Oh Where, Oh Where is...

[Jonathan Cummings]

Has this been discussed - the fact that Black Rock did not even make the recent GW Top 100 list?  Man, talk about major league disagreement between GD and GW.  Black Rock beats out Friar's Head for Best New on the GD list, while Friar's debuts at #3 and Rock doesn't even make the top 100 on the GW list!  Same for Dallas National, which lost to BR on the Digest Best New, but ranked very highly on the GW list.

I just can't figure how these two panels can differ on these by such a wide margin.

JC

[Tom_Doak]

Jon,

You are implying that Black Rock had enough votes to qualify for your list and the panelists just didn't like it.  It would be nice to know the facts on those issues, rather than every course which isn't in the rankings making up their own story.

I might even be inclined to believe that some of your panelists voted Black Rock extra-low to punish it for beating Friars Head on the GOLF DIGEST voting.

[Brad Klein]

I guess if we had the 24-hour Golf Course Rating Channel we could make sure every possible contingency were discussed thoroughly and conclusively.

By the way, the reason we have a minimum of 15 votes is because in the case of a few favorite sons, their acolytes faithfully run out first and see their courses to give them inflated high grades. After the first wave, the groupies dissipate and reason prevails.

[JakaB]

I might even be inclined to believe that some of your panelists voted Black Rock extra-low to punish it for beating Friars Head on the GOLF DIGEST voting.

I honestly don't care if I ever play another Tom Doak course but I would desperately miss his honest opinions..

[RJ_Daley]

Once again we see the need for a 5 star rating, with the understanding that there can only be about 10-15 5 stars and no defined number (such as 100) of how many can be 4 star.  Put 4 star on a sliding scale of 75-125, mileage varies every year when some fall off and some arrive.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Tom - Brad will have to answer to the numbers but my sense is that a bunch of GW raters have seen BR.  I alone probably know of 10 or so that have seen it.  I have no idea how they voted but I would, personally, be surprised if 15 GW raters haven't seen BR.

JC

[DMoriarty]

Jonathan,  

I suspect your post is a bit tongue-in-cheek.   I've seen Black Rock, and in my opinion the GD award really undermines that magazine's credibility.  

Tom Doak said:  "I might even be inclined to believe that some of your panelists voted Black Rock extra-low to punish it for beating Friars Head on the GOLF DIGEST voting. "

I take it by this post that you have neither played nor seen Black Rock?  

[Jonathan Cummings]

David - I've played BR a bunch of times and frankly, (cringe), I apparently enjoyed it more than my brethern did.

No matter, just very much surprised that one panel places it so highly while with the other it's off the radar screen.  My own view is that GW is closer to the correct ranking and am just wondering at what was with GD....

JC

[Scott_Burroughs]

Jonathan,

BR is listed as "Needy", although that still could mean it has 15-19 votes, but it's far enough down the list that I'm not sure that's the case.

Also, Friar's Head did not debut at #3.  Last year, it debuted at #11.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Scott - BR has less than 15 votes?  That surprises me.  You are quite right, FH was on last year's list at 11.  JC

[Top100Guru]

Jonathan;

I played with The Pro from Black Rock and a member from Black Rock at a Tournament we had at Secession this Winter.........I can't wait to go see it this summer (specially since I am a Silva Fan)

Out of curriosity, Was there any mention of Old Sandwich GC in the "best New" ?

[Tom_Doak]

McConkey:  We're talking about the Jim Engh course in Idaho that won last year's Best New from GOLF DIGEST, not the Brian Silva course of the same name in Massachusetts.