Top Links Golf Courses in the UK

Founded in 1891 with the original lay out revised and extended to 18 holes by James Braid, the River Hun and the Wash frame a narrow strip of links land of the out and back course situated on either side of a dune ridge. Measuring 6,760 yards from... more

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 closely connected with St Andrews for many hundreds of years. St Andrews town... more

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 big brother – and the No 2 course – although the rough is probably less... more

Kilmarnock (Barassie) founded in 1887, has been extended to 27 holes, the new nine known as the Hillhouse blend in perfectly. A par 72 Open qualifying course of 6,817 yards from the back is now a stringent test requiring a full range of shots. An... more

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 the unique distinction of hosting the Brobazon and the R&A British Boys in... more

Come and enjoy the welcome, the challenge and the wonderful scenery at Conwy Golf Club, voted the Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2007 and venue for the Wales Seniors Open in 2007, 2008 and 2012 when the likes of Ian Woosnam, Barry Lane and Tony... more

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 four which requires a straight drive - anything right is on the beach - to... more

Saunton, located on the beautiful unspoilt North Devon coast on the edge of Bideford Bay, boasts two classic links courses. The East, laid out in 1897, is the original course and stages major British and English amateur championships. It funnels... more

Silloth sets a premium on being able to drive the ball well and with heather, whins and broom and some strong bunkering, the fairways seem narrower than they are. The course has stunning views of the Galloway Hills, Lakeland fells and the distant... more

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 has not tampered too much with the original links course retaining numerous... more

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 are well above sea level but it is a James Braid-designed links of quality,... more

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 fell into neglect during the first World War leaving now a 12-hole links on... more

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 track set amid Victorian villas. Holes run through high sand dunes and then... more

Mullion on the Lizard Peninsula is the most southerly course on mainland Britain where golf has been played since 1895. The cliff-top course with breathtaking views on Gwills Towans, a mile from the traditional small Cornish town with narrow, winding... more

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 place to develop a course. Ganton has hosted a succession of major amateur... more

Montrose Medal course is the fifth oldest course in the world and the course was unique in that it was played over 25 holes before Old Tom Morris made alterations in 1901 followed two years later by Willie Park Junior. The course is in an unusual... more

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 Harry Colt. Surrounded by housing and flanked by a railway line, it is not... more

6,000-yard Harry Colt layout on top of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic at Cornwall's most popular seaside resort, is a mecca for holidaymakers in the summer. Constructed in 1890, the clubhouse is a white castle-like listed building erected in... more

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 second, fourth and fifth - ominously called Hell's Hole - where you must make up... more

With views across the Dornoch Firth, Tain's setting is dramatic with the estuary on one side and the mountains of Easter Ross on the other. John Sutherland revised the layout, but there are still 11 of Old Tom Morris's greens in use on the 6,404 yard... more

One of Norfolk’s finest cliff-top courses, a gorse-clad challenge between the historic North Norfolk Railway running alongside the 16th and 17th holes and the North Sea. Outstanding views, notably on the third, fifth and seventh that stretch along... more

Harry Colt’s first design in 1894, later modified by Tom Simpson and Sir Guy Campbell, Rye is a fiendishly difficult course. The unpredictable and fierce winds and a fascinating variety of stances necessary for shot-making create difficulty, despite... more

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 yards from the championship tees feature a series of long demanding par four... more

Golf on this former Open Qualifying course has been played dating back to 1846 on parts of these links with the current configuration coming into being in 1909 with input from Tom Morris. Leven Links is steeped in history not least because it is... more

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 first three holes including the first which is only 476 yards but the third is... more

Luffness New is located on the A198 just past Aberlady heading east. The course, originally designed by Old Tom Morris, dates from 1894 despite the 'new' in the title. Luffness is a challenging traditional links course measuring 6,502 yds with a par... more

Few courses have a better setting than La Moye's 6,664 yard lay-out which boasts sand hills, pot bunkers, gorse and punishing rough with stunning views of St Ouen's Bay and the sister Channel Islands of Guernsey, Sark, Herm and Jethou especially from... more

Dundonald Links, situated only 40 minutes from Glasgow and 5 minutes from Prestwick Airport, on Scotland’s stunning Ayrshire coast, has quickly become recognised as one of Europe’s “must play” courses. Ranked one of Scotland’s best links, Dundonald... more

One of the classic links, once on the Open rota, the wind plays its role and, on a fierce day, the tough back nine into the elements make it a frightening experience. The opening holes provide the best scoring chances but avoid the massive bunkers... more

Bounded by the sea on three sides with spectacular views from every tee, Castletown Links in the Isle of Man is a golfer's paradise. Highlights include the 432-yard 17th with the tee on the cliff edge and a gully running across the fairway - it was... more

Wallasey, originally designed by Tom Morris Senior in 1891, is a traditional links of 6,607 yards situated in the Wirral peninsula overlooking Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea with undulating fairways, sand dunes and almost inevitably a stiff... more

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 earlier. It has always been one of the toughest links courses in Wales,... more

Think of Royal Troon, 7,079 yards with par of 71, stretching along the Firth of Clyde with spectacular views of the Ailsa Craig and hills on Isle of Arran, and the short Postage Stamp hole comes to mind. It is one of the most famous in the world on... more

Trevose overlooking Constantine Bay in North Cornwall is a majestic links overlooking the North Cornwall coast. Owned by the Gammon family and designed by architect Harry S. Colt in 1925, the championship course holds major Cornwall county and... more

The oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. The Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker are recognised across the globe, yet the greatest feature of the Old Course is that despite its grand status it remains a public golf course, open to all.... more

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 play. The sixth, a 434-yard par four bisected by a water hazard that runs... more

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 is often cut off by tidal flooding. The third, at 407 yards, is a classic... more

Originally nine holes in 1888, extended to 18 in 1907,Tenby is classic, rugged links on the Pembrokeshire coast with superb views over the Irish Sea to Caldey Island. There are few more natural course than Tenby that runs out and back. Tenby Golf... more

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. The present site was developed in 1921. A true seaside course with fine turf... more

Southerndown, a combination of links, downland and heathland perched high overlooking Porthcawl, the Bristol Channel and a beautiful Welsh landscape, is invariably open to winds of varying strengths. Rolling tree-less slopes, yielding soft... more

Originally known as the Society of Golfers at Aberdeen, founded in 1780, the sixth oldest golf club in the world is a traditional out and back links running along the shore of the North Sea. The first hole heads straight for the sea from the... more

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 make life difficult for first-timers despite marker posts and boards perched... more

A permanent fixture on The Open rota and host to the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup and the Ryder Cup, undoubtedly one of the finest links courses in England. Became Royal Birkdale in 1951. A plaque on the 16th hole commemorates Arnold Palmer's great... more

Records show that the natural landscape that defines golf in Dornoch has hosted golfers since 1616 and the club, which was formed in 1877, has has now been a Royal club for over 100 years! Tom Watson, 5 times Open Champion, an honorary member said... more

Fraserburgh Golf Club is one of Scotland’s oldest clubs and was founded in 1777 although records show a form of golf was played there as early as 1613. The present par 70, 6,308-yard Corbie Hill course was shaped by James Braid in 1922, 31 years... more

Arguably the toughest links course in Britain. The Open Championship has been held here on 7 occasions, most recently in 2007. The present golf course was fashioned in 1850 by Alan Robertson of St Andrews. Gorse, broom, open ditches, pot bunkers on... more

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 passing the clubhouse and the closing five holes head north again along the... more

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 1920s while minor changes were introduced by Hawtree and Taylor in 1933,... more

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 be punished. There are many public footpaths on and around the course so... more

The sounds of the sea and birds follow you as the course snakes around a spectacular coastline overlooking the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock, one of the world's largest bird sanctuaries, on the Edinburgh Golf Coast, at North Berwick. The sea borders... more