Explore every episode of the podcast The Golf Pilgrim Top 100
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCB, Staffordshire, England | 25 Aug 2024 | 00:29:24 | |
If you build it, who will come? The big yellow diggers have transformed this part of Staffordshire into the JCB owner’s fields of dreams. | |||
| Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland | 21 Aug 2024 | 00:35:08 | |
Are there more dramatic opening holes in the UK and Ireland? The scenery and the giant dunes help make Portstewart's front 9 among the best links courses anywhere. But is it a game of two halves? Well, the club are improving holes on the back 9 to keep the thrills coming. | |||
| Tandridge, Surrey, England | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:36:26 | |
We're all looking for hidden gems to play....Tandridge certainly isn't hidden, but it is a gem that you might not know much about. | |||
| Walton Heath Old & New, Surrey, England | 20 Jun 2024 | 00:44:23 | |
Two great courses side by side, and a club that has had four prime ministers and a King among its members. More recently it's hosted a Ryder Cup and tournaments featuring some of the best male and female. players in the world. | |||
| Lofoten Links, Norway | 15 Jun 2024 | 00:45:16 | |
We're back....after a bit of a break while Neil travels to a golf course far, far away. | |||
| Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland. | 05 Jun 2024 | 00:32:55 | |
In sport, everyone knows how important it is to be First. | |||
| Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland | 02 Jun 2024 | 00:45:31 | |
NOW UPDATED! | |||
| Silloth on Solway, Cumbria, England | 30 May 2024 | 00:32:56 | |
"I loved the place so much I bought it." | |||
| Sunningdale New, Berkshire, England | 23 May 2024 | 00:27:29 | |
We're back at England's premier two-course club to play Sunningdale New - which is now more than a hundred years old. It's not quite as highly rated as the Old - but they're both in the Top 100 in the world! | |||
| Moor Park, Hertfordshire, England | 23 May 2024 | 00:27:45 | |
Moor Park may have one of the grandest clubhouses in the UK, but was Neil's driving as majestic as the surroundings? Spoiler alert...no. This is a club which is steeped in history. And this is certainly the only episode where Capability Brown and Jane Austen will get a mention. | |||
| Woking, Surrey, England | 18 May 2024 | 00:38:40 | |
Woking - the first of the famous 3 Surrey Ws to be built and the second we've reviewed in recent weeks. It's a fantastic course to play, but Woking has also written a significant chapter in golf history. When the club introduced the first fairway bunkers on an inland course, it revolutionised golf architecture around the world. | |||
| North Hants, Hampshire, England | 18 May 2024 | 00:27:29 | |
The course where US Open champion and Ryder Cup hero Justin Rose mastered the game. Don't get lost on the way....it's North Hants, not Northants! It's about to undergo major renovation work which should help it retain its place in England's Top 100. | |||
| Royal Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | 16 Aug 2024 | 00:53:55 | |
A special episode on the fabulous Dunluce Championship Links which hosted The Open in 2019, and will again in 2025. With a special guest appearance from actor James Nesbitt who is a Royal Portrush member and lives in the town. | |||
| Rosapenna, County Donegal, Ireland. Part 2: St Patrick's Links | 13 May 2024 | 00:39:08 | |
Is this is the most spectacular course we've ever played? | |||
| Rosapenna, County Donegal, Ireland. Part 1: Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris | 12 May 2024 | 00:28:57 | |
A three-day competition leads to a two-part podcast! Ian and Neil play in the Muckish Links Classic over the three courses at Rosapenna. (Muckish is the name of the mountain that looks down on this fantastic landscape.) | |||
| Woburn (Duchess), Bedfordshire, England | 11 May 2024 | 00:28:29 | |
The Duchess isn't rated as highly as the Duke's or Marquess courses, but all three benefit from a majestic setting at Woburn, and members there reckon it deserves higher praise. Ian and Neil are guided around the course by David Hay, son of Alex - Woburn's first Director of Golf who became known to millions as a BBC commentator. | |||
| Huntercombe, Oxfordshire, England | 07 May 2024 | 00:29:27 | |
What does Tim Henman have in common with James Bond? Does the former tennis player have a licence to kill? Or is 007 partial to a game of mixed doubles? Well, neither, actually. Bond author Ian Fleming was a member of Huntercombe Golf Club, and Henman regularly wins competitions at his home club. | |||
| Gleneagles (King's and Queen's), Perthshire, Scotland | 03 May 2024 | 00:31:33 | |
The UK's Number One golf resort and a "glorious playground", according to their website. How were the swings of Neil and Mrs W in a competition organised by the Hole In One club? They played two of the three Championship courses at Gleneagles, the King's and Queens. Find out if they played like Jack (Nicklaus) or a pair of Jokers. | |||
| Golf De Seignosse, France | 28 Apr 2024 | 00:25:05 | |
Gorgeous Seignosse, near Biarritz will take your breath away- especially if you decide to walk rather than use a buggy! And save some energy for the big finish - a Par 6! | |||
| Carnoustie Golf Links, Angus, Scotland | 28 Apr 2024 | 00:30:59 | |
Carnoustie will be forever synonyous with Jean Van De Velde's meltdown which cost him The Open championship. So how would Neil and Mrs W cope with the burn on the 18th? And could they meet the challenge and avoid all the bunkers? | |||
| Beau Desert, Staffordshire, England | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:23:50 | |
Beau Desert may have a French name, but it's in the heart of England. Neil and Ian pose the question - are Midlands courses are underrated? It's a current favourite of top 100 connoisseurs. | |||
| Real Golf De Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:20:21 | |
Neil is back In Spain to pay homage to his hero. Pedrena was the course where a young genius called Seve Ballesteros first caddied and put into practice skills he learned by playing on a nearby beach. An exclusive club with fast and tricky greens - stay tuned for what happens on the 18th..... | |||
| Worplesdon, Surrey, England | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:23:03 | |
In the coming months Ian and Neil will play on all three of Surrey's famous 3 Ws. Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon. Like so many courses this winter, W also stands for Wet. But Worplesdon copes well with the deluge, and another W - wind - provides a comedy moment. | |||
| Fulford, North Yorkshire, England | 07 Aug 2024 | 00:32:03 | |
The course which Bernhard Langer made famous - by climbing a tree to play a shot. And he wasn't the only top player to leave his mark on this famous Yorkshire course. | |||
| Golf De Chiberta, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:30:01 | |
Mr and Mrs W travel to Biarritz, to a club with more than a thousand members. And one of them, like a fine French wine, seems to improve with age. Enjoying the podcasts? We hope so….but we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word - and help more golfers find information about the best courses. If you rate and review us on this site, send us a copy of what you’ve written by clicking on the link “Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!” Include your email address when you text. The first fifty people to send us their review and their details will be entered into a draw, and we will invite one winner and a friend to join us for a fourball at Silloth on a mutually agreed date. | |||
| Sunningdale Old, Berkshire, England | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:25:52 | |
This week Ian and Neil play one of the very best courses in the world - and discover the joy of golf with two canine companions. There'll be a bit of name-dropping too - as we play spot the celebrity. | |||
| Who? What? Why? | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:11:17 | |
Who are we and why are we reviewing top golf courses? | |||
| Hollinwell, Nottinghamshire, England | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:27:29 | |
Neil makes the short journey from his home in Nottingham to play Hollinwell, and naturally if you're going to play golf in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood will get a mention. Was our golfing guide a merry man at the end of his round? | |||
| Ashridge, Hertfordshire, England | 26 Jul 2024 | 00:34:37 | |
Ashridge is a great example of how your enjoyment of a course can depend on whether it's set up for recreational golfers or top amateurs. When we played a couple of years ago on the eve of a high-level competition, the rough was so punishing, the round became an ordeal. | |||
| Woodbridge, Suffolk, England | 19 Jul 2024 | 00:29:47 | |
Woodbridge is a hidden heathland gem within the beautiful Suffolk countryside. | |||
| Parkstone, Dorset, England | 13 Jul 2024 | 00:28:14 | |
Mrs W collects the champagne again as Neil imagines Parkstone's former pro and famous BBC commentator Peter Alliss having a right good giggle at his attempts to ascend its dramatic false fronts. | |||
| East Devon, Devon, England | 12 Jul 2024 | 00:33:57 | |
A gift from East Devon's Captain briefly elevates Neil's game to rarely-seen levels of golfing skill! | |||
| Remedy Oak, Dorset, England | 09 Jul 2024 | 00:27:29 | |
Remedy Oak may only be twenty years old, but ancient woodland and a 16th century monarch help to make it feel a lot more mature. | |||
| Centurion, Hertfordshire, England | 01 Jul 2024 | 00:34:12 | |
Remember the golf course that saw the start of the LIV revolution, with black London taxis ferrying the players to each hole for a shotgun start? After two years, the LIV circus has moved on - to JCB in Staffordshire, but Centurion still hosts an Aramco event for the top female players. | |||
| Little Aston, West Midlands, England | 05 Sep 2024 | 00:34:12 | |
What's great about Little Aston? Well, apart from a magnificent course and possibly the best putting green anywhere, they make a point of welcoming visitors with a small gift. | |||
| The Berkshire (Red and Blue), Berkshire, England | 18 Sep 2024 | 00:35:59 | |
Some flags are Red | |||
| Baltusrol (Lower) New Jersey, USA | 24 Sep 2024 | 00:31:08 | |
The Golf Pilgrim heads to the USA! | |||
| Winged Foot (West), New York, USA | 26 Sep 2024 | 00:33:54 | |
If Colin Montgomerie has nightmares, they are likely to feature the 18th at Winged Foot, where he had a great chance of finally landing an elusive major title in 2006. Yet Americans tend to remember Phil Mickelson blowing his chance to win that US Open on the same hole. More recently Bryson DeChambeau tamed the famous course, but there were no spectators to cheer him on because of Covid restrictons. | |||
| Somerset Hills, New Jersey, USA | 27 Sep 2024 | 00:38:01 | |
How do you get to play exclusive courses which are normally reserved for members and their guests? One solution is to pay to play in a charity golf day. Every year, Somerst Hills, a quirky but highly regarded Tillinghast creation, opens its doors to raise funds for a worthwhile cause. | |||
| Bethpage Black, New York, USA | 28 Sep 2024 | 00:42:18 | |
Ryder Cup Special! | |||
| Granville, Normandy. France | 04 Oct 2024 | 00:37:01 | |
France's only links course, originally designed by Harry Colt, plays host to a Ryder Cup-style match between French and British journalists. Would Neil and Ian write themselves into Wryter Cup history? Sadly, if we said yes, it would be fake news.... Enjoying the podcasts? We hope so….but we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word - and help more golfers find information about the best courses. If you rate and review us on this site, send us a copy of what you’ve written by clicking on the link “Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!” Include your email address when you text. The first fifty people to send us their review and their details will be entered into a draw, and we will invite one winner and a friend to join us for a fourball at Silloth on a mutually agreed date. | |||
| Wentworth (West), Surrey, England | 15 Oct 2024 | 00:44:07 | |
A celebratory episode, as Wentworth West, the home of the BMW PGA Championship, is the hundredth of the Top 100 Courses in England that Neil has managed to play. | |||
| Hindhead, Surrey, England | 20 Oct 2024 | 00:32:17 | |
The writer who created Sherlock Holmes played a major role in the creation of this heathland gem. Arthur Conan Doyle was a founder member and the club's first President, and lived nearby. As did legendary golf commentator Peter Alliss, who was also a big fan of Hindhead, which boasts some spectacular holes you will never forget. | |||
| Chart Hills, Kent, England | 11 Nov 2024 | 00:49:38 | |
Is there a course in the UK with more sand? Let us know...but it certainly has the longest bunker we've ever seen, running more than two hundred yards along a fairway. We didn't count how many rakes it needed..... | |||
| West Hill, Surrey, England | 04 Nov 2024 | 00:41:05 | |
Back to Surrey for the third of the famous three Ws. In recent years it has replaced thousands of trees with an abundance of heather. | |||
| Seacroft, Lincolnshire, England | 17 Nov 2024 | 00:36:49 | |
Who doesn't like a bargain? Seacroft is the cheapest Top 100 Course in England, with a round available for less than £40 in winter, and even in summer you can get a twilight round for less than £50. Enjoying the podcasts? We hope so….but we’d love it if you would rate and review us to help spread the word - and help more golfers find information about the best courses. If you rate and review us on this site, send us a copy of what you’ve written by clicking on the link “Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!” Include your email address when you text. The first fifty people to send us their review and their details will be entered into a draw, and we will invite one winner and a friend to join us for a fourball at Silloth on a mutually agreed date. | |||
| Royal Melbourne (West & East), Victoria, Australia | 28 Nov 2024 | 00:44:42 | |
Strewth! What a pair of golf courses! | |||
| Knole Park, Kent, England | 03 Dec 2024 | 00:38:11 | |
Deer me! | |||
| Royal Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:35:56 | |
It's our 50th episode!!! | |||
| Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England | 15 Dec 2024 | 00:34:46 | |
From its elevated position close to the coast, the Isle of Purbeck features views as good as any in the UK. The owners have put a lot of effort into improving the condition of the course in recent years. | |||