Top Links Golf Courses in the UK

Peter McEvoy was the last architect to make adjustments to the magnificent St Enodoc championship links overlooking the Camel Estuary on the North Cornwall coast that has hosted numerous British and English championships, following James Braid who... 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

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

Pyle and Kenfig, 6,728 yards, par 71 off the back tees, is a course of two distinct halves with the back nine set amongst towering dunes with stunning views of Welsh mountains, the bay and the Bristol Channel. Mackenzie Ross used traditional... more

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 but can also be ferocious. Many national championships are regularly held... more

The Jubilee opened in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, is set on a sliver of land between the New Course and the sea. Elevated tees allow perfect vision of the gorse, pot bunkers and some narrow landing targets. A 6,742-yard par... 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

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 restored by Frank Pennink in 1975. Shorter than the West at 6,403 yards par 71,... 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

Seaton Carew Golf Club is the 10th oldest in England and was founded in 1874. Located on a stretch of windswept land to the north of the River Tees the course is renowned for its quick draining sandy soil and tightly mown fairways.... more

Gullane Hill is home to three outstanding courses built in 1898 and constructed on and around the mini-mountain. Gullane No 2 runs alongside No 1 - the acknowledged championship and Open qualifying course - for the first seven holes and also borders... 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

Monifieth Medal is the major of the two courses - the lesser is the 5,100 yard Ashludie, while 6,650 yard Medal course is used as an Open Championship qualifying venue. It is the most westerly of three renowned links on the Angus coastline, the... more

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 added nine more in 1933, although only 26 holes are now in play, featuring 10... more

Make your score going out as the opening nine are played with the prevailing South West wind at your back. Concludes with three tough holes. The 470-yard 16th is followed by one of the best par threes in the country played from an elevated tee to a... 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

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

Machrihanish Dunes nestles alongside the original Machrihanish course completed by old Tom Morris in 1879, was designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2009. A classic links with spectacular views, it is kept in harmony with nature and provides the... more

Heacham Manor Hotel is the first golf hotel in the West Norfolk area, and the Championship length 18-hole golf course is a challenging course with some of the best greens in the area. The Course is designed in a links style and will challenge all... 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

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 helps protect the 6,492 yard lay-out it is a narrow site which means straight... more

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. Operated as three nines, linked by a clubhouse constructed in 1995. The... more

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 on a classic stretch of links land with massive sand dunes, undulating... 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

Moray is considered to be one of the finest links courses in Scotland. The Old course designed by Old Tom Morris, it has deep revetted bunkers, gorse lined fairways and fast greens with seven par fours over 400 yards contributing to its 6,991 yard... 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

One of the finest Championship Links courses in Britain and currently ranked 5th best course in Wales, Ashburnham has hosted prestigious professional and amateur Championships, including two British PGA Championships and the 1976 Martini... 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

The 520-acre five star Fairmont St Andrews resort with its lavish and stunning surroundings, peaceful setting with spectacular cliff top views of St Andrews and the North Sea boasts two championship 18 hole golf courses ‘The Torrance’ and ‘The... 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

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

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

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

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

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 seaside terrain with immaculate greens. Eleven of the holes measure over... 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

Royal Porthcawl, founded in 1891, ranks firmly among the world's top golf courses, a reputation sustained by the many prestigious professional and amateur events held there. The first four holes and the last six are true links, but the holes in the... more

Berwick-upon-Tweed Golf Club, known as Goswick, designed by James Braid in 1890 and later modified by Frank Pennick, is the most northerly course in England. It is a classic links stretching to 6800 yards and is relatively flat with areas of dunes... 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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

Lundin has everything you'd expect from a links course - blind shots, loads of bunkers, out-of-bounds, great greens -and wind. There are several memorable holes on the 6,371-yard par 71 layout, notably three in a row alongside the beach starting at... more

North Berwick dominates the town, stretching above the beach on the Firth of Forth offering exquisite sea views across to Craigleith Island and Bass Rock. The 13th oldest golf club and the second oldest course in the world still playing over its... 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