1 Turnberry, Scotland
“Every time I go to Turnberry, it’s different. Different light, different pictures, and all still utterly amazing. There’s nowhere quite like it. Take Pebble Beach, that’s good, but it’s just no comparison to Turnberry.”
2 Cape Kidnappers/Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand
“I love these two New Zealand courses, they’re just so breathtakingly beautiful. Kauri Cliffs, at ground level, is stunning because you can appreciate where you are. With Cape Kidnappers, you need to see it from the air so you can appreciate how it’s been built on top of the cliffs — there’s nothing that compares to it in the world.”
3 Royal Melbourne, Australia
“It’s just a golfer’s golf course. Everyone should visit it. It’s pretty staggering.”
4 Emirates Golf Club, Dubai
“I took a picture of the area when it was just surrounded by desert and, 20 years later, I took another and it’s a city. The course has stood the test of time; it’s as good now as it was when it opened. They get healthy scores under par there but if you ask the pros on tour, they have it in their top five every time.”
5 Les Bordes, France
“Just a pretty awesome track. It’s gorgeous.”
6 Pedrena, Spain
“Where Seve grew up. I always feel it’s pretty spiritual here — it’s the ghost of Seve! I don’t know what it is, but it means an awful lot to me. It’s a beautiful little course.”
7 Shinnecock, USA
“It’s evil hard, yet actually quite generous off the tee. It’s all around the greens that’s so hard. If you don’t have a caddy, you’re sunk. You think something should be a little left, and actually it should be four feet right.”
8 Gleneagles, Scotland
“It’s another Scottish favourite of mine. It’s just the greatest for all-round family golfing weekends. With everything else they do there, you can’t beat Gleneagles — everything about it is pure class.”
9 Any of seven Irish courses
“It’s very difficult to pick a single one in Ireland. You could have Royal County Down, European Club, Old Head (pictured right), Portrush or Tralee. Ballybunion is pretty amazing too. Waterville is incredible. In fact, when you look at it, Ireland probably has more breathtaking courses than Scotland.”
Dave Cannon is senior golf photographer at Getty Images.
