34 World’s best golf courses

The longtime host of the Irish championships, Adare was completely redesigned by Tom Fazio, creating an outstanding course with fast run-offs, green complexes to rival the world’s top courses and an exceptional 18th, finishing in the shadow of the stunning Adare Manor (where you can stay).

The most scenic of the courses on the Open rota, the Ailsa sits on a craggy headland with stunning views over Ailsa Crag, the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran.

A modern masterpiece sat on the southern tip of the Isle of Jura, there’s a run of holes that hug the cliff tops, and the challenging course and stunning surroundings make this one of the best golfing experiences in Europe.

Ireland’s most scenic course has beauty, intrigue and some wonderful quirks. The opening shot is taken beside a graveyard, from the 6th onwards it’s all about the ocean, with cliffs, sand dunes and greens that run right beside the crashing sea.

The Pacific Ocean is everywhere on this glorious course; infinity-view greens stretch out towards the waves and the undulating fairways and devilish bunkers make it hugely enjoyable to play. Wildness, romance and one of the best routings of any course in America.

The nearest Australia has to a classic seaside links course, the big difference here is the size of the dunes – some rising to 100 feet high, making the warps and folds of the fairways super-dramatic and unforgettable to play. Stay at the Barnbougle Lost Farm Golf Resort.

A masterpiece of a course, with a traditional layout that mirrors links golf in Scotland and Ireland; fairways twist down from a forested glade overlooking the sea, with both the inland and oceanside holes super-satisfying to play.

Set on a rugged stretch of land wedged between a sheep station and a range of mighty cliffs, this is one of the most dramatic stretches of holes most people will ever play. New Zealand’s answer to Pebble Beach.

Despite only opening in 2015, this stunning links is already a world-class track. The first few holes wind their way around Cape Farewell before moving inland, returning to spectacular ocean views from the 14th.

Nicknamed ‘car-nasty’, this championship course is a proper test; of length, accuracy, strategy and a whole heap of patience. Play well here and you can comfortably call yourself in experienced and talented golfer.

This regular host of the Scottish Open is a cracking modern links in north-eastern Scotland, with widescreen views over the Moray Firth and beyond. Unlike many similar courses the fairways aren’t overly tight, putting all the onus on quality of approach.

One of the purest and most beautiful links courses in the US, Chambers brings together the best of Scottish and Irish links with huge sand dunes and breathtaking views of the Puget Sound and snow-capped Olympic Mountains.

Designed by Greg Norman, this sublime course on the Mayan Riviera weaves its way through dense jungle, beautiful stretches of white sand and mangrove forests, with cenotes – natural sinkholes – and water canals providing natural hazards. The first course to host an official PGA Tour event outside of the United States or Canada. Stay at the Andaz Mayakoba.

Designed by Gary Player and strongly reminiscent of a classic Scottish or Irish course, huge dunes rise up around the greens with the Outenique Mountains forming a stunning backdrop.  There’s not a weak hole among the eighteen. South Africa’s top golfing experience.

The best course in Japan, where golfers play under the steady gaze of Mount Fuji. It sits on a rippled promontory on the Izu Peninsula, about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo.

An exceptional links course, beautifully trapped between the Inagh River and the Atlantic Ocean. Unquestionably a stern test of golf, with its fair share of blind shots, but the standout feature is the beauty of the landscape.

Host to 16 Open Championships and home to the world’s oldest golf club, Muirfield oozes history – second only to St Andrew’s in golf lore. There’s no trickery, apart from the bumpy fairways – the greens are perfectly sized.

A modern masterpiece in the style of a classic Scottish links, the unorthodox routing (four par 3s on the back 9) is framed by jagged sand dunes and some outrageous bunkers. The course demands all kinds of shot making and every ounce of concentration.

As oceanside courses go, Pebble Beach is unrivalled in the USA, routed along craggy headlands and cliff tops that tumble into Carmel Bay. The exterior holes are bedazzling – 5 through 11 might just be the best six holes in the world.

This Donald Ross masterpiece is many a golfer’s choice as the best course in the USA. Every hole is exceptional, but the 5th, 9th and 16th are world-class.

Plot your way strategically among the cork trees in one of the best golfing experiences in Europe. Immaculately maintained, beautifully designed and devilishly tricky without being overlong, Valderrama is everything a world-class parkland course should be.

Rated by many a pro as the finest of all English links courses, Royal Birkdale has hosted 10 Open Championships – more than any other course in the world since WWII. 18 challenging holes winding their way through magnificent dunes.

‘RCD’ is arguably the world’s best golf course you can play without being a member. A riot of gorse and heather skirting the Irish Sea and backdropped by the Mountains of Mourne.

Wild, isolated and spellbindingly beautiful, Royal Dornoch is the third oldest in the world, with turtleback greens creating some real challenges. To play here is to tee off in the shadow of golf’s very beginnings. Stay at Links House at Royal Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands.

Australia’s best course is arguably Alistair Mackenzie’s masterpiece – surpassing even Augusta National, with generous fairways and firm-faced bunkers tight to the greens. Exceptional design, from tee to hole.

Routed between the natural dunes and grassy hummocks of the North Antrim coast this is one of Irish golf’s greatest challenges, and its most famous holes are part of golfing lore. There’s real history too; first laid out in the 1880s.

The Royal’s circular layout, natural landscaping and the sheer quality of its very best holes – the 4th, 6th and 15th – make this England’s greatest links course. It’s a tough track, and a good score is well-earned, but its rewards are timeless.

An extraordinary course carved out of the Nevada desert, with a gorgeous mountain backdrop. All the qualities of Augusta, but only 15 minutes away from the Vegas strip.

Setting foot on the Old Course means walking in the footsteps of every great golfer who has graced the game over the last centuries. Truly special, its famous tee shots, infamous bunkers, huge greens and crazy fairways make up the greatest walk in golf. Stay at the Fairmont St Andrews.

A terrific test of golf that couldn’t be more beautifully situated, surrounded by glorious pines and sturdy oak trees. The surfaces are carpet-like and fast and it all comes together with remarkable elegance, best appreciated on the elevated 10th hole.

A serious contender for the best course in the Caribbean, CdC has 18 salivating holes of golf meticulously carved out of the rock and coral of the southeastern shores of the Dominican coast. Stay at the excellent Casa de Campo Resort.

Everyone comes to try their luck on the notorious 17th, with its treacherous island green, but the rest of the course – with links-style bunkers and hundreds of oaks, pines and palms – is one of the most challenging in America.

A proper test of links golf, Waterville’s 18 holes stretch out along a promontory surrounded by the sea, overlooked by magnificent sand dunes. Every course has one or two signature holes but Waterville has six, including the elevated 17th, with breathtaking views.

There may be more famous courses in the United Arab Emirates, but this one is the best. 18 holes of classic golf that finish with three of the very best holes in the region. Stay at the nearby St Regis Saadiyat Island.