From Cabot Cliffs to Tara Iti, Casa de Campo to Old Head, these are the top International Modern Courses built outside the U.S. since 1960.
Welcome to the initial Golfweek’s Best Modern International Courses list with the highest-rated courses outside the United States that were built in or after 1960. (Tara Iti in New Zealand is pictured atop this story.)
This is the first year for this International Modern list, and it is comprised of thousands of individual ratings of courses around the world. Next week we will publish the Classic Courses version, shining a spotlight on the best international courses built before 1960.
The 800-plus members of our ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course, which is then ranked against other courses to produce the final lists.
Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links (David Cannon/Getty Images)
Each course is listed with its average rating next to the name, the location, the year it opened and the designers. After the designers are several designations that note what type of facility it is.
There are a few wonderful courses that don’t appear on this list because they haven’t received enough votes from raters. This most often happens at hard-to-reach private courses that don’t allow much guest play. One such example would be Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic, a stunning Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout that has been renovated by Rees Jones but that hasn’t received enough votes to make this international list. Given time and more votes, it’s entirely possible this seaside layout will make a strong climb into the various course rankings.
Key
r: resort course
d: daily fee
p: private course
t: tour course
re: real estate
* Some international private courses allow limited outside play. Contact the courses indicated for more information on their guest policies.
The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns make this a special week for the European Tour and for links lovers.
The European Tour takes a few knocks from golf course aficionados about the layouts the tour frequently plays as it takes events to new coordinates – and sponsors – around the world. Some criticism is fair, some less so.
But it’s all moot this week. Just kick back, turn on the tube and enjoy some of the best golf courses in the world for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
St. Andrews Old Course. Carnoustie. Kingsbarns. They make up an incredible Scottish links triumvirate around St. Andrews, the best one-week professional rota in golf.
The Old Course is, of course, the Old Course. This is golf. Old Tom. Young Tom. All the way to Tiger Woods. This is the home of golf, the marketing says – and it’s right. And always exciting to watch.
Carnoustie is no slouch, itself. Home to eight past British Opens – ahem, Open Championships – Carnoustie’s Championship Course presents one of the most challenging and thrilling conclusions in golf. Just ask Jean van de Velde about the dreaded Barry Burn, where his chance at the 1999 British Open title was ingloriously drowned.
Kingsbarns (Golfweek files)
And to people who don’t follow modern golf architecture closely, Kingsbarns might seem like a third wheel in this rota. Trust us, it’s not. The Kyle Phillips design that opened in 2000 has climbed all the various course rankings – including Golfweek’s Best – to become one of the most desirable tee times in Europe.
The only thing that comes close to this rota on the PGA Tour is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course hosting celebrities and pros alike each year. Pebble Beach ranks No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list for the U.S., and Spyglass is No. 31 among all Modern U.S. courses. Not bad at all. It’s hard to beat the vibe on this section of California coastline.
But when it comes to elite course rankings, no rota compares to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. And like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Dunhill Links also serves up a celebrity field in a pro-am format to make things a bit more interesting. Each team will play the three courses over the first three days, with teams and individuals that make the cut playing the Old Course on Sunday.
Keep scrolling for more on each of the courses in this week’s rota.
Ryann O’Toole closes in 64 to clinch her first LPGA victory in here 228th career start at Dumbarnie Links.
Ryann O’Toole looked like she’d done this sort of thing – win – a thousand times as she made her way down the stretch at Dumbarnie Links. But this was a first for the veteran American, who captured her maiden LPGA title in her 228th career start.
O’Toole, 34, joined the LPGA in 2011 and in her 11th season on the LPGA clinched the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open with a magnificent 8-under 64 to win by three.
“I can’t even describe it,” said O’Toole. “I have obviously been working my whole life for this. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a kid.”
O’Toole came into the final round tied for the lead at 9 under with former No. 1 and 2018 Scottish Open winner Ariya Jutanugarn and England’s Charley Hull. Atthaya Thitikul, 18, and Lydia Ko put pressure on O’Toole, who never flinched and ultimately pulled away with three birdies on the last six holes and a bogey-free scorecard.
Ko carded a course record-tying 9-under 63 to finish tied for second with Thitikul, who posted a 66 to join her at 14 under. Thitikul, a member of the Ladies European Tour who also finished runner-up on the LPGA earlier this year in Thailand, needed to win to earn her LPGA card.
“So unbelievable to me,” said Thitikul. “I’m not a big fan of links, but I can shoot under par every day.”
O’Toole, a ULCA grad with more than $2 million in career earnings, had never held a share of the lead going into the final round of an LPGA event. She felt nervous about that fact Saturday evening and tried to keep her cell phone time to a minimum.
There was no sweeter call, however, than the FaceTime with her mom after the round when she was drenched in champagne. O’Toole’s fiancé, Gina Marra, happened to be in Scotland to celebrate. The couple plans to wed in December.
There were times when O’Toole wondered if she’d ever win on the LPGA. In fact, she’d been wondering lately if 2021 might be her last season on tour. She wants to start a family with Marra, and playing the tour as a mom never had appealed to O’Toole. The idea of stepping away from the LPGA sometime in the future, perhaps at the end of this year even, helped her to let go of the pressure of trying to make something happen. There’s more to life, she decided.
“I’m Ryann in a lot of different ways rather than just Ryann the golfer,” she said.
Even so, walking away without a title would’ve eaten at her.
“I definitely feel like it would have been unfinished business and something I never would have known what the feeling is,” she said. “Now that I’ve had a taste, I feel like that’s going to be a hard one to give up.”
O’Toole hit 13 fairways and 18 greens in her final round. She clicked well with her new caddie, Michael Curry, who stepped in after her previous caddie, Reid Martin, retired last week. O’Toole said Martin informed her of the decision Sunday at the Amundi Evian Championship, saying he’d grown weary of life on the road.
O’Toole liked the looks of the brand new Dumbarnie Links from the start and got a kick out her mom saying it looked like she was playing on the moon. In her first try at links golf in 2012, O’Toole admittedly had her “butt kicked” at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. She has since learned how to maximize her creativity, hit a low tee shot and play the contours of the greens.
Last year O’Toole had to skip the Scottish Open and AIG Women’s British Open after testing positive for COVID-19. One year later, so much has changed.
“I still think I’m in shock,” said O’Toole. “The hours spent, the grind, the heartache that the sport brings, the constant travel. … For this moment, I hope that it only happens again and again.”
Scotland’s surprise draw against England prompted intense reaction from fans.
Friday’s Euro 2020 match between rivals England and Scotland was one of the most anticipated games of the group stages. Unfortunately for soccer fans, the match fell flat, as England and Scotland played to a 0-0 draw after 92 minutes of game time.
The result was a surprise, as England was slated as the favorites for this match, with Scotland nabbing their first point of the Euro 2020 group stages thanks to the draw. England, meanwhile, bungled a great chance to secure the group stage lead after their 1-0 win over Croatia last weekend.
The 0-0 draw for Scotland somehow keeps their Euro 2020 hopes alive, as that one single point means the team is still in position to nab the third place spot in Group D — and possibly advance — if they can manage to win against Croatia on Tuesday. As such, Twitter had an absolute ball clowning on England for the suboptimal result, bringing the jokes in the wake of the draw.
Plans are that the family-focused facility will open summer of 2022 and will introduce the game to newcomers from a variety of backgrounds.
Plans for a new community golf complex at one of five municipal courses under threat of closure in Glasgow, Scotland, have been put forward by game governing body The R&A.
It is hoped that the family-focused facility will open in the summer of 2022, providing a route into the game for newcomers from a wide variety of backgrounds. It will include a nine-hole course, a Par-3 course, putting greens, short-game area, adventure golf and a 25-bay floodlit driving range.
Additional features including a café, fitness studio, indoor simulator and movie theatre, education room and retail area are also being planned as part of a “central hub” offering views north over nearby Hogganfield Loch to the Campsie Fells and south to the City of Glasgow.
The news comes a year after Lethamhill and four other municipal courses in Glasgow were left facing the prospect of closure amid budget cuts by the city council. The R&A, which is responsible for governing the rules of golf and staging The Open competition, acquired Lethamhill in September in a deal reportedly worth about $276,000.
“We want to make golf more welcoming and inclusive for people of all ages and backgrounds and so we need to appeal to them by offering a variety of fun and affordable activities that entice more families and young people into the sport,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said.
The R&A is submitting a planning application for a new golf facility in Glasgow. (Rendering by The R&A)
“We are excited by the prospect of establishing a facility in the very heart of the local community in northeast Glasgow that provides an accessible pathway into golf and inspires people to get out, have fun and experience the many health benefits that playing golf with family and friends can provide.”
Lethamhill and the other affected courses – Linn Park, Littlehill, Alexandra Park and Ruchill – were operated by Glasgow Life, the cultural and sporting arm of Glasgow City Council. In collaboration with Glasgow Life, the views of local stakeholders including current golfers, community groups and elected representatives are being considered to assist in shaping the development of the facility.
Work is also being carried out with the Golf Foundation and Scottish Golf to devise future participation and education programs that use Glasgow Life’s existing Active Schools network to connect local schools with the new facility.
Councillor David McDonald, chair of Glasgow Life and deputy leader of the council, said: “The prospect of creating such a fantastic venue in what is already a well-used hub is something everyone can be very enthusiastic about, and we’re looking forward to working with The R&A and engaging with groups and clubs in the local area to develop a facility which is the first of its kind in Glasgow.”
The R&A has been working closely with the Seven Lochs Partnership and leading sustainability professionals to delivering positive environmental, health and social benefits to the local community and ensure best practice in sustainability throughout the facility.
A new network of public nature trails that link into existing walking routes of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is being planned for use by visitors to the urban heritage and nature park, which seeks to promote health and well-being and enhance biodiversity.
A report in Scotland’s Sunday Post indicated that travel bans could be an issue if Donald Trump is headed to Scotland for Inauguration Day.
Just over two weeks remain in Donald Trump’s term as the president of the United States, but what’s next for Trump? A report in Scotland’s Sunday Post indicated that Scotland, where he owns a major golf resort, could be a possibility.
Except that a travel ban could prevent him from entering that country.
The Sunday Post reported that Prestwick Airport in Scotland has been told to plan for the arrival of a U.S. military Boeing 757 aircraft on Jan. 19 – a day before President-elect Joe Biden is to be inaugurated.
In reporting the booking for the Boeing 757 on Jan. 19, the Sunday Post’s source, who remained anonymous, said of the aircraft: “That’s one that’s normally used by the Vice-President but often used by the First Lady. Presidential flights tend to get booked far in advance, because of the work that has to be done around it.”
Trump has used that aircraft previously, and the Sunday Post further cited sources at Prestwick that said two U.S. military surveillance aircraft were circling Trump’s Turnberry Resort in November.
Airport sources also described surveillance planes landing at Prestwick on Nov. 12. The survey aircraft reportedly was at Prestwick for a week, which generally signals that Trump “is going to be somewhere for an extended period.”
The issue would lie in COVID travel restrictions. According to the Independent, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said travel in and out of the country is not permitted without a valid reason and “coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”
NBC News reported last month that Trump is not expected to attend Biden’s inauguration and that a Trump announcement of a 2024 presidential campaign is a possibility.
The Vols might have a shot to land this 5-star forward.
Tennessee basketball is in the mix to land an elite talent in the 2022 recruiting class, as 5-star power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield released his top five schools on Friday.
Tennessee is competing with Auburn, Ole Miss, Kansas and Wake Forest for Huntley-Hatfield’s signature.
Huntley-Hatfield is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward that is rated as the No. 1 power forward in his class, and the No. 6 player nationally by the 247Sports Composite.
Although he plays his high school basketball at Scotland Performance Institute in Scotland, Pennsylvania, Huntley-Hatfield is a Clarksville, Tennessee native.
A lot of time will pass before Huntley-Hatfield’s recruitment comes to an end, as the Vols are looking to add to its 2021 recruiting class, as well. Tennessee is still in the running and will have an entire recruiting cycle to convince him in coming to Knoxville in 2022.
Stacy Lewis fired a 5-under 66 to take a share of the second-round lead at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
For Stacy Lewis, last week’s Marathon LPGA Classic ended on a high note. She closed the week at Highland Meadows in Sylvania, Ohio, with a 6-under 65 (that left her inside the top 10) and felt like it could have been much lower.
Lewis said she was feeling reenergized after making a posture change in her golf swing. A week later and an ocean away, it sure is looking that way. Lewis fired a 5-under 66 on Friday at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, to take a share of the second-round lead at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
Azahara Munoz is also at 5 under after rounds of 68-69 at the Renaissance Club.
“I finished really good in Toledo. Hit it awesome the last day,” Lewis said. “The golf swing has felt better every single day. I truly love playing in Scotland. I love links golf. All the different shots you get to hit, the different weather. You have to battle the elements which we did yesterday. I was just more than anything excited to come play some golf.”
Lewis won the Women’s British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in 2013. She’s always had a love for links golf and credited her caddie at the 2008 Curtis Cup at St. Andrews as being the one who truly taught her some of the nuances to playing that style of course.
“He picked out all these shots for me and helped me visualize things,” she said. “I really think it was the experience with him and playing the Old Course as many times as we did last week is what made me fall in love with it.”
This two-week stint in Scotland is only the second two-week span Lewis has ever spent away from daughter Chesnee, who is not quite 2 years old. Lewis also took an extended leave last year to play the Evian Championship and the Women’s British Open.
With her daughter another year older, FaceTime goes a little smoother.
“Now it’s actually fun on FaceTime because as soon as my face pops up, she says ‘Mama’ and she’s all excited,” Lewis said. “She’s showing me all her toys and all the stuff she’s getting into.
“It’s not full-blown conversations yet, but she at least knows I’m there and understands that I’m on the phone and talking to her. It makes it a lot easier being here.”
Behind the leaders, Jennifer Song is solo third at 4 under. Olivia Cowan and Amy Olson share fourth at 3 under and then it’s a crew of youngsters tied for sixth: rookie Andrea Lee, Cheyenne Knight and Nanna Koerstz Madsen along with Nicole Broch Larsen.
The Home of Golf will allow the game to continue, but pro shops and restaurants are to remain closed in response to coronavirus concerns.
Golf courses in Scotland were allowed to reopen in limited capacity Friday in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic after having been closed since March. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the relaxation of closures Thursday.
“Over the last few days, it has been fantastic to see the anticipation building, with many wonderful photographs and videos of courses ready for play,” Karin Sharp, COO of Scottish Golf, said on the organization’s website. “The greenkeepers and volunteers the length and breadth of the country are to be congratulated for their hard work, under essential maintenance guidelines in preparing for golfers to return.”
Scotland follows United Kingdom course reopenings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Golf courses in Ireland also were allowed to open earlier this month.
Clubhouses, restaurants and pro shops will remain closed, according to St. Andrews Links, which operates the Old Course and several others. Scottish Golf has published a list of guidelines as courses reopen.
In the United States and United Kingdom, resorts and tour operators say few rounds and trips are being canceled in response to coronavirus.
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Golfers will play through rain, wind, heat and cold. And, apparently, the current coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and around the world.
From the West Coast to the East and stretching all the way to the United Kingdom, resorts and tour operators say that very few rounds and trips are being canceled in response to the pandemic. Even as the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has risen past 600 and the U.S. death toll has climbed past 25, most people with golf travel already planned appear reluctant to cancel their trips.
Golf travel offers a very different story in general than the airline and cruise industries, which have been hit hard by cancellations.
“We have experienced no impact,” Bryan Hunter, public relations director at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, wrote in an email to Golfweek. “In fact, we just hosted 88 two-person golf teams for our annual Friendship Cup weekend, and we had no cancellations. We are obviously monitoring the situation and educating employees on how to be responsible, just as we would with any communicable illness. Kiawah Island Golf Resort is operating business as usual.”
The response was much the same at Pebble Beach Company in California.
“Pebble Beach Company is actively monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, and has taken supplemental precautionary measures to ensure the continued health and well-being of our guests and employees,” officials of the famed resort wrote in a statement. “These measures include resort-wide hygiene training and more frequent cleaning of public spaces. To date, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in Monterey County. From a business perspective, the impact to date on our business has been minimal.”
International golf booking companies have seen similar responses to the coronavirus outbreak, with a few exceptions. Gordon Dalgleish, president and founder of international booking agency PerryGolf, said he has fielded calls from some worried customers considering canceling their travel plans, but those mostly have been offset by new customers who are still eager to travel.
“In 35 years, we’ve seen hand-foot-and-mouth (disease), we’ve seen post 9-11, we’ve seen SARS, we’ve seen volcanoes in Iceland, we’ve kind of seen most of everything,” said Dalgleish, a Scotsman who lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. “The very strange thing about this (coronavirus), people’s perception of it are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. We can talk to one person who wants to tweak a tee time or add something on their trip that’s booked for July, and the next person thinks the world is falling apart and just wants out. It’s about their own personal level of comfort.”
Photo courtesy Kiawah
PerryGolf sells trips to destinations ranging from golf stalwarts Ireland and Scotland to farther-flung South Africa and Tasmania. The company also sells golf cruises, where players travel by boat and sleep onboard, then disembark to play golf. These cruises include trips around the Mediterranean and Italy – which has been hit hard with more than 10,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 60 deaths, according to USA TODAY – as well as the U.K., South America and many other global destinations.
As with many in the cruise industry, Dalgleish was upset with a U.S. State Department warning Monday that travelers avoid cruise ships altogether. The cruise industry supports about 422,000 jobs in the U.S., according to a Washington Post story, and Dalgleish is afraid the State Department’s blanket warning is too severe with an unlimited scope that could cost thousands of people their livelihoods.
“Vendors for ships are getting clobbered,” Dalgleish said. “Can you imagine being a vendor in Florida right now? … The purpose of government is to be specific and concise and for the information so be secure, not to introduce more questions than answers.”
While the cruise side has been more of a struggle as coronavirus threats have grown, Dalgleish said the numbers for conventional golf trips have remained relatively stable.
Peak season for travel to the U.K. and Ireland is mid-April through early October, Dalgleish said, and people who have bought trips are approaching or already have passed their final payment dates. Those countries have not been added to warning lists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or by the World Health Organization. Some customers have called PerryGolf looking for reassurances, but in general they are keeping their plans.
Dalgleish also said PerryGolf is working with vendors to delay final payments when necessary, and that the normally strict terms and conditions of a travel contract might be made flexible to assuage fears.
“People fundamentally want to wait as long as possible before they have to make a final financial commitment,” Dalgleish said. “We have laid out our terms and conditions from the outset, but that’s under, well, let’s call it normal conditions. If we have to modify those to find that happy middle ground, to where it makes sense for the consumer and it makes sense for us as a business and they have to wait 30 days (to make a payment), then that’s what we do. We’ve worked with different folks in coming up with reassurances.”
Sam Baker, founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based Haversham and Baker Golfing Expeditions, said his international booking company has seen almost no impact from the coronavirus outbreak. Haversham and Baker mostly sells to country club members who travel in familiar groups with friends, and most trips are booked nine to 18 months in advance. Ninety percent of the company’s trips are to Ireland or Scotland.
“Right now, 2020 is the biggest season we’ve ever had by 10 percent,” Baker said. “And we continue to add to bookings for 2020. So it’s going to grow even more. And our early bookings for 2021 are also running higher than they ever have. So contextually, we’re not seeing any effect yet in the numbers.
“Having said that, we continue to monitor the situation really closely. I think that caution is the smart move here. We’re working with our suppliers (to promote guest safety).”
Baker said none of the 200-plus hotels and courses with which his company books are in areas flagged by the CDC or WHO. Still, most hotels have implemented new safety measures, such as frequent cleaning of high-touch areas – think elevator buttons, door knobs and the like, Baker said.
“As we’ve had people call us out of an abundance of caution, we continue to tell our clients what’s going on, and here are the facts on the ground,” Baker said. “Does that mean you shouldn’t be concerned? Of course not. You should be, and you should exercise caution.”
And Baker said he couldn’t overstress the importance of good travel insurance. With golfers paying an average of about $6,000 each for golf, on-the-ground transportation and hotels on a Haversham and Baker trip, he said it’s important to buy travel insurance from a major carrier and to read the fine print.
“There’s an old saying in the industry: Good travel insurance is never cheap, and cheap travel insurance is never good,” Baker said. “Don’t shop by price, and instead shop by coverage. … In all our literature, when people book with us, we tell them you really need to insure against a loss. We are having more people ask questions about that.”
Both Baker and Dalgleish said that despite the outbreak, many people will continue to travel to play golf, both domestically and internationally. Nobody knows how long the outbreak will last or to what extent the illness might reach, but it’s important to base any travel plans on realistic precautions and not on hype, hysteria or ignorance.
“When is this all going to kind of clear up? I don’t know,” Dalgleish said. “The reality is, at some point this will be in our rearview mirror. This is not the new normal. But it’s not as if somebody is going to come out one morning and blow the all-clear whistle. The reality is that people are going to be concerned until we start to see a serious, ongoing reduction in the number of cases and the news cycle finds a shiny new object. …
“Our view is that people, for the most part, want to travel and they’re just looking for some level of reassurance that travel makes good sense and they’re not just throwing good money after bad.”
