The 10 Leading Golf Courses In The World

What are golfers looking for in a golf course? The conventional golfer will usually look for a course that will take him or her towards the limit. The achievement of defeating yourself and getting through the challenge that golf provides you is beyond compare. A golf course that will offer not only a reasonable degree of difficulty, but also provides a breath taking scenery is a feast for the golfers. Public golf courses that are employed for tournaments can also give a good experience for average golfers as they can also experience what the pros dealt with. After searching everywhere, here are some of the leading courses that a player can go to. There are many golf courses out there, but the following courses may offer the very best of the best.

The Old Course, St. Andrews Links: For being around for almost 6 centuries, who wouldn’t agree that this course is “The Home of Golf”? The game has been played on this course since 1400 A.D. And is the largest golfing complex in Europe. Fairways maintained for centuries, the scenery and the challenge taunting you as early as the first hole will make sure that this is an unforgettable experience. The images seen or videos shown online or in television may deceive you. The ground looks flat but when actually on the course, the grounds are humped and the bunkers are deeper thus the challenge is all over you. Located at Scotland, you can book in advance by ballots. If you want to feel what golf really is about, this might be right for you.

Murfield: This really is the course of The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers – the eldest group in golf. The design of the course is simply a masterpiece, and it has been like that since 1891. If that is not enough, the club was associated with writing the original rules of golf long ago in 1744. This course was created with holes set up in a circular fashion that require the golfers to always adjust with the wind directions. There are situations when players must stop and admire the excellent view of the course which includes the sea view and the tree around it. The eye candy is just a facade of what it actually brings to the golfer. Bunkers are all around and the greens are small which is quite challenging for the golfer with regards to accuracy.

Oakmond Country Club: If you get the opportunity to play golf in the course, you have to expect an experience worth reminiscing. It has 210 deep bunkers and greens that slope away will await the golfers which can be very challenging as every shot needs to be carefully done. One wasted shot and you might end up on its deep bunkers. The fairways are tight, so accuracy would be the key point. This course has a colourful history that commenced from 1903. This course can be considered the most hardest to play on as bunkers is visible left and right.

Royal Birkdale (The Birkdale): This course is a top ranker in England, with the spectacular scenery and the great golf holes. The fairways are designed in such a way that the ball will rarely go off course. A nice club house, kind staff and a well-stocked golf shop is just a tip of the course’s iceberg. But be ready to have a good punch at your pockets as the experience may be expensive. However, the challenge the course offers will make sure that the money will be well-spent. The wind Birkdale has is really an evil force to deal with, but the challenge will push the golfer to the limits. A good bang for the buck.

Shinnecock Hills: Built in 1891 and remodelled in ’30s, this course has hosted four US Opens, and is a tough course to play on. The holes look so easy to make shots with, but gradually gets you scratching your head as it is actually deceiving. The holes will make any golfer adjust, and needs to be played with skill. This 300-acre course has its clubhouse situated on the highest point, giving a good view to the place. The course boasts of winds coming from the Atlantic, the sandy terrain, and grasses that border the fairways. Aside from the game experience, the club members also recommend to follow it up with an aftergame cocktail.

Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland: The Turnberry Golf Club was established in 1902, then the Turnberry Hotel in 1906 that links to the closest railway station. After considerable repair work when it was used in the two World War and almost damaged, it was reopened in 1951. What makes this course unique from the others is the lack of dunes on holes near the sea coast, which makes a perfect test for the player. It has hosted 4 Opens and remains a favorite. The view of the British Isles offers you a tease of the whole game experience, as well as being on the same holes Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson competed on!

Royal County Down Golf Club: Having one of the best front nines among the world’s courses, this is worth the trip. Located in Northern Ireland, it rests nicely at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and is welcomes the player with a magnificent view of the Bay of Dundrum. With its pristine conditions for a challenging game, this course suprinsingly haven’t hosted a single Open. The course may give you the eye candy, but can also give major pain in your game, as the winds are unpredictable. The strength of the winds can topple a trolley, bend the ball flight and bend the flagstick. The difficulty of the course will challenge a golfer to the limit, not only because of the winds but also with its number of blind drives as well. The challenge it offers simply deserve a spot in the top ten of the world.

Augusta National Golf Club: Being the host to the annual Masters, this dream course is located in a dream-like setting, and even getting to play here is also dream-like as well. The highly exclusive status of the club lives up to its reputation, even the green fees and its list of members are not available to the public. The fame of the course is all over, with lots of other courses that tried to emulate the course design. Designed by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie, anyone can easily say that it is the perfect duo that designed a perfect course. Normally, every after concluded Masters, changes are done with one or two holes to add variety to the playing experience. No wonder that it gets closed every 6 months and not anyone can simply list up and get to play the tee. The scenery just comes second with the good reputation of this course, the playing experience and with the exclusive status. An oppurtunity to play is undoubtedly a golfer will not ever refuse to take.

Cypress Point, USA: This golf course has surely the largest water hazard of all which is the Pacific Ocean on the third tee. It is a longshot to even get the chance to play on this course that even the late J. F. Kennedy was declined entry to the restaurant and it has only a few members such as politicians, actors, and corporate giants. The course still saves it historical traditions, being a walking-only course, no yardage markers and even the lockers could make you feel that it’s still 1920. The parking lot isn’t even more than 15 stalls, and doesn’t get that much players in a single day. It is really an advantage for the course to have not so many players as it will help the course to be kept pristine in its condition and one of greens that is so smooth without bumps, ball marks, nematode patches, or sand from nearby bunkers. If given the opportunity to play on it, it is simply one of the greatest courses of the world.

Pine Valley, USA: This was a brain child of Philadelphian hotelier George Crump, who died a year prior to when the course’s completion. It opened on 1919 and players had a tough time accomplishing the course in 70 strokes, easily gaining the fame as the supreme golf challenge. Each of the course’s hole will mock you with a different challenge, with a bunker 10 feet deep. Missing the fairway means a lot, as there are sloping greens and the holes are wrapped in pine covered heath – not a good place for the ball to end up. It can give a lot of punishment the moment you get an error in your shot. Having the opportunity to play in this spectacular course is very rare, so don’t decline an invite. There is no golf course that is visually inviting and tough as Pine Valley. This is why many golf players graded this course as Number 1.

Certainly, there are many other courses out there that does not require membership. But, to able to experience the genuine challenge of golf lie in these golf courses, so don’t allow an opportunity to play in these courses pass you by.

Want to find out more about top golf courses, then visit Paul Monahan’s site to know more about golf hazards and how to deal with them.