Trophy Store Blog

Every year hundreds, thousands, even millions of people are happy to sacrifice time and money to play golf.  The more dedicated golfers are the ones who want to not only play golf courses locally but around the world as well.  So in this article we have chosen to write a bit about what some may consider to be the top 10 golf courses worldwide.

Course 1 – Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand - This is a course that not only offers you breathtaking scenery but is one that offers a challenge to golfers no matter what their skill level is.  The course designed by American Architect Tom Doak, it looks out over the Pacific Ocean and is located on a sheep farm measuring 2,000 hectare.

Course 2 – Royal County Down, Northern Ireland (UK) – A well established course situated by the Irish Sea so it offers some beautiful scenery.  Just as with all courses it can be played by golfers of all skill levels however the designer Tom Morris has ensured that it is challenging and the 7th and 12th holes may prove especially difficult for some.

Course 3 – Pebble Beach, USA – This is a course where as long as you can pay the green fees you will be allowed to play in the USA.  The course has been open for more than 90 years now and was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant.  This course is one that really offers a challenge to all players and the water hazards between holes 5 and 8 are especially difficult.

Course 4 – Leopard Creek, South Africa – In our list of top 10 golf courses worldwide this is one like no other.  As well as the traditional types of hazards one needs to play across, there are some more unconventional ones as well.  You will have to make sure that you don't hit any of the wildlife that likes to roam this course.  Plus be extra careful when by the water hazards as this is where crocodiles like to chill out.

Course 5 – Green Monkey, Barbados – A course which has been designed by Tom Fazio and covers a total of 7,400 yards and situated on a tabletop landscape.  The first 8 holes leave people feeling unchallenged however this changes when one reaches the 9th (par 5) hole.  To reach the green you must first hit the ball down into a quarry 100ft below the tee position before then hitting it between the towering walls of rock on either side.

Course 6 – Turnberry, Scotland (below) – Most people often have this course as a second choice rather than their first because it is close to St Andrews.  Yet it is still a course that many would like to play as you have two courses here that can challenge your golfing skills in one day if you wish.

Image Source - Turnberry Golf Course

Course 7 – Valderrama, Spain – Although well established the course used today has only been open since 1985.  This is a course that not only professionals but many amateur golfers would like to have the opportunity to play a round on.  The course is situated in Spain's Andalucian region and offers golfers spectacular views out across the Mediterranean.  The course will prove a challenge for anyone especially the 5th hole as this has a two tiered green.

Course 8 – St Andrews Old Course, Scotland – This is the most prestigious and well known of all the established golf courses in the world today.  It is the course that many believe is where the game of golf originated from.  It is designed in such a way that golfers no matter their playing level will enjoy playing a round on and in many cases may find that the way they play improves.

Course 9 – Augusta, USA – Although when you look at this course design it seems relatively easy one to play it is the weather that makes this course such a challenge for many golfers.  The course that is used today was opened in 1933 and designed by Alister Mackenzie and Clifford Roberts.  Even 70 years on this is a course that is still one that golfers from around the world would like to have the opportunity to play if they could.

Course 10 – Ballybunion, Southern Ireland – This is a course that not only offers beautiful scenery but a challenge to those who chose to play a round on it.  The course to be found in County Kerry, Ireland opened in 1893 and although well established through changes to its design has helped to ensure that it remains one of the top 10 golf courses worldwide today.

Some of the most famous golf competitions are played on these courses. If you are thinking of holding your own golf club tournament or competition why not take a look at the 2010 range of golf trophies for sale that are available to buy online.

When you visit any major coastal resort in the UK today you will find that most have crazy golf courses where a few hours can be spent having some fun with the family.  Not only do these courses prove with their obstacles to be a challenge to children but also to their parents.  However, do you know exactly where this sport originates from?  In this article we briefly look at the history of crazy golf.

The first type of crazy golf course to open was to be found at St Andrews, Scotland which is also believed to be the birthplace of the game of golf.  The 18 hole short putting green course was developed so that women who wished to take part in a game of golf could do so.  Unfortunately at its opening in 1867 women were unable to play the proper courses because the social belief at the time was that the movements to swing the club were considered to be unlady like.

It was several more decades before the kinds of crazy golf courses we play on today were being built.  Prior to the early 1900's the courses they built were very similar in design to the real ones.  But as with the courses today they were much smaller so took up less space and often only a putter is required to play a round on them.

But in the early part of the 1920's things changed dramatically.  In 1922 a golf fanatic called Thomas McCulloch Fairbairn created a new material from which the greens of these courses would be constructed.  Through mixing together cottonseed hulls, oil, dye and sand greens for such courses could be made quickly and cheaply.  From this time onwards this game of golf was not something that only the wealthy could play.

This game was so popular in the 1920's in the USA that tens of thousands of crazy golf courses appeared across it.  In New York City for example as space was limited they chose to construct 150 of these courses on building roof tops.  However, then things begun to take a turn for the worse during the 1930's as the economy begun to falter.  As people didn't have money to spend so a great number of the courses that had opened were then closed or demolished.

But once the economic crisis had passed so the popularity of this sport had begun to increase once more.  When you look at the history of crazy golf you will learn that two brothers from Binghamton, New York (Joseph and Robert Taylor) begun to develop and construct courses that were very different from what had been played on previously.  They made sure that their courses were more challenging along with having curves, banks and rolls to get past to the hole they put in other obstacles including pipes, wishing wells, castles and windmills. 

You can now find crazy golf courses across the UK and they are great fun for the family, however those wanting to take things more seriously are more likely to be found on the greens at places such as St Andrews and the Belfry.  Some of the most famous golf trophies in the world are contested for at these venues such as the Ryder Cup and the Scottish Open.