Matthew Hunt's World Top 50 Ranking is posted...

[Ran Morrissett]

..under In My Opinion.

Many of you participated through this Discussion Group in what must have been a fun/educational experience. As true with any rankings, you'll like what agrees with your own tastes and scratch your head when the selections don't. For instance, seeing The Old Course finish on top of the heap was quite pleasing but I struggled to find much comfort in seeing house-lined Pasatiempo finish ahead of every course in England   . That was indeed a news flash   but I can't grumble too loud as I had the chance to participate in this ranking process and did not.

Congrats to young Matthew Hunt for running this from his home in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
 
The only other world (we do have a great one on Canada)ranking posted within the site is Tom MacWood's find from 1939. If you haven't seen it, here is its link:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/opinionmacwood6.html
 
Tom's find makes for a FASCINATING guide of courses to seek and go play.
 
However, as GolfClubAtlas.com is about the discourse of architecture, don't count on seeing another ranking posted within the site anytime soon.
 
Cheers,

[Dan Herrmann]

Highlands Links not found?

Pine Valley only #7?

This is gonna get interesting  

[Tony_Muldoon]

Congratulations Matthew, but one quibble. In your original post you asked for votes on ”Everyone Picks their Favourite 12 courses in the world in order."  This is the strength of your list. No one is pretending they can pick the best courses, just their favourites.  It would be good to add that if you can edit it.

And extra praise to any list that puts North Berwick in its rightful place.  


(I miss Tom MacWood)

[Tom_Doak]

Ran:

I didn't see it on the list of articles.

[Matthew Hunt]

There is a couple of edits needed Ran so I'll E-Mail you the new one.

[Russ Miller]

It's the second article down under "in my opinion."  The direct link is below.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/opinionhunt.html

[Bill_McBride]

When I posted a mention of our upcoming trip to Royal County Down for the Walker Cup, Matthew emailed to suggest we get any visiting GCAers together for a chat.  When I replied it would be nice to have a beer together, he replied, "not likely as I'm only 14!"  Or words to that effect.

He's young for a typical GCA.com nut case, but keen about golf history and the great courses!

[Peter Pratt]

I know many have tossed hand grenades at Matthew's list, but I found the exercise to be thought provoking.

This list does seem to reflect the world view of the people who frequent gca.com--I know that's a tautology, but it's still interesting.

Two thoughts: While I know this isn't the official gca ranking, why is this "panel" so different from the panels from GD, GM, and Golfweek? The gca panel is diverse geographically and in level of skill and committed to learning about golf course architecture.

If you could play this top 50 or the top 50 from GM, which would you choose?

Here are the courses that are not common to both lists:

Hunt's list, not on GM 2005 list

North Berwick
Ballyneal
Pasatiempo
Lahinch
Kingsley
Bandon Dunes
Lawsonia
Hoylake
Yale
Machrihanish
Kapalua
The Ocean Course
Friars Head
Greywalls
Garden City
Prestwick
Waterville
Bandon Trails
St. George's
The Golf Club

Golf Mag's 2005 list, not on Hunt's list

Cape Kidnappers
Fishers island
Oakland Hills (South)
Royal Birkdale (51 on Hunt list)
Chicago GC
New South Wales (61 on Hunt list)
Hirono
The Country Club
Riviera (57 on Hunt list)
Muirfield Village
Oak Hill
Royal Troon
Baltsurol (Lower)
Portmarnock (74 on Hunt list)
Southern Hills
Barnbougle (71 on Hunt list)
TPC at Sawgrass (67 on Hunt list)

The GM list has some courses where access--privacy or location in world--has likely hurt the rankings--Fishers, Chicago, Cape Kid, Barnbougle, Hirono. Hunt has more US public courses, a reflection perhaps of the panelists' access to some top-tier private courses.

Surprises for me--why TPC at Sawgrass and Riviera aren't ranked higher on Hunt's list.

Fun to ponder, for me at least.

[Peter Pratt]

Corrections--Matthew's list is actually 53, not 50, as the numbering is a bit off.

The lists each have 17 unique courses. To make them match, remove Bandon Trails, St George's, and The Golf Club from Hunt's list in my previous post.

[Paul_Turner]

It's a pretty good list!  

And proves beyond a shadow of doubt that The Old Course is the #1 course in the world.. and by some margin

[Matthew Hunt]

I noyiced the double triplet and have extended the list to 100 and e-mailed it to Ran.

Peter, of my Knowledge Riviera is a Hard to access course and at the TPC at Sawgass you have to stay at the expensive Marriot Hotel and the Cough up an extra $320.

Also your comparasions beetween this list and the GM make for intresting reading regarding the 17 unique course

[cary lichtenstein]

When I posted a mention of our upcoming trip to Royal County Down for the Walker Cup, Matthew emailed to suggest we get any visiting GCAers together for a chat.  When I replied it would be nice to have a beer together, he replied, "not likely as I'm only 14!"  Or words to that effect.

He's young for a typical GCA.com nut case, but keen about golf history and the great courses!

Bill:

I didn't know that age was a "nut case factor", but at 14, Mathew maybe the youngest nut case in GCA's history .

Cary

[Jim Franklin]

The biggest problem with Matthew's list is that he asked for a top 12 from everyone. Fishers Island is awesome and is my #13 course so it gets no points while a course like Bandon Dunes (in my top 30) is probably in a lot of people's top 10 gets more points due to the increased play.

All in all, Matthew, you did a great job and should be commended for your time.

[Matthew Hunt]

The biggest problem with Matthew's list is that he asked for a top 12 from everyone. Fishers Island is awesome and is my #13 course so it gets no points while a course like Bandon Dunes (in my top 30) is probably in a lot of people's top 10 gets more points due to the increased play.

All in all, Matthew, you did a great job and should be commended for your time.

Thanks Jim, I choose Top 12 as it would get a fairly complete list without being impossible to manage.

Cary and Bill, I am now 15 and alot of my mates are bigger "golf nuts" than me but none of them are as intresed in GCA as me.

[Jim Franklin]

Matthew, I agree you needed a limit because you would not have the time if you did not.