Golf Digest's new complete 200 greatest international courses

[Sven Nilsen]

Shanqin Bay over NGLA?!? The range must've been full of prov1 pyramids to woo the raters.

This does not even begin to describe how eaters are treated at Shanqin Bay ... but only select eaters, of course.  The rest cannot gain access at all.

What's their Michelin Guide score?

[Tom_Doak]

This does not even begin to describe how eaters are treated at Shanqin Bay ... but only select eaters, of course.  The rest cannot gain access at all.

What's their Michelin Guide score?

😀 I missed the joke at first.  My iPhone is apparently anti-ratings too and turns them into eaters!

[Rich Goodale]

I am amazed and dismayed that my home course is #4 in the world.


Amazed that it is "ranked" higher than better venues like Carnoustie, Shinnecock, Muirfield, Pebble  Beach, etc..  Dismayed that the ranking will increase the number of gun notch locusts wanting to play the track.


Swings and roundabouts......

[Mark_Fine]

It would save sooo much time and argument if someone here would please post the correct Top 100 or Top 200 lists?  We all should know by now the reason the magazines post the lists they do (which are obviously incorrect) is to create debate and discussion about courses and architects and architecture and what good is that 😉

[Ira Fishman]

I am amazed and dismayed that my home course is #4 in the world.


Amazed that it is "ranked" higher than better venues like Carnoustie, Shinnecock, Muirfield, Pebble  Beach, etc..  Dismayed that the ranking will increase the number of gun notch locusts wanting to play the track.


Swings and roundabouts......

Rich,


My wife and I are playing your home course this summer for the first time.  Not because it is number 4 but because I have read about RD since I was a kid (45 years ago) and always imagined that it is the setting for Golf in the Kingdom.  Fortunately, there are a lot more reasons to choose courses than their ranking even if richly deserved.


Ira

[Jim Franklin]

Golf Digest continue to make the same spelling errors and mistakes in their lists, having done so for years. It is Dan Soutar not Des at Kingston Heath. Several more I won’t bother to point out. GD will continue to print the same errors years from now. It is embarrassing.

Let me know of any other mistakes. GD is correcting the Dan Soutar mistake. They appreciated the help. No one is perfect and there are typos, but GD wants to fix any errors and may not know unless someone informs them. So if you see any additional errors, please PM me or put them in this thread.

[Rich Goodale]

I am amazed and dismayed that my home course is #4 in the world.


Amazed that it is "ranked" higher than better venues like Carnoustie, Shinnecock, Muirfield, Pebble  Beach, etc..  Dismayed that the ranking will increase the number of gun notch locusts wanting to play the track.


Swings and roundabouts......

Rich,


My wife and I are playing your home course this summer for the first time.  Not because it is number 4 but because I have read about RD since I was a kid (45 years ago) and always imagined that it is the setting for Golf in the Kingdom.  Fortunately, there are a lot more reasons to choose courses than their ranking even if richly deserved.


Ira

Ira


I'm in Florida now until the end of May, but I'll definitely be in Dornoch early-mid July and probably some days in June and August.  Let me know your timings and maybe we can connect.


Rich

[Tom_Doak]

It would save sooo much time and argument if someone here would please post the correct Top 100 or Top 200 lists?  We all should know by now the reason the magazines post the lists they do (which are obviously incorrect) is to create debate and discussion about courses and architects and architecture and what good is that 😉

Be patient, I am still working on it. 😉 It will be another 2-3 years I guess.  Departing Hyderabad tomorrow for Sri Lanka ...

[Jim Franklin]

Matthew -

In talking to the powers that be at Golf Digest, I have been told that the research they did show Des Soutar (given name Daniel Gordon Soutar, but went by nickname of Des) collaborated with Mick Morcom on the design of Kingston Heath in 1925. If you have evidence to the contrary, please forward to Ron Whitten.

In addition, if feel GD is continuously printing erroneous information, please contact Ron as well. He would prefer hearing from you directly as opposed to me passing on the information.

[Jeff Schley]

It would save sooo much time and argument if someone here would please post the correct Top 100 or Top 200 lists?  We all should know by now the reason the magazines post the lists they do (which are obviously incorrect) is to create debate and discussion about courses and architects and architecture and what good is that 😉

Be patient, I am still working on it. 😉 It will be another 2-3 years I guess.  Departing Hyderabad tomorrow for Sri Lanka ...

I was just changed my plans last week from Sri Lanka to Thailand, arriving Friday leave Monday.  Enjoy.

[Matthew Mollica]

Thanks Jim. Will do. 😀

[Mike Hendren]

Foolish to criticize such an objective endeavor, particularly when I'm not familiar with the rating criteria,  but that won't stop me.  At a minimum, the magazine should include more compelling and flattering photographs.  Using one of my father's favorite sayings, I counted 27 courses "I wouldn't walk across the street" to play. 

Also, I'd put two of my personal favorites - Lawsonia Links and Moraine above half the list. 

Mike

[Pat Alpaugh]

Very well done, Mr. Fine.  Your posts on this topic are great.

[Tom_Doak]

It would save sooo much time and argument if someone here would please post the correct Top 100 or Top 200 lists?

Be patient, I am still working on it. 😉 It will be another 2-3 years I guess.  Departing Hyderabad tomorrow for Sri Lanka ...

UPDATE:  Believe it or not, one of the top 200 is in Sri Lanka.  See my Instagram posts.

[Mark Chaplin]

Jim Franklin - Rye Golf Club isn’t the best course in Deal.

[Mark Pearce]

Jim Franklin - Rye Golf Club isn’t the best course in Deal.

Having not seen the list, I'm struggling to understand this.  Did they move Rye?

[Mark Pearce]

Wentworth West makes the list.  I think that's all we need to know.

[Colin Sheehan]

What a great list. Only about 130 courses not as good as Yale, which is probably about 500 on their list.

[Mark_Fine]

Tom Doak once told me (wonder he remembers and still believes this) that if he could satisfy 70% of the golfers playing a course he designed or restored/renovated he would be very happy.  After 15 years of doing restoration/renovation work, I agree with him.  You will never please everyone and if you try you are wasting your time. 


These lists are very similar. Here for example we have Colin and Mark complaining about two courses out of 200.  They make a fair point but I wonder how many of the courses on this Top 200 list they have played themselves to fairly make that statement?  My guess is they haven't even played 200 different courses period let alone most of these to even make that argument. 


There are a lot of "wrong" courses on that list and ones that I think are missing but that is just my opinion and that is all it is - my opinion.  I've played about 150 of them so I have a ways to go.


Tom Fazio said it best to me during a discussion years ago about "the lists".  He said, "Pine Valley as far as he is concerned is the best golf course in the world and there are about 200 or so courses that could be argued as #2." 


If GD listed their courses in alphabetical order maybe there would be less arguments and debate but that would defeat/lessen one of the main purposes of the lists which is to create and bring attention to golf architecture.  What fun would that be 😉


Mark

[Mark Chaplin]

Mark they listed Rye as being in Deal, Kent.