Too often golf courses are considered great because of exterior trappings such as a stately clubhouse or an esteemed history and not for the most important factor of all. Our design rankings, however, exclude all these factors, in order to examine the most important factor for a golf course: the actual layout of the course. To compile these ratings, we have separated overall playability form mere beauty, daring to divorce ancillaries like location and historic notability to focus solely on what makes one course superior over another. By doing so, we arrive at a list of the Top 100 courses that is in stark contrast to all others. By valuing property over location, playability over prominence, we have arrived at a truly definitive list.
Shocking perhaps, but some of the more touted courses do not make our list. Designs like that of Shadow Creek, once revered as feats of engineering, are now only novelties. Others like Baltusrol’s Lower Course have had their finest features muted over the years, with upgrades and/or restoration efforts actually undermining what once made the course great.
We have included a few newer courses like Kingsbarns because they are modern masterpieces of shaping, yet ignored the vast majority of other courses because they are not—mounds and contours courtesy of bulldozers will never surpass natural splendor. The old courses of Europe are better represented than those of America—The Golden Age of Design has in fact been reincarnated—while more holistic designs found in Australia, Asia, even Africa may be appearing for the first time on any list.
By focusing only on design, our Top 100 List acknowledges something more fundamental and truly tangible; the game and those who play it. Most golfers don’t choose how they are going to play, only where. They make a shot and deal with the result. The truly great designs make us think. As natural as a good swing, a course should be both challenging and welcoming. Each hole should be unique, and each time we play it should feel like visiting an old friend.
Nine is Fine:
The Dunes Club
New Buffalo, MI
Whitinsville
Whitinsville, MA
Royal Worlington
Cambridgeshire, England
Home on the Range:
Ballyneal
Holyoke, CO
Prairie Dunes
Hutchinson, KS
Sand Hills
Mullen, NE
Wakonda
Des Moines, IA
Alistair Mackenzie:
Alwoodley
Leeds, England
Augusta National
Augusta, GA
Crystal Downs
Frankfort, MI
Pasatiempo
Santa Cruz, CA
Valley Club of Montecito
Santa Barbara, CA
Irish Links Gems:
Ballybunion
Ballybunion, Ireland
County Louth
Baltray, Ireland
Lahinch
Lahinch, Ireland
Portmarnock
Dublin, Ireland
Royal County Down
Newcastle, Ireland
Royal Portrush
Portrush, Ireland
Tillie’s Classics:
Baltimore (Five Farms)
Baltimore, MD
Baltusrol (Upper)
Springfield, NJ
Brook Hollow
Dallas, TX
Quaker Ridge
Scarsdale, NY
San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Somerset Hills
Bernardsville, NJ
Scottish Roots:
North Berwick West
East Lothian, Scotland
Prestwick
Ayrshire, Scotland
St. Andrews Old Course
Fife, Scotland
North of the Border:
Cabot Links
Nova Scotia, Canada
Cape Breton Highlands
Prince Edward Island, Canada
Fairmont Banff
Alberta, Canada
Hamilton
Ontario, Canada
St. George’s
Ontario, Canada
Raynor’s Prizes:
Camargo
Cincinnati, OH
Fishers Island
Fishers Island, NY
Shoreacres
Lake Bluff, IL
Yeamans Hall
Charleston, SC
Scottish Highlanders:
Brora
Sutherland, Scotland
Castle Stuart
Dalcross, Scotland
Gleneagles (Kings)
Perthshire, Scotland
Royal Dornoch
Sutherland, Scotland
Welsh Links:
Pennard
Swansea, Wales
Royal Porthcawl
Rest Bay, Wales
Island Girls:
Casa de Campo
La Romana, DR
Mid Ocean Club
Tuckers Town, Bermuda
Quirks:
Elie
Fife, Scotland
Engineers
Roslyn, NY
Lawsonia Links
Green Lake, WI
Nefyn & District
MorphaNefyn, Wales
Painswick
Gloucestershire, England
Perranporth
Cornwall, England
Newborns:
Tara Iti
Te Arai, New Zealand
Sand Valley
Nekoosa, WI
Friar’s Head
Baitings Hollow, NY
Kingsbarns
Fife, Scotland
Streamsong (Black)
Bowling Green, FL
The Loop at Forest Dunes
Roscommon, MI
Southern Hemisphere:
Barnbougle Dunes
Tasmania, Australia
Cape Kidnappers
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Durban
Durban, South Africa
Kingston Heath
Victoria, Australia
New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia
Royal Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Victoria
Victoria, Australia
American Pioneers:
Chicago
Wheaton, IL
Ekwanok
Manchester, VT
Garden City
Garden City, NY
Myopia Hunt
South Hamilton, MA
National Golf Links
Southampton, NY
Oakmont
Oakmont, PA
Our Man Flynn:
Kittansett
Marion, MA
Lancaster
Lancaster, PA
Merion (East)
Ardmore, PA
Quite Continental:
Chantilly
Vineuil-Saiunt-Firmin, France
The Hague
Wassenar, The Netherlands
Morfontaine
Mortefontaine, France
Royal Zoute
Cadiesped, Belgium
Ross The Boss:
Mid Pines
Southern, Pines, NC
Pinehurst No. 2
Pinehurst, NC
Plainfield
Plainfield, NJ
Salem
Peabody, MA
Seminole
Juno Beach, FL
Wannamoisett
Rumford, RI
English Links:
Royal Lytham & St. Annes
Lancashire, England
Royal St. George’s
Sandwich, England
Royal West Norfolk
Norfolk, England
Rye
East Sussex, England
Westward Ho!
Bideford, N. Devon, England
Monterey Drive:
Cypress Point
Monterey, CA
MPCC (Shore)
Pebble Beach, CA
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, CA
Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach, CA
Pete Dye:
The Golf Club
New Albany, OH
Harbour Town
Hilton Head, SC
Pete Dye
Bridgeport, WV
Kiawah Island (Ocean)
Kiawah Island, SC
Oak Tree National
Edmond, OK
American Links:
Bandon Dunes
Bandon, OR
Maidstone
Easthampton, NY
Newport
Newport, RI
Pacific Dunes
Bandon, OR
Shinnecock Hills
Southampton, NY
Desert Foxes:
Desert Forest
Carefree, AZ
Desert Highlands
Scottsdale, AZ
Stone Eagle
Palm Desert, CA
L.A. Confidential:
Bel-Air
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles (North)
Los Angeles, CA
Riviera
Pacific Palisades, CA
Rustic Canyon
Moorpark, CA
New York Darlings:
Deepdale
Manhasset, NY
Sleepy Hollow
Briarcliff Manor, NY
Westchester (West)
Rye, NY
Winged Foot (East)
Mamaroneck, NY
English Heathlands:
Ganton
Yorkshire, England
Royal Ashdown Forest
Forest Row, England
St. George’s Hill
Weybridge, England
Sunningdale Old
Sunningdale, England
Swinley Forest
Ascot, England
Walton Heath (Old)
Walton-on-the-Hill, England
West Sussex
Pulborough, England
Woodhall Spa
Woodhall Spa, England
Appalachia:
Holston Hills
Knoxville, TN
The Greenbrier (Old White)
White Sulfur Springs, WV
The Homestead (Cascades)
Hot Springs, VA
Pikewood National
Morgantown, WV
Scottish Links:
Carnoustie
Angus, Scotland
Cruden Bay
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Muirfield
East Lothian, Scotland
Royal Aberdeen
Aberdeen, Scotland
Turnberry
Ayrshire, Scotland
The Rising Sun:
Hirono
Shijimi, Japan
Kawana
Ito, Japan
Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan
Behemoths:
Bethpage (Black)
Farmingdale, NY
Erin Hills
Erin, WI
Pine Valley
Clementon, NJ
Streamsong (Red)
Bowling Green, FL
Waterville
Waterville, Ireland
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kohler, WI
Winged Foot (West)
Mamaroneck, NY
Yale University
New Haven, CT