{"id":52941,"date":"2025-02-01T12:19:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T01:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.barwonheads.golf\/cms\/?p=52941"},"modified":"2025-04-15T14:41:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T04:41:14","slug":"golf-digests-100-favourite-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.barwonheads.golf\/cms\/golf-digests-100-favourite-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf Digest’s 100 Favourite Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barwon Heads has featured in Australian Golf Digest editors’ favourite 100 courses worldwide.<\/h2>\n

Words: Copyright Australian Golf Digest January 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Several of these can be found in Australia and many of which rate as our favourite places to play.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Image: Australian Golf Digest<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The list includes:<\/p>\n

AIKEN GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Aiken, South Carolina<\/p>\n

ALBANY GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Albany, Western Australia<\/p>\n

ALICE SPRINGS GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Alice Springs, Northern Territory<\/p>\n

ANSTRUTHER GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Anstruther, Scotland<\/p>\n

ARDFIN ESTATE<\/p>\n

Isle of Jura, Scotland<\/p>\n

ARDGLASS GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

County Down, Northern Ireland<\/p>\n

ARROWTOWN GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Arrowtown, New Zealand<\/p>\n

BA NA HILLS GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Da Nang, Vietnam<\/p>\n

BALLYBUNION GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

County Kerry, Ireland<\/p>\n

BANDON DUNES<\/p>\n

Bandon, Oregon<\/p>\n

BARNBOUGLE DUNES<\/p>\n

Bridport, Tasmania<\/p>\n

BARWON HEADS GOLF CLUB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barwon Heads, Victoria<\/strong><\/p>\n

BAYONNE GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Bayonne, New Jersey<\/p>\n

BLACK MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Hua Hin, Thailand<\/p>\n

BONVILLE GOLF RESORT<\/p>\n

Bonville, New South Wales<\/p>\n

BRORA GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Brora, Scotland<\/p>\n

CABOT LINKS<\/p>\n

Nova Scotia, Canada<\/p>\n

CABOT ST LUCIA<\/p>\n

Saint Lucia, West Indies<\/p>\n

CAPE KIDNAPPERS GOLF COURSE<\/p>\n

Te Awanga, New Zealand<\/p>\n

CAPE WICKHAM LINKS<\/p>\n

King Island, Tasmania<\/p>\n

CASCATA GOLF CLUB<\/p>\n

Boulder City, Nevada<\/p>\n

CLEARWATER BAY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB<\/p>\n

New Territories, Hong Kong<\/p>\n

COMO LAUCALA ISLAND GOLF COURSE<\/p>\n

Laucala Island, Fuji<\/p>\n

CRAIL GOLFING SOCIETY (CRAIGHEAD COURSE)<\/p>\n

Anstruther, Scotland<\/p>\n

To read the full list, see www.australiangolfdigest.com.au\/the-magazine\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barwon Heads has featured in Australian Golf Digest editors’ favourite 100 courses worldwide. Words: Copyright Australian Golf Digest… Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":52974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-members-and-guests"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGolf Digest's 100 Favourite Courses - The Barwon Heads Golf Club<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Golf Digest's 100 Favourite Courses - The Barwon Heads Golf Club\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Barwon Heads has featured in Australian Golf Digest editors’ favourite 100 courses worldwide. 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