[Keith Durrant]

This list is now online.

I remember seeing the US List in another thread, but not the World list (apologies if this has been posted before):

I do like this story of the man who set out to play them all (and how he managed to do it in a mere 9 years) !!

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/travel/ranked/article

2005 Rank 2003 Rank Course Location Designer
1 1  Pine Valley  Clementon
2 2  Cypress Point  Pebble Beach
3 6  St. Andrews (Old Course)  St. Andrews
4 5  Augusta National  Augusta
5 4  Shinnecock Hills  Southampton
6 7  Pebble Beach  Pebble Beach
7 3  Muirfield  Gullane
8 11  Sand Hills  Mullen
9 10  Royal County Down  Newcastle
10 8  Royal Melbourne (Composite)  Melbourne
11 14  Merion (East)  Ardmore
12 12  Royal Portrush (Dunluce)  Portrush
13 19  Pacific Dunes  Bandon
14 15  Oakmont  Oakmont
15 16  Royal Dornoch  Dornoch
16 13  Ballybunion (Old)  Ballybunion
17 17  Turnberry (Ailsa)  Turnberry
18 9  Pinehurst (No. 2)  Pinehurst
19 20  National Golf Links of America  Southampton
20 21  Kingston Heath  Cheltenham
21 26  Carnoustie (Championship)  Carnoustie
22 22  Seminole  North Palm Beach
23 24  Crystal Downs  Frankfort
24 27  San Francisco  San Francisco
25 23  Prairie Dunes  Hutchinson
26 18  Winged Foot (West)  Mamaroneck
27 new  Cape Kidnappers  Hawk's Bay
28 29  Fishers Island  Fishers Island
29 25  Oakland Hills (South)  Bloomfield Hills
30 30  Bethpage (Black)  Farmingdale
31 28  Royal Birkdale  Southport
32 32  Royal St. George's  Sandwich
33 31  Chicago  Wheaton
34 43  New South Wales  La Perouse
35 35  Hirono  Kobe
36 33  The Country Club (Championship)  Brookline
37 36  Riviera  Pacific Palisades
38 37  Muirfield Village  Dublin
39 42  Oak Hill (East)  Rochester
40 38  Royal Troon (Old)  Troon
41 34  Casa de Campo (Teeth of Dog)  La Romana
42 45  Baltusrol (Lower)  Springfield
43 40  Portmarnock  Portmarnock
44 39  Olympic (Lake)  San Francisco
45 41  Southern Hills  Tulsa
46 44  Sunningdale (Old)  Sunningdale
47 46  Woodhall Spa  Woodhall Spa
48 53  Whistling Straits (Straits)  Haven
49 new  Barnbougle  Bridport
50 57  TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium)  Ponte Vedra Beach
51 59  Los Angeles (North)  Los Angeles
52 54  Royal Lytham & St. Annes  Lytham St. Annes
53 48  The Golf Club  New Albany
54 50  Royal Adelaide  Adelaide
55 52  Medinah (No. 3)  Medinah
56 79  Kiawah Island (Ocean)  Kiawah Island
57 47  Morfontaine  Senlis
58 49  Kauri Cliffs  Kaeo
59 67  Harbour Town  Hilton Head Island
60 61  Quaker Ridge  Scarsdale
61 66  Winged Foot (East)  Mamaroneck
62 58  Inverness  Toledo
63 60  Maidstone  East Hampton
64 55  Garden City  Garden City
65 65  Kingsbarns  St. Andrews
66 56  Loch Lomond  Luss
67 73  Lahinch  Lahinch
68 62  Ganton  Ganton
69 74  Bandon Dunes  Bandon
70 77  Valderrama  Sotogrande
71 64  Highlands Links  Ingonish Beach
72 72  Royal Liverpool  Hoylake
73 68  Cabo del Sol (Ocean)  Los Cabos
74 new  Friar's Head  Baiting Hollow
75 51  Shoreacres  Lake Bluff
76 71  Scioto  Columbus
77 69  Somerset Hills  Bernardsville
78 76  Cruden Bay  Cruden Bay
79 86  Congressional (Blue)  Bethesda
80 80  Kawana (Fuji)  Kawana
81 70  Durban  Durban
82 95  St. George's  Etobicoke
83 89  Shadow Creek  North Las Vegas
84 new  Hamilton Country Club (West/South)  Ancaster
85 78  Wentworth (West)  Virginia Water
86 new  Bandon Trails  Bandon
87 new  Trump National  Bedminster
88 81  Spyglass Hill  Pebble Beach
89 63  Camargo  Cincinnati
90 84  Ocean Forest  Sea Island
91 98  European Club  Brittas Bay
92 82  Walton Heath (Old)  Tadworth
93 97  East Lake  Atlanta
94 new  Tokyo Golf Club  Sayama-City
95 new  Nine Bridges  Jeju Island
96 88  Wade Hampton  Cashiers
97 100  Colonial  Fort Worth
98 87  Peachtree  Atlanta
99 94  Homestead (Cascades)  Hot Springs
100 75  Naruo  Osaka

[Jonathan Cummings]

Nine years??  Did he sleep for the first 8 1/2??  Bob McCoy once played the entire top 100 Golf Magazine list in 100 days!!  And it was his second time he played the whole list!  

I personally know of a half dozen or so guys (and one woman!) who have played the GM top 100 world.

There is one Mag panelist that has been to over 7000 courses in the world (he hasn't played them but simply collects their scorecards).

The point is playing any top list mostly takes time and money.  Some are inclined to chasing lists some aren’t.  Hopefully the list chasers get more than just logo balls to hang on their walls.  Hopefully they become better judges of layouts the more quality courses they see.

JC

[HamiltonBHearst]

That is why the analysis of someone like Matt Ward is so important, he does the heavy lifting and has actually seen the course he comments on.  He also does not give a free pass to the MFA on this site and is equally fair to the less well known architects.

I am sure he has played most of the courses on his GD list.

[Keith Durrant]

The European Club in Ireland. This is ranked as the 6th best course in Ireland, 91st overall - is it really that good?

No place for Deal and Rye or Machrihanish and Prestwick? Yet a spot for Cruden Bay. Is Cruden Bay really that good?!

[Mark_Guiniven]

Doesn't this list actually go down to 200?

In many respects I think I would find the 101-200 list more interesting. See which courses were being considered and where the likes of Commonwealth are now. Right now you fall off the hundred and that's it. You're told everything's going to be fine and to follow that Umpa Lumpa.

[ForkaB]

The European Club in Ireland. This is ranked as the 6th best course in Ireland, 91st overall - is it really that good?

No place for Deal and Rye or Machrihanish and Prestwick? Yet a spot for Cruden Bay. Is Cruden Bay really that good?!

Keith

Cruden Bay is very good, but not in comparison with the other courses you mention.  I'd put it at #5 of that list of 5.  Shows you how much the "experts" can be swayed by hype, expectations and lack of a truly broad experience (wonder how many of the Golf panelists have actually played Deal or Machrihanish or Prestwick or Rye.....).

[Mark_F]

And Sean, Burnham and Berrow beats Cruden Bay hands down, I think.  So to, I'm sure even you must agree, does Porthcawl?

I wonder exactly how the system works.

After all, Barnbougle is lower than Cape Kidnappers supposedly because not as many people have played it.

However, say only 10 have played Barnbougle and given it A+, whereas 50 have played Kidnappers with an average of A-surely Barnbougle 'wins?'

Mark:

Commonwealth is a top 100 course - in how to screw up a great course because your ego is bigger than your humility.

Sorry Chris.  Sorry Shane.

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