Is it possible to build the best course in the world?

[jeffwarne]

Can't argue with this. What's the best painting in the world? The best building?

 Fulfilling one's own criteria for what is best seems a lot less perilous than trying to satisfy someone else's criteria. Most people suck when it comes to mind-reading.

A course that was acknowledged by raters as the best course in the world would likely lack the subtlety to make it the best course it could be....

[Alex Lagowitz]

you guys are very technical.

Let me rephrase the question for better understanding.

Take a look at the top of the golf course rankings, say golf magazine.
1. Pine Valley 1918
2.  Cypress Point 1928
3.  Augusta National 1933
4. St. Andrews 1400s
5.  Royal County Down 1899
6.  Shinnecock 1931
7.  Pebble Beach 1919
8.  Oakmont 1903
9.  Muirfield 1891
10. Merion 1912

My confusion is this, there have been thousands of courses built since 1933 (the last course built on this list), yet none of them have cracked this ranking.  My question for the "best course in the world" is more or less why hasn't a course in the last 80 years challenged the top of the rankings.

[Tom_Doak]

you guys are very technical.

Let me rephrase the question for better understanding.

Take a look at the top of the golf course rankings, say golf magazine.
1. Pine Valley 1918
2.  Cypress Point 1928
3.  Augusta National 1933
4. St. Andrews 1400s
5.  Royal County Down 1899
6.  Shinnecock 1931
7.  Pebble Beach 1919
8.  Oakmont 1903
9.  Muirfield 1891
10. Merion 1912

My confusion is this, there have been thousands of courses built since 1933 (the last course built on this list), yet none of them have cracked this ranking.  My question for the "best course in the world" is more or less why hasn't a course in the last 80 years challenged the top of the rankings.

Alex:

It could be because we started doing those ratings about 1980, when there hadn't been a new course in quite some time that anyone would have seriously nominated for "best in the world".  And once the rankings became set in their ways, it got much harder to crack the top ten.  If we'd started the rankings just after Sand Hills hit the scene, maybe it would be different -- but honestly, I don't think a course in a really remote spot would ever get to #1.  It takes a lot of traffic to establish a consensus.