Golfweek Releases Best Courses of Great Britain and Ireland Lists

(ORLANDO, Fla.) — As Scotland’s Royal Troon prepares to host the 145th British Open in just nine days, Golfweek shines a spotlight on the rich history and tradition across the pond with its seventh annual Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland lists. The July 11 issue not only guides golfers to the top Classic (built before 1960) and top Modern (built in 1960 or later) tracks in Great Britain and Ireland, but also provides them with an exclusive preview of the upcoming 2016 British Open.

“Links courses dominate our Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland lists this year,” said Bradley S. Klein, national director of the Golfweek’s Best rating program. “The top three on the Modern side are all Scottish coastal courses: Trump International Golf Links Scotland, Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart. The top five Classic are all links layouts: Royal County Down in Northern Ireland; St. Andrews (Old Course), Royal Dornoch Golf Club and Muirfield in Scotland; and Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Course), also in Northern Ireland. That’s a pretty strong affirmation of traditional links golf by our Golfweek raters.”

In addition to the official rankings for Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland, this issue features Golfweek staff writers’ personal picks for their own favorite courses in the British Isles. The brand’s award-winning writers also take readers inside the ropes at Royal Troon, discussing what makes this year’s British Open host site possibly one of the toughest and trickiest to play.

Visit Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest to view the complete lists of the 2016 Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland and to find out more about Golfweek’s British Open Preview Issue.