The Golf Pilgrim Top 100 (Neil White and Ian Woods)
Explorez tous les épisodes de The Golf Pilgrim Top 100
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2024 | Hollinwell, Nottinghamshire, England | 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? | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Who? What? Why? | 00:11:17 | |
Who are we and why are we reviewing top golf courses? | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Sunningdale Old, Berkshire, England | 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. | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Golf De Chiberta, France | 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. | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Worplesdon, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Real Golf De Pedreña, Spain | 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..... | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Beau Desert, Staffordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 28 Apr 2024 | Carnoustie Golf Links, Angus, Scotland | 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? | |||
| 28 Apr 2024 | Golf De Seignosse, France | 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! | |||
| 03 May 2024 | Gleneagles (King's and Queen's), Perthshire, Scotland | 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. | |||
| 07 May 2024 | Huntercombe, Oxfordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 11 May 2024 | Woburn (Duchess), Bedfordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 12 May 2024 | Rosapenna, County Donegal, Ireland. Part 1: Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris | 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.) | |||
| 13 May 2024 | Rosapenna, County Donegal, Ireland. Part 2: St Patrick's Links | 00:39:08 | |
Is this is the most spectacular course we've ever played? | |||
| 18 May 2024 | North Hants, Hampshire, England | 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. | |||
| 18 May 2024 | Woking, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 23 May 2024 | Moor Park, Hertfordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 23 May 2024 | Sunningdale New, Berkshire, England | 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! | |||
| 30 May 2024 | Silloth on Solway, Cumbria, England | 00:32:56 | |
"I loved the place so much I bought it." | |||
| 02 Jun 2024 | Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland | 00:45:31 | |
NOW UPDATED! | |||
| 05 Jun 2024 | Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland. | 00:32:55 | |
In sport, everyone knows how important it is to be First. | |||
| 15 Jun 2024 | Lofoten Links, Norway | 00:45:16 | |
We're back....after a bit of a break while Neil travels to a golf course far, far away. | |||
| 20 Jun 2024 | Walton Heath Old & New, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 27 Jun 2024 | Tandridge, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 01 Jul 2024 | Centurion, Hertfordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 09 Jul 2024 | Remedy Oak, Dorset, England | 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. | |||
| 12 Jul 2024 | East Devon, Devon, England | 00:33:57 | |
A gift from East Devon's Captain briefly elevates Neil's game to rarely-seen levels of golfing skill! | |||
| 13 Jul 2024 | Parkstone, Dorset, England | 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. | |||
| 19 Jul 2024 | Woodbridge, Suffolk, England | 00:29:47 | |
Woodbridge is a hidden heathland gem within the beautiful Suffolk countryside. | |||
| 26 Jul 2024 | Ashridge, Hertfordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 07 Aug 2024 | Fulford, North Yorkshire, England | 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. | |||
| 16 Aug 2024 | Royal Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | 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. | |||
| 21 Aug 2024 | Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland | 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. | |||
| 25 Aug 2024 | JCB, Staffordshire, England | 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. | |||
| 05 Sep 2024 | Little Aston, West Midlands, England | 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. | |||
| 18 Sep 2024 | The Berkshire (Red and Blue), Berkshire, England | 00:35:59 | |
Some flags are Red | |||
| 24 Sep 2024 | Baltusrol (Lower) New Jersey, USA | 00:31:08 | |
The Golf Pilgrim heads to the USA! | |||
| 26 Sep 2024 | Winged Foot (West), New York, USA | 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. | |||
| 27 Sep 2024 | Somerset Hills, New Jersey, USA | 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. | |||
| 28 Sep 2024 | Bethpage Black, New York, USA | 00:42:18 | |
Ryder Cup Special! | |||
| 04 Oct 2024 | Granville, Normandy. France | 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. | |||
| 15 Oct 2024 | Wentworth (West), Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 20 Oct 2024 | Hindhead, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 04 Nov 2024 | West Hill, Surrey, England | 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. | |||
| 11 Nov 2024 | Chart Hills, Kent, England | 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..... | |||
| 17 Nov 2024 | Seacroft, Lincolnshire, England | 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. | |||
| 28 Nov 2024 | Royal Melbourne (West & East), Victoria, Australia | 00:44:42 | |
Strewth! What a pair of golf courses! | |||
| 03 Dec 2024 | Knole Park, Kent, England | 00:38:11 | |
Deer me! | |||
| 12 Dec 2024 | Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia | 00:26:57 | |
Here's a course you might not even have heard of - unless you live in Australia. It's not in the World's Top 100 - but it is in the Top 50 in Australia. | |||
| 15 Dec 2024 | Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England | 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. | |||
| 19 Dec 2024 | Royal Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | 00:35:56 | |
It's our 50th episode!!! | |||
| 22 Dec 2024 | Hayling, Hampshire, England | 00:33:30 | |
The search for a golf course in great condition in the middle of winter, where fairway mats aren't compulsory, takes us to this highly-rated south coast links. | |||
| 27 Dec 2024 | The best of the best of 2024. | 00:36:25 | |
It's our final podcast of the year, so rather than reviewing one course, we are looking back over our previous episodes and choosing the best of the best. | |||
| 10 Jan 2025 | Real Club Sevilla, Andalucia, Spain | 00:27:45 | |
And it's off to sunny Spain to shake off the winter blues and kick off a new year of Top 100 golf reviews. | |||
| 23 Jan 2025 | How Good? How Much?? | 00:31:43 | |
To mark the start of our partnership with National Club Golfer, we find out how courses earn their ranking in the Top 100. And we ask whether some clubs in Britain and Ireland are now out of reach for regular golfers. | |||
| 02 Feb 2025 | Las Colinas, Costa Blanca, Spain | 00:28:20 | |
Las Colinas near Alicante is rated as Spain's 20th best golf course, but we give it top marks for value for money in January. Three nights in a two bedroom apartment, including two rounds of golf for two players was £500. Definitely a more attractive option than enduring cold and wet weather back home. We can't promise your balls will stay dry though…there's a fair amount of water to negotiate! https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/las-colinas https://lascolinasgolf.com/en/ | |||
| 09 Feb 2025 | La Manga, (South), Murcia, Spain | 00:36:12 | |
Ian returns to the place where he first learned to play golf - in between reporting on the England football team who used this luxury resort as a base before the 1998 World Cup. Back then, La Manga attracted many sports stars and celebrities. But when Neil and Ian last visited a decade ago, the condition of the courses was definitely below par. We're delighted to report that the South Course, which used to host the Spanish Open, is back to its best. | |||
| 22 Feb 2025 | Burnham & Berrow, Somerset, England | 00:33:15 | |
Beware the injured golfers! Ian is forced to skip playing Burnham & Berrow because of a broken finger as well as foot surgery, while Neil isn't much better - hobbling round Burnham & Berrow with a painful toe affliction! Which is a shame because this Open Qualifying Course is a gem - and counts Justin Rose among its top admirers. The list of men who had a hand in designing and refining the course reads like a who's who of golf architects…. www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/burnham-berrow-reprised www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/burnham-berrow-golf-club-review | |||
| 05 Mar 2025 | Olgiata, Rome, Italy | 00:32:18 | |
This week we are in Italy - the tenth country on our podcast travels. If you're a tourist who wants to visit Rome, but don't want to miss out on the opportunity of a round of golf, then Olgiata is for you. Half an hour from the famous sights in the Eternal City is a course which Neil reckons is one of the toughest he's played - but he wasn't helped by an accident en route…. | |||
| 14 Mar 2025 | Alwoodley, West Yorkshire, England | 00:40:03 | |
When doctor-turned-golf archietct, Alister MacKenzie unveiled the design for his very first course, even fellow members of this Yorkshire club were a little sceptical. They asked for a second opinion. Harry Colt took a look and gave it the thumbs up. After that, MacKenzie was in demand designing courses which are still among the very best in the world. Cypress Point, Augusta National, Royal Melbourne… Respect the history, but enjoy the present…because Alwoodley merits its place among the top courses in the UK. https://alwoodleygolfclub.com/ https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/alwoodley-golf-club-review | |||
| 19 Mar 2025 | North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland | 00:41:47 | |
Champagne corks are popping and why not? There are very few courses in the world that are as good as North Berwick, and are as much fun to play. Other Scottish courses may host The Open and other major championshps — North Berwick isn't big enough to do that. But the number of top professionals who pay to visit when in the area is testament to how highly it is rated. Neil describes his best ever round on a Top 100 course while Ian has to make do with comedy..but both of us left North Berwick with a huge smile on our faces. https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/north-berwick https://www.northberwickgolfclub.com | |||
| 24 Mar 2025 | Goswick Links, Northumberland, England | 00:33:01 | |
Rail passengers speeding from London to Edinburgh will catch a glimpse of this pure links course as they approach Berwick-upon-Tweed. Golfers heading to Scotland by road will need to make a short detour off the A1. It's well worth it. Despite being highly ranked, Goswick's remote location means the club work hard to improve and promote the course to attract more visitors. It means it's great value for money. Ian gets a guided tour of the changes being planned which should make it even better. | |||
| 29 Mar 2025 | Belle Dune, Hauts-de-France, France | 00:35:42 | |
Travelling through the Channel Tunnel can be like entering a portal to an earlier era, where golf green fees are still reasonably priced. Belle Dune is the first of three courses Neil played within easy reach of Calais, and they're around half the price you'd pay for the equivalent standard in the UK. It’s a municipal course and it's a great example of how new courses can exist in harmony with nature. https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/belle-dune | |||
| 03 Apr 2025 | Hardelot Les Pins, Hauts-de-France, France | 00:34:23 | |
It's Hardelot than you think….especially off the white tees. The second of our northern France trilogy, and another bargain compared to the equivalent, and similar in feel courses in southern England. Les Pins are the pine trees which line the course, but many have been removed in recent years to restore it to its original design. https://www.hardelotgolfclub.com/en/ https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/golf-d-hardelot-les-pins | |||
| 07 Apr 2025 | Le Touquet (La Mer), Hauts-de-France, France | 00:31:41 | |
If a golf course is named The Sea, you might expect to see the sea from the links. You’ll hear the waves crashing, and the bouncy fairways will certainly indicate you’re on a coastal course, but the English Channel (or La Manche) remains just out of sight. But don’t let that put you off visiting another great value-for-money venue. Le Touquet has three courses at the resort, and La Mer has hosted the French Open, where Seve Ballesteros triumphed and Sam Torrance holds the course record. And the drama didn't finish at the 18th….. https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/le-touquet-la-mer | |||
| 13 Apr 2025 | Moortown, West Yorkshire, England | 00:34:49 | |
While everyone's talking about The Masters, we're talking (again) about the master architect behind August National. Moortown's neighbours at Alwoodley have first claims on Alister MacKenzie's designs - but there's no dispute that he honed his craft in Leeds. And not content with having a link to The Masters, Moortown can also boast that it was the first British course to host the Ryder Cup. So plenty of history - but the present-day course is hugely impressive too! https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/moortown https://www.moortown-golf-club.co.uk/ | |||
| 18 Apr 2025 | Aberdovey, Gwynedd, Wales | 00:35:57 | |
The Golf Pilgrim celebrates its first anniversary by making a long overdue visit to Wales. Aberdovey lies in the heart of Eryri National Park, or Snowdonia to give it its English name. We hear how the club was founded by a soldier whose first course consisted of nine flowerpots, embedded in Aberdovey Common. It's come a long way since then - and you'll probably have a long way to come to play it. But it's well worth the journey… https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/aberdovey | |||
| 23 Apr 2025 | Royal St David's, Gwynedd, Wales | 00:36:33 | |
For centuries, Harlech Castle has seen off those who came to conquer it. Royal St David's, overlooked by the 13th Century Castle, has a similar reputation. The club described the course as the toughest Par 69 in the world, and one of the most picturesque. Would the latest Englishman to tackle the challenge use cunning tactics, or just rely on bravado? https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/royal-st-david-s https://www.royalstdavids.co.uk/ | |||