Golf Club Atlas Golf Course Rankings

[Matthew Hunt]

 Everyone on GCA seems to critise GDs rankings.

I think we should do our oiwn Rankings. Althought this is not the best Method, Everyone Picks their Favortite 12 courses in the world in order. The points are as follows:

1st:15
2nd:12
3rd:10
4th:9
5th:8
6th:7
7th:6
8th:5
9th:4
10th:3
11th:2
12th:1

Athogh this is not the best system it will give u aGeneral outline what a better list would be like.

Post your vote below.

Closing date Dec 20th (Rankings will be done for Xmas)

[Matthew Hunt]

Heres my Vote

1st: Sand Hills
2nd:RCD
3rd: NGLA
4th:St Andrews
5th: Augusta National
6th:High Pointe
7th: Pine Valley
8th:Muirfield
9th:The E Club
10th:Apche Stronghold
11th:The K Club
12th:Kilkeel

[John Kavanaugh]

Mathew..I hope you don't mind but for criteria of best architecture I am going to use where I played the most rounds in 2006...Minimum 36 holes.  Not easy finding 12 courses where I have played at least 36 holes in one year.  I think this is a valid criteria for greatness based on the Pat Mucci theory of wanting to return to the first hole.  In the event I have played more than 36 holes at any one course the nod goes to the course with most rounds played.  

note: My list was deleted because it was found that I am a member of most clubs posted.

[John Kavanaugh]

Mathew,

Did you play both Apache Stronghold and The K Club...Love the ranking of AS above KC..

[Bill Gayne]

Donald Trump just text messaged me his ballot.

1. Trump course NY
2. Trump course NJ
3. Trump course FL
4. Trump course CA
5. Trump course Sotland
6. Trump course NY reverse
7. Trump course NJ reverse
8. Trump course FL reverse
9. Trump course CA reverse
10. Trump course Sotland reverse
11. Wing Foot West because I'm a member
12. Wing Foot East because I'm a member

Now I'll give my own list some thought.

[Matthew Hunt]

John

I have not played most of these course but I am letting everyone choose their own criteria and mine is the course I could play in the morning if I got a chance

Matthew

[Tom_Doak]

Matthew:

I will submit something for you just so you can process a result and see how strange the results would come out with a system like this.

No one should hold me to these votes as absolute, I've just taken the "10"s from The Confidential Guide and put them in some kind of order for Matthew:

1-St. Andrews
2-Pine Valley
3-Royal Melbourne (West)
4-National Golf Links
5-Sand Hills
6-Cypress Point
7-Royal Dornoch
8-Shinnecock Hills
9-Crystal Downs
10-Ballybunion (Old)
11-Merion (East)
12-Muirfield

I was tempted to put Pacific Dunes somewhere in there but didn't.

[Chris Cupit]

This is my list of the twelve courses in order that I would most want to play again (and I think they are great):

1.  NGLA
2.  RCD
3.  ANGC
4.  Pine Valley
5.  Merion
6.  TOC
7.  Cypress Point
8.  Royal Dornoch
9.  Camargo
10.  Woodhall Spa
11.  Friars Head
12.  Winged Foot (West)  

[Jim_Coleman]

1.  Pine Valley
2.  Teeth of the Dog
3.  Woodhall Spa
4.  TPC Sawgrass
5.  Dornoch
6.  Bethpage Black
7.  Rolling Green
8.  Muirfield
9.  Royal County Down
10. Sunningdale Old
11. Pacific Dunes
12. Winchester CC

[Jim Franklin]

1. Cypress Point
2. NGLA
3. Pine Valley
4. Sand Hills
5. TOC
6. Pacific Dunes
7. Oakmont
8. Merion
9, Shinnecock
10. Victoria National
11. The Country Club (composite)
12. Wade Hampton

[Sean Leary]

1. Pine Valley
2. Merion
3. Dornoch
4. Ballybunion
5. Pebble Beach
6. Pacific Dunes
7. Prairie Dunes
8. Turnberry
9. SFGC
10. Ballyneal
11. TOC
12. North Berwick/Eastward Ho! (tied)

[Joe Hancock]

So, we're going to create a list that doesn't even require that we've seen and played said courses? Ugh......

1) My favorite course close enough that I can play often...
2) My 2nd fav course close enough that I can play often...
3) My 3rd.....

At the end of the day, what good is a list if you can't go play and enjoy the courses?

Joe

[Bill Gayne]

I've included only courses that I've played or seen first hand more than once at tournaments. The list shows my bias for links golf and geographic limits. The bottom third of the list is just some of my personal favorites and will probably appear on very few other list.

1. Portrush
2. Shinnecock
3. ANGC
4. Bethpage Black
5. County Down
6. St. Andrews
7. Ballybunion
8. Pacific Dunes
9. Pinehurst #2
10. Doonbeg
11. The Ocean Course
12. Sea Island Seaside

[Larry_Keltto]

Here goes:

1. Ballybunion
2. Royal Lytham
3. Ballyneal
4. Sand Hills
5. Pacific Dunes
6. Royal Cinque Ports
7. Royal Liverpool
8. Pennard
9. Royal Portrush
10. Crystal Downs
11. Lahinch
12. Turnberry Ailsa

[Jfaspen]

1. CPC
2. Pine Valley
3. NGLA
4. Sand Hills
5. TOC
6. Shinnecock Hills
7. Royal Melbourne (West)
8. Crystal Downs
9. Seminole
10. Augusta National
11. Pinehurst #2
12. Pac Dunes

# of total rounds on the above?  0

Based off my reading/viewing on this site.  By my own admission, too biased towards US..

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have played at least 36 holes on each of the following

1. Royal County Down
2. Cypress Point
3..Pine Valley
4. Merion
5. Oakmont
6. Crystal Downs
7.  Ballybunion Old
8.  St. Andrews Old
9.  Sunningdale Old
10. Royal Birkdale
11. Winged Foot West
12. Royal Dornoch

unfortuantely I have not played Augusta.  

[Tommy Williamsen]

BTW I hope you are a better mathematician than I am.  My tally would be very suspect.  
I am also not sure it will be a better list, just a different list from a bunch of folks that seem on the whole to have similar tastes.  The results might be a bit tainted if people choose courses they have not played. Reputaion  and expectation don't always walk in the same pair of pants as reality.

[Jimmy Muratt]

I'm going to limit mine to courses that I've played, if you haven't played or seen the course in person....how can it be a favorite?

1.  Sand Hills
2.  NGLA
3.  Merion
4.  Kingsley Club
5.  Crystal Downs
6.  Friars Head
7.  Winged Foot West
8.  Garden City Golf Club
9.  Myopia Hunt Club
10. Piping Rock Club
11. Old Sandwich
12. Boston Golf Club

[Cory Lewis]

1. Royal Dornoch Golf Club
2. Royal County Down
3. Cypress Point
4. Pinehurst(No.2)
5. Pebble Beach
6. Royal Portrush
7. St. Andrews(Old)
8. Fishers Island
9. North Berwick(West Links)
10. National Golf Links of America
11. Bandon Dunes
12. Bethpage(Black)

I'm sure Pine Valley, Augusta, Crystal, Ballybunion, Sand Hills belong on the list, but I haven't played them so I can't add them.

[Mark Chaplin]

Only listing those I've played so a UK/Australia contribution;

1. TOC
2. Royal Melbourne (West)
3. Royal Dornoch
4. Sunningdale (Old)
5. Woodhall Spa
6. Royal Cinque Ports
7. Metropolitan, Vic
8. Muirfield
9. North Berwick (West Links)
10. Royal Adelaide
11. Royal Melbourne (East)
12. Rye

[Paul Payne]

Only courses that I've played, 2 rounds or more.

1) Sand Hills
2) Merion
3) Turnberry Alisa
4) The Ocean Course
5) Greywalls
6) Whistling Straits
7) Arcadia Bluffs
Burnham and Berrow*
9) Tobacco Road
10) Palmetto
11) Aiken CC (Highland)
12) Royal St. Kitts

*Ok this was only 18 with an extra nine. I just liked it a lot.

 

[Don_Mahaffey]

Joe,
C'mon have a little fun. You need to come on down and have some fish cancun to loosen you up

Haven't played them all..most of 'em, but I still think they are the best.

1. The Old Course
2. Pac Dunes
3. PV
4. RCD
5. Royal Mel. West
6. Kingsley Club
7. Pac Dunes
8. Cypress Point
9. NGLA
10. Muirfield
11. Sand Hills
12. Wolf Point Club (it's my list)

[Jesse Jones]

Limited to courses where I've played at least 36 holes.

1. Pine Valley
2. Pinehurst#2
3. Teeth of the Dog
4. Bethpage Black
5. Whistling Straits
6. BCC Five Farms
7. The Ocean Course
8. Tobacco Road
9. WWPB
10.Cascades
11.Bulle Rock
12.Aldarra

[Jordan Wall]

Limited to courses where I've played at least 36 holes.

1. Pine Valley
2. Pinehurst#2
3. Teeth of the Dog
4. Bethpage Black
5. Whistling Straits
6. BCC Five Farms
7. The Ocean Course
8. Tobacco Road
9. WWPB
10.Cascades

Jesse,

Please explain your list to me.

Last time we played I got the impression Longaberger would have been at least top-5 that you've played
 


 

[William King]

I do not get many chances to play private courses and limit my public play to 2 figure greens fees. I have played at least 36 holes at each of the following and would travel to play them again.

1. Lawsonia Links (Green River WI)
2. Dancing Rabbit - Azaleas (Choctaw, MS)
3. Capstone Club (Brookwood, AL)
4. Cobblestone (Acworth, GA)
5. Annbriar (Waterloo, IL)
6. Dancing Rabbit - Oaks
7. Shaker Run (Lebanon, OH)
8. RTJ Capitol Hill Links (Auburn, AL)
9. University Ridge (Madison, WI)
10. Nob North (Cohutta, GA)
11. Spencer T Olin (Alton, IL)
12. The Frog (Villa Rica, GA)