World Top 100 Courses

[raidrboy]

The U.S. Golf Magazine has released it's bi-annual top 100 courses in the world. There are 8 new courses in the rankings including Cape Kidnappers (NZ) at # 27 and, Barnbougle Dunes at # 49. Royal Melbourne (composite) is down 2 spots to # 10 and, other new entries into the top echelon are Friar's Head (New York), Hamilton CC (West/South Cse) venue of the recent Bell Canadian Open, Bandon Trails (Oregon), Trump National (New Jersey), Tokyo GC, and, Nine Bridges on Jeju Island (South Korea). :!:

[Grunt]

Any surprises? Did any of the forgotten Aussie courses slip in?

[Andrew]

Grunt,

The big problem is getting raters out to Aus to see the courses. Quite a few made the trip to see BD, but it is a long way to come to see only a few courses.


Friar's Head (Coore/Crenshaw) is a great addition to the list & possibly one day may surpass Sand Hills as C&C's best work. Although, by then they may have done the 2nd course at BD. :lol:

[jaster]

Finally an excuse to go to Tassie ;) New entry :)

49 new Barnbougle Bridport, Tasmania, Australia Doak, 2004

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/specialfeature/0,23650,1097569,00.html

The Top 100 Courses

World rankings
September, 2005
2005 Rank 2003 Rank Course Location Designer
1 1 Pine Valley Clementon, NJ Crump/Colt, 1918
2 2 Cypress Point Pebble Beach, CA Mackenzie, 1928
3 6 St. Andrews (Old Course) St. Andrews, Scotland 15th century
4 5 Augusta National Augusta, GA Mackenzie/Bobby Jones, 1932
5 4 Shinnecock Hills Southampton, NY Toomey/Flynn, 1931
6 7 Pebble Beach Pebble Beach, CA Neville/Grant, 1919; Egan
7 3 Muirfield Gullane, Scotland T. Morris, 1891; Colt, Simpson
8 11 Sand Hills Mullen, NE Coore/Crenshaw, 1995
9 10 Royal County Down Newcastle, Northern Ireland T. Morris, 1889; Dunn, Vardon
10 8 Royal Melbourne (Composite) Melbourne, Australia Mackenzie/Russell, 1926
11 14 Merion (East) Ardmore, PA H. Wilson, 1912
12 12 Royal Portrush (Dunluce) Portrush, Northern Ireland Colt, 1929
13 19 Pacific Dunes Bandon, OR Doak, 2001
14 15 Oakmont Oakmont, PA Fownes, 1903
15 16 Royal Dornoch Dornoch, Scotland T. Morris, 1886; Sutherland, Duncan
16 13 Ballybunion (Old) Ballybunion, Ireland Murphy, 1906; Simpson, Gourlay
17 17 Turnberry (Ailsa) Turnberry, Scotland P.M. Ross, 1906
18 9 Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst, NC D. Ross, 1903-35
19 20 National Golf Links of America Southampton, NY Macdonald, 1911
20 21 Kingston Heath Cheltenham, Australia Soutar, 1925; Mackenzie
21 26 Carnoustie (Championship) Carnoustie, Scotland Robertson, 1842; Park, Braid
22 22 Seminole North Palm Beach, FL D. Ross, 1929; D. Wilson
23 24 Crystal Downs Frankfort, MI Mackenzie/Maxwell, 1929
24 27 San Francisco San Francisco, CA Tillinghast, 1915
25 23 Prairie Dunes Hutchinson, KS Maxwell, 1935-56
26 18 Winged Foot (West) Mamaroneck, NY Tillinghast, 1923
27 new Cape Kidnappers Hawk's Bay, New Zealand Doak, 2004
28 29 Fishers Island Fishers Island, NY Raynor, 1917
29 25 Oakland Hills (South) Bloomfield Hills, MI D. Ross, 1917; R.T. Jones Sr.
30 30 Bethpage (Black) Farmingdale, NY Tillinghast, 1936/Rees Jones,1998
31 28 Royal Birkdale Southport, England Lowe, 1889; Hawtree/Taylor
32 32 Royal St. George's Sandwich, England Purves, 1887; Mackenzie, Pennink
33 31 Chicago Wheaton, IL Macdonald, 1895; Raynor
34 43 New South Wales La Perouse, Australia Mackenzie, 1928
35 35 Hirono Kobe, Japan C. Alison, 1932
36 33 The Country Club (Championship) Brookline, MA Campbell, 1895; Flynn, Rees Jones
37 36 Riviera Pacific Palisades, CA Thomas/Bell,1926
38 37 Muirfield Village Dublin, OH Nicklaus/Muirhead, 1974
39 42 Oak Hill (East) Rochester, NY D. Ross, 1926; R.T. Jones Sr, G. & T. Fazio
40 38 Royal Troon (Old) Troon, Scotland Fernie, 1878; Braid
41 34 Casa de Campo (Teeth of Dog) La Romana, Dominican Republic P. Dye, 1971
42 45 Baltusrol (Lower) Springfield, NJ Tillinghast, 1922; R.T. Jones Sr.
43 40 Portmarnock Portmarnock, Ireland G. Ross/Pickeman, 1894; Hawtree
44 39 Olympic (Lake) San Francisco, CA Reid, 1917; Whiting, R.T. Jones Sr.
45 41 Southern Hills Tulsa, OK Maxwell, 1935
46 44 Sunningdale (Old) Sunningdale, England W. Park, 1901; Colt
47 46 Woodhall Spa Woodhall Spa, England Hotchkin/Hutchison, 1905
48 53 Whistling Straits (Straits) Haven, WI P. Dye, 1998
49 new Barnbougle Bridport, Tasmania, Australia Doak, 2004
50 57 TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium) Ponte Vedra Beach, FL P. Dye, 1981
51 59 Los Angeles (North) Los Angeles, CA Thomas, 1921
52 54 Royal Lytham & St. Annes Lytham St. Annes, England Lowe, 1886
53 48 The Golf Club New Albany, OH P. Dye, 1967
54 50 Royal Adelaide Adelaide, Australia Gardiner, 1904; Mackenzie
55 52 Medinah (No. 3) Medinah, IL Bendelow, 1928; Collis, Packard
56 79 Kiawah Island (Ocean) Kiawah Island, SC P. Dye, 1991
57 47 Morfontaine Senlis, France Simpson, 1927
58 49 Kauri Cliffs Kaeo, New Zealand D. Harmon, 2000
59 67 Harbour Town Hilton Head Island, SC P. Dye/Nicklaus, 1969
60 61 Quaker Ridge Scarsdale, NY Tillinghast, 1926; R.T. Jones Sr.
61 66 Winged Foot (East) Mamaroneck, NY Tillinghast, 1923
62 58 Inverness Toledo, OH D. Ross, 1919; G. & T. Fazio, Hills
63 60 Maidstone East Hampton, NY W. & J. Park, 1891; Tucker
64 55 Garden City Garden City, NY Emmet, 1898; Travis
65 65 Kingsbarns St. Andrews, Scotland K. Phillips, 1999
66 56 Loch Lomond Luss, Scotland Weiskopf/Morrish, 1994
67 73 Lahinch Lahinch, Ireland T. Morris, 1893; Gibson, Mackenzie
68 62 Ganton Ganton, England T. Dunn 1891; Colt, Cotton
69 74 Bandon Dunes Bandon, OR D. Kidd, 1999
70 77 Valderrama Sotogrande, Spain R.T. Jones Sr., 1975
71 64 Highlands Links Ingonish Beach, Nova Scotia Canada Thompson, 1935; Cooke
72 72 Royal Liverpool Hoylake, England G. Morris/Chambers, 1869; Pennink
73 68 Cabo del Sol (Ocean) Los Cabos, Mexico Nicklaus, 1994
74 new Friar's Head Baiting Hollow, NY Coore/Crenshaw, 2003
75 51 Shoreacres Lake Bluff, IL Raynor, 1919
76 71 Scioto Columbus, OH D. Ross, 1916; D. Wilson
77 69 Somerset Hills Bernardsville, NJ Tillinghast, 1917
78 76 Cruden Bay Cruden Bay, Scotland Fowler/Simpson, 1926
79 86 Congressional (Blue) Bethesda, MD Emmet, 1924; R.T. Jones Sr., Rees Jones
80 80 Kawana (Fuji) Kawana, Japan C. Alison/Fujita, 1936
81 70 Durban Durban, South Africa Waters/Waterman, 1922; Hotchkin
82 95 St. George's Etobicoke, Ontario Canada Thompson, 1929; Robinson
83 89 Shadow Creek North Las Vegas, NV T. Fazio/Wynn, 1989
84 new Hamilton Country Club (West/South) Ancaster, Ontario, Canada Colt, 1914; Rees Jones
85 78 Wentworth (West) Virginia Water, England Colt/Morrison, 1924
86 new Bandon Trails Bandon, OR Coore/Crenshaw, 2005
87 new Trump National Bedminster, NJ T. Fazio, 2004
88 81 Spyglass Hill Pebble Beach, CA R.T. Jones Sr., 1966
89 63 Camargo Cincinnati, OH Raynor, 1921
90 84 Ocean Forest Sea Island, GA Rees Jones, 1995
91 98 European Club Brittas Bay, Ireland Ruddy, 1992
92 82 Walton Heath (Old) Tadworth, England Fowler, 1904
93 97 East Lake Atlanta, GA Bendelow, 1910; D. Ross, Rees Jones
94 new Tokyo Golf Club Sayama-City, Japan Ohtani, 1940
95 new Nine Bridges Jeju Island, South Korea Fream, 2001
96 88 Wade Hampton Cashiers, NC T. Fazio, 1987
97 100 Colonial Fort Worth, TX Bredemus, 1935; Maxwell
98 87 Peachtree Atlanta, GA R.T. Jones Sr./Bobby Jones, 1948
99 94 Homestead (Cascades) Hot Springs, VA Flynn, 1923
100 75 Naruo Osaka, Japan Crane, 1904; C. Alison

[Grunt]

With my limited experience and abilty I find it hard to believe that Newcastle cant get on there, it may be the only real top line course that I have played on, but it just blows anywhere else I have played on away. NSW is still on my wishlist.

[Andrew]

Grunt,

Newcastle is an excellent course, & it's 6th made the '500 best holes in the world' list, but we are talking the 100 best courses in the world.

The other thing to consider is that Newcastle is a course that golf architecture buffs will rave about, due to the brilliance of Apperly's design (especially his routing), but many prefer different things from a golf course. A sticking point for some is that Apperly was happy to route holes over the dunes (2nd, 5th, 10th) meaning the golfer would encounter blind shots, although these holes are briliant & a recurring trait in Apperly's designs that I believe is part of his genius.

The other sticking point is that he design ½ par holes. The 3rd being a long enough par 3 to be considered a 3½, and the 4th being a short enough par 5 to be considered a 4½. Of course the trick is to consider these two holes as a pair, & look upon them together as a par 8.

Grunt, I am sure Newcastle would make the 2nd 100 list, if there was one.

[Grunt]

How about all our resident experts construct an OzGolf top courses list?

We could have the QLD'ers do QLD, New south Welshmen do NSW etc. Then we could all argue how to blend then into a Australian list :)

It would make an interesting list, one done by golfers not designers/architects.

[AndyP]

You'd never get any sort of agreement, Grunt. My top 10 courses could be very different to someone elses.
I believe there is a thread around here, where people list their top 5.

[Grunt]

Ok guess it is there then

[Andrew]

Grant,

The other problem is that, even if Qld & NSW amalgamated their lists, they would still be lucky to get 10 courses in Victoria’s top 50 (& I’m probably being generous).

[Speirsy11]

Cool list........Out of that top 100, my Dad, brother and I have played a lot of them.......I've played the ones in bold.......


3 6 St. Andrews (Old Course) St. Andrews, Scotland 15th century
6 7 Pebble Beach Pebble Beach, CA Neville/Grant, 1919; Egan
8 11 Sand Hills Mullen, NE Coore/Crenshaw, 1995
10 8 Royal Melbourne (Composite) Melbourne, Australia Mackenzie/Russell, 1926
13 19 Pacific Dunes Bandon, OR Doak, 2001
14 15 Oakmont Oakmont, PA Fownes, 1903
18 9 Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst, NC D. Ross, 1903-35
20 21 Kingston Heath Cheltenham, Australia Soutar, 1925; Mackenzie
23 24 Crystal Downs Frankfort, MI Mackenzie/Maxwell, 1929
30 30 Bethpage (Black) Farmingdale, NY Tillinghast, 1936/Rees Jones,1998
33 31 Chicago Wheaton, IL Macdonald, 1895; Raynor
34 43 New South Wales La Perouse, Australia Mackenzie, 1928
37 36 Riviera Pacific Palisades, CA Thomas/Bell,1926
38 37 Muirfield Village Dublin, OH Nicklaus/Muirhead, 1974
44 39 Olympic (Lake) San Francisco, CA Reid, 1917; Whiting, R.T. Jones Sr.
48 53 Whistling Straits (Straits) Haven, WI P. Dye, 1998
50 57 TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium) Ponte Vedra Beach, FL P. Dye, 1981
53 48 The Golf Club New Albany, OH P. Dye, 1967
54 50 Royal Adelaide Adelaide, Australia Gardiner, 1904; Mackenzie
55 52 Medinah (No. 3) Medinah, IL Bendelow, 1928; Collis, Packard
59 67 Harbour Town Hilton Head Island, SC P. Dye/Nicklaus, 1969
60 61 Quaker Ridge Scarsdale, NY Tillinghast, 1926; R.T. Jones Sr.
62 58 Inverness Toledo, OH D. Ross, 1919; G. & T. Fazio, Hills
76 71 Scioto Columbus, OH D. Ross, 1916; D. Wilson
84 new Hamilton Country Club (West/South) Ancaster, Ontario, Canada Colt, 1914; Rees Jones
88 81 Spyglass Hill Pebble Beach, CA R.T. Jones Sr., 1966
97 100 Colonial Fort Worth, TX Bredemus, 1935; Maxwell

Grunt, I can say that Newcastle can hold it's own with most of the courses after inverness on that list. Newcastle is as good as any of them, but cannot compete with the upper level courses that just have too much tradition, length, and money behind them.........That being said, Newcastle is above NSW on my list of NSW courses, just behind The Australian.

Speirsy