It seems like you can’t open up X or Instagram without another Top 100 golf ranking appearing. Some, however, hold more weight in the golf community than others and the GOLF Magazine US Top 100 comes out pretty much near the top of the pile.
Every two years the panellists from GOLF Magazine vote on their top 100 courses in theUSA, in the odd years they turn their attention to the World Top 100. The panel is made up of just over 100 members who simply put their choices in ‘buckets’. You can read more about the methodology here. They used to publish a list of the members of the panel too. That seems to have disappeared from the website but hopefully it will come back soon as it brought a welcome transparency.
Here is the list, excuse any fat fingers with my spelling or state attribution in my re-type!
You can see the full GOLF writeups on their website.
Here are just a couple of original observations from the list -
AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT FROM THE LIDO
We had a hint of what was to come when the Lido went into the World list in position 68 last year. It enters this list at number 30. High entries from new entries are nothing new but it’s the first course for a while which has debuted in the the top 30. Here are some notable previous new entries -
Sand Hills. Debuted in 1997 at number 10. Now 7
Pacific Dunes. Deputed in 2001 at number 17. Now 19
Friar’s Head. Deputed in 2005 at number 41. Now 15
I can’t wait to see the course next year. Everyone I know who has played there is raving about it, one friend of mine who is very well travelled declared it a Doak 10 on a recent visit. The good news also is that there are a limited number of tee times available for public play at the Lido. You can hear about the history of the course and see a mouth-watering flyover of all 18 holes here -
THERE’S AN UNSURPRISING LACK OF MOVEMENT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST…
Were you waiting excitedly to see whether Pine Valley was knocked off of the top of the list? Well you may be waiting a while yet. It has held that spot, and Cypress Point has held second, ever since the magazine’s started their ranking.
Maybe there’s a slight eyebrow raise to the re-entry of Pebble Beach from 11 to 9 as many had thought that it required some more significant surgery to find favour again with raters. However it only takes a couple of different scores from the panel to lead to this change so not one to get too excited about.
…BUT THINGS MOVE MORE FURTHER DOWN
While the top of the list is fairly stable, there are some more significant moves elsewhere.
In terms of the rises, Gil Hanse’s CapRock Ranch is the most notable. It entered the list last time in 59th place and has risen to 46th this time. The World list had 49 courses from the US in last time round so could we see Gil Hanse’s Nebraskan creation entering that hallowed territory.
Tom Doak’s Rock Creek Cattle Company debuted in 61st position in 2015 and it has gone up the charts with every edition that has come out since, up to 38th now. It seems the more play it gets from raters, the more love it gets too.
The Lido will get a lot of the attention for it’s high entry but Old Barnwell’s inclusion in 51st is another fantastic debut. Tom Doak’s long-time associate Brian Schneider and Blake Conant have by all accounts knocked it out of the park with a course celebrating width from the tee and fun around the greens. Another course I am looking forward to seeing next year.
Another Doak disciple, Angela Moser, was the lead associate on Pinehurst 10 which has also broken into the top 100.
But there are some notable drops out there as well. Muirfield Village is down 8 places to 56, it was as high as 15 once upon a time.
It just goes to show how fashions change. What was once considered brilliant is now an also-ran. Muirfield Village was 20th in the world in 1989 and will probably drop out of the world top 100 in next year’s list. Some think the pendulum has swung too far away from the traditional parkland course, and Muirfield Village is certainly a victim of the move to width and playability.
THE POWER OF THE REDO!
American clubs spend what seems to us in the UK as bewildering amounts of money on restorations and renovations. However, the results can be spectacular, and reflected in the rankings.
Interlachen had got into the 50s twenty years ago but slowly dropped down the table in recent years, leaving completely in 2017. That may or may not have stirred the club into action and they hired architect Andrew Green to spend what they described as a ‘generational comittment from the membership’ to restore this Donald Ross course.
Medinah #3 was another course to benefit from the chainsaw. Ogilvy, Cocking and Mead are superheroes in Melbourne (Peninsula Kingswood North thrills all who see it) but the work at Medinah will win them even wider acclaim. This isn’t just a restoration though, with a new routing over the closing holes it will be fascinating to see the course when the 2026 President’s Cup goes to Chicago.
SOME FAREWELLS
With 11 new or re-entries several have left the top 100 and there are some big names amongst them.
Some of the older clubs will merely shrug their shoulders and get on with life without too much concern. But some of the resort courses may be a little more concerned. Pinehurst 4, Sand Valley, Sheep Ranch, Streamsong (Blue) and Prairie Club (Dunes) all say their goodbyes. Gamble Sands (100) and Streamsong Red (97) must both be looking over their shoulders with a little trepidation.
Having a GOLF Magazine top 100 course is a badge of honour which marketing teams are keen to embrace so dropping out is not exactly helpful for them.
But it would be a mistake to judge a course too harshly just because it has dropped out of the top 100. The margins are incredibly fine at this level - it can come down to just one or two panellists’ votes. Don’t be that guy who only plays a course if it’s on a list. But if you are passing one of these 100 courses and have the opportunity to play, you will probably be in for a treat!