The thread about ranking courses using the GD criteria prompts me to suggest that there might be a fun and instructive alternative to the multiple annual rankings. Why not have a Hall of Fame for Golf Courses structured in ways analogous to other sports Halls of Fame:
1. Courses are eligible only have they have been in existence for a defined period of time to minimize recency bias (20-25 years).
2. A knowledgeable panel of architects and golfers who have played a very large number of courses vote on election.
3. Acknowledgement that such voting is inherently subjective, but because a course could be elected only if it receives a super majority (75%) of the votes, different viewpoints, philosophies, etc balance out to at least some meaningful extent.
Each year we then could have a great debate on which should get in, which did, which should not, and which did not. It would even be interesting to see if on the first vote, the panel adopts the philosophy of the first vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame--a larger number of inductees because of the build up of history, but still really difficult to get the necessary votes.
I know that there is a Golf Hole Hall of Fame but courses strike me as a more interesting topic.
Thoughts?
Ira