Stunning golf courses

Consider a world without golf courses. Imagine suggesting the idea for the first time—what a ridiculous and extravagant suggestion that would be. To take a vast stretch of countryside, and at great cost and great labour create an other-worldly perfection out of it, an undulating dream of baize and bunker, fairway and rough, simply so that a few men, for want of anything better to do, could try to hit a tiny little ball into a tiny little hole.

Of all the propositions in the world, this one actually flew. And flew and flew. Golf courses are cropping up all over the world, in India especially. So, when it came to picking the five most stunning courses in the world, it wasn’t easy. There’s simply no such thing as an ugly golf course. Even the concept is beautiful—a celebration of both nature and man’s influence upon it, for a game so maddeningly difficult that it requires a certain Zen to even have a go.

But after an infinity of greens, a few courses stood out—so breathtaking we could only stand and gasp. From a course spanning six centuries in Scotland to one nestled on the coast of the Pacific, these are the five most stunning to our eyes.

The Old Course at St Andrews Links, Fife, Scotland

Tiger Woods rates it as the best in the world, and Jack Nicklaus fell in love with it the first day he played it. For years, amateurs and professionals the world over have considered The Old Course, at St Andrews Links, to be the Mecca of golf, the place where it all began.

It’s the oldest course in the world. Literally golf’s birthplace. The first-ever games were played on the Links at St Andrews around 600 years ago, which at that time was a simple track, built around bushes and heather. The course’s design has now evolved, thanks to architects like Old Tom Morris, who created a separate green for the first hole, thus making it possible to play the course in an anti-clockwise direction.

And the course also boasts unique physical features like the 112 bunkers, the most notable among them being the Road Hole Bunker, one of the most formidable bunkers of all time. The Road Hole played a stellar role in British Open history—Jose Maria Olazabal putted into the bunker in 1990, and David Duval took four shots to get out in 2000.

To win the Open Championship is a feather in every golfer’s cap, but to win at St Andrews, that’s the pinnacle. For the rest of us mortals, there’s the thrill of following in the footsteps of giants, in the shadows of history. All you need is a valid handicap certificate of 24 or less for men or 36 or less for women.

Getting there: St Andrews is a one-hour drive from Edinburgh.
Stay: Through an exclusive contract with St Andrews Links Trust, the "Old Course experience" offers packages that include tee-off times on the Old Course, accommodation at The Old Course Hotel, and a visit to the British Museum and the driving range.
Also visit: The British Golf Museum and pubs like The Vic at Market Street and Cellar Bar at Bell Street.

West Course at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Victoria, Australia

A private golf course, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is regarded as one of the oldest in Australia. The club’s two courses, especially the West Course, are considered by many as the best in the world. There are reasons aplenty. The greens at the West Course are simply brilliant and have served as the finest putting surfaces for decades now. Tea tree scrubs line wide fairways, and cavernous bunkers are placed strategically to catch errant shots and wayward drives.

Designed in 1926 by Scottish golf architect Dr Alister Mackenzie, the West Course is a strategic mix of a stunning landscape, intelligent design and some careful construction. The course dramatically unfolds fresh challenges and yet maintains its simple and timeless charm. The sixth hole on the West Course is exciting for both amateurs and professionals. A long band of heath encapsulates it, making it visually striking and challenging for most players.

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club also has a composite circuit that takes 12 holes from the West Course and 6 from the East and plays host to many prestigious tournaments every year. Visitors should be from recognised golf clubs, with a current membership identification card and a letter of introduction written from the home club. A valid handicap certificate of 26 or less for men and 32 or less for the ladies is required to play the West Course.

Getting there: The club is a 30-minute drive from Melbourne.
Stay: The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne
Also visit: St Anne's Vineyard, art galleries like Freya and Funaki, when in Melbourne.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, New York, United States
Having hosted the US Open four times so far, the course at Shinnecock Hills is considered by many as the ultimate test for championship golf. And it more than lives up to its reputation.

The credit for today’s flawless course goes to architectural firm Toomey & Flynn, which redesigned the course on a new plot of land adjacent to its former incarnation. Work commenced in 1928, with the course re-opening for play in 1931. Located on an immense block of land, Toomey & Flynn took full advantage of the scale of the property with its routing.

The majority of the holes bend one way or another, leaving the golfer clueless about the wind’s direction. The terrain is hilly, and the native grasses are so thick that teeing off is a struggle, both off the tee and from the fairway. However, many of the tee boxes have been elevated in order to give players a clear view of fairway bunkers, sand areas and hazards that must be met.

Shinnecock is hard, but fair. The opening holes are strong, but so are those around the middle and towards the end. There isn't a weak hole, the scenery is spectacular and so is the finish at the 9th and 18th holes, with the iconic clubhouse and fluttering club flag.

The popular clubhouse at Shinnecock has been designed by Stanford White and sits atop a hill. But this is a course for the chosen few. A round at Shinnecock is by invitation from a club member only. A valid handicap of 24 or less for men and 36 or less for women is required.

Getting there: Shinnecock Hills is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York.
Stay: Ritz Carlton, New York
Also visit: It's New York! Check out Times Square and the Empire State Building and Broadway and on and on..

Pebble Beach Golf Links at the Pebble Beach Resorts, United States

The exquisite beauty of Pebble Beach Golf Links has enthralled golfers and spectators alike, since 1919. The course overlooks the Pacific Ocean in California’s Monterrey Peninsula, and borders the rugged coastline, offering some of the most spectacular views of the ocean. Designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, a pair of amateur golfers, the course annually hosts the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tour, besides hosting other major tournaments.

In laying out the course, Jack Neville and his partner attempted to bring as many holes to the rocky coastline as possible. The first two holes are inland, the third runs toward the ocean, and the fourth and fifth holes run along the coast. This arrangement allowed them to make use of a peninsula which juts straight out into the Pacific Ocean.

There’s no one signature hole at Pebble Beach but the notable ones include the short par 3 7th, which would also be one of the most photographed holes in the world. The sight of players hitting straight out at the ocean, with the violent Pacific surf crashing against the background, is one that’s truly mesmerizing. A handicap of 24 or less for men and 36 or less for women is required.

Getting there: Pebble Beach Resorts are two-and-a-half hours by road from San Francisco Airport
Stay: At the Lodge in Pebble Beach
Also visit: Check out the guided bicycle and kayak tours and the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center

Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland

It’s the kind of golf that people play in their most ecstatic dreams”, wrote Bernard Darwin, the prolific golf writer, when referring to Royal County Down. Others likened it to “a green and golden moonscape”. With massive gorse covered hills in different hues of indigo and dark green, terrifying blind tee shots and acres and acres of sand, there’s something about the course at Royal County Down that’s truly otherworldly.

It's an exhilarating location for a classic links golf course. The Bay of Dundrum sweeps out into the Irish Sea and the mighty peak of Slieve Donard casts its shadow over the town. Old Tom Morris was paid a modest sum of four guineas to design the course and it opened for play in 1889.

The greens are small and full of wicked burrows, the fairways naturally undulating. There are a number of blind drives and some of the bunkers are full of coarse heather and marram grasses, thus gathering the ball with alarming regularity. Bring in the ever-changing wind, and you have as stern a test as any Open Championship venue. A maximum handicap of 20 for men and 30 for women is required.

Getting there: The course is 30 miles south of Belfast. There are direct flights from Belfast to Newcastle.
Stay: Slieve Donard Hotel
Also visit: The Newcastle Racecourse and the Sunderland Greyhound Stadium, when in Newcastle.