The winners of the 2025 Golf Course Awards were announced a glittering ceremony held at Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium last night (December 4), with golf industry professionals from all over the UK and Ireland coming together to celebrate excellence across a diverse range of categories.
The Golf Course Awards, now in their second year, seek to recognise courses and facilities from right across the golfing ecosystem, challenging existing interpretations of excellence. The awards consider a broad set of criteria, heavily weighted towards improvements or initiatives delivered over the preceding year, recognising innovation, sustainability and accessibility, alongside design and conditioning.
Members of the Golf Course Awards judging panel discussed some of the pressing topics currently dominating the golf industry
The winners were chosen by a panel of expert judges drawn from diverse sectors of the golf industry including former tour professional and Sky Sports Golf presenter Nick Dougherty; Eimear McManus (Head of Marketing and PR at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open); David Jones (The UK Golf Guy), David Jones (Sky Sports broadcaster), golf course architect Scott Macpherson, and PGA Professionals and content creators Peter Finch and Trey Niven. Finalists were identified following the submissions process, selected by the evaluations of a team of expert reviewers and the awards administrators, with input from the 2025 judging panel.
Chair of Judges Nick Dougherty, who also hosted the awards, reflected on the judging process. “As judges, we looked for courses and facilities that met every criteria point – courses that have recently improved the playing experience, as well as the overall property, but also courses and clubs that sought a role in their local communities and ran programmes and initiatives to create a more inclusive environment. Ultimately, all our winners have succeeded in delivering a first-class experience on and off the course.”
The 2025 Golf Course Award winners:
GB & Ireland Golf Course of the Year: Ballyneety Golf Club, County Limerick, Ireland
England: Golf Course of the Year: Prince’s Golf Club, Kent
Wales: Golf Course of the Year: Aberdovey GC
Scotland: Golf Course of the Year: The Championship Course at Carnoustie
Ireland: Golf Course of the Year: Enniscrone GC, County Sligo
Members Club of the Year, sponsored by Open Links: Bush Hill Park GC, Middlesex
Short Course of the Year, sponsored by Gusbourne: Repton Short Course at Rudding Park, Yorkshire
Affordable Excellence Award, sponsored by Mymo: Ballyneety GC, Limerick
Sustainability Award, sponsored by Husqvarna: West Sussex GC, Pulborough
Junior Golf Programme of the Year, sponsored by Tee Time Tips: Royal Norwich GC, Norfolk
Golf Resort of the Year, sponsored by Golf’s Greatest Holes: The Grove, Hertfordshire
Indoor Golf Venue of the Year, sponsored by Charles Tyrwhitt: Pitch Wharf, London
Inclusivity Award, sponsored by The OuttaBoundz Show: Golf in Society
Highly Commended courses:
Affordable Excellence Award: Cleeve Hill, Gloucestershire
Junior Golf Programme of the Year: Sunningdale Heath, Berkshire
Members Club of the Year: Close House, Newcastle
England: Golf Course of the Year: St Enodoc, Cornwall
Scotland: Golf Course of the Year: Dumbarnie Links, Scotland
Ballyneety Golf Club in County Limerick picked up two awards on the night
Ballyneety Golf Club in County Limerick, was awarded the Affordable Excellence Award, as well as the flagship title of Great Britain & Ireland’s Golf Course of the Year. The trophy – a beautifully hand-carved stone sculpture – was presented by Chris Lomas, chief executive of Worplesdon Golf Club, last year’s winner.
John Leamy, Ballyneety’s General Manager, collected the award, and reflected on what it meant to the club: “I’m speechless, this is the proudest moment of my career in golf. Ballyneety is a movement, made up of dedicated people, tireless volunteers and the entire community. People who love the game, who love their community, and love one another. It is a tribute to everyone associated with the club, we’ve all been in it together since the beginning, and I’m immensely proud to accept this award on behalf of everyone at Ballyneety.”
The Golf Course Awards judging panel reflected on Ballyneety’s success: “They are a course and a club that has enjoyed an exceptional year or two, delivering transformative upgrades across the board, including a successful overhaul of all 50 bunkers. Perhaps more importantly, Ballyneety are the very definition of a community-led club, with a dedicated team of volunteers ensuring the course and club continue to punch way above their weight. Their constant drive to move the bar, to create, and to inspire is hugely motivational – they are a great role model for all golf clubs looking to provide a wonderful experience on a limited budget, whilst supporting the community that houses it.”
Scott Macpherson presented the England Course of the Year Award to Prince’s Golf Club, which was represented by club manager Sam Smith
Prince’s, Aberdovey, Carnoustie and Enniscrone were honoured with their respective national titles, each showcasing how our more historic courses continue to evolve and innovate, helping to shape the future of the game.
Enniscrone’s Martha McNulty collected the award for Ireland’s Golf Course of the Year
Enniscrone Chairperson Martha McNulty, delivered an emotional speech on collecting the award for Ireland: Golf Course of the Year 2025: “This is truly an incredible moment for everyone associated with Enniscrone Golf Club. To have our course recognised amongst all the outstanding clubs across these islands, means the world to us. Enniscrone is shaped by nature, community and a deep passion for the game, and it’s an honour to see that reflected on this stage tonight. This award is dedicated to the generations of members, past and present, whose passion and support have shaped Enniscrone.”
Pitch Wharf won the Indoor Venue of the Year, with co-founder Chris Ingham (right) accepting the award
At the other end of the spectrum, Pitch Wharf claimed Indoor Venue of the Year only 10 months after opening, raising the bar for social, urban golf. Likewise, the Repton Short Course at Rudding Park earned Short Course of the Year, with judges highlighting its sheer fun and smart design that packs a full golfing experience into a much shorter round.
Anthony Blackburn’s inspirational initiative, Golf in Society, picked up the Inclusivity Award. With 1000’s of lives improved across over 7,000 golf sessions, the ever-expanding list of golf course hubs across GB & Ireland will ensure many more of the most vulnerable of our ageing populations will be supported in the years to come.
The Bush Hill Park GC team, including general manger Stewart Judd (centre), celebrated winning the Members Club of the Year Award
The remaining winners were West Sussex Golf Club, which picked up The Sustainability Award sponsored by Husqvarna; Bush Hill Park Golf Club was recognised as Members Club of the Year Royal Norwich’s Junior Programme was adjudged to be the best in 2025, and The Grove walked away with the title of Golf Resort of the Year.
Royal Norwich’s management team with the Junior Programme of the Year Award
West Sussex Golf Club’s assistant secretary Alex Wright (left) accepted The Sustainability Award on behalf of the club
Highly Commended Courses
The judging panel were so impressed by the quality of the finalists that on five occasions they decided to also highly commend a course, where they felt the gap between first and second was sufficiently small. St Enodoc, as well as Cleeve Hill, Sunningdale Heath, Dumbarnie Links & Close House were all highly commended in their respective categories.
Speaking at the end of the night, Golf Course Awards co-founder Luke Giles said: “We’re thrilled to have delivered a campaign and event that has been so warmly embraced by Great Britain & Ireland’s outstanding golf courses, clubs and facilities. Our mission is to recognise and elevate recent excellence across the entire industry, and it’s fantastic to see such a diverse group of winners celebrated by our dedicated judging panel.
“With strong foundations now in place, we’ve ambitious plans to deliver more content and more events, driving national cut-through with golf consumers, establishing the Awards as a trusted tool for every golf enthusiast when choosing their next course.”
Submissions for the 2026 Golf Awards will open in March. For more details visit www.golfcourseawards.com
