The top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland are ranked by several competing publications, and they do not agree on the order. That disagreement is the most useful thing to understand before you plan a trip or an argument down the clubhouse. This guide explains who produces the main rankings, what they measure, where the lists converge, and how to use them without being misled by a single number.
The Main UK Rankings and How They Differ
Three rankings dominate the UK golf conversation. Each uses a different panel, a different scoring system and a different definition of what makes a course great.
Golf Monthly publishes a biennial Top 100 UK and Ireland list, compiled by a reader panel and staff panel who have visited every course in the list within the two-year cycle . It describes itself as a ranking by “regular, knowledgeable, enthusiastic club golfers” and is explicit that subjectivity is at work . The 2025/26 edition placed Royal County Down first, St Andrews Old Course second, and Trump Turnberry Ailsa third .
Today’s Golfer published an updated Top 100 UK and Ireland ranking in September 2026, and it produced a change at the top. Royal County Down moved to No.1, displacing St Andrews Old Course, which had held the top spot for four years . The scoring is weighted heavily toward design at 40%, followed by setting, memorability, playability, consistency and presentation . More than 95% of the courses played by its panel were paid for by the individuals themselves, which the publication cites as a marker of independence .
Top100GolfCourses maintains a GB&I ranking that, in its 2026 edition, left the entire top 30 unchanged. Royal County Down has held its No.1 position since 2006 on this list . Its country breakdown is revealing: England contributes 47 courses, Scotland 30, Ireland 18, Wales four and the Isle of Man one .
There is also a wider global context. Golf Digest and GOLF.com both publish world top 100 lists, and UK courses appear in both. GOLF.com‘s 2025-26 world ranking placed St Andrews Old Course third globally, Royal County Down fourth, Muirfield 11th and Royal Dornoch 12th . That is a different exercise from a UK-only ranking, but it helps explain why some courses carry more prestige than their domestic position might suggest.
Where the Rankings Agree
Despite the methodological differences, a clear consensus top tier emerges across all three UK rankings.
Royal County Down is the most consistent No.1. It tops Golf Monthly, Today’s Golfer and Top100GolfCourses . The course benefits from the Mountains of Mourne as a backdrop and an opening nine that Today’s Golfer describes as “arguably the finest anywhere” .
St Andrews Old Course is the most consistent No.2. It sits second on all three UK lists . The Old Course also ranks higher than Royal County Down on the GOLF.com world list, at third against fourth, which shows how much weighting a panel gives to history and symbolism versus pure design .
Royal Portrush Dunluce, Muirfield, Trump Turnberry Ailsa and Royal Dornoch appear in the top six or thereabouts on all the major UK lists . If you are building a bucket list and want courses that no credible panel disputes, these are the safest names to start with.
The Courses That Move and Why It Matters
The middle and lower sections of the rankings are where the lists diverge, and that divergence is often more informative than the top ten.
Today’s Golfer’s 2026 update highlighted several significant movers. Royal Porthcawl jumped six places to No.27, Royal Cinque Ports rose to No.25, Hankley Common broke into the top 50, and Portstewart Strand made the biggest leap of all to No.71 after work by European Golf Design . These movements usually reflect renovation work, changed greenkeeping standards, or simply a panel revisiting a course with fresh eyes.
Top100GolfCourses’ 2026 edition added eight debutants, including Aldeburgh in Suffolk, Hayling in Hampshire, Royal Ashdown Forest in East Sussex and Beau Desert in Staffordshire . The inclusion of courses outside the Surrey-Berkshire heathland belt suggests the panel is looking beyond the traditional heartland.
Golf Monthly’s 2025/26 list was notably static. The publication noted “few big jumps or falls” and said that courses dropping a few places had usually been “overtaken by others” rather than declined . That stability is a useful counterweight to the more volatile Today’s Golfer list.
A Practical Comparison of the Top 10
The table below combines the top positions from the two most current UK-specific rankings available, to show where they agree and where they differ.
| Position | Golf Monthly 2025/26 | Today’s Golfer 2026 |
| 1 | Royal County Down | Royal County Down |
| 2 | St Andrews Old Course | St Andrews Old Course |
| 3 | Trump Turnberry Ailsa | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 4 | Muirfield | Royal Portrush Dunluce (climbed into top four) |
| 5 | Royal Dornoch | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 6 | Royal Birkdale | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 7 | Royal Portrush | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 8 | Carnoustie | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 9 | Sunningdale New | Not specified in source excerpt |
| 10 | Sunningdale Old | Not specified in source excerpt |
Source: Golf Monthly and Today’s Golfer . Today’s Golfer’s full top 10 was not reproduced in the available search excerpt, so blank cells indicate information not visible in the source, not courses absent from the ranking.
How to Use a Top 100 List Without Being Misled
Check the date. Golf Monthly publishes every two years, Today’s Golfer updated in September 2026, and Top100GolfCourses updated in 2026 . An older list may still be useful for the top tier, but the middle section will be out of date.
Read the methodology. Today’s Golfer weights design at 40% . Golf Monthly does not publish a comparable breakdown in the available source, but its panel is made up of club golfers rather than architects . If you care about strategic design, Today’s Golfer’s list may align better with your priorities. If you care about the overall experience and conditioning, Golf Monthly’s approach is more holistic.
Ignore off-course facilities. Today’s Golfer explicitly states that clubhouse, service and tournament pedigree are not scored . A course with a modest clubhouse can still rank highly. Do not assume a top-20 position means luxury.
Remember that access varies. Some ranked courses are private members’ clubs with limited visitor tee times. Others, such as the St Andrews Links courses, are open to the public through ballot or booking. A high ranking does not guarantee you can get on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the number 1 golf course in the UK?
Royal County Down is ranked No.1 by Golf Monthly, Today’s Golfer and Top100GolfCourses as of 2026 . The championship course in Newcastle, County Down, displaced St Andrews Old Course on the Today’s Golfer list in September 2026 after four years in second place .
How many golf courses are there in the UK?
There are approximately 3,001 golf courses in Britain, excluding Northern Ireland, according to Statista and the R&A’s 2025 figures cited by Golf Care . England has the most, with estimates ranging from 1,800 to 2,400, followed by Scotland at around 520 to 550 .
What is the best golf course in England?
Sunningdale Old Course is the highest-ranked English course on several lists. Golf Monthly placed Sunningdale Old at No.10 in its 2025/26 UK and Ireland ranking, with Sunningdale New at No.9 . Royal St George’s, Royal Birkdale and Woodhall Spa also feature in the English top tier.
Are top 100 golf courses open to the public?
Many are, but access varies. St Andrews Old Course operates a ballot system for visitors. Some private clubs allow limited visitor play on certain days. Others, particularly championship venues, restrict access around tournament dates. Always check the club’s visitor policy directly before planning a trip.
