Lakes, creeks and wooded slopes not only contribute to the beauty and variety but also are seamlessly integrated into the design. Both nines touch the cliff line, with the courses most spectacular moment coming at the 5th as it doglegs right to a two-tiered green flush against the cliff. At ultra-exclusive Ellerston, he and design partner Bob Harrison adapted MacKenzie strategies and bunker stylings on a rugged landscape, resulting in one of the strongest, most option-laden tests in the Southern Hemisphere. 1 Nick Faldo: I love the way it plays firm and fast-running, the way the bunkering frames and almost intrudes into the putting surfaces and the brilliance of the bunkering style with the native scrubby look. Located in (Photo: Getty Images), Accessible by ferry or air, this exclusive retreat off the Connecticut coast is populated by the oldest of the Old Money crowd, many of whom still enjoy hoofing it. Conversely, many sites deemed worthy were built approximately a century ago when hickory-shafted clubs were the norm. Pine Valley 2. / H.C. Leeds (1898)More about this course , 7,097 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.9341River Hills, Wis. / H.S. Set on the northern end of King Island in the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia, this course occupies the windiest spot of any on our list. The iconic par-3 16th, which extends into the churning Pacific, is the games most dramatic and photographed hole, but there are endless other highlights, from the forested portion to heaving dunes to its famed jagged coastline. Fishers joined our World Top 100 at No. Seeing a 6,431-yard, par-69 course like Swinley Forest be embraced as an epitome of great design is a powerful message. Yes, that would be Portmarnock, set among low dunes at the end of a peninsula. 1. Seth Raynor retooled his mentor C.B. Thats true in spades here as players delight in finding creative ways to use banks and punchbowl features. NICK PRICES ZEBRA PUTTER. Seventy-five years later and this Georgia course still adheres to the founding vision, which speaks volumes to the quality of RTJs original design. Twenty-three miles north of Aberdeen, Cruden Bay offers many novel features, including the postcard-perfect par-3 4th, which overlooks the Water of Cruden and the fishing village of Port Erroll, and the par-4 14th, with its funnel-shaped bathtub green. Set in the northwest county of Donegal, St. Patricks too will soon become a household name with golfers flocking here to experience the unbridled joy that comes from playing in and among big dunes as one battles the wind. Number of Golf Courses in the State of California: 921. After a recent ownership change, a superb upgrade was performed by Martin Ebert that better utilized the jagged cliffline. The home of the Masters tournament, the Augusta National Golf Club was founded more than 80 years ago and has only 300 members. Measuring just under 6,600 yards, monster length is not required when you have greens this good. Phil Mickelson more than handled the putting surfaces on his way to his historic win at the 2021 PGA Championship. Firm, rumpled, fescue fairways, coastal breezes and endless views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence make it abundantly clear why Nova Scotia is the Latin name for New Scotland. Whitmans talent for adding micro-contours in and around the greens (such as those that promote running approach shots into the 13th and 16th) is unsurpassed but are overlooked here because the long views are so spectacular. Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Alison (1929)More about this course , 7,372 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.9319Tom Fazio (2002)More about this course , 7,314 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.9306 Scottsdale / Tom Fazio (1995) More about this course , 7,348 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.9016Cherry Hills Village, Colo. / William Flynn (1923)More about this course , 7,203 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.8158Naples, Fla. / Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry (2001)More about this course , Photo By: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Calusa Pines GC, 7,100 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.7497Edison, N.J. / Donald Ross (1921)More about this course , Photo By: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Plainfield CC, Evan Schiller/Courtesy of Quaker Ridge GC, 7,008 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.7315Scarsdale, N.Y. / A.W. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. Chicago Golf Club 8. (Photo: Getty Images), The immense appeal of Alister MacKenzies Golden Age masterwork is captured by former world No. Because the club has always been a good custodian of its course. Any modern architect should spend time here, studying how its creators teased so much from land that is neither rambunctious nor expansive. More than a few Winged Foot devotees consider the 13th and 17th the best par-3s on the property, a seemingly outlandish claim until you play them. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913/A.W. (Photo: Kevin Murray), A.W. The thrill ride continues, with holes 8 through 11 hugging the cliff line. Others might relish the shelf green at the 9th that poses similar intriguing questions as the 12th at the Old Course. For the lucky few who get to play here, they enjoy one of the games most inspiring walks as Alister MacKenzies design effortlessly transports the player around the diverse property. Like Rye, its quintet of one-shotters and tight sub-70 par make it more of a complete test than a quick glance at its scorecard might indicate. Why? A bold start that features a 475-yard par-4 and a 225-yard par-3 give way to gentler, though strategically rich holes that were favorites of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a frequent visitor. The design was immediately embraced, and the minimalist movement started in earnest, with this course arguably kicking off the second Golden Age. Together, the designers took bunker configuration and angled greens to new heights in the 1920s. The 3rd through the 5th is a particularly inspired stretch of inland golf, featuring an exemplary par-5, par-4 and par-3. Alison introduced to Hirono in the early 1930s, so bunkers built since became known as Alisons. Originally, the course bore a sandy, scrubby appearance, but tree planting changed Hironos character over the decades. The panels appreciation of the East Course raises the question: What is the finest 36-hole day in golf at one location? Tom Weiskopf cites the primary appeal: The continuous change in direction from hole to hole leads to different winds, great balance and maximum variety. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), After Tom Watson played here before his Open defense in 1981, he remarked that the experience was the most fun Ive ever had on a golf course. Donald Ross grew up here, though Dornoch took its final shape as we know it today well after he left. Oakland Hills 19. Its been associated with the Turnberry hotel for more than 100 years. YEAR BUILT. Myopia Hunt Club 17. The recently expanded greens have created a plethora of new hole locations around the greens perimeters, and the players chess match with the clever design is more intense than ever. The next hole, a dogleg right, calls for a fade. You havent favorited any courses yet. The greens were expanded a whopping 35 percent, and the bunkers themselves were restored to their previous immense scale. 2. The 6th has been abbreviated to accommodate a splendid new back tee at the home hole. Rank/ To view the complete detailed list of the Top 100 Golf Courses of Ireland click the link. Its thrilling finish features three consecutive -par holes where anything can happen: the drivable 16th, the brutish one shot 17th (which plays in the opposite direction as 16) and the par-5 18th, which cascades downhill toward the distinctive white art-deco clubhouse. Here, he did what he did best: produce a course that is a delight to play every day. (Photo: Graylyn Loomis), Lahinch charms with titanic sandhills and stunning views of both the Atlantic Ocean and of the Cliffs of Moher. Kohler told Dye I want the course to look like its in Ireland. Mission accomplished. The handsome blue stem rough is best admired from a distance but there is no hiding from the severely titled greens at the 4th, 6th and 13th. Be careful of its short par-4s: the 4th, 9th and 14th all tempt with driver off the tee and punish rash tactics. In the memorability department, however, 15 takes a backseat to the par-4 13th, The Pit, whose green sits directly behind a low stone wall. Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 Peoples Open, as that U.S. Open came to be known. Im also a fan of the often very wide fairways that reward positioning and of the mix of long and short par-4s. Such designs enjoy their own unique voices with County Down further blessed with staggeringly handsome long views of the Irish Sea, the Mountains of Mourne and the red-brick steeple of the Slieve Donard Hotel. (Photo: Frank Pont), This quiet club across the street from Winged Foot has counts Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye among its admirers. Taku Miyamoto/Courtesy of Riviera Golf and Tennis, Inc. 7,040 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 64.5080Pacific Palisades, Calif. / George C. Thomas Jr. & W.P. GOLF has been ranking the worlds best courses for the better part of four decades. Sand accumulated on the east side of the Ohoopee River for centuries. For the 2014 U.S. Open, a Coore-Crenshaw restoration brought back the tawny-edged fairways and native areas last seen in the 1940s. Meanwhile, a brawny collection of two-shotters dominates the stretch from 6-10. The World 100 Greatest Golf Courses | Courses | Golf Digest Chicago Golf Club 8. Tillinghast (1922) More about this course , 7,731 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.8534 Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry & Ron Whitten (2006) More about this course , 7,242 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.6900Newburgh, Ind. The same design principles fairway contours that either shunt you out of position or send you to the ideal location, hazards that appear ageless and greens that offer a wide range of hole locations demand you reassess how to best play each hole from one day to the next. So, too, is the variety of its greens, headlined by the famous hard-to-hit knob green at 6 followed by a well defended, diminutive sunken green on the ensuing hole. The 2020 U.S. Mark Brooks, 1996 PGA champion, summed up this Golden Age A.W. Hard for a course this well known to exceed first-time expectations but it does. The mighty-mite 8th gets much of the attention, but Troon also has a host of sterling two-shotters, including the 7th, 11th, 13th and 15th. What helped Myopia continue to rise in the list is appreciation for Gil Hanses restoration work whereby trees came down, and fairways were expanded/reconnected to Herbert Leedss fabulous pit bunkers. Echoed five-time Open champion Tom Watson, It is one of the best and most beautiful tests of links golf anywhere. Greenkeeper John Bambury embarked six years ago to convert the poa greens to fine fescue and to re-establish the running game. Tillinghast in 1926 and Gil Hanses restoration this past decade has the course at peak. Ironic for an architect who built template holes but the best hole on this Seth Raynor design may well be the thoroughly original risk-reward 520-yard par-5 15th, which doglegs left, over and around a ravine. States With The Most Golf Courses in the USA. Its two nines are diverse the first is on more open land while the second jumps into the woods where Tillinghast incorporated natural water features to perfection. / Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (2005)More about this course , 6,981 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.2244Edina, Minn. / Willie Watson (1911) / Donald Ross (1922)More about this course , Photo By: Peter Wong/Courtesy of Interlachen CC, 7,657 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.2194Tom Bendelow (1928)More about this course , David Normoyle/Courtesy The Garden City Golf Club, 6,922 Yards, Par 73 / Points: 62.1846Devereux Emmet (1899) / Walter Travis (1913)More about this course , Photo By: David Normoyle/Courtesy The Garden City Golf Club, 6,902 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 62.1752Scarborough-on-Hudson, N.Y. / C.B. Fuji and cliff-top panoramas of the Pacific Ocean. Even today, with gobs of world class courses having been built in the past 100 years, no more thrilling, spectacular stretch exists than holes 4 through 10. (Photo: Joann Dost), Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw moved teaspoons of dirt to construct the most natural, hew-to-the-land layout built since World War II. (Photo: Getty Images), With sweeping, cross-course vistas punctuated by tawny native grasses and an exemplary routing thattwists around miles ofcreek beds, side-slopes andartistic bunkering, Old Towns restoration portrays the enduring spirit of classic golf architecture. Arguably Americas premier urban design, LACC North hosted the 2017 Walker Cup and design aficionados cant wait for the2023 U.S. Open. The courses most famous hole is also its most feared, the 650-yard, par-5 15th, which falls away on both sides of the fairway and sports a horizon green perched precariously on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Texas. 1 spot for decades, meaning Pine Valleys only benchmark is itself. Merion Golf Club (Pennsylvania) Merion Golf Club is a private golf club located in Haverford Fun fact: The winning score at its four U.S. (Photo: Courtesy Les Bordes), Diamantes free-form architecture rests gently on the land, and the absence of any hard lines let the golfers eye soak in the delightful contrast between the dazzling Pacific Ocean, the dunescape and the emerald playing surfaces. Dating to 1916, the course was made over by A.W. This design is one for the ages literally as it's ideal for both youngsters and aging golfers alike. Spectacular ocean views sometimes come with the price of cold and damp playing conditions but not here. Unlike many other clubs in the world, the Augusta National is a for-profit company, which means that they can set the fees at whatever they want. The stonewall separating the course and the rail line is unnervingly tight right of the 11th green and serves as a great litmus test to determine who is (and isnt) in full control of their swings. Happily, all of Rosss glories, and then some, were brought back in 2020 when Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and team restored Rosss width and playing angles. (Photo: Gary Lisbon), One of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association in 1894, Chicago Golf was the site of the nations first 18-hole course; it also was the first course outside of the Northeast to play host to the U.S. Open. The opportunity to use side slopes to kick balls onto the putting surfaces is a recurring design theme and the fescue fairways encourage lively interaction with the ground. Deira (04 295 6000). Kudos to the group. (Photo: Evan Schiller), Because of its remote location, Crystal Downs was once overlooked but that changed when Tom Doak introduced the course to Ben Crenshaw in the 1980s. Arnold Palmer once tabbed the 15th as one of golfs best par-3s and yet the other par-3 on that side (the shorter 12th) is just as good. USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OURVISITOR AGREEMENT(UPDATED 1/6/23),PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE(UPDATED 1/4/23) ANDCALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE. (Photo: Clyde Johnson), Maidstones glorious edge-of-the-Atlantic location is once again fully evident, thanks to a recent restoration by Coore & Crenshaw. Amateurs, who look at links golf as an adventure vs. a livelihood, are more uniformly effusive in their praise. (Photo: Gary Lisbon), The Black intimidates golfers with a sign at the 1st tee that recommends the course only for highly skilled golfers. Among them? Seminole 9. The 11 most exclusive golf clubs in the world Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif.. Bob Hope once memorably summed up Cypress Point: One year they had (Photo: Gary Lisbon), This Westchester County course has always enjoyed a spectacular component to it, courtesy of breathtaking views of the Hudson River, particularly at the 15th and 16th holes. The 10 Most Expensive Country Clubs in the United States - (Photo: Courtesy Royal Liverpool), Bandons original course is a David McLay Kidd design draped atop craggy headlands above the Pacific. One is at the downhill 560-yard 15th, which is reachable under certain wind conditions. The design is loaded with standout holes. When you layer on Harry Colts improvements (such as moving the 12th green high and to the left) to Willie Park Jr.s original effort, you end up with one of the games most noble inland courses. Laurie Auchterlonie won the 1902 U.S. Open here with record scores, owing to the debut of the longer, more durable Haskell ball. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), Japanese golfers had never seen the kind of deep, strategically placed bunkers that architect C.H. That said, Gil Hanses astonishing green expansion has brought back an exciting element of creativity with which few parkland courses can contend. With bunkers and water hazards framed by railroad ties and tall native grasses scattered throughout, this thorough original left no doubt that Dye was a generational talent in the works. Fishers Island De Pan may not have the topography of St. Georges Hill but it does have sand dunes throughout the property. Less discussed but just as exciting is its 16th green, with its left and right plateaus separated by a deep channel. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, Willie Fernie, 1909/Mackenzie Ross, 1946/Martin Ebert, 2016, Old Tom Morris, 1893/Alister MacKenzie, 1927/Martin Hawtree, 2003, A. Robertson, 1842/Old Tom Morris, 1872/James Braid, 1926, Alister Mackenzie, 1928/Eric Apperly, 1947, A.V. Among other things, Andrew Green saw to it that the incongruent water features were removed and made sure that the mighty East Course was once again a cohesive Golden Age masterpiece without blemishes. / Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (1995) More about this course , 6,836 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 66.0702 Juno Beach, Fla. / Donald Ross (1929) More about this course , 7,477 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 66.0543 Mamaroneck, N.Y. / A.W. Among its members Probably not, given its last one was in 1908! Thankfully, Martin Eberts recent restoration efforts have reestablished sand as a dominant theme. Thats the flexibility of short grass and Rosss design genius. Great attention has been paid to the mow lines, with short tight fairway grass on the high side of the entrance to all the greens. Garden Citys tilted greens, like the 10th and 15th, are lay-of-the-land architecture at its highest form. All I have to do is eliminate 100 of them. All that's missing is an ocean at this linksy-looking layout that played host to the 2002 U.S. Women's Open (Juli Inkster) and 2006 U.S. Senior Open (Allen Doyle). Some critics of rankings grumble that hosting a major unduly elevates a course. Its outstanding cluster of gently rolling par-4s, notably the 6th and the 11th, provided a terrific canvas for amateurs such as Justin Rose and Jason Gore in the 1997 Walker Cup. Druids Glen, Wicklow 6. This low-key 1926 Seth Raynor creation in suburban Cincinnati dishes out deep bunkers and huge, squared-off greens on a property laced with valleys and ravines. The more you travel, the more you appreciate Prestwicks unique charms. Scattered blow-out bunkers, gigantic natural dunes, smartly contoured greens and Pacific panoramas complete Doaks first masterpiece. (Photo:John and Jeannine Henebry), Gil Hanse and team restored George Thomass classic to perfection in 2010. 17 at Trinity Forest. Some professionals embrace that aspect while others are leery. Old Head Golf Links, Cork 2. The dunes extend inland only some 350 yards and the architects did a fabulous job in having the holes flow across them in every conceivable manner. Clementon, N.J. / George Crump Seminole 9. Fescue fairways help the ground-game options flourish as balls release across the rumpled ground. (Photo: Courtesy Swinley Forest), Drone shots of this course are evocative, showing holes located on fingers of land hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean. (Photo: Gary Lisbon), No course thrives more on looking mean. WebNAPLES GOLF CAPITAL OF THE WORLD Premier Golf Communities in Naples, FL Naples has more than 90 18-hole golf courses and per capita is the #1 city for golf in the US. Macan, 1926/Alister MacKenzie, 1928/Kyle Phillips, 2007, W.C. Pickerman/George Ross/Mungo Park, 1894/George Coburn, 1896, Harry Vardon, 1905/H.S. / Tom Fazio (1998)More about this course , 7,701 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.6336Castle Rock, Colo. / Jack Nicklaus (1981)More about this course , 7,523 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.6263Oak Brook, Ill. / George Fazio & Tom Fazio (1974)More about this course , 6,784 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.5741 Bernardsville, N.J. / A.W. Thats great architecture. 9. Its old-school features include cross hazards and medium-size greens. Central hazards abound and numerous rounds are required to sort through the design asks. Trump National Bedminster Old Course (Bedminster) 15. Played from the appropriate set of tees, you will be pleasantly surprised and thoroughly impressed by the courses variety and and its excellent, diverse set of greens. Only Mike Keiser would have approved of such an unusual par sequence and this course helped modern architecture break free from certain design shackles that had constrained designers over the past five decades. Work started in 1928 and the course didnt open until 1931. One of the earliest inland courses that established a new standard in design came here at Sunningdale just after the turn of the last century. 1 The Club at The Ivy (London) You can find this invite-only club in London's West End neighborhood. All and all, the upgrades propel the Aisla course into the highest echelon of links for both challenge and beauty. (Photo: Patrick Koenig). Yet what emerged, courtesy of George Thomas and Billy Bell, is one of the games strategic design marvels. The result is a low-profile design that beguiles. Most of the greens are open in front and many are at grade with their surrounds, presenting countless run-up shot opportunities that dovetail with the bouncy playing conditions derived from the sandy soil underneath. This award-winning course is one of the most scenic 18-hole Championship and Par 3 courses in Dubai and its location in the middle of the city makes it very accessible. WebTheres a wide choice of superior golf courses to be found in Ontario. Perry Maxwell built this inspired North Carolina layout on a former R.J. Reynolds horsefarm. (Photo: Dave Samson), Several of Coore & Crenshaws finest designs are located at hard-to-access private clubs but many of their works thankfully are available to the public, often courtesy of developer Mike Keiser. (Photo:David Cannon/Getty Images), Wickham wows with an opening stretch of seaside headland holes, three par-3s that skirt the sea and a Cape-style 18th that demands a bite-off-as-much-as-you-dare drive over Victoria Cove. Daunting carries arent the issue either and the greens are huge, so whats the big deal? (Photo: Jon Cavalier), Its almost inconceivable that land this stunning was made available for golf. (Photo: Evan Schiller), Steep ravines affect play throughout Shoreacres famed stretch of holes from 10-15. A master router, Colt incorporated the dunes in every way possible. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), Donald Rosss chef doeuvre rolls spaciously through tall longleaf pines in the Carolina Sandhills with holes culminating with legendary inverted-saucer greens. Pebble Beach, CA. Though the course just turned 30 years old, it already has an illustrious history of hosting big-time events, none more memorable than the drama-filled 1991 War by the Shore Ryder Cup. Dye and owner Herb Kohler engineered a mind-boggling cleanup, moving 3 million cubic yards of dirt, trucking in 7,000 loads of sand to create the hills and bunkers and relocating the bluffs back off the shore. The removal of trees down the right of 11 prior to the 2022 Masters was met with applause by design aficionados who hope that the club continues to restore width and playing angles. MacKenzie extracted the best from the land in part by breaking the rules and having back-to-back par-5s on the front and back-to-back par-3s on the back. His hard work has reached fruition. Though the middle of the property is pretty tame topographically, thats precisely where Tillinghast created some of the best greens. Tillinghast (1918) More about this course , 6,960 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.5718Pebble Beach / Robert Trent Jones (1966)More about this course , Photo By: Courtesy of Pebble Beach Company, 7,245 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.5002Ponte Vedra Beach / Pete Dye & Alice Dye (1980)More about this course , LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Monterey Peninsula CC, 6,873 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.4628 Pebble Beach / Mike Strantz (2004)More about this course , Photo By: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Monterey Peninsula CC, 6,729 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 62.3327 Lake Bluff, Ill. / Seth Raynor (1921) More about this course , Hugh Hargrave/Courtesy of Whispering Pines CC, 7,468 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.3161 Trinity, Texas / Chet Williams (2000)More about this course , Photo By: Hugh Hargrave/Courtesy of Whispering Pines CC, 6,944 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.3008Bandon, Ore. / Tom Doak & Jim Urbina (2010)More about this course , Mike Klemme/Courtesy of Oak Tree National, 7,410 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.2427 Edmond, Okla. / Pete Dye & Alice Dye (1976)More about this course , Photo By: Mike Klemme/Courtesy of Oak Tree National, 6,908 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.2410 Plymouth, Mass. 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