Top Links Golf Courses in the UK

Cockle Dick's Lane, Southport, Lancashire  

Hesketh, created in 1885, is the oldest club in the prolific Southport area, on a nature reserve that attracts seabirds and other wildlife to the half-links, half-parkland... more

East Links, Dunbar, East Lothian  

Dunbar East Links is situated on the estuary of the Firth of Forthc – a mixture inland turf and links on a slither of land along the coast. The Old Deer Park wall spans the... more

Balcomie Clubhouse, Crail, Fife  

Crail's Balcomie Links is set along the Fife coastline and several holes run alongside the sea and and rocky outcrops of the Firth foreshore which come into play at the... more

Ganton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire  

Golf was first played at Ganton, in the Vale of Pickering between York and Scarborough, in 1891 on a former inlet from the North Sea and the natural sandy subsoil was an ideal... more

Le Chemin au Greve, Grouville, Jersey  

Only a few of Royal Jersey's par four are over 400 yards and the course is just over 6,120 yards but it is a challenging test of links golf. There are two par fives in the... more

Links Lane, Hayling Island, Hampshire  

A spectacular links considered the best on the south coast although it opens with a 170-yard par three and an ordinary par five before the more memorable holes soon come into... more

Station Road, Aberdovey, Gwynedd  

Aberdovey is a traditional nine-out, nine-in links course. The real defence of the 6,710 yard course that wends through sand dunes is the wind which is often a gentle zephyr... more

Hall Road West, Blundellsands, Liverpool, Merseyside  

West Lancashire is the oldest golf club in Lancashire, founded in 1873, a perfect example of seaside golf. This great links course measures 6,768 yards, and is set in natural... more

Harlech, Gwynedd  

Formed in 1894, the Royal St. David's championship links, situated in the dunes between Harlech Castle and the sea, has become one of the great British challenges. The 6,629... more

Duncur Road, Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian  

Muirfield, home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, on the East Lothian coast is a regular Open venue and one of the toughest links in Britain. Old Tom Morris,... more

Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute  

Not to be confused with the nine-hole Machrie Bay on the Isle of Arran, Machrie was laid out in 1891 by Willie Campbell and modified by Donald Steel in the late 1970s, but he... more

Bradshaws Lane, Ainsdale, Southport, Merseyside  

Southport and Ainsdale, tucked among the dunes on the North West Lancashire coast, hosted the Ryder Cup in 1933 and 1937. Designed by James Braid and opened in 1906, the... more

The Clubhouse, Convent Road, Broadstairs, Kent  

North Foreland has views of the sea from every tee and every green. A free running chalk-based course, it's playable all year round course and at 6,436 yards there is mix of... more

Cummertrees, Annan, Dumfries & Galloway  

At the end of the Solway Firth is Powfoot, one of the area's best but least well-known courses. Laid out by James Braid in 1903, it weaves its way along the Firth on... more

Codrington, Bristol, Gloucestershire  

Designer Adrian Stiff, a co-owner, created his toughest test to date in 2002 with six tees offering distances between a monster 7,663 yards to a user-friendly 5,919. A... more

The Clubhouse, Budnic Hill, Perranporth, Cornwall  

A rugged, classic James Braid design links that demands precise distance judgement and control with spectacular views over Perranporth beach. A profusion of blind shots can... more

Gailes, Irvine, Ayrshire  

Western Gailes is unusual layout in that the clubhouse is centrally located. The first four holes head north, the next nine holes head straight back along the coastline... more

Pilmour House, St Andrews, Fife  

The Eden, a par 70, 6,195-yard lay-out running along the Eden Estuary, was the fourth course constructed at St Andrews in 1914 by Harry Colt. Easier than the other three links... more

Golf Links Road, Westward Ho!, Bideford, Devon  

The oldest links course in Britain, designed by Tom Morris and the former home of J H Taylor, Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! is an antiquity, a unique, charming links with... more

Golf Road, Tayport, Fife  

Scotscraig is only 15 minutes from the Old Course at St Andrews and displays much the same characteristics. The most memorable hole is the par four fourth. While it is just... more

Belvedere Road, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire  

Bridlington Golf Club is an easy walking, 6638 yard course, with some of the finest greens in the area. With thousands of trees screening the fairways, six water features and... more

Links Road, Budleigh Salterton, Devon  

East Devon provides superb coastal views as far as Portland Bill in Dorset on a fine day. A course both demanding and fair, the fairways are generous but a wayward drive will... more

Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute  

Machrihanish has a renowned 18 hole links and a nine hole ladies course. It also has one of the best opening holes in golf according to many who know and when you face the... more

Lon Golff, Morfa Nefyn, Pwllheli, Gwynedd  

A dramatic cliff top course overlooking the Irish Sea that is visible from every spectacular hole. Extended from nine to 18 holes in 1912, then J H Taylor and James Braid... more

Braunton, Devon  

Place Saunton’s West course anywhere else than adjacent to the breathtaking East and it would earn a reputation all its own. Originally laid out in the mid-1930s, it was... more

Meols Drive, Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside  

Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake has staged major tournaments throughout its long history including eleven Open Championships and many amateur events. The Club is proud... more

Brancaster, King's Lynn, Norfolk  

Royal West Norfolk or Brancaster as it's also known is, like nearby Hunstanton, a genuine links course. Brancaster has amazing dark-faced sleeper bunkers and salt marshes and... more

Blackwater, Isle of Arran, Ayrshire  

Shiskine is a most unusual course. Originally nine holes designed by Willie Fernie it became 18 after Willie Park was commissioned to extend the course. Six of the new holes... more

Seabank Road, Nairn, Highland  

Nairn is one of the most spectacular seaside courses in Scotland. The sea is in play on six of the first seven holes and the fifth is one of the best - a terrific 390-yard par... more

Maidens Road, Turnberry, Ayrshire  

Turnberry's second course Kintyre is Donald Steel's re-vamp of the old Arran course and opened for play in 2001 and it is much more than a make over. With some new land... more

Tees Road, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, Durham  

There are 22 holes at Seaton Carew, a lovely course in the industrial Teesside region and are a number of playing options. The Old course, an out and back layout, is the... more

2 Southgate Road, Southgate, Swansea Area  

Pennard’s cliff-top links, founded in 1908 on the dramatic landscape of the Gower Peninsula, boasts arresting views across to the beautiful sandy beaches. Parts of the course... more

Maidens Road, Turnberry, Ayrshire  

The Turnbury Ailsa course with superb views across to the Isles of Arran, Turnberry, with its distinctive and imposing hotel and lighthouse, is a delight. Unusually for a... more

Links Gate, St Annes on Sea, Lancashire  

Avoiding the 200 bunkers is the essential requirement to play well at Royal Lytham and St Annes, created by the club’s first professional George Lowe in 1886 and modified by... more

West Links Road, Gullane, East Lothian  

Gullane 3 is the shortest of the three courses – 5,252 yards, par 68, and the least expensive, two-thirds the price of Gullane 1. But it has all the characteristics of its... more

Fort Island, Derbyhaven, Castletown, Isle of Man  

Bounded by the sea on three sides with spectacular views from every tee, the 432 yard 17th at Castletown with the tee on the cliff edge and a gully running across the fairway... more

2 Links Road, Prestwick, Ayrshire  

A plaque revealing that Prestwick, founded in 1851 as a 12-hole course with Old Tom Morris as “Keeper of the Green”, hosted the first Open in 1860 where it stayed until it... more

Mumbles, Swansea, Swansea Area  

There are great views and there are great golf courses, rarely do they come together with such perfection as they do at Langland Bay. High above the golden Gower sand is a... more

Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire  

Murcar Links has undergone alterations recently which has stretched the layout to 6,560 yards. Originally designed by Archie Simpson and revised by James Braid, it is located... more

Rossdhu HouseLuss, Alexandria, Argyll & Bute  

Designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf in 1993 Loch Lomond, on the banks of the largest expanse of fresh water in Britain, is an exclusive private members’ club that ranks... more

Golf Road, Formby, Merseyside  

Formby has developed over the years in to a truly great links. The original 18 hole course was redesigned by Willie Park and James Braid also had a hand in more changes in the... more

Church Lane, Lelant, St Ives, Cornwall  

West Cornwall dates from 1889 as the oldest in Cornwall and started as a nine-hole course on natural land beside the sea at Lelant, overlooking the Atlantic and St Ives Bay.... more

Colchester Road, Tolleshunt Knights, Maldon, Essex  

Crowne Plaza Resort Colchester - Five Lakes is set in 320 acres of unspoiled Essex countryside and hosts two contrasting and mature 18 hole parkland courses which have gained... more

Sandwich Bay, Sandwich, Kent  

Gene Sarazen won the Open in 1932 at Princes offering spectacular links golf in the Kent links belt with panoramic views across the course and Pegwell Bay dating from 1906.... more

Cliffe Terrace, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire  

Ashburnham’s lay-out is virtually the same today as it was when the reknown J H Taylor’s designing skills were employed in 1910 to alter a course that was created 14 years... more

Thurlestone, Kingsbridge, Devon  

Perched on top of a cliff overlooking the sea on a coastal strip of downland turf, Thurlestone has been compared to Pebble Beach in California. Designed by Harry S Colt in... more

Drummond Road, Skegness, Lincolnshire  

Seacroft is a superb Links course with a traditional out and back layout with tight rolling fairways, pot bunkers and several blind shots. Those pot bunkers number 75 which... more

Pilmour House, St Andrews, Fife  

The Castle Course is the seventh course to join St Andrews portfolio. Open to the public and ready for play in 2008. The course was designed by David McLay Kidd on a site... more

St Christopher’s Way, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset  

Burnham and Berrow, a great links on the Somerset coast created by Alister Mackenzie and Harry Colt, has hosted almost every major amateur championship. In 2011, Burnham has... more

The Clubhouse, Hastings Road, Hillside, Southport, Merseyside  

There are many similarities between Hillside, covering 6,800 yards, and the adjoining Royal Birkdale on the sandhills of Southport. Exposed to the wind from the Irish Sea, it... more