These Golf Courses Are Better Than Ever Before

Every golf course is uniquely distinctive to the landscape in which it has been created, with that variety of character and challenge being the factor that ultimately makes this game special and rewarding to play. 

The very best layouts are the product of imagination, ingenuity and craftsmanship, with skilled minds and hands effectively sculpting (typically) 18 holes from the canvas afforded by the terrain at their disposal.

But like any industry, you should always search for refinements and improvements, as the finest venues are those that evolve with time, making little tweaks along the way to keep themselves ahead of the curve.

That was a subject that we recently broached with the Golfshake Community when we surveyed and asked - among other things - what had been the most improved course they had played in the past year. 

We looked at their responses in addition to comments that have been submitted as part of reviews in the Golfshake Course Section, all of which cite improvements and explain why the place they visited is now better than ever.

Essentially, here are destinations that are taking positive strides to get better - which makes them worthy of your attention!

Ansty Golf Centre 

Location: Ansty, Coventry, Warwickshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.51

Survey Comments: 

• "Great greens. Cleared out overgrown trees and bushes to improve the look of the course."
• "New owners, lots of work being done."

Cowdenbeath Golf Club

Location: Seco Place, Cowdenbeath, Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.00

Survey Comments: 

• "Excellent greens, fine layout, greenkeeper's determination to improve course."

Filey Golf Club

Location: West Avenue, Filey, North Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.16

Survey Comments: 

• "Big all-round improvements."
• "Previously poor for drainage so not playable a lot of the time but attempting to alleviate the problem with continuous ground work."

Pyrford Lakes Golf Club

Location: Pyrford, Woking, Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 3.95

Survey Comments: 

• "Work done on the course and on the clubhouse has made a massive difference."
• "Lots of money invested on course, drainage sorted."

Seaton Carew Golf Club

Location: Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, County Durham

Golfshake Rating: 4.22

Survey Comments: 

• "The greens staff have done an amazing job with all the new bunkers and tee boxes."

Weybrook Park Golf Club

Location: Rooksdown Lane, Basingstoke, Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.37

Survey Comments: 

• "The newly built West Course has transformed the club creating an excellent layout with many good holes and some great ones. Now one of the best courses in Hampshire."

Whittlebury Park Golf Club

Location: Whittlebury, Towcester, Northamptonshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.16

Survey Comments: 

• "They have done a lot of work to improve the drainage and also re-design some parts of the holes to make them more visually attractive. It's always been a nice course in the summer but now it's a lot more playable in the spring and autumn too."

Bondhay Golf Club

Location: Whitewell, Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.99

Survey Comments: 

• "Removed a lot of trees to make course more playable."

Boston West Golf Club

Location: Hubbert's Bridge, Boston, Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.89

Survey Comments: 

• "The hard work put in by the whole team is really starting to pay dividends and that has not affected the costs.

Burstwick Country Club

Location: Ellifoot Lane, Burstwick, East Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.08

Survey Comments: 

• "Lot of effort put into drainage and greens."

Ceann Sibeal Golf Club

Location: Ballyferriter, Tralee, Kerry

Golfshake Rating: 4.32

Survey Comments: 

• "It has matured so much and money has been spent on fairways, tees and greens."

College Pines Golf Club

Location: Cuthberts Avenue, Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.36

Survey Comments: 

• "New owners and improving the course and greens."

Droitwich Golf Club

Location: Droitwich, Worcester, Worcestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.45

Survey Comments: 

• "Much improved drainage. Good improvements to clubhouse."

Dumbarton Golf Club

Location: Broadmeadow, Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.95

Survey Comments: 

• "Addition of better drainage, water system installed, solar panels on clubhouse. Vast improvement in general course condition."

Duxbury Park Golf Club

Location: Duxbury Hall Road, Chorley, Lancashire

Golfshake Rating: 3.95

Survey Comments: 

• "They have worked very hard on drainage, seriously improved the greens, laid paths and levelled many of the tee boxes and continue to improve things."

Hampton Court Palace Golf Club

Location: Home Park, Kingston on Thames, Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 3.16

Survey Comments: 

• "A lot of money is being invested there. Fabulous clubhouse and food. Many improvements around the course and facilities."

Kilton Forest Golf Course

Location: Blyth Road, Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.71

Survey Comments: 

• "Massive improvements for a council course, chipping and putting greens, recent driving nets installed."

Mill Green Golf Club

Location: Gypsy Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.81

Survey Comments: 

• "Major investment in course water features."

Oakmere Park Golf Club

Location: Oxton, Southwell, Nottinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.96

Survey Comments: 

• "A lot of work gone on to re-design the course."

Ogbourne Downs Golf Club

Location: Ogbourne St George, Marlborough, Wiltshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.41

Survey Comments: 

• "The club is spending money on improvements to the course as opposed to the majority of clubs spending on the clubhouse, range, etc."

Oulton Hall Golf Club

Location: Rothwell, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.49

Survey Comments: 

• "Greens staff have been working hard, greens getting better with their work."

Richings Park Golf Club

Location: North Park, Iver, Buckinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.92

Survey Comments: 

• "Investment in greenkeeping staff and equipment has shown massive improvements onto the course."

Roseberry Grange Golf Club

Location: Grange Villa, Chester le Street, County Durham

Golfshake Rating: 4.11

Survey Comments: 

• "The greens are absolutely brilliant, the new greenkeeper has done a marvellous job and he and his staff are a credit to the golf club."

St Ives Golf Club

Location: St Ives, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.19

Survey Comments: 

• "Improved drainage and bunkers, plus many other all round improvements."

Sudbury Golf Club

Location: Bridgewater Road, Wembley, Greater London

Golfshake Rating: 4.43

Survey Comments: 

• "Improvements made, and changed the course route to make it more player friendly, and the 18th (was the 9th) now finishes in front of the clubhouse and patio."

Surrey Downs Golf Club

Location: Outwood Lane, Kingswood, Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 3.64

Survey Comments: 

• "When I played it a few years ago, the rough was so high and being so high up, the wind can play havoc with stray balls. But they have cut the rough down now and made the fairways slightly wider so you’re not spending time looking for balls."

The Addington Golf Club

Location: Addington, Croydon, Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 4.78

Survey Comments: 

• "The removal of thousands of trees has made the views clearer."

The Worcestershire Golf Club

Location: Hanley Road, Malvern, Worcestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.46

Survey Comments: 

• "Lots of improvement to course, especially the greens."

Tredegar Park Golf Club

Location: Parc-y-Brain Road, Newport, Gwent

Golfshake Rating: 4.03

Survey Comments: 

• "It has matured and is now an excellent test of golf."

Woolston Manor Golf Club

Location: Abridge Road, Chigwell, Essex

Golfshake Rating: 3.52

Survey Comments: 

• "Used to be wet and boggy but improved drainage has made a big difference."

Ash Valley Golf Club

Location: Little Hadham Road, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire

Golfshake Rating: 3.47

Survey Comments: 

• "Improved greens and reduced heavy rough."

Bedlingtonshire Golf Club

Location: Hartford Road, Bedlington, Northumberland

Golfshake Rating: 4.60

Survey Comments: 

• "Improvements being carried out throughout the course and excellent day to day maintenance."

Blackmoor Golf Club

Location: Whitehill, Bordon, Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.64

Survey Comments: 

• "Club has invested in the fairways and bunkers and added a beautiful patio viewing area attached to the bar on the first floor where you can have a drink overlooking the 1st and 18th holes."

Braid Hills Golf Course

Location: 27 Braid Hills Approach, City of Edinburgh

Golfshake Rating: 4.00

Survey Comments: 

• "Work done on improving drainage. Cutting back on gorse on some holes to improve playability."

Meyrick Park Golf Club

Location: Meyrick Park, Bournemouth, Dorset

Golfshake Rating: 3.18

Survey Comments: 

• "Cut gorse and bushes back making wider fairways."

Shaw Hill Golf Club

Location: Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley, Lancashire

Golfshake Rating: 3.48

Survey Comments: 

• "Greenkeepers making a great effort to improve drainage, greens, rough and bunkers."

Southerness Golf Club

Location: Southerness, Kirkbean, Dumfries & Galloway

Golfshake Rating: 4.75

Survey Comments: 

• "The course has been opened up with many bushes and trees removed allowing more sea views. The greens are also excellent all year round."

Whitburn Golf Club

Location: Lizard Lane, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

Golfshake Rating: 3.85

Survey Comments: 

• "The changes and updates made to the course are fabulous and have made the course much more challenging without taking away the character of the place. The views are stunning."

Wychwood Park Golf Club

Location: Wychwood Park Hotel & Golf Club, Crewe, Cheshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.29

Survey Comments: 

• "After years of neglect from previous owners, the course is being worked on and brought back to it’s former glory."

Coxmoor Golf Club

Location: Coxmoor Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.58

Survey Comments: 

• "The work done opening up the course with the removal of dense trees has allowed the fairways to improve greatly with the air and light getting in. Greens fantastic as well."

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