The Golf Pilgrim Top 100
This is the essential podcast for those planning to play the world's top golf courses.
We now have dozens of reviews from Top 100 courses in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, the USA and Australia…and the library is building every week. All the episodes are stand alone - you don't have to listen to them in any particular order.
In 2020 Neil White began a challenge to play all of the world's top courses. You can read his reviews at www.thegolfpilgrim.com. Now you can listen to his reviews, as he gives an honest account of the courses, the practice facilities, and the food available. Is it value for money? Will you be made to feel welcome as a visitor?
There are champagne and comedy moments to discuss, in the company of his fellow journalist and pal Ian Woods. Ian's a former Sky News and BBC Correspondent, who's now working for ITV. He's played a lot of great courses too, and is a former Captain of the Press Golfing Society.
Episodes
157 episodes
Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin), Lincolnshire, England
It’s the home of England Golf and has a fearsome reputation as one of the most difficult courses in the country. Woodhall Spa’s Hotchkin course is rated as one of the best heathland courses anywhere, but is its bunkering too penal?...
Castlerock (Mussenden), County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Castlerock is on prime links golf land on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. Its close proximity to Portrush and Portstewart is both a blessing and a curse; the Mussenden course used to be seen as living in the shadow of its famous neighbou...
Conwy Golf Club, Conwy, Wales
“We’ve had a spectacular week, beautiful weather. The people are amazing here, so welcoming and helpful.”Those were the words of US Curtis Cup captain Sarah LeBrun Ingram after her team’s 2021 win.Allisen Corpuz, who won t...
K Club (Palmer North), County Kildare, Ireland
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club, it's a good time to revisit the course which has provided so many great memories.The Arnold Palmer designed parkland course has hosted numerous professional events,...
Bonus episode: Ryan Fox tells us how he won The Open!
Earier this year Ryan Fox joined us on The Golf Pilgrim to talk about some of his favourite courses in New Zealand.In July, Ryan became the Champion Golfer of the Year, lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale!Having reviewed the ...
Castletown, Isle of Man
Castletown on the Isle of Man is rightly proud of its pedigree.Old Tom Morris laid out the original links, Alister MacKenzie made improvements 20 years later, and Philip Mackenzie Ross updated it after the Second World War.It has ...
Seascale, Cumbria, England
Seascale was announced as one of England’s top 100 in the 2026 list, and we discovered it was entirely deserving of its place.It has some classic links holes, including one over a farmer's field and another that is framed by the Sellafie...
Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
"Bury me in a pot bunker", wrote the legendary designer Pete Dye, so his friends and family did just that at the side of the eighth of his masterpiece, Teeth of the Dog.The Dominican Republic links, which sit on the edge of the Caribbean...
Appleby, Cumbria, England
A recent new entry into England’s Top 100, Appleby is not your average course. It’s a par 68, with no par 5s, but it does have what designer Mike Clayton calls “the nuttiest of nutty holes in the world”!With grazing sheep to...
Royal Belfast, County Down, Northern Ireland
The city of Belfast is in County Antrim, but Royal Belfast Golf Club is north-east of Northern Ireland's capital, in County Down.It's celebrating the centenary of its Harry Colt-designed parkland course on the shore of Belfast Lough.&nbs...
County Louth GC (Baltray), Ireland
Shane Lowry helped bring Baltray, County Louth, to wider acclaim when he won the Irish Open here as an amateur. But connoisseurs of Irish courses have always known this was one of the country’s finest links.It’s also the home course of t...
Wallasey, Cheshire, England
Wallasey has not just one, but two great claims to fame, and is a course that attracts plaudits from those who play it.Bobby Jones, arguably the greatest amateur golfer in history, played in a qualifier at Wallasey and went on to win the...
Portmarnock, County Dublin, Ireland
A famous old golf course, which is in the running to stage an Open Championship in the coming years, and we have two former Ryder Cup players who tell us why it should. Paul McGinley and Andrew Coltart are big fans of Portmarnock, ...
Royal Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Royal Dublin may be unique among links courses - while many others suffer from coastal erosion, its land grows bit by bit every year. Find out why by listening to this episode…And to guide us round, we have a caddie who has helped his ma...
Royal Birkdale, Lancashire, England
The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026, but there have been significant changes to the course since it last hosted the championship.This episode tells you all you need to know, whether you're planning to watch the event ...
Royal County Down, County Down, Northern Ireland
A special episode celebrating what many believe is the greatest golf course in the world!Royal County Down regularly tops the list of the best courses outside America, and some rate it as high as Cypress Point and Pine Valley.So w...
St Mellion (Nicklaus), Cornwall, England
It's more than 30 years since St Mellion last hosted a top-level European Tour event, but that shouldn't reflect on the quality of a course which saw the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal triumph.The top ...
Old Head, County Cork, Ireland
You know what you're getting if you book a round at Old Head - but even the photographs of the spectacular setting don't do justice to the experience of playing golf on fairways perched precariously next to clifftops, with the waves crashing ag...
Waterville, County Kerry, Ireland
Here's a top tip to take note of even before you play the wonderful Waterville Links. If you're driving a car from Killarney, take the scenic Ballyghisheen Pass through some of the most spectacular scenery in Ireland; coaches transporting...
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
Legend has it that an Irish monk, St Brendan, set sail from Tralee and landed in America centuries before Columbus. Now thousands of Americans make the reverse journey on a pilgrimage to a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer. Mind...
West Lancs, Lancashire, England
Formed in 1873, this is one of the oldest clubs in England, but it is as relevant to the history of golf as it was when it was founded.Its close relationship with Royal Liverpool means that West Lancs will jointly stage the Amateur Champ...
Muirfield, East Lothian, Scotland
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers can lay claim to being the founders of modern golf, having established the first set of competition rules soon after being founded in 1744.Muirfield has been their home since 1890, and the cour...
Gullane No.1, East Lothian, Scotland
They've been playing golf in this part of Scotland for hundreds of years, and for more than a century, they've had three 18-hole courses in Gullane to choose from. Gullane Number 1 is the highest rated and has twice hosted the Scottish Op...
The Els Club Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal
We have a Golf Pilgrim Top 100 exclusive!The Els Club is the first private golf club in the Algarve, and its course was reimagined by Ernie Els from the Vilamoura Victoria, which previously hosted the Portugal Masters.The doors op...
Quinta Do Lago, Algarve, Portugal
Three courses and a former Ryder Cup Captain are squeezed into this episode from one of Europe's top golf resorts.Quinta Do Lago South, North, and Laranjal offer different challenges. Paul McGinley has an Academy at the resort and ...
