches on the right, bringing the fairway to its narrowest point just where you want to drive it. The shorter 3rd features a complex of bunkers up the right that guards the best angle into the narrow green. Both the 4th and the 7th feature poor visibility and dogleg left, favoring draws, but the 7th is significantly uphill over a great top-shot bunker. And the back-to-back par 3s nos. 5 and 6 have been mentioned as England’s equivalents to the famous 15th and 16th at Cypress Point. They’re probably as close as you could get on an inland course. The 5th is a perfect setting and the 6th is unique among long par 3s that I’ve played, featuring an entire fairway short and right as if it were a short par 4 but a very deep, narrow green that becomes quite tough to hit for those who use it.
Rounding out the trio of aristocratic southeastern England clubs is perhaps the least heralded, West Sussex. While it gets significant praise from almost all who have played it, I don’t think it draws the attention or visits of places like Sunningdale or Walton Heath because it’s quite private and is significantly further away from London—probably an hour-and-a-half by train. That’s too bad because to me, it was the second-best of the London heathland courses and should make lists of top 100 courses in the world with room to spare. But I rarely see it on these lists while the New at Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, and St. George’s Hill have become fixtures.
Ok, so what makes this course so great? The one thing that doesn’t—probably the only thing that keeps this course in my mind from being a top 25 world contender—is the greens contouring, which is not very interesting even by London heathland standards. Everything else does. Pleasant land, a lot of heather, great variety of holes with an especially good mix of stern holes and quirk. And great bunkering; this is possibly the best-bunkered course that I’ve seen. They’re brilliantly placed, superbly shaped, blending in perfectly with their surroundings, and feature beautiful, white sand that is apparently native to the region. Noteworthy in particular is the fairway bunkering, which is the best I saw on any course in the UK or Ireland and helps make this course possibly the best test of driving that I’ve seen.
I think that many considered the short par 5 1st—which, like at Rye, is the course’s only par 5—to be one of the course’s real weaknesses. It probably was 25 years ago when the historical imagery on Google Earth shows that it had no bunkering in the driving zone. Now it does—two bunkers on the left narrowing the fairway at just the right distance, about 275 yards, which adds a good driving challenge to the superb approach, running between two bunkers. Apparently these and other fairway bunkers have been added or moved by architect Donald Steel, who’s a member of the club. So at least English courses aren’t batting a 0 with their recent renovations.
The next 6 holes are simply outstanding. They consist of 4 par 4s, each of which is an outstanding driving hole, but in very different ways, and 2 world-class par 3s. The 2nd has a bunkerless fairway but the heather continuously encroaches on the right, bringing the fairway to its narrowest point just where you want to drive it. The shorter 3rd features a complex of bunkers up the right that guards the best angle into the narrow green. Both the 4th and the 7th feature poor visibility and dogleg left, favoring draws, but the 7th is significantly uphill over a great top-shot bunker. And the back-to-back par 3s nos. 5 and 6 have been mentioned as England’s equivalents to the famous 15th and 16th at Cypress Point. They’re probably as close as you could get on an inland course. The 5th is a perfect setting and the 6th is unique among long par 3s that I’ve played, featuring an entire fairway short and right as if it were a short par 4 but a very deep, narrow green that becomes quite tough to hit for those who use it.
While the two finishers on the front nine aren’t anything special, the back nine is consistently world-class, with one great driving hole after another, each again with its own character. They require a draw around a nasty bunker complex and trees (10), a long carry over bunkers right or a fade into a slope to avoid heather on the left (11), a shot placed near a bunker at the outside of the dogleg to set up an angle and a flat lie (13), another blind, uphill drive over heather to a narrowing fairway (16), and a fairway that snakes around bunkers right then left (17).
Yet even that underplays the interest and variety in these drives because the mix of elements and contour of the land works differently on each. The land slopes right-to-left on both 10 and 13, but you want to hit a draw with it on the former and a fade into it on the latter. 11 plays gently uphill and 16 more steeply so, but 14 is downhill and the final two holes are relatively flat. Bunkers dictate play on most of these drives, except on the long, downhill 14th and the blind, uphill 16th.
I mentioned that the green surfaces here aren’t too memorable. But the green complexes are, especially in their variety. The bunkering around the greens is no less attractive or well thought-out than that around the fairways. And the mix of elements around the greens is also excellent including several greens that are relatively open in front, some with diagonal bunkering (17), some fronted by sand (5, 13), one fronted by heather-covered mounds (16), and a few ponds (6, 14, 15).
Yet even that underplays the interest and variety in these drives because the mix of elements and contour of the land works differently on each. The land slopes right-to-left on both 10 and 13, but you want to hit a draw with it on the former and a fade into it on the latter. 11 plays gently uphill and 16 more steeply so, but 14 is downhill and the final two holes are relatively flat. Bunkers dictate play on most of these drives, except on the long, downhill 14th and the blind, uphill 16th.
I mentioned that the green surfaces here aren’t too memorable. But the green complexes are, especially in their variety. The bunkering around the greens is no less attractive or well thought-out than that around the fairways. And the mix of elements around the greens is also excellent including several greens that are relatively open in front, some with diagonal bunkering (17), some fronted by sand (5, 13), one fronted by heather-covered mounds (16), and a few ponds (6, 14, 15).
All-in-all, West Sussex comes off as one of the most thoroughly, thoughtfully designed courses that I’ve seen. The bunkering is near-perfect. And the heather helps a lot—it’s probably more plentiful here than on any other heathland course and contributes significantly to the interest and challenge on both the drives and approaches. Combine a great course with perfect conditions (again, in the dry summer of 2018) and a perfect day and this was one of the most enjoyable experiences that I’ve ever had on a golf course. Hopefully this course starts to get more recognition as the world class course that it is.
No. 8: Cabot Links (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Courses like Swinley Forest and West Sussex have a hard-to-describe charm that you rarely find on modern courses. They have a lot of little quirks—some oddly placed mound or bunker, some detail in the contour of the land, and/or some ways that the features blend in with the background—that don’t look quite like anything you’ve seen on other course and which give the course a uniqueness and sense of place.
Of all the modern courses that I’ve seen, Cabot Links might come closest to achieving this charm and sense of place that you find on the classic old courses. So many of the modern courses try really hard to make their greatness known to you through big, flashy bunkers and heavily contoured greens set against vast landscapes. But Cabot Links paints in more subtle brushstrokes—a gentle slope off the edge of the green, a small, sandy mound in the fairway, a green set against the backdrop of a port for fishing boats. The landscape certainly has the drama of the modern courses, set in rolling land and sand dunes along the coastline. Yet architect Rod Whitman’s course emphasizes details over drama, giving this course a feel that I found completely unique among modern courses and which, I think, makes it one of the absolute best among them.
The 1st hole sold me on this course straight-away. Few would place among the course’s best holes, but it demonstrates all of the strengths that, as we will come to learn, are commonplace here. The drive doesn’t look like much but if you don’t keep it near the bunker on the left, you have an awkward angle from which to fit your second between two bunkers that pinch the layup area. The view from here to the green is classic links and the subtle shaping around the green reminded me of Colt’s best work at Swinley Forest. And this probably isn’t even one of the 4 or 5 best holes.
The rest of the front nine is just brilliant, with great variety in the types of shots you’ll have to play, the degree of challenge, and several poetic touches and landscapes. One of these touches is the mound in the left side of the 3rd fairway, reminiscent of a Fowler earthwork at Walton Heath. It forces you either to lay back, thread the gap between it and marsh on the right, or go for a carry which, it you don’t keep it near the marsh, leaves an awkward angle. The 4th is one of the sternest par 4s you’ll ever see, uphill with staggered fairway bunkers and a diagonal line protecting the green on the right.
Courses like Swinley Forest and West Sussex have a hard-to-describe charm that you rarely find on modern courses. They have a lot of little quirks—some oddly placed mound or bunker, some detail in the contour of the land, and/or some ways that the features blend in with the background—that don’t look quite like anything you’ve seen on other course and which give the course a uniqueness and sense of place.
Of all the modern courses that I’ve seen, Cabot Links might come closest to achieving this charm and sense of place that you find on the classic old courses. So many of the modern courses try really hard to make their greatness known to you through big, flashy bunkers and heavily contoured greens set against vast landscapes. But Cabot Links paints in more subtle brushstrokes—a gentle slope off the edge of the green, a small, sandy mound in the fairway, a green set against the backdrop of a port for fishing boats. The landscape certainly has the drama of the modern courses, set in rolling land and sand dunes along the coastline. Yet architect Rod Whitman’s course emphasizes details over drama, giving this course a feel that I found completely unique among modern courses and which, I think, makes it one of the absolute best among them.
The 1st hole sold me on this course straight-away. Few would place among the course’s best holes, but it demonstrates all of the strengths that, as we will come to learn, are commonplace here. The drive doesn’t look like much but if you don’t keep it near the bunker on the left, you have an awkward angle from which to fit your second between two bunkers that pinch the layup area. The view from here to the green is classic links and the subtle shaping around the green reminded me of Colt’s best work at Swinley Forest. And this probably isn’t even one of the 4 or 5 best holes.
The rest of the front nine is just brilliant, with great variety in the types of shots you’ll have to play, the degree of challenge, and several poetic touches and landscapes. One of these touches is the mound in the left side of the 3rd fairway, reminiscent of a Fowler earthwork at Walton Heath. It forces you either to lay back, thread the gap between it and marsh on the right, or go for a carry which, it you don’t keep it near the marsh, leaves an awkward angle. The 4th is one of the sternest par 4s you’ll ever see, uphill with staggered fairway bunkers and a diagonal line protecting the green on the right.
Then we get two completely different landscape treatments on 5 and 6, the former a par 3 with a beautiful fall-away green that looks like it’s playing out into the great Canadian wilderness and the latter just one of the most perfect settings for a golf hole you’ll ever see, doglegging left around a lake with a small fishing boat port as the back drop to the green. We return to the coastline links setting for the par 3 7th, which alone would earn this course the ‘Links’ in its name and which, again, features brilliant, subtle green side shaping. And even after all that, the par 5 8th might be the best of the bunch. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen hole where the shaping of the green so strongly dictates how you should play the previous shots. The right side is the safe side on the approach and there’s ample room there. But there’s also a spine that runs down the length of the green at its right side and it’s extremely difficult to hit the area of the green left of it (where most of the pin placements are), unless you’ve played the hole down its more dangerous left side.
The middle holes 9 and 10 have their fans (and the 9th has a brilliantly contoured green) but for me, the course takes a bit of a break in its middle section except for the 11th, which is another brilliant (and long) par 5. The drive is awkward over the crest of a hill because we can see that the land slopes right and we’re not sure if we’ll run out of room. But the layup is one of the best I’ve seen—hit the precipice on the right and you’ll have a shorter shot and clear look at the green. Play left up the safe side and you’ll face a blind third, unless you can get it almost all the way to the green.
But we get a big finish starting at the 14th. The first part of the big finish is actually very small—a 90 yard par 3 that plays downhill to a big green on the coastline. It looks a bit pitch-and-putt…until you’re standing there and the wind is blowing 20 mph. left-to-right. So that’s why the green is so big! 15 and 16 are great long par 4s, worthy of their coastline acreage. 15 is an especially exacting hole requiring—like no. 8—placement up the dangerous left side to leave a good angle to a deep, skinny green. I found the short, uphill par 3 17th to be another poetic touch, reminding me of a great English par 3 on one hand but having a sense of place all its own with its surroundings of stunted spruce trees. And the long par 4 18th—this just may be the best finishing hole that I’ve played. I love the uphill drive. I love the contouring around the green. And speaking of sense of place, the proximity of the restaurant to the green reminded me of the clubhouse patio behind the 14th green at Woking, another of the great scenes in golf.
But we get a big finish starting at the 14th. The first part of the big finish is actually very small—a 90 yard par 3 that plays downhill to a big green on the coastline. It looks a bit pitch-and-putt…until you’re standing there and the wind is blowing 20 mph. left-to-right. So that’s why the green is so big! 15 and 16 are great long par 4s, worthy of their coastline acreage. 15 is an especially exacting hole requiring—like no. 8—placement up the dangerous left side to leave a good angle to a deep, skinny green. I found the short, uphill par 3 17th to be another poetic touch, reminding me of a great English par 3 on one hand but having a sense of place all its own with its surroundings of stunted spruce trees. And the long par 4 18th—this just may be the best finishing hole that I’ve played. I love the uphill drive. I love the contouring around the green. And speaking of sense of place, the proximity of the restaurant to the green reminded me of the clubhouse patio behind the 14th green at Woking, another of the great scenes in golf.
Cabot Links has been on a lot of world top 100 lists, but it’s almost always near the bottom and always behind its sister, Cabot Cliffs. I thought it was clearly the superior of the two courses and that its place on a world top 100 list should be in no doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were a world top 50 course.
No. 7: Royal Portrush—Dunluce Course (Northern Ireland, UK)
Now here’s a course that everyone thinks is in the top 50 in the world. I think there’s even a significant contingent that thinks it’s top 20 or even top 10. The bigger question about Royal Portrush seems to be: is it better than Royal County Down? A course that some people think is no. 1 in the world?
If anything, I think the debate around this has become stronger as Royal Portrush after hosted the highly successful Open Championship in 2019. But—at risk of pouring an ice bucket on that big buildup—while Royal Portrush is a great course and, for reasons I’ll explain, especially well-suited to hosting big tournaments among the great courses that I’ve played, I don’t think there can be much of a debate that Royal County Down is the superior course. While this course is very sound, presents an excellent test of driving, and has several great holes, Royal Country Down is almost otherworldly in both its number of great holes and their uniqueness. Royal Portrush is not as spectacular, nor does it have the oddness that gives County Down its charm.
Of course, there can’t be more than a small handful of courses that withstand comparison to Royal County Down so it’s pretty unfair to compare any course to it. Royal Portrush is undoubtedly a great course, certainly among the 50 greatest in the world, so it deserves its own spotlight. To me, Royal Portrush is a great course because it’s such a great test of golf. It puts a lot of demand on driving, but the challenge is different from hole-to-hole because there’s great variety in how the holes fall across this hilly dunescape and in the fairway bunker schemes. The green complexes are an excellent set, not so much for the surface contours (although a few are outstanding) but for the shaping at and around their edges. I’ve always heard that Royal Portrush was one of the best-designed of the big links courses, not surprising given its Colt pedigree. And I certainly agree with that.
As with Cabot Links, we get a good sense of what makes this course great right in the beginning. Actually, the out-of-bounds lining both sides of the fairway of the 1st that took Rory McIlroy out of the 2019 Open before he even got started, is not indicative for this course. But the exacting uphill approach is. And so are both the great drive doglegging left around bunkers and the approach between several bunkers culminating at a green complex with terrific shaping on its left side on the par 5 2nd. This is definitely one of the best two hole opening stretches that I’ve seen.
And they’re just a warm-up for what I think is the highlight of the course, the par 4s nos. 4 and 5. These must be among the world’s best longer and shorter par 4s. 4 is among the small handful of the world’s best driving holes, with a fairway that narrows between two bunkers left and an out-of-bounds hedge right. The approach, to a green set in the dunes past two bunkers that challenge any second following a poor drive, is about as good. The famous par 4 5th, playing downhill to a green set on the coastline, is one of those holes that should be great regardless of the wind. It’s drivable if the wind is behind but the fairway is angled and largely blind, creating a tough decision about which line to pick if the wind is less favorable. The green is also one of Colt’s best.
Now here’s a course that everyone thinks is in the top 50 in the world. I think there’s even a significant contingent that thinks it’s top 20 or even top 10. The bigger question about Royal Portrush seems to be: is it better than Royal County Down? A course that some people think is no. 1 in the world?
If anything, I think the debate around this has become stronger as Royal Portrush after hosted the highly successful Open Championship in 2019. But—at risk of pouring an ice bucket on that big buildup—while Royal Portrush is a great course and, for reasons I’ll explain, especially well-suited to hosting big tournaments among the great courses that I’ve played, I don’t think there can be much of a debate that Royal County Down is the superior course. While this course is very sound, presents an excellent test of driving, and has several great holes, Royal Country Down is almost otherworldly in both its number of great holes and their uniqueness. Royal Portrush is not as spectacular, nor does it have the oddness that gives County Down its charm.
Of course, there can’t be more than a small handful of courses that withstand comparison to Royal County Down so it’s pretty unfair to compare any course to it. Royal Portrush is undoubtedly a great course, certainly among the 50 greatest in the world, so it deserves its own spotlight. To me, Royal Portrush is a great course because it’s such a great test of golf. It puts a lot of demand on driving, but the challenge is different from hole-to-hole because there’s great variety in how the holes fall across this hilly dunescape and in the fairway bunker schemes. The green complexes are an excellent set, not so much for the surface contours (although a few are outstanding) but for the shaping at and around their edges. I’ve always heard that Royal Portrush was one of the best-designed of the big links courses, not surprising given its Colt pedigree. And I certainly agree with that.
As with Cabot Links, we get a good sense of what makes this course great right in the beginning. Actually, the out-of-bounds lining both sides of the fairway of the 1st that took Rory McIlroy out of the 2019 Open before he even got started, is not indicative for this course. But the exacting uphill approach is. And so are both the great drive doglegging left around bunkers and the approach between several bunkers culminating at a green complex with terrific shaping on its left side on the par 5 2nd. This is definitely one of the best two hole opening stretches that I’ve seen.
And they’re just a warm-up for what I think is the highlight of the course, the par 4s nos. 4 and 5. These must be among the world’s best longer and shorter par 4s. 4 is among the small handful of the world’s best driving holes, with a fairway that narrows between two bunkers left and an out-of-bounds hedge right. The approach, to a green set in the dunes past two bunkers that challenge any second following a poor drive, is about as good. The famous par 4 5th, playing downhill to a green set on the coastline, is one of those holes that should be great regardless of the wind. It’s drivable if the wind is behind but the fairway is angled and largely blind, creating a tough decision about which line to pick if the wind is less favorable. The green is also one of Colt’s best.
After the opening 6, Portrush gets into a bit of a groove with about a 9 hole stretch that’s solid and testing but not, with the exception of the 10th green and the maybe the 14th (for sheer difficulty), all that special. 7 and 8 are new holes in dunes on land stolen from the neighboring Valley Course. I get why they did this—the land is stunning and the two holes that they replaced were on the course’s flattest land near the clubhouse. But the par 5 7th is a bit of a dumb blonde and the 8th is, if anything, too exacting off the tee, requiring a tight fit between some nasty sand dunes on the left and bunkers right.
But one thing that I do appreciate about this stretch of holes—all longer holes with the exception of the par 3 13th—is the variety of driving challenges that they pose. Some bend left (8, 9), some bend right (10). There are a few reverse camber fairways (9, 10), requiring well-shaped drives. You can bomb away to try to carry the junk up the right on 11, or hit a running fade up the left to try to catch the downslope. And you must be very accurate to fit into tight space on the straight 12th and 14th. Plus, there’s some fine shaping around some of these greens. This is really a case of a stretch of holes being more than the sum of its parts—I think I’d only try to make the case for 10 as a great hole, but each one contributes something to the mix. This section of the course made me think that Portrush would make a terrific US Open course if it were in the United States.
But one thing that I do appreciate about this stretch of holes—all longer holes with the exception of the par 3 13th—is the variety of driving challenges that they pose. Some bend left (8, 9), some bend right (10). There are a few reverse camber fairways (9, 10), requiring well-shaped drives. You can bomb away to try to carry the junk up the right on 11, or hit a running fade up the left to try to catch the downslope. And you must be very accurate to fit into tight space on the straight 12th and 14th. Plus, there’s some fine shaping around some of these greens. This is really a case of a stretch of holes being more than the sum of its parts—I think I’d only try to make the case for 10 as a great hole, but each one contributes something to the mix. This section of the course made me think that Portrush would make a terrific US Open course if it were in the United States.
Portrush does turn the dial up again at the finish, with two more of the better holes in the world—the medium-long par 4 15th and the world-famous par 3 16th ‘Calamity’—and a very interesting, sometimes drivable short par 4 17th. 15 didn’t strike me when I was watching the Open but it definitely did in person. The uphill drive to a fairway that turns left but slopes gently right is one of the best I’ve ever seen and the green has brilliant contouring at its right edge. Calamity is great as advertised, but I didn’t appreciate it until I saw it how the cautious but accurate player can use dunes short-left of the green to bypass the famous pit and get their ball on the green. And the grass is so hacked up in the pit that shots down there are playable too. 17 is a bit unusual for a links course, with a fairway that drops downhill to the green. But like 5, it works well in different winds—drivable when downwind and narrow and exacting when into it.
I didn’t feel such a strong affection for Royal Portrush either when I was playing or when I was writing my initial review as I did for other courses in this part of my list. But I did recognize its strengths and going back through my pictures now and seeing how good the shaping at the edges of greens is in addition to what I already thought about the course’s virtues off the tee is making me think that I might feel a little more affection for it if I played it again. In any case, there can be no doubt of the course’s greatness or its virtues as a test of golf.
No. 6: Bandon Trails (Oregon, US)
I’ve seen one other modern course which could compete with Cabot Links in creating a sense of place and charm and it’s Coore and Crenshaw’s Bandon Trails, the third course at the resort. Apparently Mike Kaiser was reluctant to offer Coore and Crenshaw the task of designing this course because its property is mostly in the forest, with only a small section in the sand dunes. If anything, the property is, to me, Bandon Trails’ great strength; it gives the resort some landscape variety and sacrifices nothing in topographical interest. This is a very interesting piece of land. Oh, and the forest is one of the most beautiful through which you’ll ever see a golf course routed. To my liking, this is one of the most beautiful courses that I’ve ever seen.
While Coore and Crenshaw’s routing and design features deserve some of the credit for this course’s charm and sense of place, there are a lot of natural details in the site, especially in its vegetation, that contribute to the course’s feel and aesthetic success. The trees are of incredible variety, with many stunted, very cool looking trees near the sand dunes and very tall Spruces, Douglas Firs, and Hemlocks that give the interior holes a dark, epic look. There are beautiful shrubs of all shapes and sizes lining the holes throughout that give many of the holes an aesthetic depth that you rarely see, especially on a relatively new course. There were several times throughout the round where I felt like I was in a huge Japanese garden—everything here is so harmonious.
But so much of the credit for how well this course fits in with its landscape must go to Coore and Crenshaw. First of all, I love how the routing takes us on a journey through different the parts of the property. We start in the dunes, then get a mix of forest and dunes, then get some different types of forest settings, before emerging back out into the dunes for the finish. This creates a variety of holes and a flow between them that’s simply outstanding. And the shaped features blend in so well with the surroundings. The bunkers often just look like part of the landscape, even in the forested holes, with their edges disappearing into the surrounding vegetation. Same with shaping of the green complexes and margins of the holes, which is some of the most deft I’ve seen anywhere. It just might be the best example of a golf course as a work of landscape architecture that I’ve seen.
Ok, so clearly I think there’s some poetry in this course too. What about the holes? They’re almost universally outstanding and a few stand out as among the best on any course that I’ve seen. The course’s opening stretch counts a few among these, namely the long par 3 2nd and the par 4 4th. The former is one of the toughest par 3s that I’ve seen, playing down hill with a green surrounded by dunes (right) and forest) left. But while it’s tough to see, there’s ample room short and left of the green. So it’s a great example of the classic design where the deeper you try to get it into the green, the more risk you incur. The dogleg-right 4th is one of the world’s greatest driving holes, with a diagonal ridge running through fairway toward the green. If you play to the fat side of the fairway left, you’ll have a long second or your drive can even kick forward into the junk. The carry up the right is tough and if you don’t make it, you’ll have a blind approach. But if you do, you’ll have a clear view into one of the most perfectly set green complexes that I’ve ever seen.
I’ve seen one other modern course which could compete with Cabot Links in creating a sense of place and charm and it’s Coore and Crenshaw’s Bandon Trails, the third course at the resort. Apparently Mike Kaiser was reluctant to offer Coore and Crenshaw the task of designing this course because its property is mostly in the forest, with only a small section in the sand dunes. If anything, the property is, to me, Bandon Trails’ great strength; it gives the resort some landscape variety and sacrifices nothing in topographical interest. This is a very interesting piece of land. Oh, and the forest is one of the most beautiful through which you’ll ever see a golf course routed. To my liking, this is one of the most beautiful courses that I’ve ever seen.
While Coore and Crenshaw’s routing and design features deserve some of the credit for this course’s charm and sense of place, there are a lot of natural details in the site, especially in its vegetation, that contribute to the course’s feel and aesthetic success. The trees are of incredible variety, with many stunted, very cool looking trees near the sand dunes and very tall Spruces, Douglas Firs, and Hemlocks that give the interior holes a dark, epic look. There are beautiful shrubs of all shapes and sizes lining the holes throughout that give many of the holes an aesthetic depth that you rarely see, especially on a relatively new course. There were several times throughout the round where I felt like I was in a huge Japanese garden—everything here is so harmonious.
But so much of the credit for how well this course fits in with its landscape must go to Coore and Crenshaw. First of all, I love how the routing takes us on a journey through different the parts of the property. We start in the dunes, then get a mix of forest and dunes, then get some different types of forest settings, before emerging back out into the dunes for the finish. This creates a variety of holes and a flow between them that’s simply outstanding. And the shaped features blend in so well with the surroundings. The bunkers often just look like part of the landscape, even in the forested holes, with their edges disappearing into the surrounding vegetation. Same with shaping of the green complexes and margins of the holes, which is some of the most deft I’ve seen anywhere. It just might be the best example of a golf course as a work of landscape architecture that I’ve seen.
Ok, so clearly I think there’s some poetry in this course too. What about the holes? They’re almost universally outstanding and a few stand out as among the best on any course that I’ve seen. The course’s opening stretch counts a few among these, namely the long par 3 2nd and the par 4 4th. The former is one of the toughest par 3s that I’ve seen, playing down hill with a green surrounded by dunes (right) and forest) left. But while it’s tough to see, there’s ample room short and left of the green. So it’s a great example of the classic design where the deeper you try to get it into the green, the more risk you incur. The dogleg-right 4th is one of the world’s greatest driving holes, with a diagonal ridge running through fairway toward the green. If you play to the fat side of the fairway left, you’ll have a long second or your drive can even kick forward into the junk. The carry up the right is tough and if you don’t make it, you’ll have a blind approach. But if you do, you’ll have a clear view into one of the most perfectly set green complexes that I’ve ever seen.
The rest of the front nine has incredible variety including a short par 3 that plays uphill to one of the wildest greens on the course (no. 5), a very long par 4 with a massive diagonal driving bunker and a hilltop green with a severe false front (no. 7), and a drivable par 4 into very tight quarters with another heavily contoured green. But my favorite hole of this bunch might have been one that most would not consider among the course’s best: the long par 5 9th. The drive isn’t so interesting but I thought that it had one of the best layup shots that I’ve seen on a par 5. Bunkers encroach on the left starting about 150 yards from the green and just past this, the forest encroaches progressively on the right. If you want to get within 100 yards of the green for your third, you have to take on some risk with the second.
The first half of the back nine had two holes that really stood out to me: the long par 4 11th and the mid-length par 4 13th. The drive on the former is wide open, except for the mess of bunkers up the right side that are clearly tempting you to try to hug/carry them. That’s a good thing to be able to do because the approach will be quite long if you play out to the left and there’s a lot of danger in the form of a bunker short-left and a pond right. Having grown up in southeastern Michigan, I’ve seen many green side ponds. This is probably the most beautiful one that I’ve seen. But it’s also right near the top of the list of great pond holes because your long approach will probably be running in and you need to be careful of the line. That bunker left is just where you’d want to land it! The 13th is one of the better driving holes that I’ve seen, winding left around a bunker and a forest right that’s closer than it appears. You either need to hug the line of the bunker tight or hit a pretty good draw. Wherever you hit it, make sure to have a look through those woods on the right—I probably found about $60 of new Pro-V1s and TP-5 in a less than 5 minute search! You could pay for a good chunk of your trip in these woods.
Of course the hole that everyone knows at Bandon Trails is the short par 4 14th uphill to a skinny green. They must have really softened this green over the years because I didn’t find anything controversial about it—and I’m always complaining about severe runoffs around modern greens. Although solid, I’m not sure that the rest of the finishing stretch is the course’s strength with the exception of the famous par 3 17th, which is always featured in the resort’s promotional material. It’s a tough green to hit with its big false front and bunkers tight to its sides. But its greatest virtue is its perfectly landscaped setting. They don’t always get it right, but the PR people certainly chose a good hole to represent this place.
Of course the hole that everyone knows at Bandon Trails is the short par 4 14th uphill to a skinny green. They must have really softened this green over the years because I didn’t find anything controversial about it—and I’m always complaining about severe runoffs around modern greens. Although solid, I’m not sure that the rest of the finishing stretch is the course’s strength with the exception of the famous par 3 17th, which is always featured in the resort’s promotional material. It’s a tough green to hit with its big false front and bunkers tight to its sides. But its greatest virtue is its perfectly landscaped setting. They don’t always get it right, but the PR people certainly chose a good hole to represent this place.
I think Bandon Trails continues to make most world top 100 lists, but it’s usually near the bottom. I don’t know why. I’d bet that this is a world top 40 or 50 course. There are no weak holes, several world class ones, and it’s just a beautiful work of landscape architecture. I haven’t seen Sand Hills or Friar’s Head, but this was easily the best of the 6 or 8 Coore-Crenshaw courses that I have seen. And it seems like the consensus at Bandon is that it’s one of the top two courses there. Many think it’s the best. I can certainly understand that. Really, it’s hard to come up with arguments against this course. And given how beautiful it is, how perfect the details and the finishing are, I’m not sure why anyone would want to try.
RSS Feed