I’m not sure how much Tillinghast is left on the Lower course. I think very little. It is going to close for 18 months in yet another renovation. I think I’d rotate the black out and find room for Balto CC.
Not to mention that, even if Baltusrol WAS Tillie's work, it is very overrated at this point. Even if their renovation is a great improvement, it still won't make it as good as the course's current ranking.
This list, with it's content and order, is indeed a joke and apparently done with the intention of regurgitating the already fatally-flawed GD rankings. The inclusion of both Baltusrol courses over the likes of an excellent Baltimore CC or even a masterful Fenway GC essentially proves it. The lack of even a mention for the likes of a Sands Point GC, Newport CC, Alpine CC, or Paramount CC reveal how clueless GD and their rankings remain.
Undeniably, Baltusrol, both Lower and Upper, remain amongst the most overrated courses on anyones list. Most of this comes from the competitive history bias that seeps in and through the lesser-trained eye. In truth, neither in their current form deserve their current ranking,
That said, it is presumptuous and somewhat unfair to prejudge the upcoming renovation planned for both courses. Granted, the limitations of the terrain for the Lower Course probably preclude it from wholly reinventing itself and thus equaling or improving on it's already inflated ranking, Gil's plan for more creatively-routed Upper Course does retain that possibility.
As someone who has played nearly every significant Tilly dozens of times, am a partner in one, and has seen the Balty plans and walked the course with some of their governing members, it's only fair and reasonable to wait and see how it turns out.