Golf Digest’s 100 Favourite Courses

Published on 1st February 2025 in members and guests

Barwon Heads has featured in Australian Golf Digest editors’ favourite 100 courses worldwide.

Words: Copyright Australian Golf Digest January 2025.

THE most important development in golf-course architecture during the past 20 years is the elevation of sand-based sites. Encouraged by the success of destinations like Bandon Dunes in coastal Oregon, developers have spent this time scouring the globe for sandy, dunes-like properties on which to construct new courses and lure golfers.

Several of these can be found in Australia and many of which rate as our favourite places to play.

This trend is nothing new. The first golf courses – the links of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales – were born from sand.

Early golfers forged their way through the gorsed and grassy landscapes of dunes, kettles, eskers and seaside plains, chasing their balls while developing holes, which over time became fully realised courses. Advancements in construction methods throughout the 20th century enabled courses to be built anywhere on any type of land, negating the need for pure natural movements. But sand – near a coast or not – remains the medium that produces golf that most resembles the game as it was conceived. This list reflects a reappraisal of the virtues of sand and, more specifically, links golf. Courses that can be classified as links (defined here as coastal courses built on mostly sandy links land) own a unique drawing power. This does not count the numerous inland courses built on sand, including those on the Melbourne Sandbelt, highlighted by Royal Melbourne’s West course or the heathland courses south-west of London.

Just as links courses are favourites of ours, we know they’re also favourites of yours. Yet the variety in golf landscapes also shines through, with plenty of parkland-style layouts and other favourite environments making our list.

We should also make the distinction here between this collection and our biennial Top 100 Courses ranking, which is more structured and formal. By comparison, this list is more ephemeral and based on the gut feel of our editors, who collectively have spent nearly a century working in the golf media. Whichever list you favour, you’re in for a treat.

 

Image: Australian Golf Digest

 

The list includes:

AIKEN GOLF CLUB

Aiken, South Carolina

ALBANY GOLF CLUB

Albany, Western Australia

ALICE SPRINGS GOLF CLUB

Alice Springs, Northern Territory

ANSTRUTHER GOLF CLUB

Anstruther, Scotland

ARDFIN ESTATE

Isle of Jura, Scotland

ARDGLASS GOLF CLUB

County Down, Northern Ireland

ARROWTOWN GOLF CLUB

Arrowtown, New Zealand

BA NA HILLS GOLF CLUB

Da Nang, Vietnam

BALLYBUNION GOLF CLUB

County Kerry, Ireland

BANDON DUNES

Bandon, Oregon

BARNBOUGLE DUNES

Bridport, Tasmania

BARWON HEADS GOLF CLUB

Barwon Heads, Victoria

BAYONNE GOLF CLUB

Bayonne, New Jersey

BLACK MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB

Hua Hin, Thailand

BONVILLE GOLF RESORT

Bonville, New South Wales

BRORA GOLF CLUB

Brora, Scotland

CABOT LINKS

Nova Scotia, Canada

CABOT ST LUCIA

Saint Lucia, West Indies

CAPE KIDNAPPERS GOLF COURSE

Te Awanga, New Zealand

CAPE WICKHAM LINKS

King Island, Tasmania

CASCATA GOLF CLUB

Boulder City, Nevada

CLEARWATER BAY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

New Territories, Hong Kong

COMO LAUCALA ISLAND GOLF COURSE

Laucala Island, Fuji

CRAIL GOLFING SOCIETY (CRAIGHEAD COURSE)

Anstruther, Scotland

To read the full list, see www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/the-magazine/

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