This list is made to push middling resort golf and the ultra exclusive clubs around Toronto. Watch out for a high appearance from some brain dead golf that receives about 10 rounds a day coming up or a resort with one pretty hole.
This list continues to be a disappointment but what should I expect coming from a publication sponsored by a big box equipment store.
I agree with you when it comes to the resort courses but I have to push back when it comes to "ultra exclusive clubs around Toronto"
What courses are you referring to? The most exclusive clubs around Toronto would be Magna, Rosedale, Toronto GC and maybe the National.
Magna was ranked #93 this year and Rosedale was at 68. Toronto will likely be in the top 20, and it is perennially under-ranked as the club doesn't GAF about rankings. The National will not be on the list this year.
Ultra-exclusive clubs a bit farther afield from Toronto would be Redtail and Oviinbyrd. I haven't played Oviinbyrd but I think Redtail is a very good test of golf. Redtail was ranked #34 last time and Oviinbyrd was #15.
And Memphremagog is probably one of the courses that you are referring to but it is not anywhere near Toronto.
When it comes to other ultra-exclusive courses, one of those around Montreal, Mt Bruno, is generally ranked lower than it should be. But that also appears to be because the don't GAF about ratings either.
Lower down in this list there are a lot of questionable choices but they generally get the top 10 right as the top 10 are generally the courses with a Doak rating of 7 from the CG or higher and are the courses that are in the 147 Custodians of the game.
Personally I find the list helpful when I am going to other parts of the country to find out more about some of the best courses to attempt to play. When I went to Victoria a decade ago I played Victoria GC and Royal Colwood as they were the to courses in the city according to the rankings. That is probably a fair assessment.
Over time the resort courses tend to fall back to their more proper spots. For example, Taboo was once rated 11 and it is now way down. As I have already noted the ski resort courses in Whistler and Tremblant have generally been ranked too high, at least IMO, and those are now falling down the list.
But resort courses do make up a good portion of the best courses in the country - the two courses at Cabot, CB Highlands, Banff and Jasper.