[Jim Colton]

Give a guy 2 hours in the airport to kill...

Golf Digest usually publishes the category-by-category scores for the top 100 courses in the America's Best issue, but this time around they weren't included in print. Fear not, GD just put the scores up online (I believe the iPad version will also include this with sortable columns).

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2011-05/100-greatest-golf-courses-methodology

For the most part the cat scores are very highly correlated with each other and the overall score - for instance, Memorability is 93% correlated with Design Variety, 86% correlated with Aesthetics and 88% correlated with shot values. Instead of rehashing best and worst in each category, let's look at a course's relative strengths and weaknesses as measured by a given category's contribution to its overall score (Category Score / Total Score). GD has 7 categories with Shot Values counting double, therefore the baseline contribution is 12.5% for each category score.

The numbers are interesting in they help explain why a course is on the list, or perhaps why it isn't ranked higher. This may show what a course "is all about" or "not all about" (assuming you can decipher the category definitions). If a particular group of courses in a category strike you as being overrated, that probably means you think the category is either less important in defining greatness, and vice versa. And perhaps courses included in a highest or lowest category along with a personal favorite are likely to be courses you'd also enjoy.


1. SHOT VALUES
How well does the course pose risks and rewards and equally test length, accuracy and finesse?

	Highest		Lowest
1	Hazeltine National	12.76%	Sage Valley	11.93%
2	Inverness	12.71%	Diamond Creek Golf Club	12.00%
3	Harbour Town	12.71%	The Quarry at La Quinta	12.01%
4	Pinehurst (No. 2)	12.70%	The Alotian Club	12.07%
5	Southern Hills	12.67%	The Club at Black Rock	12.07%
6	Bethpage Black	12.67%	Canyata	12.09%
7	Prairie Dunes	12.64%	Mayacama	12.11%
8	The Prince Course	12.63%	Maidstone Club	12.13%
9	Aronimink	12.62%	Double Eagle	12.14%
10	Ballyneal	12.59%	Cypress Point	12.14%

2. RESISTANCE TO SCORING
How difficult, while still being fair, is the course for a scratch player from the back tees?

	Highest		Lowest
1	Bethpage Black	13.44%	Cypress Point	11.13%
2	Hazeltine National	13.38%	Shoreacres	11.35%
3	Butler National	13.17%	Maidstone Club	11.45%
4	Spyglass Hill	13.14%	Fishers Island	11.50%
5	Ocean Forest	13.13%	National Golf Links of America	11.57%
6	The Ocean Course	13.13%	Somerset Hills	11.68%
7	Winged Foot (West)	13.08%	Shadow Creek	11.69%
8	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	13.04%	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	11.73%
9	Oakland Hills (South)	12.99%	Sage Valley	11.73%
10	Victoria National	12.94%	San Francisco	11.75%

3. DESIGN VARIETY
How varied are the golf course's holes in differing lengths, configurations, hazard placements, green shapes and green contours?

	Highest		Lowest
1	Somerset Hills	13.00%	Aronimink	11.87%
2	Pete Dye Golf Club	12.93%	Baltusrol (Lower)	12.00%
3	Ballyneal	12.86%	Sahalee (South/North)	12.01%
4	Friar's Head	12.85%	Medinah No. 3	12.01%
5	Crystal Downs	12.85%	Diamond Creek Golf Club	12.02%
6	National Golf Links of America	12.81%	East Lake	12.03%
7	Boston Golf Club	12.78%	Sage Valley	12.07%
8	Fishers Island	12.75%	The Alotian Club	12.08%
9	Cypress Point	12.75%	The Preserve	12.12%
10	Shoreacres	12.72%	Laurel Valley	12.17%

4. MEMORABILITY
How well do the design features (tees, fairways, greens, hazards, vegetation and terrain) provide individuality to each hole, yet a collective continuity to the entire 18?

	Highest		Lowest
1	Pebble Beach	13.39%	Aronimink	11.97%
2	Cypress Point	13.39%	Double Eagle	12.01%
3	Fishers Island	13.35%	Olympia Fields (North)	12.11%
4	Maidstone Club	13.23%	Butler National	12.11%
5	Augusta National	13.09%	Hazeltine National	12.12%
6	Arcadia Bluffs	13.03%	Congressional	12.13%
7	National Golf Links of America	13.02%	Eagle Point	12.14%
8	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	13.00%	Sahalee (South/North)	12.21%
9	The Prince Course	12.98%	Diamond Creek Golf Club	12.21%
10	Shadow Creek	12.88%	Baltusrol (Lower)	12.22%

5. AESTHETICS
How well do the scenic values of the course (including landscaping, vegetation, water features and backdrops) add to the pleasure of a round?

	Highest		Lowest
1	Maidstone Club	13.54%	Oakmont C.C.	11.82%
2	Cypress Point	13.49%	Hazeltine National	11.83%
3	Fishers Island	13.49%	Butler National	11.89%
4	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	13.45%	Bethpage Black	11.90%
5	Pebble Beach	13.45%	Crooked Stick	11.90%
6	Arcadia Bluffs	13.30%	Pinehurst (No. 2)	11.95%
7	The Club at Black Rock	13.26%	Winged Foot (West)	11.97%
8	Bandon Dunes	13.24%	Baltusrol (Lower)	12.00%
9	Pacific Dunes	13.23%	Plainfield	12.03%
10	Kapalua (Plantation)	13.22%	Inverness	12.04%

6. CONDITIONING
How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course?

	Highest		Lowest
1	The Quarry at La Quinta	13.84%	The Prince Course	10.94%
2	Double Eagle	13.82%	Fishers Island	11.28%
3	Diamond Creek Golf Club	13.49%	Pebble Beach	11.31%
4	Sage Valley	13.34%	Ballyneal	11.51%
5	Canyata	13.25%	Whistling Straits (Straits)	11.57%
6	The Preserve	13.10%	Maidstone Club	11.61%
7	Eagle Point	13.10%	Pacific Dunes	11.62%
8	Forest Dunes	13.06%	Harbour Town	11.64%
9	Mayacama	13.04%	Bandon Dunes	11.70%
10	Flint Hills	13.00%	Pinehurst (No. 2)	11.71%

7. AMBIENCE
How well does the overall feel and atmosphere of the course reflect or uphold the traditional values of the game?

	Highest		Lowest
1	The Country Club	13.53%	Arcadia Bluffs	12.15%
2	Garden City	13.52%	Bethpage Black	12.03%
3	Maidstone Club	13.41%	Forest Dunes	12.19%
4	San Francisco	13.41%	Forest Highlands	12.28%
5	Winged Foot (East)	13.32%	Friar's Head	12.24%
6	Sage Valley	13.29%	Galloway National	12.02%
7	Chicago Golf	13.28%	Pete Dye Golf Club	12.01%
8	Seminole	13.25%	The Prince Course	12.11%
9	Merion (East)	13.25%	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	12.15%
10	Cypress Point	13.23%	Victoria National	12.20%

[David Kelly]

"6. CONDITIONING
How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course"

The scores make no sense to me given the criteria.

[Dan Herrmann]

These rankings are starting to feel like the guys in The Social Network rating the co-eds.. 

[Terry Lavin]

Thanks for the airport analysis, Jim, it's intriguing.

To me, it suggests that the GD list would be much like the GW list, but for the "Resistance to scoring" and "Conditioning" categories.  Not a revelation, I know, but just look at the other categories; it's dominated by a bevy of the old time classic places like Cypress, Shoreacres, San Francisco Golf, Fishers Island and Maidstone, just to name a handful.  It shows you how quickly the calculus can get skewed one way or the other.  Looking at it another way, one could look at this list and compile a top ten list just from one category that most fits the way one looks at great courses.

[Mark Saltzman]

Are WFW (8.04) and WFE (7.34) really conditioned differently or is this just a result of giving the generally higher rated course the nod in this category too?

Mark

[Garland Bayley]

"6. CONDITIONING
How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course"

The scores make no sense to me given the criteria.

No David, the criteria makes no sense. It says we want fast and firm fairways, but soft greens.

Come on people, let's play golf not some agriculturally manipulated target practice!

[Scott Warren]

David Kelly,

I agree. Reading what the category requests, I can't believe Fishers is in the bottom 10.

It was easily the firmest course - fairways, approaches and greens - I played on my trip, and it would have qualified as firm by GB&I standards, which is saying something.

Fishers Island ought to be the model for golf course maintenance.

[Jud_T]

"6. CONDITIONING
How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course"

The scores make no sense to me given the criteria.

David, I completely agree.  Perhaps the scratchers got their panties in a bunch over the "yet receptive" criteria vs. rub of the green at places like Ballyneal and Pac Dunes...

[Jaeger Kovich]

Are WFW (8.04) and WFE (7.34) really conditioned differently or is this just a result of giving the generally higher rated course the nod in this category too?

Mark

Perhaps Winged Foot East is a little lower because of all the damage after the last open, I'd bet that was their biggest time for raters. Other than that, they do it the same there, as apposed to some 36 hole layouts with 1 super per course.

[John Mayhugh]

Jim,
After checking out Trump's top ten list (thanks for the recommendation), I didn't think that GD could provide anything more ridiculous ranking wise.  Guess I was wrong.

Out of their top 100, Fishers, Ballyneal, & Maidstone fared among the worst for conditioning.  And they define conditioning this way: How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course? That's bizarre. 

Maidstone is a really cool place, but better aesthetics than Cypress, Fishers, & Pebble?  Wow.

One benefit: at least now I know why I love some of the places that I do (see bottom 5 in resistance to scoring category).

[Mark Saltzman]

Jim,
After checking out Trump's top ten list (thanks for the recommendation), I didn't think that GD could provide anything more ridiculous ranking wise.  Guess I was wrong.

Out of their top 100, Fishers, Ballyneal, & Maidstone fared among the worst for conditioning.  And they define conditioning this way: How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways, and how firm yet receptive were the greens on the day you played the course? That's bizarre. 

Maidstone is a really cool place, but better aesthetics than Cypress, Fishers, & Pebble?  Wow.

One benefit: at least now I know why I love some of the places that I do (see bottom 5 in resistance to scoring category).

Trump said many times on his Golf Channel show that TN-Philly was going to be better than PVGC.  At least he held true to that on his list.

[Andy Troeger]

Jim,
Maidstone is a really cool place, but better aesthetics than Cypress, Fishers, & Pebble?  Wow.

John,
CPC scored a full point higher on aesthetics compared to Maidstone. I think Jim is saying that Maidstone derived a larger portion of its total points from aesthetics than did Cypress.

[John Mayhugh]

Jim,
Maidstone is a really cool place, but better aesthetics than Cypress, Fishers, & Pebble?  Wow.

John,
CPC scored a full point higher on aesthetics compared to Maidstone. I think Jim is saying that Maidstone derived a larger portion of its total points from aesthetics than did Cypress.

Thanks for the clarification.  Colton confused me with his number crunching.

I should have just stuck with Trump's list.

[Jim_Coleman]

Odd   ...   Pine Valley appears on NO top lists?

[Brian Potash]

Jim,

PV actually appears atop 3 of the 7 categories.  What Jim is saying is that as a % of PV ttl score no single category significantly outperforms any others.  Whereas for ambience for instance 13.53% of TCC total score is accounted for in this one category. 

As there are 8 total categories (shot values count 2x), theoretically each category should count for 1/8th, or 12.5% of the total.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Fun with numbers, yet I was under the deluded idea that it was meant to be fun on a golf course.

Please enjoy your analysis, number crunching and in depth debate on rating and ranking a course. I, if only I was able would just want to feel the simplest enjoyment of playing a round of links golf again. No matter how much information we like to acquire it has very little bearing in the basic of pleasures that is taking part.

The modern pastime is this overkill of information and analysis of all things that may have a tenuous connection to the game. Yet for what reason, as we already know that we have different tastes and expectations which vary greatly from individual to individual.  

We do love to present our brains with a plethora of information, normally just before we take our shot which for the most part is never used as our own body automatically takes over when we take that final look at the ball and the target.  That final moment is calculated between eyes, brain and body swing, negating all previous information.

So continue to clutter your minds with facts and figures that in real terms are meaningless, overcomplicate the game just I presume to make one sound proficient, yet the pleasure is playing golf with a free and open mind enjoying your efforts with that of Nature and the Designer.

Enjoy walking down the fairway to your next shot, try and do so without overloading your mind with the trivia and crap that today is so much part of the game. You know you will enjoy the experience but can you admit to it?

Put away you mix of confusion and play the game in the manner you played it when you first started before you cluttered your mind with modern rubbish. And if bored at a station or airport doodle as much as you like, but remember its just that a doodle. Lets get back to the core busness of golf and just play the game.

Melvyn

[Jim Colton]

I agree that the one that seems out of place is the conditioning criteria.  It seems to me the raters interpreted this to their own condition preference not to firm and fast but greens reasonable enough to hold shots.  To me this describes the Bandon courses exactly. If I hit a good shot the only reason I couldn't ultimately hold a green at Bandon was wind.  I have not played enough of the others to judge.

All of the courses with a lower percentage seem to me to be firm but not plush (which is unnatural in my book).

Charlie,

The conditioning definition changed before the last rankIngs. If I can find it, I'll post it. The shift was supposed to Promote firm and fast conditions and less water usage. In the latest rankings, the conditioning score should be roughly half and half between the old and new definition. Courses like Bandon have moved up, but I question whether this will really have the impact they were hoping to have. Because honestly, the courses listed with the lowest relative scores in Conditioning should be the highest.  Maybe deep down, raters still want green and plush and pristine. If they really want to drive "social" change, they should just eliminate conditioning altogether. Or as I proposed to Whitten (and was tore a new one because of), just embed conditioning into the Ambience definition.

How well does the overall feel, ambience and conditioning of the course reflect or uphold the traditional values of the game?

If you believe firm and fast is a traditional value worth preserving and rewarding, you reward a course here. That effectively reduced the conditioning weight from 1/8th to something less (say 1/3rd of 1/8th).

When I actually get out of bed this morning, I'll post the overall rank without the conditioning category and you can decide if you like that one better or not.

Here is the same relative ranking from 2009.  We've had two more years under the new definition and two years of the old definition, but not much has changed:


2009-10

	Highest		Lowest
1	Double Eagle	13.79%	Fishers Island	10.87%
2	The Quarry at La Quinta	13.78%	The Prince Course	10.87%
3	Sage Valley	13.54%	Pebble Beach	10.96%
4	Canyata	13.24%	Whistling Straits (Straits)	11.14%
5	Kinloch	13.20%	Maidstone Club	11.24%
6	Butler National	13.10%	Pacific Dunes	11.39%
7	Flint Hills	13.09%	Harbour Town	11.49%
8	The Preserve	13.09%	Spyglass Hill	11.50%
9	Eagle Point	13.05%	Bandon Dunes	11.50%
10	Stone Canyon	13.04%	Black Diamond (Quarry)	11.65%

2011-12

	Highest		Lowest
1	The Quarry at La Quinta	13.84%	The Prince Course	10.94%
2	Double Eagle	13.82%	Fishers Island	11.28%
3	Diamond Creek Golf Club	13.49%	Pebble Beach	11.31%
4	Sage Valley	13.34%	Ballyneal	11.51%
5	Canyata	13.25%	Whistling Straits (Straits)	11.57%
6	The Preserve	13.10%	Maidstone Club	11.61%
7	Eagle Point	13.10%	Pacific Dunes	11.62%
8	Forest Dunes	13.06%	Harbour Town	11.64%
9	Mayacama	13.04%	Bandon Dunes	11.70%
10	Flint Hills	13.00%	Pinehurst (No. 2)	11.71%

[John Kavanaugh]

The reasons the courses that are ranked so low on the conditioning aspect of this chart have more to do with the excellent design than firm and fast the fairways.  Remember this is the percentage of points used to get the course high enough to be ranked.  Just look at the list and consider the architecture.  They are ranked because of the architect not the super.  It is a compliment to be ranked and be on that list, from a design perspective anyway.

When a number speaks to you sometimes you need to listen.

[Jim Colton]

	GOLF DIGEST 2011-12	--	WITHOUT CONDITIONING
1.	Augusta National	--	Pine Valley
2.	Pine Valley	--	Augusta National
3.	Shinnecock Hills	--	Cypress Point
4.	Oakmont C.C.	--	Shinnecock Hills
5.	Cypress Point	--	Pebble Beach
6.	Pebble Beach	--	Merion (East)
7.	Merion (East)	--	Oakmont C.C.
8.	Winged Foot (West)	--	Fishers Island
9.	Sand Hills	--	Winged Foot (West)
10.	National Golf Links of America	--	National Golf Links of America
11.	Fishers Island	--	Sand Hills
12.	Crystal Downs	--	Pacific Dunes
13.	Seminole	--	Seminole
14.	The Alotian Club	--	Whistling Straits (Straits)
15.	Pacific Dunes	--	Crystal Downs
16.	The Country Club	--	The Country Club
17.	Chicago Golf	--	The Alotian Club
18.	Whistling Straits (Straits)	--	Chicago Golf
19.	Muirfield Village	--	Wade Hampton
20.	Wade Hampton	--	Oak Hill (East)
21.	Oak Hill (East)	--	Muirfield Village
22.	Riviera Country Club	--	The Ocean Course
23.	Medinah No. 3	--	Riviera Country Club
24.	Oakland Hills (South)	--	Medinah No. 3
25.	Prairie Dunes	--	Prairie Dunes
26.	The Ocean Course	--	The Olympic Club (Lake)
27.	The Olympic Club (Lake)	--	Bandon Dunes
28.	Bandon Dunes	--	Oakland Hills (South)
29.	Castle Pines	--	The Honors Course
30.	The Honors Course	--	Shadow Creek
31.	Shadow Creek	--	Pinehurst (No. 2)
32.	Baltusrol (Lower)	--	Bethpage Black
33.	San Francisco	--	Victoria National
34.	Friar's Head	--	Castle Pines
35.	Victoria National	--	San Francisco
36.	Bethpage Black	--	Friar's Head
37.	Pinehurst (No. 2)	--	TPC Sawgrass (Players)
38.	Southern Hills	--	Baltusrol (Lower)
39.	Canyata	--	The Golf Club
40.	The Golf Club	--	Southern Hills
41.	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	--	Pete Dye Golf Club
42.	The Club at Black Rock	--	Sebonack
43.	Peachtree	--	The Club at Black Rock
44.	Sebonack	--	Los Angeles C.C. (North)
45.	Pete Dye Golf Club	--	Spyglass Hill
46.	Kinloch	--	Peachtree
47.	Los Angeles C.C. (North)	--	Arcadia Bluffs
48.	Eagle Point	--	Canyata
49.	Arcadia Bluffs	--	Kinloch
50.	Sahalee (South/North)	--	Garden City
51.	Interlachen	--	Sahalee (South/North)
52.	Spyglass Hill	--	Eagle Point
53.	Garden City	--	Inverness
54.	Butler National	--	Interlachen
55.	Laurel Valley	--	Bandon Trails
56.	Inverness	--	Laurel Valley
57.	Milwaukee C.C.	--	Butler National
58.	Rich Harvest Links	--	Kittansett Club
59.	Dallas National	--	The Prince Course
60.	Olympia Fields (North)	--	Rich Harvest Links
61.	East Lake	--	Milwaukee C.C.
62.	The Estancia Club	--	Olympia Fields (North)
63.	Bandon Trails	--	East Lake
64.	Double Eagle	--	Scioto
65.	Kittansett Club	--	Shoal Creek
66.	Scioto	--	Forest Highlands
67.	Cherry Hills	--	Dallas National
68.	The Preserve	--	Blackwolf Run (River)
69.	Sycamore Hills	--	Cherry Hills
70.	Forest Highlands	--	The Estancia Club
71.	Blackwolf Run (River)	--	Ballyneal
72.	Shoal Creek	--	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)
73.	The Quarry at La Quinta	--	Maidstone Club
74.	Mountaintop	--	Sycamore Hills
75.	Flint Hills	--	Kapalua (Plantation)
76.	Plainfield	--	Harbour Town
77.	Congressional	--	Congressional
78.	Aronimink	--	Plainfield
79.	Calusa Pines	--	The Preserve
80.	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	--	Aronimink
81.	Sage Valley	--	Mountaintop
82.	Mayacama	--	Valhalla
83.	Hudson National	--	Hazeltine National
84.	Valhalla	--	Old Sandwich
85.	Eugene Country Club	--	Somerset Hills
86.	Hazeltine National	--	Winged Foot (East)
87.	Diamond Creek Golf Club	--	Calusa Pines
88.	Kapalua (Plantation)	--	Flint Hills
89.	Boston Golf Club	--	Eugene Country Club
90.	Old Sandwich	--	Hudson National
91.	Galloway National	--	Mayacama
92.	Shoreacres	--	Double Eagle
93.	Somerset Hills	--	Galloway National
94.	Maidstone Club	--	Boston Golf Club
95.	Ballyneal	--	Shoreacres
96.	Crooked Stick	--	Crooked Stick
97.	Winged Foot (East)	--	Sage Valley
98.	The Prince Course	--	The Quarry at La Quinta
99.	Forest Dunes	--	Ocean Forest
100.	Harbour Town	--	Diamond Creek Golf Club
101.	Ocean Forest	--	Forest Dunes

[Jim Colton]

The reasons the courses that are ranked so low on the conditioning aspect of this chart have more to do with the excellent design than firm and fast the fairways.  Remember this is the percentage of points used to get the course high enough to be ranked.  Just look at the list and consider the architecture.  They are ranked because of the architect not the super.  It is a compliment to be ranked and be on that list, from a design perspective anyway.

When a number speaks to you sometimes you need to listen.

Barney, you are probably right for the most part, but there are probably 4-5 courses that got in solely due to their conditioning at the expense of perhaps more deserving courses. Looking at the rankings without conditioning above, I think anybody in the bottom 10 would be at risk to be replaced by someone else.  The question is would that make a better list of America's Best 100 or not? I don't enough about La Quinta, Double Eagle, etc to say that their designs make them top 100 worthy or not. I've played Forest Dunes and I wouldn't say its deserving of Top 100.  But the conditions are great there.

[Jud_T]

Might be nitpicking, but I find it hard to believe that Bethpage Black or Hazeltine have more resistance to scoring than the new back tees at Butler...

[Eric Smith]

Or as I proposed to Whitten (and was tore a new one because of), just embed conditioning into the Ambience definition.

Jim,

Is this tongue in cheek or are you telling us he really did get upset with you because of your suggestion?  You would think that panelists are encouraged to offer suggestions.

[Jim Colton]

Eric, I'm not sure Ron has ever lost an argument.

Here's a new twist: I compared one category's relative strength relative to another's.  I think this is even more telling with respect to identifying what kind of courses you tend to favor (again, assuming you can decipher the definitions). I can run any other combination - if you want to see it, just ask.

Memorability vs. Aesthetics

	HIGHEST		--	LOWEST
1.	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	0.93%	--	Diamond Creek Golf Club	-1.83%
2.	Bethpage Black	0.86%	--	The Quarry at La Quinta	-1.71%
3.	Oakmont C.C.	0.68%	--	The Preserve	-1.71%
4.	Prairie Dunes	0.58%	--	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	-1.67%
5.	Riviera Country Club	0.52%	--	Mayacama	-1.57%
6.	Pinehurst (No. 2)	0.49%	--	Mountaintop	-1.57%
7.	Merion (East)	0.48%	--	Sahalee (South/North)	-1.53%
8.	Chicago Golf	0.44%	--	The Alotian Club	-1.52%
9.	Pine Valley	0.43%	--	Sebonack	-1.47%
10.	Crooked Stick	0.43%	--	Wade Hampton	-1.46%

Shot Values vs. Conditioning

	HIGHEST		--	LOWEST
1.	The Prince Course	1.69%	--	The Quarry at La Quinta	-2.83%
2.	Ballyneal	1.08%	--	Double Eagle	-2.68%
3.	Harbour Town	1.07%	--	Diamond Creek Golf Club	-2.49%
4.	Pinehurst (No. 2)	0.99%	--	Sage Valley	-2.42%
5.	Pebble Beach	0.96%	--	Canyata	-2.17%
6.	Fishers Island	0.96%	--	The Preserve	-1.94%
7.	Whistling Straits (Straits)	0.82%	--	Mayacama	-1.93%
8.	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	0.76%	--	Eagle Point	-1.80%
9.	Pine Valley	0.74%	--	The Alotian Club	-1.71%
10.	Pacific Dunes	0.70%	--	The Estancia Club	-1.71%

Shot Values vs. Resistance to Scoring

	HIGHEST		--	LOWEST
1.	Shoreacres	1.03%	--	Ocean Forest	-1.79%
2.	Cypress Point	1.01%	--	Bethpage Black	-1.77%
3.	Fishers Island	0.74%	--	The Ocean Course	-1.74%
4.	National Golf Links of America	0.69%	--	Spyglass Hill	-1.69%
5.	Maidstone Club	0.69%	--	Butler National	-1.66%
6.	Somerset Hills	0.64%	--	Hazeltine National	-1.62%
7.	Shadow Creek	0.61%	--	Oakland Hills (South)	-1.54%
8.	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	0.54%	--	Winged Foot (West)	-1.51%
9.	Garden City	0.50%	--	Rich Harvest Links	-1.47%
10.	Ballyneal	0.47%	--	Baltusrol (Lower)	-1.45%

Memorability vs. Ambience

	HIGHEST		--	LOWEST
1.	Arcadia Bluffs	0.88%	--	Aronimink	-2.20%
2.	The Prince Course	0.87%	--	Winged Foot (East)	-1.95%
3.	TPC Sawgrass (Players)	0.85%	--	Peachtree	-1.95%
4.	Pete Dye Golf Club	0.82%	--	Baltusrol (Lower)	-1.92%
5.	Bethpage Black	0.74%	--	The Country Club	-1.88%
6.	Pebble Beach	0.66%	--	Garden City	-1.85%
7.	Galloway National	0.62%	--	Double Eagle	-1.84%
8.	Kapalua (Plantation)	0.57%	--	Winged Foot (West)	-1.84%
9.	Victoria National	0.50%	--	East Lake	-1.79%
10.	The Club at Black Rock	0.49%	--	Cherry Hills	-1.78%

Resistance to Scoring vs. Design Variety

	HIGHEST		--	LOWEST
1.	Hazeltine National	1.04%	--	Cypress Point	-2.62%
2.	Aronimink	0.99%	--	Shoreacres	-2.38%
3.	Butler National	0.98%	--	Somerset Hills	-2.33%
4.	Ocean Forest	0.95%	--	Fishers Island	-2.25%
5.	Bethpage Black	0.89%	--	National Golf Links of America	-2.23%
6.	The Ocean Course	0.89%	--	Maidstone Club	-2.05%
7.	Baltusrol (Lower)	0.86%	--	Shadow Creek	-2.01%
8.	Medinah No. 3	0.85%	--	Monterey Peninsula (Shore)	-1.84%
9.	Winged Foot (West)	0.81%	--	San Francisco	-1.83%
10.	Spyglass Hill	0.72%	--	Ballyneal	-1.74%

[Jud_T]

Pretty interesting comparisons Jim, particularly Resistance to Scoring vs. Design Variety.  Interesting that Shadow Creek turns up several times amongst a list of courses I would seek out.  Might have to pencil that one back in the to-do list...

[John Mayhugh]

	GOLF DIGEST 2011-12	--	WITHOUT CONDITIONING
1.	Augusta National	--	Pine Valley
2.	Pine Valley	--	Augusta National
3.	Shinnecock Hills	--	Cypress Point
4.	Oakmont C.C.	--	Shinnecock Hills
5.	Cypress Point	--	Pebble Beach
6.	Pebble Beach	--	Merion (East)
7.	Merion (East)	--	Oakmont C.C.
8.	Winged Food (West)	--	Fishers Island
9.	Sand Hills	--	Winged Food (West)
10.	National Golf Links of America	--	National Golf Links of America
11.	Fishers Island	--	Sand Hills

So if I understand this correctly, if we ignore the scoring for conditioning, Fishers Island moves up in the ranks?  Wow. That's a course that plays just how it should.  Conditioning should, if anything, move it up the list.

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