US publication Golf Magazine have released their list of the top 100 golf courses in the world, with Ireland and its wonderful array of top class links showing up well.
Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and St. Andrews make up the top 3, with the likes of Augusta and Pebble Beach coming in at 9 and 14, respectively.
To nobody's surprise, Royal County Down is the top-ranked course in Ireland at no. 6, with Royal Portrush (no. 16), Ballybunion (no. 24), Lahinch (37), and Rosapenna's St. Patrick's Links (no. 49) all making the top 50, while Portmarnock has moved down six spots to no. 59.
If you combine Northern Ireland and the Republic, Ireland has the fourth most courses in the top 100, after the United States, Scotland, and England.
Not at all bad for our little island.
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Ireland Has Strong Showing In Golf Magazine's Top 100 Golf Courses
31 May 2015; Padraig Harrington, Ireland, plays his approach to the 11th green. Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Golf Championship 2015, Final Day. Royal County Down Golf Club, Co. Down. Picture credit: John Dickson / SPORTSFILE
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Check out the top 20 best golf courses below, and the full list here:
- PINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB (George Crump and H.S. Colt 1918, Pine Valley, NJ)
- CYPRESS POINT CLUB (Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter 1928, Pebble Beach, CA)
- ST ANDREWS LINKS (OLD COURSE) (Nature 1400S/Old Tom Morris 1865, St Andrews, Scotland)
- SHINNECOCK HILLS GOLF CLUB (William Flynn 1931, South Hampton, NY)
- NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA (C.B. MacDonald 1911, Southampton, NY)
- ROYAL COUNTY DOWN GOLF CLUB (Old Tom Morris 1890, Newcastle, Northern Ireland)
- ROYAL MELBOURNE GOLF CLUB (WEST) (Alister MacKenzie 1931, Black Rock, Victoria, Australia)
- OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB (Henry Fownes 1903, Oakmont, PA)
- Augusta National Golf Club (Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones 1933, Augusta, GA)
- ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB (CHAMPIONSHIP) (Old Tom Morris 1886, Dornoch, Scotland)
- SAND HILLS GOLF CLUB (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 1994, Mullen, NE)
- MUIRFIELD - THE HONOURABLE COMPANY OF EDINBURGH GOLFERS (Old Tom MOrris 1891, Muirfield, Scotland)
- MERION GOLF CLUB (EAST) (Hugh Wilson 1912, Ardmore, PA)
- PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS (Jack Neville and Douglas Grant 1919/H. Chandler Egan 1929, Pebble Beach, CA)
- FISHERS ISLAND CLUB (Seth Raynor and Charles Banks 1926, Fishers Island, NY)
- ROYAL PORTRUSH GOLF CLUB (DUNLUCE) (Harry S. Colt 1929, Portrush, Northern Ireland)
- CHICAGO GOLF CLUB (C.B. MacDonald 1894/Seth Raynor 1923, Wheaton, IL)
- TRUMP TURNBERRY (AILSA) (Willie Fernie 1909/MacKenzie Ross 1946/Martin Ebert 2016, Turnberry, Scotland)
- LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB (NORTH) (George C. Thomas Jr. 1921, Los Angeles, CA)
- TARA ITI GOLF CLUB (Tom Doak 2015, Te Arai, New Zealand)
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