Golf Digest - Top 100 courses

Mister Sifter

The new June issue has their latest top 100 rankings...

Top 100 courses
Club Position Last Year
1 Royal County Down same

2 Portmarnock same

3 Ballybunion Old up 1

4 Adare Manor down 1

5 The European Club same

6 Waterville same

7 Co Louth up 1

8 Lahinch up 3

9 Royal Portrush down 2

10 The K Club (Palmer Course) down 1

11 Mount Juliet down 1

12 Killarney (Killeen Course) up 4

13 Tralee down 1

14 Royal Dublin up 9

15 The Heritage same

16 Co Sligo down 3

17 Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links) up 3

18 Carton House (Montgomerie) down 4

19 The Island same

20 Druids Glen down 2

21 Carne same

22 Fota Island same

23 Portstewart (Strand) down 6

24 The Old Head of Kinsale up 1

25 Portmarnock Links up 4

26 Headfort (New) same

27 PGA National up 1

28 Luttrellstown Castle up 3

29 Doonbeg Links down 5

30 Carlow down 3

31 Castlerock up 3

32 Glasson down 2

33 Mullingar down 1

34 Enniscrone up 12

35 Malone down 2

36 Belvoir Park up 1

37 Cork down 1

38 Dundalk same

39 Donegal (Murvagh Links) up 1

40 Slieve Russell down 5

41 The K Club (Smurfit) up 2

42 Carton House (O'Meara) same

43 Powerscourt (East) up 15

44 Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) up 16

45 Ballyliffin (Old Links) up 19

46 Mount Wolseley up 6

47 Tullamore up 3

48 Westport down 4

49 Rathsallagh down 1

50 Seapoint down 1

51 Hermitage down 12

52 Knightsbrook up 16

53 Dromoland Castle down 12

54 Dooks up 1

55 Dundrum House down 2

56 Dun Laoghaire new entry

57 Hilton Templepatrick new entry

58 Connemara down 4

59 Tulfarris down 14

60 St Margaret's down 4

61 Rosslare down 2

62 New Forest down 1

63 Killarney (Mahony's Point) down 1

64 Athlone up 10

65 Esker Hills down 18

66 Roganstown up 14

67 Shannon new entry

68 Woodbrook up 8

69 Grange up 1

70 Portsalon down 3

71 Skellig Bay down 5

72 Ring of Kerry down 15

73 Clandeboye down 22

74 Castleknock down 2

75 Bantry Bay down 2

76 Royal Belfast up 1

77 Ballybunion (Cashen) down 14

78 Castle new entry

79 Moyvalley new entry

80 Narin and Portnoo new entry

81 Laytown and Bettystown down 2

82 Millicent down 13

83 Rathcore down 18

84 Gowran Park down 2

85 Monkstown down 1

86 Thurles down 3

87 Waterford up 1

88 Galgorm Castle new entry

89 Galway same

90 Curragh new entry

91 Tramore up 1

92 Ballycastle up 2

93 Royal Tara up 3

94 Headfort (Old) down 1

95 Lee Valley new entry

96 Blainroe up 2

97 Ballinrobe new entry

98 Woodenbridge up 1

99 Arklow new entry

100 Malahide down 25

WHIP IT!

I've played a PATHETIC 12 of those... Get the finger out WHIP IT!, for the love of God!

(CH3)2CHOH

11 for me.:(

Got to get out more;)

disland

13 for me

Esker hills to come on Sunday and Millicent saturday week to bring it to 15.

slumped

21 for me.

Surprised that Hollywood Lakes is not there........

steelbar

13 for, will have to start travelling........

ShriekingSheet

A nice round 30 for me in there...

Will be 31 when the Headfort JSC comes up in a couple of weeks. Outside of the top 20 I think you could put nearly anything in for what they have. Grange, Rathsallagh, Millicent- sure there's a load of courses in that range you could stick in or leave out.

f22

34 for me. Royal Co Down to follow next month.

Dublin Spur

played 23 of them over the years.
Favourite is the european club.

JMB88

I've played 31 .... have to get myself up to Royal County Down, looked amazing at the Walker Cup at the end of last year. Mount Juliet is such an under-rated course, easily top 5 IMO.

jimboddb

That list is rubbish. Top 20 isnt too bad but from there down its a joke. Bantry Bay no. 75 is a hole & not testing. Id have to question the Ring of Kerry (rubbish),Lee Valley (zero character), Monkstown (too short & very easy in places) inclusions as well. there is defo vested interests involved

Ive played 20 of the 100

Par72

I've played 43 of these courses. I suppose without having played all of them it's not really fair to suggest the ranking is rubbish. Of the top ten I haven't played Waterville or Adare Manor, gotta put them on my must play list.

Matt Santos

I have played 39 of them.
Some unusual mentions in there indeed..

stockdam

I'm a member of Clandeboye.........down 22!!!!!! That's just makes the list a bit suspect as the course hasn't changed so why is it down 22.

rigal

& Tulfarris is down 14 which is strange too.

Weaselator

Only 13 for me, need to get to work on that this summer!

disland

Played Esker hills yesterday. Hmm. Nice course - tough enough. Was very windy. Well worth 40 euros.

Who has played Millicent? Whats it like?

f22

Added Roganstown to my list. Jesus was I disappointed. Very featureless and in a fairly shabby state to be honest.

Magic greens though.

uberwolf

Graeme1982 wrote: »

15 The Heritage same

17 Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links) up 3

25 Portmarnock Links up 4

28 Luttrellstown Castle up 3

42 Carton House (O'Meara) same

45 Ballyliffin (Old Links) up 19

49 Rathsallagh down 1

59 Tulfarris down 14

60 St Margaret's down 4
74 Castleknock down 2

78 Castle new entry

golfing a year, so that's not bad going

steelbar

Played Dromoland Castle today, was in great nick, greens rolled really well but it was short, 6300yrd off the whites.
Now fair enough the fairways were narrow, and there is a lot of trees......

There are 4 par 4's driveable.

Few very tough par 5, very tight with small landing areas

All in all an enjoyable expierence.

Golf Pro

Golf Digest top 100 resembles the list of clubs who advertise in the Golf Digest magazine....coincidence, I don't think so?

slumped

Golf Pro wrote: »

Golf Digest top 100 resembles the list of clubs who advertise in the Golf Digest magazine....coincidence, I don't think so?

I think you are probably calling into question the integrity of the judging panel that contains some of the most senior figures in Irish golf.

Out of the Top 15 (below) - how many are regular advertisers in the magazine?

Certainly only 1 or 2 are regulars. Outside the top 15 it's all up for debate I think and is certainly not based on revenue from advertising - if it was then RCD (who rarely advertise) would not be in the top 50!

Royal County Down
Portmarnock
Ballybunion Old
Adare Manor
The European Club
Waterville
Co Louth
Lahinch
Royal Portrush
The K Club (Palmer Course)
Mount Juliet
Killarney (Killeen Course)
Tralee
Royal Dublin
The Heritage

There are 400 clubs in Ireland - 25% of them appear on the list - of course some are going to advertise in GDI.