An American living in Scotland, Tim Gallant seems to play more of the world’s very best courses than pretty much anyone else I know!
At North Berwick, he is a gracious host to visitors from around the world and he is a great guy to play with - his natural interest in golf course architecture and all things golf shines through! Tim is a great follow on Twitter (@tdgallant) and is a regular contributor on the Golf Club Atlas website. He is a 10 handicap golfer and brings a really interesting perspective to my Favourite Courses series.
NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA
I love the course for its architecture, the scenery for its tranquility and the clubhouse for its history. A winning combination!
UK Golf Guy Review, NGLA website, 1968 Sports Illustrated Article
PINE VALLEY
Every hole is a joy to discover. Not only tee to green, but the putting surfaces themselves are sublime. It is like no other course I have ever seen and it has one of the best sets of 3 par and 4 par holes that I have played.
Golf Digest Flyover, Golf Club Atlas
MUIRFIELD
Simply put, Muirfield is flawless. And think about this: whether you start on the front or back, the challenge is almost identical: Tough 4, short 4, tricky 4, par 3, half par hole, tough 4, par 3, half par hole, great closer.
UK Golf Guy Review, Graylyn Loomis
LA COUNTRY CLUB
There are a ton of half-par holes, chances for glory and chances for recovery. And more than any other course, LA gets it right with conditioning.
LA Country Club, Golf World Walker Cup Preview
ROYAL COUNTY DOWN
Strategic golf is great golf, but sometimes I prefer heroic golf. One that asks the player to hit the do or die shot and doesn’t apologise for insisting. That’s why I love Newcastle.
UK Golf Guy Review, Golf Digest Feature
NORTH BERWICK (WEST LINKS)
A home pick and one I am proud to make.
UK Golf Guy review, Scottish Golf History, Planet Golf
OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB
It may be the toughest course in the world, but that’s not why I love it. Oakmont is great to me because it has a variety that few will give it credit for, and has internal contours on the greens that are the best I’ve ever seen.
Oakmont, Graylyn Loomis
MERION
The routing is fantastic. Every hole is unique and I can’t think of a better end to a course than the challenge of 16 - 18. Stylistically, the course suits my eye, and I love the hairy bunker edges.
NY Times, Philly.com
MYOPIA HUNT
If I absolutely had to pick one course to play for the rest of my life, this one may be it. As a ten handicap, it is perfectly suited to my game. Chances for birdies and chances for a no return!
Top 100 Golf blog, Geekedongolf, Planet Golf
SOMERSET HILLS
My favourite Tillinghast design that I have played, and maybe my favourite course around the golf rich New York City.
Links Magazine, Geekedongolf
Choosing only 10 is hard and I’d like to give honorable mentions to those courses which just missed out, next for me are Sunningdale (Old), Prestwick and Crystal Downs.
Thanks Tim for putting this list together. Your membership at North Berwick will make you the envy of many who read this, and your comments about Muirfield’s front and back 9 really got me thinking.
You can see others in the ‘Favourite Courses’ series here.
