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NCG Top 100s

The Panel

Welcome to NCG Top 100s Our NCG Top 100s chairman, Dan Murphy, is responsible for assembling our panels and indeed the lists themselves.
 We use a different set of panellists for each NCG Top 100s list.  The one constant is Dan.
Although we refresh our panel for each and every ranking, many of our panellists have contributed to several of our lists over a long period.  What do we look for in a panellist?  Well, we insist that all our panellists are widely golfed and enthusiastic.  Panellists must also commit to visiting a minimum of eight courses from the shortlist in the year of an update.  We want our rankings to be contemporaneous. So our panellists must be active – and willing and able to get out there and see the courses in the year of a ranking update. We like to use panellists who are strong in particular countries and we are always on the lookout for additional panellists who will strengthen our group.  Rest assured that all of our panellists have plenty of experience in the field.

So why does our panel change from one list to the next?  Well, there are several good (and practical) reasons:
• We assemble bespoke panels who are specialists in a particular region or country
• We regularly refresh our panels to avoid 'groupthink' or becoming stale
• We periodically meet new panellists who can make our lists better
• We insist on our panellists committing to going out and playing a proportion of the courses on our shortlist every time we begin a project to update a list. Not all previous panellists are able to commit Now, let's meet the panel.

Meet the NCG Top 100s Panellists

You can check out all of our panellists here, to learn about their golfing passions and experiences.

Image of Dan Murphy

Dan Murphy

Handicap 1

Dan is the chairman of the NCG Top 100s Panels and has played every course on these lists multiple times.

Home club

Course I love

Royal St George's - Slightly mysterious, always entertaining, sporty topography

A great course in four words?

Design, turf, consistency, options

Image of Charles Abraham

Charles Abraham

Handicap 2

Solicitor

Home club

Course I love

Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) - A heathland course of great variety and a fabulous test of strategic golf all year round.

A great course in four words?

Strategic, challenging, natural, varied

Image of Sean Arble

Sean Arble

Handicap 14

Sean describes himself as “an American ex-pat who enjoys playing the back alley courses of GB&I”.

Home club

Course I love

Kington - A certain admiration will emerge for those who give Kington due attention.

A great course in four words?

Routing, soil, turf, greens

Image of Mike Atkinson

Mike Atkinson

Handicap 15

Co-founder of Oltomo, publishr of Golfland Scotland

Home club

Course I love

Sunningdale (Old) - Historic, beautiful and challenging. It can feel like a touch of the Scottish Highlands in the south.

A great course in four words?

Setting, variety, fairness, condition

Image of Oliver Baker

Oliver Baker

Handicap 4

MD of a promotional merchandise company

Home club

A great course in four words?

Naturalness, flow, memorability, playability

Image of Jim Banting

Jim Banting

Handicap 0

Jim describes himself as “a nomadic golfer who believes few courses can rest on their laurels”.

Home club

Course I love

Saunton (East) - tough but fair

A great course in four words?

Elegant, sophisticated, utterly unforgettable

Image of Ed Battye

Ed Battye

Handicap 3

Ed says he enjoys “visiting new courses and returning to the best ones which almost exclusively involve firm turf, natural movement in the land and lots of strategic options”.

Course I love

Royal North Devon - so many virtues

A great course in four words?

Options, firm turf, cadence

Image of Phil Bedford

Phil Bedford

Handicap 1

Phil's interests include golf and beer... The perfect combination!

Course I love

Machrihanish - THe stting, the routing, the turf, the test and the welcome!

A great course in four words?

Somewhere near the sea

Image of Stu Bennett

Stu Bennett

Handicap 0.3

NHS Finance

Home club

Course I love

Formby - Challenging but fair, with a variety of stunning holes that test every bit of your game on fantastic turf throughout the year.

A great course in four words?

Unforgettable, challenging, conditioning, fairness

Image of Steve Carroll

Steve Carroll

Handicap 11

NCG's Club Golf Editor

Home club

Course I love

Swinley Forest - my happy place

A great course in four words?

Fun, firm, variety, challenge

Image of David Elliott

David Elliott

Handicap 8

Software Consultant

Home club

A great course in four words?

Layout, Condition, Challenge, Enjoyment.

Image of Danie Ferry

Danie Ferry

Handicap 6

Sports Marketing Specialist

Home club

Course I love

Worplesdon - A classic Surrey heathland, requiring precision over power.

A great course in four words?

Maintained, aesthetic, variety, character

Image of David Fox

David Fox

Handicap 0

Founder

Home club

Course I love

Hindhead - Heather-lined fairways, pristine greens, dramatic elevation changes and serene valleys create a challenging yet beautiful golfing experience.

A great course in four words?

Heather, wildlife, swales, hollows

Image of Dan Gould

Dan Gould

Handicap 20

Accountant

Home club

A great course in four words?

Diversity, reasonable forgiveness, beauty

Image of Georgie Gould

Georgie Gould

Handicap 22

Home club

A great course in four words?

Natural beauty, impeccable maintenance

Image of Neil Gray

Neil Gray

Handicap 7

Marketing Consultant

Home club

A great course in four words?

Setting, turf, design, greens

Image of Chris Griffiths

Chris Griffiths

Handicap 9

Marketing Manager

Home club

A great course in four words?

Challenge, Variety, Excellence, Beauty

Image of Chris Healy

Chris Healy

Handicap 0

Owner of Precision Pressure Washing

Home club

A great course in four words?

Challenging, Scenic, Condition, Memorable

Image of Dove Jones

Dove Jones

Handicap 12

Dove describes herself as: “An American that adores golf in GB&I and until I figure out being an ex-pat I’ll keep being over here every chance I get”.

Home club

A great course in four words?

Strategy, fairness, condition, variety

Image of Lewis Marr

Lewis Marr

Handicap 0

Managing Director, Education Enterprise

Home club

A great course in four words?

Challenge, variety, aesthetics, agronomy

Image of Jim Marshall

Jim Marshall

Handicap 11

Inventory Manager

Home club

Course I love

Royal St David's - The layout, turf condition and greens, as well as the friendliness of the staff and members make for a fantastic club and course.

A great course in four words?

Setting, condition, challenging, memorable

Image of Hugh Masson

Hugh Masson

Handicap 9

Postman

Home club

Course I love

St Enodoc (Church) - Rugged, yet pristine. A strong test of skills in beautiful surroundings.

A great course in four words?

Conditioning, variety, natural, accessible

Image of Craig Morrison

Craig Morrison

Handicap 8

Author

A great course in four words?

Meaning, unity, rhythm, balance

Image of Chris Myatt

Chris Myatt

Handicap 9.8

Tournament Controller, The PGA

Home club

A great course in four words?

Strategy, routing, personality, condition

Image of Pat O'Connor

Pat O'Connor

Handicap 7.1

Retired Company Director (Owner)

Home club

A great course in four words?

Conditioning; Variety; Playability; Design

Image of Joss Powick

Joss Powick

Handicap 8

Water Industry Consultant

Home club

A great course in four words?

Heather, Sand, Challenge & Variation

Image of Craig Redston

Craig Redston

Handicap 8

Engineer

Home club

A great course in four words?

Architecture, strategy, undulation, agronomy

Image of Mike Robertson

Mike Robertson

Handicap 0.5

Account Manager, 18Players

A great course in four words?

Location, variation, firm turf

Image of Peter Rudd

Peter Rudd

Handicap 6

Telecom company owner

A great course in four words?

Setting, design, fairness, turf

Image of David Trimmer

David Trimmer

Handicap 12

Interior Designer

Home club

A great course in four words?

Conditioning, cohesion, interesting, beauty

Image of Michael Verity

Michael Verity

Handicap 0

Online Sports Betting

A great course in four words?

Choices, Challenge, Variety, Adventure

Image of David Walker

David Walker

Handicap 1

Business Operations Manager

Home club

A great course in four words?

Design, setting, challenge, fun

Image of Paul Watson

Paul Watson

Handicap 7

Judge

Home club

Course I love

Saunton (East) - The naturally wild location, the panoramic view from the 1st tee, both of which generate excitement for the golfing test ahead.

A great course in four words?

Fairness, challenging, scenic, memorability

Image of Steve Watton

Steve Watton

Handicap 0

Company Director

A great course in four words?

Beautiful, natural & thought-provoking

Image of Greg Webber

Greg Webber

Handicap 6

Pharmacist

A great course in four words?

Interesting, fair, memorable, accessible

Image of Andi White

Andi White

Handicap 18

Retired

A great course in four words?

Condition, Fairways, Variety, Greens

Image of Neil White

Neil White

Handicap 10.5

Retired Journalist

A great course in four words?

Layout, uniqueness, conditioning, land

Image of Neil White

Neil White

Handicap 8

Course Architect

Home club

A great course in four words?

Turf, engaging, environment, options

Image of Ian Woods

Ian Woods

Handicap 17

Journalist

A great course in four words?

Condition, playability, variety, vista