The Top 100 Courses in the World you can actually play

Playing the GOLF World Top 100 is often cast as the Mount Everest of golf travel. Augusta, for most, is as remote as the death zone. But the climb is not as forbidding as it sounds. Of the courses on our 2025 list, 54 welcome outside play. Think of the list as base camp — a place to start, with itineraries that are not dreams but bookings waiting to be made.

SCOTLAND

The Home of Golf holds 13 of the World Top 100, a concentration of greatness found nowhere else. Too often the journey is delayed, put off in the hope of securing the Old Course at St. Andrews (No. 3). But Scotland is larger than one course, and the time to see it is not someday. It is now.

While booked-solid St. Andrews, Muirfield (No. 11) and Royal Troon (No. 53) will have to wait until 2027, there are still 10 Scottish World Top 100s up for grabs in 2026. Draw a line at Edinburgh, and the destination falls neatly in two.

North: Royal Dornoch (No. 12), far-flung and pure. Castle Stuart (No. 97), minimalism on the Moray Firth. Cruden Bay (No. 61), quirky and beautiful. Carnoustie (No. 39), blunt and unrelenting. Kingsbarns (No. 94), polished and photogenic.

South: Turnberry (No. 18), grandeur by the sea. Prestwick (No. 58), birthplace of the Open. Machrihanish (No. 92), its first tee a postcard. North Berwick (No. 25), walls, charm and sea air. Ardfin (No. 72), remote and exclusive on Jura. Two arcs of golf, north and south of the capital. Ten courses, each its own story.

IRELAND

The Island of Ireland has six courses in the World Top 100. In 2026, you can play them all in one circle, from Dublin to Dublin.

Start at Portmarnock (No. 54), linksland pure and understated. Head north to Royal County Down (No. 4), stunning beneath the Mournes. Go west to Royal Portrush (No. 14), rugged on the Antrim cliffs. And farther still to Rosapenna and St. Patrick’s Links (No. 44), new and bold in the dunes. Turn south. Ballybunion (No. 29), raw and windswept. Lahinch (No. 34), quirky and charming. Then back to Dublin, the loop complete.

One island. Six giants.

ENGLAND

England has 10 in the World Top 100, and in 2026 they shape into two perfect trips. South: Start near London, where Sunningdale Old (No. 22) and Sunningdale New (No. 55) form one of the game’s great duos. Nearby, Swinley Forest (No. 50) offers quiet charm, while St. George’s Hill (No. 57) sweeps across its dramatic ridges. On the coast, Rye (No. 90) plays fast and firm. Then it’s down to Kent, where Royal St. George’s (No. 30) delivers classic Open drama on a grand scale.

North: The journey turns to the Lancashire coast. Royal Birkdale (No. 42), a fixture of Open lore. Royal Lytham & St. Annes (No. 68), testing from the first tee. Royal Liverpool (No. 95), Hoylake, steeped in history and still relevant today. Finish inland at Woodhall Spa (No. 74), sandy heathland and a national treasure. Two trips, north and south. Ten courses that show English golf at its best.

NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA

Half a world away, the game takes on a different character. Sandbelt strategy, oceanfront drama, landscapes that feel untouched — together, Australia and New Zealand place 10 courses in the World Top 100, all open to public play in 2026.

In Melbourne, the Sandbelt leads the way. Royal Melbourne West (No. 7) is the standard, with Royal Melbourne East (No. 82) alongside it. Kingston Heath (No. 24) and Victoria (No. 93) round out a foursome that shows why this region is revered. From there, the journey turns coastal: Barnbougle Dunes (No. 41) in Tasmania, cut by wind and sea, and Cape Wickham (No. 100) on King Island, golf at the edge of the world. On the mainland again, New South Wales (No. 46) runs high above the Pacific, its views as bold as its routing.

Across the Tasman, New Zealand brings its own drama. Cape Kidnappers (No. 65) clings to the cliffs above Hawke’s Bay, as spectacular as any setting in the game. North of Auckland, Te Arai Links has already become a destination in itself: the South Course (No. 79) and North Course (No. 98), both seaside, both unforgettable.

Two countries, 10 courses, one journey through the Southern Hemisphere’s best. In practice, this is a project that typically spans three to five years. Each journey is built with more than the names on the list, drawing in other courses that give context and depth. Over time, the exercise becomes something richer — less about the check marks, more about the education in design, in landscape, in how golf expresses itself in different corners of the world. Where every trip becomes a story.

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GOLF Top 100 Courses in the World you can play

3. St. Andrews (Old)
4. Royal County Down
7. Royal Melbourne (West)
11. Muirfield
12. Royal Dornoch
14. Royal Portrush
15. Pebble Beach
18. Turnberry (Ailsa)
20. Pinehurst No. 2
22. Sunningdale Old
24. Kingston Heath
25. North Berwick (West)

29. Ballybunion (Old)
30. Royal St. George’s
34. Lahinch (Old)
35. Pacific Dunes
39. Carnoustie (Championship)
41. Barnbougle Dunes
42. Royal Birkdale
44. St. Patrick’s Links
46. New South Wales
48. The Lido
50. Swinley Forest
53. Royal Troon
54. Portmarnock
55. Sunningdale (New)
56. Bethpage (Black)
57. St. George’s Hill
58. Prestwick
61. Cruden Bay
62. Kawana (Fuji)
65. Cape Kidnappers
66. Lofoten
69. Cabot St. Lucia

68. Royal Lytham & St. Annes
71. Kiawah Island (Ocean)
72. Ardfin
74. Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin)
76. Bandon Trails
78. Cabot Cliffs
79. Te Arai (South)
81. Haagsche (Royal Hague)
82. Royal Melbourne East
83. Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog)
85. Bandon Dunes

90. Rye
92. Macrihanish
93. Victoria
94. Kingsbarns
95. Royal Liverpool
96. Cabot Links
97. Castle Stuart
98. Te Arai (North)
100. Cape Wickham