The good old British weather wreaked havoc at St Andrews earlier this month when torrential rain and high winds resulted in only the second Monday finish in Open Championship history. Jordan Speith’s grand slam hopes were dashed, but Zach Johnson’s victory makes an all-American grand slam a distinct possibility as the final Major of the season heads to Whistling Straits.

This month’s BiteSize update focuses on the conclusion of our Scottish Best In Region re-rankings followed by the continued rollout of our revised English Best In County rankings.

All three 18-hole courses at Gleneagles feature prominently in our newly updated regional rankings for Perth & Kinross, with the King’s course retaining its number 1 position and the Queen's course moving up one place to number 2 in the listing, the Queen’s course at Gleneagles is a shorter track that’s more suited to the average club golfer, offering a little respite from the championship rigours of the other two 18-hole courses on the property.

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The Championship course at Machrihanish retains the number 1 position and this highly regarded old links is a magical place to play golf in a wild, romantic location. Machrie, on the island of Islay, has recently changed ownership, resulting in a complete remodel of the layout by architect D J Russell. This delightful old links, laid out by Willie Campbell in 1891 and modified by Donald Steel in the late 1970s, remains at number 2.

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Such is the golfing strength in depth within this region, no fewer than fifteen of our Top 20 Fife Best in Region courses also make it into our national rankings. That’s an unprecedented number of top tracks located in one relatively small district and it’s one of the main reasons why The Kingdom of Fife is regarded as the top golfing destination in Scotland.

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Birthplace of the Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860, Ayrshire & Arran is obviously one of the most historically significant regions in the golfing world. The Open has been held thirty-six times in this area, and it’s set to return next year to Royal Troon, when the competition will be held on the Old course for the 9th time.

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Photo courtesy of Mark Alexander

The Balgownie course at Royal Aberdeen retains the number 1 position in our North East Scotland listings and this venerable old links, which the club moved to in 1886, has a proud tradition of hosting prestigious national and international events. Most notably in recent times, it has held the British Senior championship in 2005, the Walker Cup in 2011 and only last year, the Scottish Open.

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Photo courtesy of Aidan Bradley

It’s true to say that golf in the Highlands enjoys something of a high profile image these days, with several top ranked courses hosting prestigious competitions in recent years: The Championship course at Nairn held the 33rd edition of Curtis Cup matches in 2012, nearby Castle Stuart was the venue for the Scottish Open from 2011 to 2013 and Spey Valley in Aviemore has been home to a European Challenge Tour event since 2009.

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Looking at some of the highlights in our updated Lothians Top 30 listings, Muirfield remains firmly in position at the top of the chart. Sharing a boundary with Muirfield, and moving up one position to number 3, Renaissance Club is Tom Doak’s first Scottish design. Three new holes have recently been introduced to the layout along the shore, which has further raised the course’s links profile.

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The course that remains at the head of our Shropshire rankings has a Welsh name that most non-Celtic speakers will struggle to pronounce. Fifteen holes at Llanymynech (meaning “Church of the Monks”) lie within Wales, but Llanymynech is an English golf club. From atop this limestone plateau, surrounded by sheer cliff faces, you can see the Shropshire Plain with its quilted patchwork of fields and trees stretching out for miles.

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Scrumpy drinking golfers who may be interested in visiting producers and retailers on the Herefordshire and Wye Valley Cider Route might also be glad know there are around a dozen courses spread throughout the county, five of which we feature in our updated Herefordshire Top 5 ranking chart. Retaining its position at number 1, Kington is a course that revels in something approaching cult status.

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If you’re planning a visit to Staffordshire, then the more adventurous will no doubt be seeking the thrills and spills of Alton Towers or Drayton Manor, though The National Forest or Cannock Chase may be more the cup of tea of those who appreciate more peaceful outdoor pursuits. Anyone who might be looking for a local course to play when in the area has around fifty 18-hole layouts to choose from and we feature ten of the very best in the county.

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