Golf Digest’s 100 Favourite Courses
Published on 1st February 2025 in members and guestsBarwon 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.
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/