Love it or hate it, Instagram has become a big part of life and lots of people love to share photos of what they are doing or where they have visited on it. And golfers are not immune! So while you can get the look of what the top players are wearing, you can now also visit the most Instagrammed golf courses out there – but which ones are they?
Top of the list
The Old Course at St Andrews can justifiably claim to be the oldest golfing venue in the world, but it also holds another prestigious title – that of the ‘Most Instagrammed Golf Course in the World’. Although they may not put up a plaque for it!
According to a new study, the Scottish course is the most popular location to visit to play golf and then to upload photos from the course. The study found that there were over 42,000 Instagram posts that tagged the famous course as being the location for the shots, well above the nearest competition.
The course has been around for over 600 years and has seen the best golfers in the world at their best – and sometimes their worst! With its many iconic spots and historic buildings, it is no surprise that people love to play here but also to take photos while they do and share them on social media.
The Top Five
In second place with an impressive 13,000 mentions in posts was Muirfield in Edinburgh. The course is another with the claim of being the oldest in the world and has hosted 16 Open Championships as well as many other events.
In third place is a course not everyone may have heard of but that definitely catches the attention when you do – Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand. The course had over 11,000 IG mentions and is known for its stunning sea views and ridge and valley landscape. It is far newer than the other courses but is already known for the quality of gameplay.
Fourth place went to one of the American courses that is the top public course in the US – Pebble Beach. The US course received over 8,000 mentions on Instagram, including from the most iconic holes around the course or from the 118 bunkers spread across the 18 holes!
In fifth place was another US course but one that could look at home in Scotland. Bandon Dunes is actually a series of five courses that have been designed to work in harmony with the surrounding environment and offer something different for players on each one. It received over 5,500 Instagram tags.
The Best of the Rest
The study didn’t stop with just the top five but continued on to highlight a selection of Instagram-popular courses around the world. Three of them were from Australia and included two courses with the lowest green fees on the list which makes them ideal for the beginner.
The Royal Melbourne was 7th on the list with over 5,400 IG mentions. In 12th and 13th places were Barnbougle Dunes and Barnbougle Lost Farms – these two courses are located in Tasmania and make use of the rugged coastline of this Aussie island to create courses that are challenging and also much less expensive than many others on the list.
Northern Ireland also had a mention on the list with the Royal County Down Golf Club. Set amid the Murough Nature Reserve, with the Mountains of Mourne in the background, this is a course that deserves to be photographed and shared.
How to Get the Best Golf Course Photos
Golf courses are a brilliant place to combine hobbies, playing your favourite game and taking some stunning photos in between. Many of the most Instagrammed course photos are taken by professionals but there’s no reason you can’t take great photos to share on social media too.
The key thing to remember is when taking photos, NEVER distract another player. If you aren’t playing yourself and are taking pictures at an event, stay close to the ropes and don’t move until the players in the group have completed their shots. For many of us, the smartphone in our pocket is the main way to take photos anywhere and these are often nearly as good as a professional camera. So, don’t be afraid to use your phone to get those important shots between golf shots and always be aware of where the sun is when snapping the course.