All Links Courses

Royal County Down

Widely regarded as the world's greatest links, set against the stunning backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1889

Royal Dornoch

A remote Highland gem considered by many to be the most natural links on earth, dating back to the 16th century.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1616

Muirfield

Perhaps the most perfectly designed links in the world — a supreme examination of shot-making and strategy.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1744

Carnoustie

The toughest links test in the world — Carnoustie demands everything you have, then asks for more.

Architect: Allan Robertson· Est. 1842

Royal Portrush

Set along the dramatic Antrim coastline near the Giant's Causeway, a true gem of Irish links golf.

Architect: H.S. Colt· Est. 1929

Ballybunion Old

Tom Watson's favourite course in the world — wild, rugged, and magnificent along the Kerry cliffs.

Architect: Patrick Murphy· Est. 1893

Kingsbarns

A modern masterpiece of links design opened in 2000, seamlessly blending with the ancient Fife coastline.

Architect: Kyle Phillips· Est. 2000

Lahinch

The 'St Andrews of Ireland' — a wild and wonderful links on Liscannor Bay with a joyful, historic character.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1892

Royal Birkdale

England's finest links — a supreme Open Championship venue amid towering dunes on the Lancashire coast.

Architect: George Lowe· Est. 1889

Old Head of Kinsale

The most spectacular setting in golf — 220 acres on a dramatic headland 100 metres above the Atlantic Ocean.

Architect: Ron Kirby· Est. 1997

North Berwick

Golf's most beloved eccentricity — the original template for every great links hole, with Fidra Island as backdrop.

Architect: David Strath· Est. 1832

Pacific Dunes

Tom Doak's masterpiece on the Oregon coast — perhaps the finest links-style course in America.

Architect: Tom Doak· Est. 2001

Cruden Bay

A hidden gem on the Aberdeenshire coast — wild, eccentric, and utterly magnificent in every way.

Architect: Tom Simpson· Est. 1926

Royal St George's

The site of the first Open Championship outside Scotland, a true test of traditional links golf in Kent.

Architect: Laidlaw Purves· Est. 1887

Waterville

One of Ireland's most spectacular and underrated links, set on the wild Kerry coastline amid breathtaking scenery.

Architect: Eddie Hackett· Est. 1889

Portmarnock

Ireland's most prestigious golf club, set on a peninsula between the Irish Sea and an estuary north of Dublin.

Architect: W.C. Pickeman· Est. 1894

Prestwick

Birthplace of The Open Championship — the most historic golf course in the world, unchanged in spirit since 1851.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1851

Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)

One of the most testing and historic links in England, where Tiger Woods won the 2006 Open with irons only.

Architect: Robert Chambers· Est. 1869

Royal West Norfolk (Brancaster)

England's most remote and atmospheric links — cut off by the tide twice daily on the North Norfolk coast.

Architect: Holcombe Ingleby· Est. 1892

St Enodoc

John Betjeman's beloved Cornish links — wild duneland beside the Camel Estuary, a hidden gem of English golf.

Architect: James Braid· Est. 1890

Ballyliffin Glashedy

Ireland's most northerly links — a raw and dramatic course on the Inishowen Peninsula beneath Glashedy Rock.

Architect: Pat Ruddy· Est. 1995

County Sligo (Rosses Point)

Beneath the shadow of Ben Bulben — a sublime links with mountain and ocean views on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way.

Architect: H.S. Colt· Est. 1894

Tralee

Arnold Palmer's masterpiece on the Barrow Peninsula — perhaps the most naturally beautiful links site in the world.

Architect: Arnold Palmer· Est. 1984

The European Club

Pat Ruddy's magnificent personal vision — 20 holes of pure links golf on the stunning Wicklow coast south of Dublin.

Architect: Pat Ruddy· Est. 1993

Nairn

A superb Highland links on the Moray Firth — flat, fast, and fiendishly difficult in the wind.

Architect: Andrew Simpson· Est. 1887

Brora

James Braid's remote Highland gem — a pure and joyful links where cattle still roam the fairways.

Architect: James Braid· Est. 1891

Bandon Dunes

The course that started the Bandon Dunes revolution — David McLay Kidd's raw, dramatic links on the Oregon coast.

Architect: David McLay Kidd· Est. 1999

Cabot Links

Canada's first true oceanside links — a thrilling course running through the town of Inverness along the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Architect: Rod Whitman· Est. 2012

Royal Melbourne West

Alister MacKenzie's greatest creation — the undisputed finest golf course in the Southern Hemisphere.

Architect: Alister MacKenzie· Est. 1926

Barnbougle Dunes

A sensational discovery on Tasmania's north coast — an authentic links above the Bass Strait from Tom Doak and Mike Clayton.

Architect: Tom Doak· Est. 2004

Cape Kidnappers

Tom Doak's most dramatic creation — fairways on narrow ridges above the Pacific, 140 metres in the sky.

Architect: Tom Doak· Est. 2004

Kennemer

Harry Colt's masterpiece among the great Dutch dunes — one of the finest and most underrated links in Continental Europe.

Architect: H.S. Colt· Est. 1927

Falsterbo

Scandinavia's greatest links — a remote peninsula at Sweden's southernmost tip, with migratory birds and Baltic vistas.

Architect: Gunnar Bauer· Est. 1909

Royal Lytham

An unusual but magnificent Open Championship links — surrounded by Victorian red-brick houses and bordered by the railway.

Architect: George Lowe Sr.· Est. 1886

Saunton East

England's most underrated links — a magnificent Herbert Fowler design through the vast Braunton Burrows dune system.

Architect: Herbert Fowler· Est. 1897

The Island

Ireland's most secluded links — accessible only by ferry across a tidal inlet north of Dublin Airport.

Architect: Fred Hawtree· Est. 1890

Carne

Eddie Hackett's final masterpiece — wild, remote, and utterly authentic links on Ireland's wild northwest coast.

Architect: Eddie Hackett· Est. 1995

Leopard Creek

Africa's most spectacular golf course — Gary Player's masterpiece bordering Kruger National Park.

Architect: Gary Player· Est. 1996

Durban Country Club

Africa's finest and most historic course — a sub-tropical links among the dunes of the Bluff above the Indian Ocean.

Architect: Laurie Waters· Est. 1922

Royal Troon

Home of the Postage Stamp — Scotland's most famous short hole on an Open Championship course of legendary difficulty.

Architect: George Strath· Est. 1878

Machrihanish Dunes

David McLay Kidd's environmental masterpiece — 259 acres of pristine duneland where he moved no more than a bucket of soil.

Architect: David McLay Kidd· Est. 2009

Tara Iti

The world's newest golf sensation — Tom Doak's private masterpiece on New Zealand's extraordinary Te Arai coast.

Architect: Tom Doak· Est. 2015

Turnberry Ailsa

Iconic Ayrshire clifftop links with lighthouse views, host to four Open Championships including the legendary 1977 Duel in the Sun.

Architect: Willie Fernie· Est. 1906

Rosapenna St Patrick's

Tom Doak's masterpiece carved through spectacular Atlantic duneland on the Rosguill Peninsula, Donegal's newest world-class links.

Architect: Tom Doak· Est. 2020

Cabot Highlands

Gil Hanse's Highland masterpiece on the shores of the Moray Firth, combining dramatic elevation changes with panoramic mountain and water views.

Architect: Gil Hanse· Est. 2009

Royal Porthcawl

The finest links course in Wales, uniquely positioned so that the sea is visible from every hole, host to the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.

Architect: Charles Gibson· Est. 1891

Royal Aberdeen

One of Scotland's oldest clubs, with a magnificent traditional out-and-back layout running along the North Sea shore.

Architect: Archie Simpson· Est. 1888

Royal Cinque Ports

A brutally tough Open Championship links on the Kent coast, notorious for its relentless back nine and strong prevailing winds.

Architect: Tommy Dunn· Est. 1892

Rye Old

Harry Colt's debut design — a deceptively short but fiendishly difficult private links on the Sussex coast, par 68 and no pushover.

Architect: Harry Colt· Est. 1894

Machrihanish

One of the most natural and romantic links in Scotland, featuring the great opening hole played across the beach of Machrihanish Bay.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1876

Western Gailes

A superb natural links squeezed between the Ayrshire railway and the Firth of Clyde, beloved by connoisseurs for its perfect turf and natural character.

Architect: Willie Park Jr· Est. 1897

Dumbarnie Links

Fife's newest links, Clive Clark's 2020 masterpiece on the Balcarres Estate with sweeping views over the Firth of Forth.

Architect: Clive Clark· Est. 2020

Silloth on Solway

England's most remote top-100 links, a Willie Park Jr gem on the Solway Firth that makes the journey more than worthwhile.

Architect: Willie Park Jr· Est. 1892

County Louth

One of Ireland's most atmospheric links, a Tom Simpson-revised classic beside the Boyne Estuary with legendary turf quality.

Architect: Tom Simpson· Est. 1892

Hillside

The underrated neighbour of Royal Birkdale, an Open qualifying venue in its own right with spectacular back nine holes through the dunes.

Architect: Fred Hawtree· Est. 1923

Formby

The prettiest of the Lancashire links, where pine-bordered fairways and towering dunes create a unique hybrid character.

Architect: Willie Park Jr· Est. 1884

The Machrie

A wild, elemental links on the Isle of Islay — blind shots, whisky distilleries, and one of Scotland's most atmospheric golfing escapes.

Architect: Willie Campbell· Est. 1891

Gullane No.1

East Lothian's finest club course with the most exquisite turf in Scotland, panoramic Firth of Forth views, and a championship pedigree.

Architect: Traditional — evolved naturally· Est. 1882

Burnham & Berrow

England's finest links in the South West, a magnificent championship course hosting Open qualifying and major amateur events.

Architect: Herbert Fowler· Est. 1890

Rosapenna Sandy Hills

Pat Ruddy's celebrated Sandy Hills Links at Rosapenna — a rugged Atlantic duneland test alongside the newer St Patrick's Links.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1893

Hunstanton

The finest links in East Anglia, a classic out-and-back course on The Wash where Curtis Cup and English amateur championships are regularly held.

Architect: George Fernie· Est. 1891

Enniscrone

Eddie Hackett's masterpiece among the giant dunes of Killala Bay — an underrated west of Ireland gem with extraordinary natural terrain.

Architect: Eddie Hackett· Est. 1918

Carnegie Links

The world's most exclusive private links — a Carnegie estate original near Royal Dornoch, open only to Carnegie Club members and their guests.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1898

Portstewart Strand

Northern Ireland's second great links, opening with seven spectacular holes through towering dunes before descending to the Bann Estuary.

Architect: Traditional· Est. 1894

Narin & Portnoo

A wild, short Donegal links on a rocky Atlantic headland — one of Ireland's most authentic and affordable golfing experiences.

Architect: Local community· Est. 1930

Pennard

A dramatic clifftop links above Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula, one of Wales's most spectacular golf settings.

Architect: James Braid· Est. 1896

Royal St David's

A majestic Welsh links in the shadow of Harlech Castle, with Snowdonia as its backdrop and the Irish Sea on its doorstep.

Architect: Harold Finch-Hatton· Est. 1894

Aberdovey

Bernard Darwin's beloved links on the Dyfi Estuary, one of the most charming and most written-about courses in the history of golf.

Architect: Colonel Ruck· Est. 1892

West Lancashire

One of England's oldest clubs, a traditional Lancashire links close to Liverpool with a long history of hosting major amateur championships.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1873

Prince's

27 holes of championship links at Sandwich Bay, once a par-68 Open venue, now a magnificent three-nine layout in the heart of the Kent links triangle.

Architect: Jim Arthur· Est. 1907

Castletown

Old Tom Morris's dramatic links on a rocky limestone headland at the southern tip of the Isle of Man, with views of four kingdoms.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1892

Southport & Ainsdale

James Braid's Ryder Cup links in the Lancashire coastal corridor, twice host to the match and a proud Open qualifying venue.

Architect: James Braid· Est. 1906

Wallasey

The Wirral Peninsula links where Dr Frank Stableford invented the Stableford scoring system in 1932 — a historic course with a dramatic estuary setting.

Architect: Old Tom Morris· Est. 1891

Royal Dublin

A classic H.S. Colt links on Bull Island in Dublin Bay, one of Ireland's most historic clubs hosting the Irish Open multiple times.

Architect: H.S. Colt· Est. 1885

Ballyliffin Old

The original links at Ballyliffin — more natural and rugged than the Glashedy, with a timeless wild Donegal character.

Architect: Traditional· Est. 1947

Dundonald Links

Kyle Phillips's modern Ayrshire links, a Scottish Open host with Arran and Ailsa Craig views, built on classic Gailes linksland.

Architect: Kyle Phillips· Est. 2003

Tenby

Wales' oldest links course, perched above the sea at Tenby — a classic Victorian seaside gem unchanged for over a century.

Architect: James Braid· Est. 1888

Chambers Bay

Host of the 2015 US Open — a dramatic Pacific Northwest links carved from a former sand and gravel mine above Puget Sound.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr.· Est. 2007

Paraparaumu Beach

New Zealand's finest links — a masterpiece by Alex Russell on the Kāpiti Coast, consistently ranked among the world's top 100.

Architect: Alex Russell· Est. 1929

Dooks

A hidden gem on the Ring of Kerry — one of Ireland's oldest links, offering wild Atlantic golf in unspoilt surroundings.

Oitavos Dunes

Portugal's finest links course — Arthur Hills' masterpiece in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, ranked consistently in Europe's top ten.

Architect: Arthur Hills· Est. 2001

Golf de Sperone

France's most spectacular golf course — perched on the limestone cliffs of southern Corsica, with holes suspended above the turquoise Mediterranean.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.· Est. 1990

Sotogrande

Spain's finest traditional parkland-links hybrid — Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s Andalusian masterpiece beside the Strait of Gibraltar.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.· Est. 1964

Cape Wickham

Australia's remotest links masterpiece — a dramatic Bass Strait course on King Island, consistently ranked among the world's top 30.

Architect: Mike Clayton· Est. 2015

Golf Club Föhr

Germany's finest island links — a classic North Sea links course on the idyllic car-free island of Föhr.

Budersand

Germany's most luxurious golf destination — an exposed links at the southern tip of Sylt, attached to the iconic five-star Budersand Hotel.

Architect: Bernhard Langer· Est. 1921

Golf d'Étretat

The world's most dramatic cliff-top course — 18 holes perched on the famous alabaster cliffs of Étretat, above the English Channel.

Golf de Moliets

A spectacular pine-forest and dune links on the Landes Atlantic coast — one of France's most beloved golf destinations.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.· Est. 1989

Lost Farm

The world-class companion to Barnbougle Dunes — Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's masterpiece on the same Tasmanian Bass Strait shoreline.

Architect: Bill Coore· Est. 2010

Royal North Devon (Westward Ho!)

England's oldest links — the first seaside golf course in England (1864), a wild and ancient stretch of commonland at Westward Ho!

Architect: Tom Morris Sr.· Est. 1864

Saunton West

The younger sibling of Saunton East — a powerful second links through the Braunton Burrows dune system, equally spectacular.

Architect: W.H. Fowler· Est. 1937

Hayling

England's southernmost links — a classic stretch of seaside turf on Hayling Island, protected by the Solent and ranked in Golf Monthly's top 100.

Architect: Tom Simpson· Est. 1883

St Francis Links

South Africa's newest links sensation — Jack Nicklaus' breathtaking design on the Eastern Cape coast, opened to international acclaim.

Architect: Jack Nicklaus· Est. 2022

Crail Balcomie

One of Scotland's most historic courses — Balcomie Links at Crail, perched above the East Neuk coast of Fife since 1786.

Architect: Tom Morris Sr.· Est. 1786

Barsebäck

Scandinavia's finest links resort — host of the 2003 Solheim Cup, with two magnificent courses above the Öresund Strait facing Denmark.

Architect: Peter Chamberlain· Est. 1969

Costa Navarino Dunes

Europe's most dramatic Mediterranean links — a Bernhard Langer design weaving through ancient dunes above the Bay of Navarino, Peloponnese.

Architect: Bernhard Langer· Est. 2010

Streamsong Red

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's exceptional fescue links in central Florida — a surprise masterpiece carved from reclaimed phosphate mining land.

Architect: Bill Coore· Est. 2012

Noordwijkse

The Netherlands' finest links — a hidden jewel in the North Sea dunes at Noordwijk, consistently ranked in the top ten of Dutch golf.

Architect: Harry Colt· Est. 1915

Fancourt Links

South Africa's most celebrated man-made links — Gary Player's extraordinary flat-land creation at Fancourt, host of the 2003 Presidents Cup.

Architect: Gary Player· Est. 2000

Ballybunion Cashen

Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s dramatic companion to the famous Old Course — 18 holes of wild duneland golf in the heart of Ballybunion.

Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.· Est. 1984