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 why is it so revered? The challenge of the design and the beauty of its surroundings make it a must-play destination.

We played alongside some of those who know the course best, and in this episode, you'll also hear from Soren Kjeldsen, who won the Irish Open at RCD in 2015.

Neil played pretty well too…..

https://www.royalcountydown.org/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/royal-county-down

Music: Alban Gogh

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It's more than 30 years since St Mellion last hosted a 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 pros now play fewer events in England as the Tour embraces ever more international venues. But the course that Jack Nicklaus built, because Seve had criticised the original St Mellion course as being too easy, presents a challenge for every golfer.

And for a championship course, the green fee is very competitive.

https://www.st-mellion.co.uk/en/

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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 against rocks 300 feet below you.

What you won't know until you get there is how big a factor the wind will be - the weather forecast had suggested it was going to be a benign day for our round. The reality was a little different!

It all makes for an unforgettable round of golf…

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/old-head

https://www.oldhead.com/

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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 tourists and golf groups have to use the main N70 around the coast.

And the breathtaking views continue as you reach Waterville. Framed by the Atlantic Ocean and Ireland's most impressive mountain range, Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Waterville Golf Club has 360 degrees of scenery on every hole.

Payne Stewart fell in love with the course, but his premature death soon after winning the US Open prevented him from taking up the role of Honorary Captain. A statue of him greets those about to follow in his footsteps.

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

https://www.watervillegolflinks.ie/golf/

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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 you, he credited God with doing half the work.

Tralee Golf Club is surrounded by water and sand dunes, with scenic holes that set the pulse racing and a few quirky ones to test your imagination. Like the Rose of Tralee, the attraction is not her beauty alone….

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

https://traleegolfclub.com/

Music: Daniel O’Donnell

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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 Championship with Hoylake in 2026. And it will also continue to host the Final Open Qualifying for the top pros looking for a last-minute ticket to Royal Birkdale.

But even if you are neither a top amateur nor professional, you will be thrilled by the challenge and the condition of the West Lancashire course, which runs alongside the Mersey Estuary, and is one of the gems of North-West links golf.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/west-lancashire

https://www.westlancashiregolf.co.uk/

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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 course has hosted the Open Championship sixteen times - but not since 2013. The club changed its much-criticised rules and now admits women as members, but it still awaits the return of the Claret Jug to a course regarded as among the best in the world.

https://www.muirfield.org.uk/

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/muirfield-the-honourable-company-of-edinburg-golfers

Commentary credit: R&A

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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 Open.

East Lothian is blessed with a large number of quality golf courses, but what sets Gullane apart is the variety of holes and the huge change in elevation as you climb the hill, which provides stunning views over its neighbours.

And if the podcast doesn't whet your appetite, click on the link below for one of the very best club websites we've come across, with course guides and plenty of history to inform prospective visitors.

https://www.thegolfpilgrim.com/post/gullane-no-1

https://gullanegolfclub.com/

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