[Tom_Doak]

I had this thought this morning, and I'm just going to throw it out there before I do the math.

We all know that courses get brownie points in the rankings for being close to the ocean (or a big lake).  I know it better than most   and I'm fine with it, but I think we UNDERestimate how much effect it has on the rankings.

So, without looking ... what % of the top 50 courses in the world are within three miles of the ocean or another huge body of water?

Just provide your raw guesses.  I'll provide the correct answer this afternoon.

My guess is just over 50%.

[Michael Moore]

I'll say eighty percent.

[Jud_T]

2/3

[Jason Topp]

My guess -66.7%

Ocean breezes and the moderating impact on climate is a major factor improving a golf course, even if one sets aside the benefits associated with the view. 

[Alex Miller]

65%

Though the views an ocean provides are not the only reason being close to the ocean is beneficial for a golf course...

[Ally Mcintosh]

I'll say 60%

But I'd also say that the ocean doesn't account for most of those rankings. It's the topography and soil that just happen to be found by the sea.

[Matthew Petersen]

I would guess over half but not quite two thirds ... around 60%. Wouldn't really be shocked if it were higher.

[Peter Pallotta]

I'll say eighty percent.

I'm guessing that's right.

(In 30 years, that number will have dropped significantly. It will take that long for the consensus opinion and group-think to re-formulate itself.)

Peter

[Randy Thompson]

46%, eighty sounds high, 2/3 wouldn´t surprize me and is probably closer to the right answer but that has been the standard answer so I am going with less.

[Stephen Davis]

My guess would be 60%. Do you think it is due more to the fact that much of the population (especially when thinking about the classic courses) of this country is located quite near a large body of water.

[Josh Tarble]

75% - Off of the top of my head I can only think of 1 sure-fire top 50 course that isn't within close proximity to an ocean.  But I don't know the bottom half too well.

[Tom_Doak]

I'm shocked that all these answers are well above 50%.  I wonder if you would have been thinking it was so high a percentage, if I hadn't called attention to it.

Inland courses from the GOLF Magazine top 100 list:  

Four of the top ten:  Pine Valley, Augusta, Oakmont, Merion

Nine more in the next twenty:  Sand Hills, Royal Melbourne (close to 3 miles), Pinehurst, Winged Foot West, Chicago Golf, Prairie Dunes, SFGC (also close), Kingston Heath, Oakland Hills

Eight more of the next twenty, so that's 29 coastal [58%], and 21 inland of the top 50.

Out of the top 100, it is still right around the same, 57 or 58%.  I wasn't sure whether Royal Adelaide or Valderrama was close enough to count.  Olympic (Lake) was really the only course in the top 100 that's inside three miles but not very firm & fast.

I would agree with Peter (to some extent) that soils and topography have a lot to do with this.  But I also believe that views of the ocean count for more than we all want to admit.  In fact, I'm pretty sure of it, because I know how my own courses are rated, and I am not convinced that being able to see the water is a critical factor in being able to do my best work.

P.S.  There is a large % of the population of the world that lives near large bodies of water, but it cannot be anywhere near 58%.  And what % of all the golf courses in the world are close to the water?  Again, nowhere near half.

[Joe_Tucholski]

I'll go lower and say about 40% which is about the percentage of people that live in costal counties in the US.  I'll admit to looking that percentage up and would have posted the percent of people that ive within 3 miles of the ocean if I could have found such a number.

[David_Tepper]

"SFGC (also close)"

Tom D. -

San Francisco GC is easily within 2 miles of both the Pacific Ocean and Lake Merced. In fact, I doubt SFGC is more than 1 mile from the ocean.

DT

[Thomas Dai]

I've always thought that "it's the view, not the course" is a huge factor.

All the best.

[Tim Leahy]

Could a reason be that up until maybe the last 50 years, that land was available because homes weren't built near the oceans because of exposure to extreme temps?

[Jud_T]

The interesting question is how many of those 58 courses are actually worth the price of admission if birdwatching and photography aren't the main reasons you play golf?

[John Kirk]

From a National Geographic webpage:

In a 2000 report, the World Resources Institute stated the following: "In 1995, over 2.2 billion people—39 percent of the world's population—lived within 100 km of a coast, an increase from 2 billion people in 1990. The coastal area accounts for only 20 percent of all land area." According to 2002 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , over 50 percent of people in the United States live within 50 miles of the ocean or Great Lakes.

The percentage of people who live near the ocean is increasing.

[Alex Miller]

From a National Geographic webpage:

In a 2000 report, the World Resources Institute stated the following: "In 1995, over 2.2 billion people—39 percent of the world's population—lived within 100 km of a coast, an increase from 2 billion people in 1990. The coastal area accounts for only 20 percent of all land area." According to 2002 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , over 50 percent of people in the United States live within 50 miles of the ocean or Great Lakes.

The percentage of people who live near the ocean is increasing.

But how many of the Golf publication top 100 people live near the ocean? 

[Greg Tallman]

 30 of the 50 so 60%

[David Kelly]

75% - Off of the top of my head I can only think of 1 sure-fire top 50 course that isn't within close proximity to an ocean.  But I don't know the bottom half too well.

I don't understand this. Pine Valley, Oakmont, Prairie Dunes, Sand Hills, etc. aren't top 50 courses to you?

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

my first reaction, well below 50%...that is without reading other posts.

[Anders Rytter]

I'm definately not the expert here, but most early courses in GB&I are close to the coast for good reason right and they make up most of the European courses on the list.

[Jim Nugent]

Besides the views and soils, could other factors be at work?  e.g. is it more likely that land near big bodies of water will have dunes?  Are those sites more dramatic, with cliffs/bluffs/irregular shapes and boundaries more common? 
 

[Mike Benham]

So, without looking ... what % of the top 50 courses in the world are within three miles of the ocean or another huge body of water?

I will provide the obvious (and perhaps already suggested) reply of 3.14159265359% ...

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