Top Courses in Europe

From the roots of the game in Scotland over to mainland countries such as France, this list features the best courses in all of Europe; UK and Continental Europe combined.

Top 10 Courses

1. Old Head Golf Links (Ron Kirby, Paddy Merrigan, Liam Higgins, Eddie Hackett, Dr. Joe Carr, and Haulie O'Shea 1997; Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland)*
2. Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) (Willie Fernie 1902 (Redesigns by MacKenzie Ross 1951 and MartHawtree 2016); Ayrshire, Scotland, Scotland)*
3. Ballybunion Golf Club (Old) (Tom Simpson 1936; Ballybunion, Co. Kerry, Ireland)*
4. Royal County Down (Championship Links) (Old Tom Morris 1890; Newcastle, Co. Down, Ireland)*
5. Royal Dornoch (Championship) (Old Tom Morris 1886 (original holes 1877); Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland, Scotland)*
6. Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce) (Harry S. Colt 1929; Portrush, Co. Antrim, Ireland)*
7. Cruden Bay Golf Club (Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler 1926 (1899 Old Tom Morris); Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Scotland)*
8. Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) (Willie Park Jr. In 1900; Sunningdale, Berkshire, England)*
9. Kingsbarns Golf Links (Kyle Phillips 2000; St Andrews, Scotland, Scotland)*
10. Castle Stuart Golf Links (Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen 2009; Inverness, Scotland, Scotland)*

Courses 11–20

11. Tralee Golf Club (Arnold Palmer 1984; Ardfert, Co. Kerry, Ireland)*
12. Royal Porthcawl Golf Club (Ramsay Hunter 1895 (Harry Colt 1913, F.G. Hawtree & J.H. Taylor 1925, Tom Simpson 1933, MartEbert current); Porthcawl , Wales)*
13. Swinley Forest Golf Club (Harry S. Colt 1909; Winkfield Row, Ascot, England)
14. Koninklijke Haagsche Golf & Country Club aka Royal Hague (H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison 1939; Wassenaar, South Holland, Netherlands)*
15. Hollinwell Home of Notts Golf Club (Willie Park Jr. 1901 (Tom Williamson 1910); Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottingham, England)*
16. Lahinch Golf Club (Alister MacKenzie 1928; Lahinch, Co. Clare, Ireland)*
17. St Andrews Links (Old) (Old Tom Morris 1865; St Andrews, Fife, Scotland)*
18. North Berwick Golf Club (West Links) (Ben Sayers 1932 (1832 6 holes, David Strath shaped 1877); North Berwick, Scotland, Scotland)*
19. Waterville Golf Links (John A. Mulcahy, Claude Harmon, and Eddie Hackett 1973, Tom Fazio 2002; Waterville, Co. Kerry, Ireland)*
20. St. Georges Hill (Red & Blue) (Harry S. Colt 1912; Weybridge, Surrey, England)*

Courses 21–30

21. Sunningdale Golf Club (New) (Harry S. Colt 1923; Sunningdale, Berkshire, England)*
22. St Enodoc Golf Club (Church) (James Braid 1907 (Original 27 holes 1890, James Braid 1922, Tom Simpson 1930); Wadebridge, England)*
23. Royal St. Georges Golf Club (William Laidlaw Purves 1887; Kent, Sandwich, England)*
24. Alwoodley Golf Club (Alister MacKenzie 1907; Leeds, England)*
25. County Sligo Golf Club aka Rosses Point (Harry S. Colt 1927; Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, Ireland)*
26. Muirfield - The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Old Tom Morris 1891; Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, Scotland)*
27. Royal Birkdale Golf Club (George Lowe 1897 (F.G. Hawtree & J.H. Taylor 1920s); Southport , England)*
28. Trump International Golf Links Scotland (MartHawtree 2012; Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Scotland)*
29. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (Henry Hunter 1892 (James Braid 1919 and Guy Campbell 1946); Deal, Kent, England)*
30. Enniscrone Golf Club (Eddie Hackett 1974; Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, Ireland)*

Courses 31–40

31. St Andrews Links (Castle) (David McLay Kidd 2008; St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, Scotland)*
32. Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship) (Old Tom Morris 1867 (10 holes 1839 Allan Robertson, 1926 James Braid); Carnousite, Scotland, Scotland)*
33. Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin) (Harry Vardon 1905 (Harry Colt 1911, S.V. Hotchk1920s); Woodhall Spa, England)*
34. Royal Lytham & St Annes (George Lowe 1898 (Harry Colt 1919); Lytham St Annes, Lytham Saint Annes, England)
35. Royal Liverpool Golf Club Hoylake (George Morris & Robert Chambers 1871 (Original 9 holes 1869, Harry Colt 1920s); Hoylake, Wirral, England)*
36. Rye Golf Club (Old) (Harry S. Colt 1894 (Tom Simpson 1932 and Guy Campbell 1938); Rye, East Sussex, England)*
37. Utrecht Golf Club De Pan (Harry S. Colt 1929; Bosch en Duin, Utrecht, Netherlands)*
38. County Louth Golf Club aka Baltray (Tom Simpson 1938; Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland)*
39. European Club, The (Pat Ruddy 1987; Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow, Ireland)*
40. Renaissance Club, The (Tom Doak 2008; North Berwick, Scotland)

Courses 41–50

41. Walton Heath Golf Club (Old) (Herbert Fowler 1903 (Charles Gibson 1891 original 9 holes, Herbert Fowler 1910, C.H. Alison and Alister MacKenzie 1923); Walton-on-the-Hill, Tadworth, England)*
42. Les Bordes Golf Club (New) (Gil Hanse 2021; Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Loiret, France)
43. Carne Golf Links (Hackett 18 and Kilmore 9) (Eddie Hackett 1992 (original 18), Jim Engh and Ally McIntosh 2013 (Kilmore 9); Belmullet, Co. Mayo, Ireland)*
44. Bernardus Golf (Kyle Phillips 2018; Cromvoirt, North Brabant, Netherlands)
45. Prestwick Golf Club (Old Tom Morris 1851; Prestwick, Scotland, Scotland)*
46. Dundonald Links (Kyle Phillips 2003; Troon, Scotland, Scotland)*
47. Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg (Greg Norman 2002; Doonbeg, Co. Clare, Ireland)*
48. Royal Aberdeen Golf Club (Archie and Robert Simpson 1888 and James Braid 1925; Aberdeen, Scotland, Scotland)*
49. JCB Golf & Country Club (RobHiseman 2019; Rocester, Uttoxeter, England)
50. K Club, The (Arnold Palmer 1991; Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland)*

Courses 51–60

51. Royal Troon Golf Club (Old) (George Strath and Willie Fernie 1888 (original five holes 1878; James Braid redesign 1923); Ayrshire, Scotland, Scotland)*
52. West Sussex Golf Club (Guy Campbell & Cecil Hunter 1931; Storrington, Pulborough , England)*
53. Berkshire Golf Club (Red), The (Harry S. Colt 1923; Winkfield Row, Ascot, England)*
54. Fontainebleau Golf Club (Tom Simpson 1919; Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France)
55. Portmarnock Golf Club (Championship/Old) (William Pickerman and George Ross 1894; Portmarnock, Co. Dublin, Ireland)*
56. Les Bordes Golf Club (Old) (Robert Von Hagge 1986; Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Loiret, France)
57. Saunton Golf Club (East) (Herbert Fowler 1919 (Original 9 holes 1897; up to 18 holes 1908, C.K. Cotton 1950s); , England)*
58. Royal St. Davids Golf Club (Harold Finch-Hatton 1894; Harlech, Wales)
59. Trump Turnberry (King Robert the Bruce) (MartEbert 2017 (Originally designed as the Kintyre course by Donald Steel 2001); Ayrshire, Scotland, Scotland)*
60. Nairn Golf Club (Archie Simpson 1887 (Later alterations by Old Tom Morris, James Braid, and Ben Sayers); Nairn, Scotland, Scotland)*

Courses 61–64

61. Chantilly Golf Club (Vineuil) (Tom Simpson 1909; Vineuil-Saint-Firmin, Oise, France)*
62. Littlestone Golf Club (William Laidlaw Purves 1888 (James Braid 1900s and Alister MacKenzie 1920s); Littlestone, New Romney, England)*
63. Aberdovey Golf Club (James Braid 1892 (Herbert Fowler 1893, Harry Colt 1910); Aberdyfi, Aberdovey, Wales)*
64. Royal Antwerp Golf Club (Tom Simpson 1930; Kapellen, Belgium, Belgium)*