Much effort goes into ranking the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 golf courses every two years. But just below the rarefied atmosphere of what we consider the best of the best lie a further 100 courses nipping very closely at their heels in some cases.
None of our Next 100 courses will disappoint and, of course, some golfers will say a number of them very much deserve a place in our premier league.
We don’t actually rank our Next 100 courses numerically for the honest reason that we readily admit we just don’t have the resources to undertake a full assessment of any more than our current Top 100 plus the 30-40 courses from our Next 100 that we feel have the best chance of one day breaking through.
This leaves you free to come up with your own ranking order if you so desire, but in the meantime, I will attempt to apply some degree of differentiation by picking out my ten personal favourites from the current Golf Monthly Next 100 list.
By starting close to my West Sussex home just across the border into East Sussex, some might accuse me of whatever the geographic equivalent of nepotism is. My response would be that surely it’s only right that you love, at least in some way, any course at which you have been a member?
Crowborough Beacon and Royal Ashdown Forest’s Old course lie just eight miles apart and, historically, most would have rated the latter above the former. Having been a member of Crowborough for eight years a decade ago and now an artisan member at Ashdown, I’m not sure it’s as clear-cut as that.
Both rank among the UK&I's finest heathland courses playing over rolling countryside with splendid views, right down to the South Downs in Crowborough’s case.
I never tired of playing Crowborough, other than perhaps having to face the toughest finishing hole in Sussex on a weekly basis, and only really left as my circumstances changed and I wasn’t 100% sure what my income would look like going forwards.
But the decision was made, and, in some ways, it was very sensible, for Crowborough is 25 minutes from home and Ashdown only five.
Main club membership would be unaffordable for me at Ashdown, but two years ago I signed up for the artisan club and am thoroughly enjoying it. Ashdown’s equivalent of Crowborough’s long par-4 18th comes a hole earlier on the 17th, a mere 486-yard par 4 off the tips. Mercifully, the drive does at least land on a downslope (if accurate), although the green is still a daunting target from any range.
I’m going to sit on the fence and reserve judgment as to which is the better and head a little further west to Hampshire for the heathland beauty at Blackmoor and then Hayling, a rare true links along the south coast.
I’d played the former a handful of times over the years and thought it was decent enough, but a game last year following completion of a Tim Lobb renovation showed me that the course had now been elevated to a new level both strategically and visually, with some very strong bunkering headlining the changes.
It looked a picture on what was, admittedly, a beautiful day for golf. There’s no doubt it has edged closer to fully emerging from the shadows cast by some of its illustrious heathland neighbours at Liphook, Hankley Common and Hindhead.
As for Hayling, many may be surprised at just how little true links golf there is once you’ve moved west from the three Open Championship clubs in Sandwich and Deal, and passed Littlestone, the one-of-a-kind, old-school links at Rye and Littlehampton, where a number of the holes play over pure links terrain.
Hayling is the standout exception, offering a wonderful true links experience on an island accessed via a bridge just south of the A27 not far from Portsmouth.
It starts with a par 3 and ends with a run of strong holes – very strong in the wrong wind – but it is perhaps the middle part of the round that really shines, from the par-3 5th, with its hard-to-hit green, round to the par-5 14th.
Despite what my colleague, Rob Smith, might tell you, there is no truth in the rumour that Hayling is only on my list because on our last outing there I somehow managed to make two eagles in four holes – it’s far too good a course anyway to allow such shallowness to prevail (the par-5 7th and short par-4 10th, in case you’re interested!).
Let’s head further west now to Devon, Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. I confess I knew precious little about East Devon Golf Club until my first game at this Herbert Fowler course in Budleigh Salterton a few years back.
It’s one of the undoubted stars of the south Devon strip, perched atop the distinctive red cliffs on this beautiful stretch of the Jurassic Coast. It offers enviable variety among its holes, which blend a strong heathland feel in places with occasional more tree-lined, tighter-feeling tests such as the 7th and then a splendid run for home following the cliffs.
The Nicklaus course at St Mellion just across the border into Cornwall has certainly divided opinion over the years, mainly on account of its well-reported difficulty.
I’ve played it a few times and, while conceding that it is, indeed, a stern test, for me there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had in at least giving it a go, even if it gets the better of you.
Its hard-man reputation stems from the steeply sloping terrain, but it is as unrelentingly beautiful as it is demanding and you’ll come away with vivid memories of the splendid holes Nicklaus carved out of the rolling Cornish countryside, among them the 3rd, 4th, and 14th, cut dramatically into the slopes.
Switching to Wales, I’ve savoured several enjoyable visits to the links at Tenby, sometimes staying in the on-site dormy house that has been extended and upgraded in recent times.
For the most part, this is links golf at its purest, with the rumpled terrain adding to the enjoyment of those able to see both sides of the rogue bounce debate! Excellent and varied holes dart this way and that all the way out to the stunning 9th tee where the views back along the South Beach to the ancient walled town are wonderful.
Venturing up to Lancashire, Pleasington is a course I’d heard about but never played until a few years ago. I was hugely impressed, especially with the holes from the 6th to the 11th the other side of the railway, where its heathland credentials are at their strongest.
But that first visit more or less coincided with the club embarking on an improvement programme christened ‘Good2Great’ under the guidance of architect, Ken Moodie. Subsequent visits have revealed more rich treasures as hole after hole has been improved, especially the unique, split-level par-5 7th and superb par 3 that follows.
My selections thus far might bely the fact that I’m an avowed links lover at heart, but I’m hoping it also shows I can still be open-minded when asked to select personal favourites from a specific list.
We’re back to the links for Kilspindie, though, a lovely little course next to a vast expanse of sand and a bird sanctuary near Aberlady in East Lothian.
It’s shorter than other courses nearby, but well defended by well-placed bunkers on its seemingly drivable par 4s, of which there are several, among them the 4th, a straightforward-looking hole off the tee, where the approach up and over mounds is far from a picnic even if only chip-and-run distance away. Don’t let Kilspindie’s modest yardage put you off – it’s a great little course
Finally, it's across the Irish sea to the Nick Faldo course at Lough Erne. I often feel the true test of a course’s quality is how well you can mentally work your way round the layout some time after playing it and here I still have almost total recall, even though my last game was some years ago.
Some have labelled it Northern Ireland’s Loch Lomond, and while the sentiment is understandable, for me the two feel very different, with Lough Erne a little less enclosed and with more wide-ranging views.
You may well now be shouting at the screen, “How could you not include this course?” and that’s absolutely fine for we’re all different, aren’t we, with our own preferences and tastes. And that, surely, is the beauty of it all when it comes to favourite golf courses.
Jeremy Ellwood’s Golf Monthly Next 100 picks
Where are they and what are his favourite holes at each?
Blackmoor, Hampshire
Par-3 9th – gorgeous short hole playing slightly up to an attractively bunkered green.
Crowborough Beacon, East Sussex
Par-5 14th – generous driving hole with fine views on its downhill approach over heather.
East Devon, Devon
Par-4 17th – clifftop beauty where the drive must stay short of a heathery downslope.
Hayling, Hampshire
Par-4 12th – strong hole with a slightly raised green, handsomely framed by shallow dunes.
Kilspindie, East Lothian
Par-3 8th – lovely little hole called Gosford Bay, where you may end up if you push it over the adjacent fence.
Lough Erne, County Fermanagh
Par-5 16h – a fine long hole that plays from a launchpad tee close to Castle Hume Lough.
Pleasington, Lancashire
Par-3 8th – magnificent uphill par 3 towards the now more visible railway viaduct it’s named after.
Royal Ashdown, East Sussex
Par-5 12th – the longest par 5 but sometimes the most reachable due to its topography.
St Mellion (Nicklaus), Cornwall
Par-3 11th – beautiful hole playing downhill over water to a shallow green from up to 202 yards
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
Par-4 3rd – modest in length but its raised, plateau green is hard to find even with a wedge.
