England’s World Ranked Golf Tours

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Are Scotland Golf Courses Better than England Golf Courses?

Our recent study of various World top 100 golf course listings revealed that:

• Scotland had 14 world top 100 ranked courses, 13 seaside links and 1 moorland.

• England had 15 world top 100 ranked courses, 7 were seaside links and 8 were heathland.

• They are Royal St George’s, Sunningdale Old and New, Royal Birkdale, Swinley Forest, Royal Lytham, Woodhall Spa, St George’s Hill, Ganton, St Enodoc Church, West Sussex, Royal Cinque Ports, Royal Liverpool, Rye Old and Walton Heath.

• Ireland had 7 world top 100 ranked courses which were all seaside links.

• Wales had 1 world top 100 ranked course, a seaside links.

• We set a simple standard whereby a course appearing in one of the various top 100’s did not qualify. Any appearing in two or more selections did qualify.

• This is not an exact process but the majority of courses selected have held world rankings for many years and all selected appeared in more than two rankings.

• Currently, there are about 40,000 golf courses in the world. They are ranked by several organisations that periodically evaluate the best 100 in the world. From the above the UK and Ireland currently hold some 37 places in the World's top 100.

• Scotland and England are doing particularly well, Ireland does well for its size and has several close contenders.

• It stands out that England has two types of world-class courses to offer which are not widely available elsewhere

• Scotland, Ireland and Wales offer essentially link golf at world class level.

• If you study the top rankings of golf courses in Scotland and Ireland you will find them dominated by links golf courses. Typically their ranking lists will show the top ten as seaside links.

• The top 20 with about 17 links. This tendency naturally carries over into world rankings where only their leading links courses flourish.

• Compare this with England where the top 10 can typically be four links and 6 heathland. The top 20 can be 9 links 10 heathland and one parkland. In the world rankings the strength of the heathland courses can allow England to match the number of Scottish courses in the world's top 100 and to significantly exceed the number of Irish courses.

• It appears that International golfers have yet to be convinced by the ranking experts and possibly the heathland courses need more publicity.

What is special about England’s world-ranked heathland courses?

20-per cent of the world's heathland coverage is located in parts of southern England. The heaths are similar to links land in that it is low in nutrients with sandy soils that drain well. The sandy turf is firm, similar to that of classic links courses and with gently rolling terrain it’s just perfect for golf.

Heathland courses provide a middle ground or some say inland links, holding a significant place between coastal links courses and manicured parkland layouts. 

England’s world-class courses owe a great deal to the renowned golf architect Harry Shapland Colt.

He totally changed the construction of inland courses and was also involved with designing or improving seaside links. He designed, improved or re-modelled nine of the fifteen worlds ranked golf courses in England.

England Golf Tour Schedule - Playing World Class Golf Courses

Golf Tour - Best of England’s World Class Golf Courses

This tour includes 10 of England’s 15 World top 100 courses seven of these courses benefited from the skills of the world renowned Golf Architect Harry Colt.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to the 4* Vincent hotel in Southport for three nights

Day 2 – Play Royal Lytham

Day 3 – Play Royal Birkdale

Day 4 – Play Royal Liverpool, drive to the 4* Dower House Hotel at Woodhall Spa for 2 nights

Day 5 – Play Woodhall Spa Hotchkiss

Day 6 – Drive to the 4* MacDonald Hotel at Windsor for 4 nights, Play Swinley Forest

Day 7 – Play St Georges Hill

Day 8 – Play Sunningdale New course

Day 9  - Play Sunningdale Old course

Day 10 - Drive to the 4*Abode Hotel at Canterbury for 2 nights, play Royal Cinque Ports

Day 11 – Play Royal St George’s

Day 12 - Depart

Golf Tour – England’s World Class Open Championship Courses

On this tour you play England’s six golf courses that have staged the “Open Championship”, five of the six courses are in the World top 100. Prince’s Golf club staged the ‘Open’ just once in 1932.

The winner was Gene Sarazen who continued his winning streak to win all four majors. The course was virtually obliterated during World War 2. It is now much improved and could be a contender for a future ‘Open’.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to Canterbury for four nights at the 4* Abode Hotel

Day 2 – Play Royal Cinque Ports

Day 3 – Prince’s

Day 4 – Play Royal St George’s

Day 5 – Drive North to the Wirral Peninsula and play Royal Liverpool, drive to the 4* Vincent Hotel Southport for 3 nights

Day 6 – Play Royal Lytham

Day 7 – Play Royal Birkdale

Day 8 – Depart

England’s best 7 night tour playing 6 World Ranked Courses.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to Canterbury for 2 nights at the Abode Hotel

Day 2 – Play Royal St George’s

Day 3 – Drive to the 4* MacDonald Hotel at Windsor for 5 nights, Play Swinley Forest

Day 4 – Play St Georges Hill

Day 5 – Play Sunningdale Old course

Day 6 – Drive to the 4* Vincent hotel in Southport for two nights, play Royal Birkdale

Day 7 – Play Royal Lytham

 Day 8 – Depart

Southern England’s best 7 night tour with 6 World Ranked Courses.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to the 4* MacDonald Hotel at Windsor for 4 nights

Day 2 – Play Sunningdale New course

Day 3 – Play West Sussex

Day 4 – Play Walton Heath

Day 5 – Play Rye (or Prince’s), drive to Canterbury for 3 nights at the 4*Abode Hotel.

Day 6 – Play Royal Cinque Ports

Day 7 – Play Royal St George’s

Day 8 – Depart

Note: England’s only World Top 100 course not included in these typical tours is St Enodoc near Padstow in Cornwall. It is a unique and popular links course and could be in this tour but with some additional driving.

Northern England’s best 7 nights tour with 4 World Ranked Courses.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to York for 2 nights at the 5* Grand Hotel

Day 2 – Play Ganton

Day 3 – Drive to the 4* Vincent hotel in Southport for 5 nights, play Hillside

Day 4 – Play Formby

Day 5 – Play Royal Liverpool,

Day 6 – Play Royal Lytham

Day 7 – Play Royal Birkdale

Day 8 – Depart

Quality and Value England Golf Tours

The tours above can be rather expensive for some golfers. The Open Championship courses are popular and the demand leads to a premium price. Also, many of the leading heathland course are to the West and South of London and again are expensive.

You can however find quality and value elsewhere. Two examples follow:

Great Value and Quality Southern Links Golf Tour

This tour takes you from Padstow on the north coast of Cornwall then to Devon both in the South West. Then with a game in Somerset on route you drive to the North Norfolk coast. St Enodoc is world class and the other courses are high in the England rankings.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to Padstow in Cornwall for 2 nights at the 4* Harbour Hotel

Day 2 – Play St Enodoc

Day 3 – Drive to the 4* Park hotel in Barnstable for 2 nights, play Royal North Devon (known as Westward Hoe!), the oldest club in England

Day 4 – Play Saunton East

Day 5 - Play Burnham and Berrow on route to 4* Tichwell Manor at Tichwell Norfolk for3 nights

Day 6 – Play Hunstanton

Day 7 – Play Royal West Norfolk

Day 8 – Depart

Great Value Links Golf Tour of Norfolk and Kent

This tour starts on the North Norfolk coast where you play three links courses.  On route to Kent the seaside links do not quite meet the quality that we have set. We have picked a the unusual Maritime Heathland course near the coast at Aldborough.

It dates to 1884 and has been improved over the years by leading golf architect including Willie Park Junior and Harry Colt. The course is part links and part heathland with gorse a major hazard.

Being close to the sea it can also experience significant wind. It is well ranked and has no par fives but many challenging par fours.

Day 1 – Arrive, drive to the 4* Tichwell Manor at Tichwell in Norfolk for 4 nights

Day 2 – Play Hunstanton

Day 3 – Sheringham

Day 4 – Play Royal West Norfolk

Day 5 - Play Aldeburgh on route to 4*  Abode Hotel at Canterbury for3 nights

Day 6 – Play Littlestone

Day 7 – Play Prince’s

Day 8 – Depart

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