What are the very best golf courses in Scotland? In 2025 Neil and Ian joined the ratings panel for National Club Golfer, and their new top 100 list has just been published.

Dan Murphy, who sets the guidelines and edits the rankings joins us to talk through those on the rise…

So if you're planning a golf trip to Scotland this year, this is what you need to hear…

Music: Brian Fahey

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Some golf days are just a bit more special than others, so this mid-winter visit to The Island, north of Dublin, will linger long in the memory.

A chilly, but sunny day; a very warm welcome from the staff, and a challenging course in great condition.

Don't just take our word for it…the day after we visited, three-time major winner Padraig Harrington played The Island on a charity day - a sure sign that this is one of Ireland's finest links. And you no longer have to take a rowing boat to get there….

https://www.theislandgolfclub.com/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/the-island

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Even if you've never heard of the golf course, you all know Sherwood Forest thanks to dozens of depictions of Robin Hood in TV and cinema.

Any course designed by Harry Colt and later by James Braid is always worth exploring, and the heathland track is particularly appealing in the winter, when fairways and greens remain firm.

Renowned course architect Martin Ebert describes the changes he's overseeing, and we recall when the club made national headlines over a court case involving allegations of cheating…

https://www.sherwoodforestgolfclub.co.uk/

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In the second half of our review of the year, we explore golf in Scandinavia and the Baltic, as well as Ireland's Wild Atlantic coast. But nothing beats a visit to Fife when the Old Course at St Andrews is on the itinerary.

Golf commentators Andrew Cotter and Nick Dougherty share their champagne moments of the year, and we recall the drama of the Ryder Cup, as well as the less savoury moments from Bethpage Black.

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While we take a bit of a break for Christmas, join us for a look back on some of the best courses we played during 2025. In this first half we recall rounds in continental Europe as well as Great Britain…with Cruden Bay in Scotland among the favourites.

And Ewen Murray from Sky Sports returns to The Golf Pilgrim to recall his champagne moment of the year.

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The club’s motto translates as “go straight and you will never fail”, which is sensible advice on most courses, but particularly so at Rosendalelsche with its huge number of trees

One of continental Europe’s top ranked courses, on the one occasion that it hosted the Dutch Open, it was won by Bernhard Langer. His course record score lasted 30 years!

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/rosendaelsche

https://rosendaelsche.nl/

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"Ch-ch-changes.." sang David Bowie, and we know many golf club members are deeply suspicious of any dramatic alterations to their beloved course. But the vast changes at The Addington this decade have been widely praised.

The Addington was once the premier club in London, but the march of time had seen the course become overgrown. Now, the city skyline is more visible, giving it a unique selling point.

Owner Ryan Noades explains how thousands of trees have been removed to restore the course to its original design. And former England cricketer Mark Butcher sings the praises of the club he is a member of.

https://addingtongolf.com/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/the-addington-revised

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If you feel weary after your 18 holes at Kennemer, spare a thought for Ryder Cup stars Jose-Marie Olazabal and Ronan Rafferty, who endured a record-breaking NINE hole play-off here to decide the Dutch Open in 1989.

Ronan joins us on the podcast to describe in hilarious detail that endurance test where he and Jose played on and on and on in a storm.

It's also the course where Andy Sullivan's reward for a hole-in-one was a trip into space!

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/kennemer

https://kennemergolf.nl/

Credits - Commentary: DP World Tour. Music: Ronnie Hilton

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