This is a guest post by Patrick Wynn from Golfshire Club in Karnataka, India helping kick off your bucket list of top places to play golf across the world.
Everybody who is serious about golf fantasizes about playing on the best courses the world has to offer. Golfers often have a “bucket list” of places where they want to shoot a round of golf at least once before they die.
Golfers love to get their game in wherever they can, but if you had all the time and money in the world at your disposal, where would you want to play?
To help you get started with your own golf bucket list, here’s a roundup of what are generally recognized as the ten best golf courses in the world:
- St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland – This is where it all began. The old course at St. Andrew’s is widely acknowledged as “The Home of Golf” and is a frequent host to the British Open. It was where the game of golf was first played more than 600 years ago. While historic, the course itself is something of an acquired taste and you really have to play it several times before you can appreciate all of its nuances.
- Pebble Beach, California – One of the most famous courses in the world, Pebble Beach is generally recognized as the most beautiful course in the US due to its location adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. This course has star power because it is often the site of the US Open, the most widely watched golf tournament. It’s front nine are magical, while its closing holes offer iconic scenery that will be familiar to any fan of golf.
- Royal Melbourne, Victoria, Australia – This is a classic course of the Australian sand belt. What makes it unique is that it has no water hazards. Just plenty of strategically placed bunkers and fast, sloped greens that offer a challenge to even the most experienced golfer.
- Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia – If you have ever watched The Masters, you are already familiar with this important course. It originally was built by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts in 1930 on the site of a former fruit nursery. Many of the original flowering plants and trees can still be found along this scenic – and some would say angelic – golf course that is among the most famous in all of golf.
- Royal County Down, Newcastle, County Down, Ireland – This course is ranked second on the Top 100 courses in the UK and Ireland. Much of that has to do with the meticulous care that goes into the maintenance of the course. Every blade of grass is perfectly manicured, but the course still looks like it was formed naturally as it snakes through heather and gorse
- Fishers Island, New York – Built on an island that is only two miles wide and eight miles long, Fishers Island gives golfers the challenge of the Atlantic winds combined with the natural beauty of the Northeast hinterlands
- Les Bordes, Orleans, France – This wonderfully scenic course is located in the Loire Valley, one of the most beautiful parts of Europe. While the conditioning of the course is exceptional, a recent reworking of the course makes it a challenge for golfers of any skill level. It’s a good thing there’s a nice glass of fine wine waiting for you at the end.
- Hirono, Kobe, Japan – The parkland layout of this course includes lots of beautiful tree-lined fairways and bunker-heavy green complexes. Japanese are passionate about golf and this course provides all the challenge anybody could want in a world class golf course. Finish off your day with a world famous Kobe beef steak in the clubhouse and you have one of the most memorable days in your life.
- Fancourt Links, Southern Cape, South Africa –Designed by Gary Player, this course is similar to the classic links style found in Scottish and Irish courses. This course was built on an old airfield, but has reached the heights of being one of the best courses in the world, not to mention providing the finest round of golf in Africa.
- Emirates, Majilis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – This course has been rated by Golf Digest as the finest course in the Middle East. It serves as home to the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic and is the region’s first grass course.
When it comes to compiling any type of top ten list, there are sure to be debates over what was included and what was left off, especially among people who are passionate about golf. But this list provides a good starting point for anybody seeking to get the fullest possible lifetime golfing experience.
You can always personalize it with your own additions or subtractions. The benefit of this list is that it features at least one course from nearly every continent. There’s probably a course somewhere in South America that should be included on this list, but there’s none that immediately comes to mind.
Author Bio – This article is a work of Patrick Wynn from Golfshire Club, a 275 acre top rated premier golf course near Bangalore International Airport, Karnataka, India. Designed by PGA consulting & managed by Troon Golf, Golfshire Club has an 18-hole championship golf course offering fair yet tough golfing challenges.
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