Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland

Welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2023 rankings of the Top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland – built before 1960 – as determined by Golfweek’s Best raters.

The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each layout is ranked against others in Great Britain and Ireland to produce the final rankings.

• More: Top 50 modern courses in Great Britain and Ireland

Listed with each course below is its average ranking, location, designers and year opened.

*New to or returning to list

Other popular Golfweek’s Best lists include:

• Best public-access courses in each state
• Best private courses in each state
• Top 200 modern courses in the U.S.
• Top 200 classic courses in the U.S.
• Top 100 public-access courses in the U.S.

Nos. 1-10

Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)

1. Royal County Down (Championship) 8.95
Newcastle, Northern Ireland; George L. Baillie, Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry S. Colt, Donald Steel (1889)

2. St. Andrews Old Course 8.73
St. Andrews, Scotland; Unknown first designer, Old Tom Morris (Unknown)

3. Royal Dornoch (Championship) 8.67
Dornoch, Scotland; Old Tom Morris, John Sutherland, George Duncan (1877)

4. Muirfield 8.64
Gullane, Scotland; Old Tom Morris (1892)

5. Royal Portrush (Dunluce) 8.54
Portrush, Northern Ireland; Harry S. Colt, Martin Ebert (1929)

6. Sunningdale (Old) 8.37
Sunningdale, England; Willie Park Jr., Harry S. Colt (1901)

7. Ballybunion (Old) 8.34
Ballybunion, Ireland; Lionel Hewson, Tom Simpson (1893)

8. Trump Turnberry Resort (Ailsa) 8.30
Turnberry, Scotland; Willie Fernie, Mackenzie Ross, Martin Ebert, Tom MacKenzie (1901)

9. Royal St. George’s 8.21
Sandwich, England; Laidlaw Purves (1887)

10. North Berwick Golf Club (West Links) 8.04
North Berwick, Scotland; David Strath, Ben Sayers (1832)

Nos. 11-20

Carnoustie’s Championship Course in Scotland (David Cannon/Getty Images)

11. Royal Birkdale 7.98
Southport, England; George Lowe, F.G. Hawtree, J.H. Taylor (1897)

12. Swinley Forest 7.94
Ascot, England; Harry S. Colt (1909)

13. Lahinch (Old) 7.92
Lahinch, Ireland; Old Tom Morris, Charles Gibson, Alister MacKenzie, Martin Hawtree (1894)

14. Carnoustie (Championship) 7.90
Carnoustie, Scotland; Robert Chambers, Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris, James Braid (1830s)

15. Royal Porthcawl 7.76
Porthcawl, Wales; Ramsay Hunter, J. Simpson (1895)

16. Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) 7.73
Woodhall Spa, England; Harry Vardon, J.H.Taylor, Harry S. Colt, Stafford Vere Hotchkin, Tom Doak (1905)

17. Sunningdale (New) 7.72
Sunningdale, England; Harry S. Colt, John Morrison (1923)

18. Ganton 7.71
Scarborough, England; Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, James Braid, J.H. Taylor, Harry S. Colt (1891)

19. Royal Lytham & St. Annes 7.69
Lytham St. Annes, England; George Lowe, Harry S. Colt, Herbert Fowler, Tom Simpson, C.K. Cotton (1897)

20. St. George’s Hill 7.68
Weybridge, England; Harry S. Colt (1913)

Nos. 21-30

Cruden Bay in Scotland (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)

21. Cruden Bay 7.65
Cruden Bay, Scotland; Old Tom Morris, Archie Simpson, Tom Simpson, Herbert Fowler (1899)

22. Rye 7.60
Rye, England; Harry S. Colt, Tom Simpson, Guy Campbell (1894)

23. Royal Troon (Old) 7.57
Troon, Scotland; George Strath, Willie Fernie, James Braid (1878)

T24. Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) 7.48
Bridge of Don, Scotland; Archie Simpson, Robert Simpson, James Braid (1888)

T24. St. Enodoc (Church) 7.48
Wadebridge, England; James Braid (1907)

26. Alwoodley 7.46
Leeds, England; Alister MacKenzie (1907)

27. Portmarnock (Old) 7.45
Dublin, Ireland; Mungo Park, W.C. Pickeman (1894)

28. Walton Heath (Old) 7.42
Tadworth, England; Herbert Fowler (1903)

29. Royal Cinque Ports 7.41
Deal, England; Henry Hunter, James Braid, Guy Campbell (1892)

30. Machrihanish 7.39
Machrihanish, Scotland; Old Tom Morris, J.H. Taylor, Guy Campbell (1876)

Nos. 31-40

Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) in England (Getty Images)

31. Prestwick 7.21
Prestwick, Scotland; Old Tom Morris (1851)

32. Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) 7.18
Hoylake, England; Robert Chambers, George Morris, Harry S. Colt (1869)

T33. Royal West Norfolk 7.17
Brancaster, England; Holcombe Ingleby (1892)

T33. Notts (Hollinwell) 7.17
Kirkby in Ashfield, England; Willie Park Jr., J.H. Taylor, Tom Williamson (1901)

35. Western Gailes 7.16
Irvine, Scotland; Fred Morris, F.G. Hawtree (1898)

36. Wentworth (West) 7.15
Virginia Water, England; Harry S. Colt (1924)

37. Gleneagles (King’s) 7.10
Auchterarder, Scotland; James Braid (1919)

38. Wallasey 7.09
Wallasey, England; Old Tom Morris, James Braid, F.G. Hawtree, J.H. Taylor, Donald Steele (1891)

39. Royal Worlington & Newmarket 7.07
Bury St. Edmunds, England; Tom Dunn, Harry S. Colt (1893)

40. West Sussex 7.05
Pulborough, England; Guy Campbell, Cecil K. Hutchison (1931)

Nos. 41-50

Portstewart’s Strand Course in Northern Ireland (Courtesy of North & West Coast Links Golf Ireland)

41. Silloth on Solway 6.97
Silloth, England; David Grant, Alister MacKenzie, Willie Park Jr. (1892)

42. Portstewart (Strand) 6.96
Portstewart, Northern Ireland; A.G. Gow, Willie Park Jr., Des Griffin (1907)

T43. Gullane (No. 1) 6.93
Gullane, Scotland; Unknown (1884)

T43. Woking 6.93
Woking, England; Tom Dunn, John Low, Stuart Paton (1893)

45. Burnham & Berrow 6.92
Burnham on Sea, England; Charles Gibson, Herbert Fowler, Harry S. Colt, Martin Ebert (1891)

46. Formby 6.89
Formby, England; Willie Park Jr., James Braid, Harry S. Colt, Donald Steel (1884)

T47. The Island Golf Club 6.87
Donabate, Ireland; Fred Hawtree, Eddie Hackett (1890)

T47. Walton Heath (New) 6.87
Tadworth, England; Herbert Fowler (1907)

T49. County Louth (Baltray) 6.83
Baltray, Ireland; Tom Simpson (1892)

T49. Wentworth (East) 6.83
Virginia Water, England; Harry S. Colt (1924)