Have all you gcaers actually read "Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die"? Subtitled: "Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Golf Destinations." If you have not, here's a little background -- background that suggests any number of discussion points.
O.K., who are these "golf experts"? Tom Doak nominates NGLA. But another expert, The Donald, nominates Trump National Golf Club, Briarcliff Manor, NY. And someone (just kidding!) named Alice Dye recommends the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (no conflict there either).
Notice that the title refers to "places to play golf," not golf courses, though admittedly it is better to play golf on something designed and built as a golf course. Notice also that the subtitle refers to "destinations." Having laid that out, Mark O'Meara's forward says, "What makes a golf course a place to play before you die?" illustrates just how many different ways people can appreciate the golf experience." Mark says "golf course" -- not place to play golf, then concludes with a reference to the "golf experience."
What does the author say? Well, he has a couple of pages of introduction, but if I had to choose a fragment: "Though this book collects fifty great golfing experiences, it by no means attempts to rank the courses discussed. Such ranking is largely subjective, as the course that appeals to a golf course architecture critic might be unfathonable to an every-other-weekend player."
Also see my review on Amazon.com (find it yourself.)