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.

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

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/

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

"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

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

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

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Golfers visiting East Lothian are spoilt for choice, but many choose to include Kilspindie in their itinerary.

These tight, traditional links offer spectacular views, and the relatively short course is popular with those who favour accuracy over distance.

https://www.kilspindiegolfclub.co.uk/

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

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Ony five courses in Continental Europe make it into the best in the World list according to Top100golfcourses.com - but Royal Hague is one of them.

Awarded its "Royal" tag on its centenary in 1993, the Dutch King and Queen frequently play there along with other members of the Royal family.

Designed by Colt and Allison, its huge dunes make it a tough climb but the effort is well worthwhile, because every hole is memorable.

https://khgcc.nl/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/royal-hague-koninklijke-haagsche-golf-en-country-club

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

Unusually, we've combined two golf clubs into one episode - but they do have something in common.

Musselburgh Old Links was one of the original venues for The Open Championship, but the limitations of its nine-hole layout led to its replacement by Muirfield, and golfers migrated to other courses with more land.

One of those clubs was Royal Musselburgh, a parkland course and very different to Musselburgh Old Links, which sits within Musselburgh racecourse. But their shared history made for an entertaining 27-hole day.

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

https://musselburgholdcourse.com

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!

The first of a quartet of Dutch course reviews coming up in the next few weeks as the Netherlands becomes the 15th country to be visited by the Golf Pilgrim.

De Texelse is a tranquil resort on an island just off the coast of Holland, and the venue for a recent European Nations Cup for journalists. Suffice to say, the British team was some way short of the podium….

But the links-like course is a winner - having expanded from 9 to 18 holes a decade ago.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/de-texelse

https://texelse.com/

Do you agree with our review? Text us your opinion!