What's On Your Golf Bucket List

Golfers are habitual dreamers at heart - it's what keeps us coming back for more and makes us genuinely believe we have a chance of making that long carry over the water hazard.

But that's the joy of the game, it makes us aspirational, whether it be for improved scores or playing the best courses. Every golfer has their own 'bucket list' of things we hope to tick off during our journey through the sport.

So, what's on your list? We put that question to the Golfshake Team of Staff & Ambassadors, who shared their own ambitions, some of which may provide a touch of inspiration to you.

Performance Targets

Richard Moore would love to play revered Open venue Royal Birkdale, but he also has some performance targets. "I’m now just into single figures (9.7 on WHS) and would love to maintain this in 2022. And I’m not a long hitter so would love to reach par 5 in two!"

Fellow Ambassador Mel Davies has accomplished many of his objectives, but there are still some outstanding ones. "Things I still want to achieve in golf are: Get down to a handicap of 5, play St Andrews, play in a big tournament pro-am, play golf in the USA and get another hole in one, but this time in a competition."

Not at all greedy there, then! 

Golfshake Ambassador Matt Holbrook is looking to reach new heights in the coming year and beyond.

"Two things really stick out for me and they are both linked together in theory. The first would be a subpar round. I've come close once before having a birdie putt on the 18th to shoot one-under but narrowly missed from 12 feet. 

"The second would be to get to a scratch handicap. I am about to enter a big winter of swing changes and range work - in particular with my driver as that's always been my weakness and I'm on a mission that won't end until it's on the correct path (literally)."

The Ultimate Golf Experiences

Kevin Hegge is someone who now values experiences above anything else.

"Having played golf for close to 25 years now, my focus is definitely more on the experience than the outcome! A hole in one is the most obvious gap in my fictitious and empty trophy cabinet, although an eagle would be nice, and this seems achievable, as I can still occasionally get on a par 5 in two.

"In recent years, I've certainly taken more of an interest in the type, and quality of courses I like to play (and dream about playing), helped by seeing and reading about places on YouTube and Instagram (that social influencing does work at times). So excluding the obvious big hitters of major venues (and also courses I've played) here's my whistle stop round the world trip of golf destinations I'd love to cross off, some which are more realistic than others.

"Starting closest to home in England, I've been lucky enough to play some of the great heathland tracks around Surrey/Berkshire recently: St George's Hill, West Hill, Swinley Forest, The Berkshire, and Sunningdale should be on everyone's must play lists. Therefore, seeking new adventures, there's 12 of the finest golf courses I've yet to explore further north, known as England's golf coast. Even ignoring the Open venues, West Lancs, Wallasey, Hillside, and a stay in the Dormy at Formby to play the Main and Ladies Course should be a trip to last long in the memory.

"Heading further north still, it's really such a tough choice as you cross the border, as there's amazing courses in Ayrshire, East Lothian, St Andrews, and Aberdeenshire. However, I'm going to plump for where I hope my next trip takes me, and it's to the Highlands. Royal Dornoch is the standout attraction, but Castle Stuart isn't far behind, with Nairn, and the rustic charms of Brora.

"Off west then, to Ireland. Whilst Adare Manor looks Augusta-like in its conditioning, it's got to be more links. Similar to the Scotland conundrum, you're spoilt for choice pretty much anywhere around the coast, but given this is a bucket list trip Ii'll ignore the journey times and start in Dublin and playing Portmarnock, The Island Golf Club, and European Club, before heading south to Old Head, then west to the wild dunescapes of Tralee, Ballybunion, and Lahinch, before finishing in the north at the new Tom Doak designed St Patrick's Course at Rosapenna.

"Moving from short to long haul flights, destination golf cannot ignore America, but narrowing it down to one location is tough. The Pinehurst Resort has an abundance of amazing golf (and beer!) on site, and Pebble Beach is difficult to ignore, but I'm heading further north on the West Coast to Bandon Dunes. Despite the challenges in getting there (yet more long drives), once on site you've got the choice of five main courses dotted along the Oregon coast, a 13 hole pitch and putt, and a putting green to rival the Himalayas at St Andrews, giving you so much choice for a week away.

"I would love to sample the sandbelt of Australia around Melbourne. With some fine courses in Victoria, Kingston Health, and Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club to open the proceedings, the crescendo would be Royal Melbourne, debatably MacKenzie's finest course (ahead of Augusta), and most importantly open to the paying public.

"Heading home, the Middle East acts as a stopover option, with night golf the main attraction on the The Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club. Northern Europe then becomes the final destination, with Morfontaine the highlight mixed in with some Dutch treats at Kennemer, Utrecht, and Royal Hague.

"Hopefully this provides some food for thought, and inspires the Golfshake Community to make some amazing trips both local and far in years to come."

It's fair to say that Kevin has covered just about every possible golf fantasy! 

Realistic Dreams

Golfshake's Darren Ramowski has also described his aspirations at length.

"For me a bucket list is something I, 100%, plan to achieve in my lifetime. Whilst I could easily drop in the likes of trips to Augusta, Pebble Beach or Cape Kidnappers, there is so much more I would like to do in my life than just golf, so my golf bucket list is more realistic and hopefully achievable. I also hope to have a few years left in me yet so the following are simply my current top five bucket list items that I hope to achieve in the not too distant future and then I can enjoy setting some new items as my life evolves and circumstances change.

"So, first up, two courses I would love to play. Number one goes to Silloth-on-Solway which many years ago was probably a true hidden gem but now given the rise of social media channels and websites like Golfshake, 'hidden gems' are a thing of the past. So, whilst everyone will likely now know about Silloth, it is still a course I would absolutely love to play. Another that ranks highly for me is Old Thorns. Having run Golfshake for a number of years, this is a golf course that consistently ranks highly whenever we run surveys and analyse data from the thousands of independent Golfshake reviews. Whilst Old Thorns may not appear in any of the illustrious Top 100 listings there is something that resonates with many golfers out there and I would love to play and find out what this is.

"If I think about the wider goals outside of simply playing golf and golfing experiences, then my next two objectives are quite simple. Firstly, to break 90 again. I don't play often enough and just about get round somewhere between low 90s upwards but if I can find a bit more time to consistently play then I would love to break 90 again and record a score under 85. I'd also love to play a full 18 holes with my son. He was introduced to the game fairly young and due to a number of reasons and other sporting interests never got the golfing bug and rarely plays. He does however pop down to the range with me from time to time and expresses an interest to play, so I hope once we have more time in our lives then he will continue with a level of interest in golf and we will get out and play a full 18 holes somewhere.

"Finally, golf is a game, sport and activity for many and provides many different reasons for playing, one of which is the social aspect. Running Golfshake digitally means that the team involved is remote and geographically spread out from my location in the Midlands. For example, Kieran Clark, Golfshake Digital Editor, is one lucky individual and fortunate to be based at the Home of Golf in St Andrews! Given this, I don't often get to see him. You could argue this is quite a cheap bucket list item and something I should do every year. Obviously, this wouldn't have been possible over the last two years with the various restrictions, but once the world goes back to some form of normality I would love to go up and see Kieran and play a round of golf on one of the Links Trust courses in St Andrews - it doesn't have to be the Old Course, any course will do. The opportunity to play golf at the Home of Golf and meet up with someone I've not seen for well over two years!"

These lists are personal and unique to the individual, but we are all united by the possibilities that golf offers. Let us know what things are featured on your must do checklist!

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