Best Links Golf Courses

336 links courses across the UK & Ireland

Links golf is the original form of the game — played on natural seaside terrain, shaped by wind, rain and time rather than architects. The UK and Ireland are home to the greatest concentration of links courses anywhere in the world: from the Old Course at St Andrews to Royal County Down, Ballybunion to Royal Birkdale.

Browse links courses by country

Top-Rated Links Courses

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The Belfry

England

Discover The Belfry, a stylish hotel and resort in the Midlands. Enjoy exceptional golf, indulgent spa treatments, exquisite dining and memorable stays.

Fee on request
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Fair Isle Lighthouse Keeper's Golf Course

Scotland

Fair Isle ’s Lighthouse Keeper’s Golf Course              New Extreme Golf Video!  Dave Wheeler The most remote golf course...

from £312
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Kingsway Biggleswade Driving Range

England

Kingsway – Golf Centres – Royston, Cambridge, Biggleswade

from £49
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Old Fold Manor Golf Course

Barnet, England

Old Fold Manor is one of the best courses in Hertfordshire. It was designed by one of the greatest golf course architects of all time - Harry Colt. His design philosophy helped to shape Augusta National, too, so it’s not surprising that Old Fold is famous for its greens. Colt was also famous for bringing a seaside links feel to inland courses so, you’ll find a few extra challenges here. These are some of the reasons why Old Fold held Regional Qualifying for The Open Championship from 2005-2010.

from £35
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Richmond Park Golf Course

England

Richmond Park is situated to the south-west of London, just seven miles from the city centre.

from £357
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Verulam Golf Club

England

Verulam Golf Club has a tradition steeped in the game of golf. Samuel Ryder, a wealthy St Albans seed merchant, Captain of the Club and prolific supporter of early professional golf, donated the Ryder Cup in 1926.

from £60
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Stapleford Abbotts - Priors Golf Course

Stapleford Abbotts, England

Stapleford Abbotts Golf Club A truly premium golf experience.

Fee on request
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Ormskirk Golf Club

England

A warm welcome is extended to all visitors to Ormskirk Golf Club. We are situated close to the historic market town of Ormskirk with nearby motorway links and just a few miles inland from the famous Southport Golf Coast including Royal Birkdale. Set in 125 acres of mature, picturesque parkland, Ormskirk Golf Club offers a challenging yet relaxing round of golf to players of all ages and abilities. The course measures 6533yds and, with its wide tree-lined fairways, strategic bunkers and superb greens, your enjoyment is guaranteed. Designed originally by Harold Hilton, the course has been used for Open regional qualifying, County matches and many corporate, charity and social events.

from £21
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Sidcup Golf Club

Sidcup, England

Professional golf instruction and coaching services in Sidcup, Kent

Fee on request
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Pedham Place Golf Centre

Swanley, England

Toptracer Range delivers the same ball-tracking technology that traces the shots of the game’s best players on TV. Toptracer Range technology offers a fun, engaging, tech-driven experience that appeals to seasoned players, range rivals, friends, family members, and even first-time golfers.

from £25
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Kingsway Golf Club

Royston, England

JUNIOR SUMMER CAMPS NOW AVAILABLE JUNIOR GOLF SUMMER CAMPSBOOK NOW15% OFF GOLF USE CODE: USOPEN15BOOK YOUR GOLF50% OFF GOLFSIMS USE CODE: MAJOR50BOOK TODAYPLAY JURASSIC LINKS BOOK NOW BOOK MELBOURN COURSE VISIT ROYSTON VISIT CAMBRIDGE VISIT BIGGLESWADE GOLFSIMS JURASSIC LINKS PLAY OUR COURSES TRACKMAN RANGE SHOP EAT & DRINK GOLF ACADEMY Originally built in the early […]

from £18
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Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Course

Lytham St Annes, England

Northern hospitality has always been famous and Royal Lytham leads the way. You will be made extremely welcome. Luxurious en-suite rooms overlooking the 1st tee area also available in our Tudor fronted Dormy House accommodation.

from £44
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Fairhaven Golf Club

Lytham St Annes, England

Officially recognised as one of the finest Championship courses in the north of England, Fairhaven Golf Club offers golfers of all handicaps a beautiful place to play golf. Home to professional golf since 1934, Fairhaven has all the characteristics of a traditional links course and is immaculately kept from tee to green, allowing year- round golf.

from £105
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Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

Welcome to The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh.

from £200
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Bruntsfield Links

Edinburgh, Scotland

Founded in 1761, the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society is the fourth oldest golf club in the world and one of Scotland's most prestigious clubs located only 3 miles from Edinburgh city centre and 1 hour from The Old Course, St Andrews.

from £427
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Royal Aberdeen Golf Club

Aberdeen, Scotland
Fee on request
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Sandy Lodge Golf Club

England

Since its romantic beginnings in 1910 the Harry Vardon designed course has remained true to its original layout and is the ideal place to play golf all year round. Located in the stunning landscape of the Moor Park estate on the Hertfordshire / Middlesex borders and proudly featured on the top 100 Golf Courses website, Sandy Lodge has been home to notable members in golfing history and is a proud host to many prestigious tournaments.

from £50
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The Shire London

Barnet, England

The Shire London is rated London’s #1 golf experience. Our main aim is to set your pulse racing with our spectacular Seve Ballesteros golf course – forever destined to be the iconic Spaniard’s one and only challenge to golfers in the UK.

Fee on request
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North Ronaldsay Golf Course

North Ronaldsay, Scotland

North Ronaldsay has long offered golfers one of the most picturesque and remote golf courses in all of Scotland. Located beside the long, white-sanded beach of Linklet Bay, the nine holes, including a 624 yard hole, utilised the natural links of the bay to provide golfers with a challenging course that captures the essence of what golfers would have experienced in the early days of this great sport. Accompanying golfers on their rounds will inevitably be some of the islands rare breed of seaweed-eating sheep.

Fee on request
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Hayling Golf Club

Hayling Island, England
from £145
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Cuddington Golf Course

Banstead, England

Established in 1929 on 166 acres of Surrey downland, Cuddington has everything a golfer could wish for and more.

from £521
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Links Golf Club

Newmarket, England

This Hotchkin designed 18-hole parkland course enjoys stunning views of the famous Newmarket Racecourses and gallops. The course sits on flat, free-draining terrain making it playable all year. The layout is similar to other Hotchkin designs at Woodhall Spa, Ashridge and Stoke Rochford, with challenging bunkering, fast running fairways and inland-links character, setting a test for the experienced player and an enjoyable experience for those developing their game.

from £524
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Brancumhall Golf Development Centre

East Kilbride, Scotland
Fee on request
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East Berkshire Golf Club

England

Driving Range with Covered Bays Grass Tee Areas Short Game Chipping and Putting Green Indoor Teaching Studio Full Length 18 Hole Golf Course Clubhouse Open for Food and Beverage Mens and Ladies Changing Rooms Fully Stocked Professional Shop

Fee on request
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Larkhall Golf Course

Larkhall, Scotland
Fee on request
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Blakes Golf Course

North Weald, England
from £20
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Killiney Golf Club

Republic of Ireland
from 40
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Rush Golf Club

Rush, Republic of Ireland

Looking for a challenging links course in north county Dublin? This is one of the best courses. It's a 9 hole course that plays 18.

Fee on request
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Arkley Golf Club

England

Experience the charm of Arkley 9 Golf Course, an 9-hole course offering a challenging yet enjoyable round for golfers of all levels.

from £382
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Edmondstown Golf Club

Republic of Ireland

"This is the place" These immortal words, reputed to be uttered by two members of the Maccabean Golfing Society, led to the purchase of an old dairy farm situated in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. They were probably standing somewhere on the current 18th fairway which affords a magnificent view of Dublin City. The two gentlemen concerned were looking, on behalf of their society, for a site to form their own golf club for their members who, for the most part, were unable to gain membership of established clubs. The year was 1944 and Ireland was anything but a pluralist society. War was still raging in Europe and the outlook was grim. However the land was purchased and Edmondstown Golf Club was born. initially it was a 9 hole course but over the years extra holes were built and final

from 376
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Southport Municipal Golf Course

England

The course was originally opened in 1912 as a 9 hole course on reclaimed land bordering the Irish Sea. During the 1930's more land was reclaimed and it was extended to an 18-hole course. The designer of which was Harry Shapland Colt who was one of the worlds leading golf course architects of his generation.

from £19
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Southport Old Links Golf Club

Southport, England
from £30
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Sheerness Golf Club

Minster-on-Sea, England
from £60
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Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

England
from £100
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Kingsway Cambridge Lakes Golf Course

Cambridge, England

EXPLORE KINGSWAY CAMBRIDGEBOOK NOW Welcome To Kingsway Cambridge Kingsway Cambridge Lakes Golf Course has been a feature of the Cambridge sporting scene since 1995 and offers a well-maintained 9 hole par 3 course at a reasonable price. It occupies a 20 acre site off Trumpington Road just two miles south of King’s College. We provide a very […]

from £49
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Southport, England
from £450

What is Links Golf?

The Origins of Golf

Links courses occupy the strip of land 'linking' the sea to the farmland — undulating, sandy terrain that drains quickly, is dominated by natural grasses, gorse and heather, and is shaped entirely by the elements. The Old Course at St Andrews, in use for over 600 years, is the archetype. Wind is a permanent playing partner; rain a frequent one.

Playing Characteristics

Links courses reward creativity and low, running shots over the high-carry approach play common on parkland. Greens are firmer, fairways faster, rough wilder and pot bunkers more penal. The ball bounces unpredictably. Club selection changes every day as wind direction shifts. Most golfers find links golf both more challenging and more addictive than any other form of the game.

The UK's Links Heritage

Of the world's roughly 250 true links courses, approximately 200 are in the UK and Ireland. Scotland has the most — Ayrshire, Fife, East Lothian, the Highlands and Angus are all links heartlands. Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way links are among the world's most dramatic. England's Open rota — Birkdale, Lytham, Sandwich, Hoylake — represents the game's elite.

Planning a Links Trip

Most links are open to visitors without the restrictions of private parkland clubs. Booking in advance is recommended for championship venues; many smaller links welcome walk-ons. Green fees range from £15 at remote Scottish links to £300+ at St Andrews Old Course. A 3–5 day links tour of Scotland, Ireland or the Causeway Coast is one of golf's great experiences.

Find links courses near you

Use the interactive map to explore all links courses filtered by location, green fee and rating.

Open Links Golf Map