Golf Club Atlas Golf Course Rankings

[Yannick Pilon]

Only courses I have played or walked.  I bet it would be different if I could play any course I would want to see....

St Andrews - Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Shinnecock Hills
Friars Head
Sebonack
North Berwick
Cruden Bay
Riviera
Rustic Canyon
Prestwick
Garden City
Carnoustie

yp

[Tommy Williamsen]

Matthew,
For the sake of YOUR best interests, this thread is going to be eliminated. The only reason why I'm leaving it up is so you can read this.

26 posts and your setting up a GCA rating team? I don't think so!

Now go do something more constructive, like pick up Architectural Side of Golf and read it, Try to find out what inspired Bill Coore to take up golf architecture....

BTW, the Golf Digest ratings are an abomination, thus further showing just how badly Golf Digest's knowledge of golf courses really is. If your a Golf Digest Panelist, I suggest either resigning out of disgust or simply lerning something to take back to your colleagues in great hopes they can become better panelists.

Tommy, maybe you're right. Let's by all means have more threads of the high intellectual level of "Mac and Mike."

[Justin Gale]

As I have not travelled extensively as yet, courses in order of 'most wanted'.....

1. Pebble Beach
2. St Andrews
3. Cypress Point
4. Barnbougle Dunes
5. Augusta National
6. Pine Valley
7. Royal County Down
8. Cape Kidnappers
9. Royal Melbourne West
10. Pacific Dunes
11. TPC Sawgrass
12. Muirfield

[Jason Blasberg]

1. Prairie Dunes

[Gary Slatter]

It will be quite interesting!
1. Cypress Point
2. Old Course St.Andrews
3.  Kingsbarns
4.  Ballybunion (old)
5.  Shinnecock Hills
6.  Highlands (Cape Breton)
7.  St. George's (Toronto)
8.  Kiawah Ocean Course
9.  Sunningdale (old)
10. Maidstone
11. Congressional
12. Turnberry Ailsa/ Pinehurst 2

[Tom Huckaby]

OK, what the heck.  Here's another list, just off the top of my head.

1. Sand Hills
2. Cypress Point
3. NGLA
4. St. Andrews Old
5. Pebble Beach
6.  Royal Dornoch
7. Shinnecock Hills
8. Ballybunion (Old)
9. Muirfield
10. Royal County Down
11. Royal Portrush - Dunluce
12. Carnoustie

[ForkaB]

I must reply before the Exterminator (oops, the Emperor) does his dirty work.....

1.   Dornoch
2.   Shinnecock
3.   Pebble Beach
4.   Muirfield
5.   Birkdale
6.   County Down
7.   Carnoustie
8.   Portmarnock
9.   Ballybunion
10. Turnberry
11. Cypress Point
12. Merion

Only of the ones I have played, of course

[Tom Roewer]

Pine Valley
Royal Dornoch
Merion
TOC
Garden City
NLGA
Cascades
North Berwick
The Golf Club
Crail

[Tony_Muldoon]

North Berwick
Royal Dornoch
Addington
Royal St Georges (walked x2 only)
Pennard
Sunningdale Old
Berkshire Red
Woking
Woodall Spa
Royal Cinque Ports
New Zealand GC
Roses Point

[Matthew Schulte]

OK I'll bite.

1.   St. Andrews
2.   Pacific Dunes
3.   Royal County Down (back 9 is better than its' reputation)
4.   Ballyneal
5.   Royal Dornoch   
6.   Sand Hills
7.   Ballybunion
8.   Royal St. George’s  
9.   Pebble Beach
10.   Friars Head
11.   Royal Portrush - Dunluce
12.   North Berwick (In a different category than the rest but I could play it every day for the rest of my life and never tire of it.)

[John Kirk]

I would urge others to contribute at this point.  Many of us have stuck our necks out and posted our top 12.  This is the closest we've come to a survey, and I suspect the results will be both interesting and reasonable.  Of course there will be oddities, but we can analyze that later.  There are quite a few of our senior members whose voice should be heard.

Tell us what you think.

Matthew Hunt, I'm counting on you to add these things up.  Are you still there?

PS  I added 11 and 12 to my list.

[mike_malone]

Top Twelve I have played-no order

   Pine Valley,Yale,Ballybunion,TOC,N.Berwick,Rolling Green,Merion,Myopia Hunt,Royal County Down,Royal Portrush,Lahinch,Bethpage Black
   
   

[HamiltonBHearst]

1. Namea
2. Merion
3. Seminole
4. Prairie Dunes
5. Cypress Point
6. Indian Creek
7. SFGC
8. FI
9. Swinley Forest
10. Chicago
11. Round Hill
12. Sand Hills

[wsmorrison]

HBH,

I like how you included Indian Creek, one of my favorite clubs/courses in the world.  A very special place and a marvel in golf course construction.

[Larry_Keltto]

Help me out, I've never heard of Namea.

[brad_miller]

David Kidd course on the big island.

[CHrisB]

It's actually 'Nanea'. Hopefully just a typo--doubtful you'd forget the name of your favorite course in the world

Ham,
What about Nanea makes it your favorite?

[Matthew Delahunty]

This list is short on Aussies so here's some of the favourite courses I've played (Aus/UK)

1.   Royal Melbourne West
2.   Royal Dornoch
3.   St Andrews Old
4.   Kingston Heath
5.   Woodlands
6.   St Andrews Beach
7.   Spring Valley
8.   Portsea
9.   New South Wales
10.   Commonwealth
11.   Victoria
12.   Machrihanish

[Anthony Butler]

I have left Pine Valley off the list because I can't say I enjoyed the fact that I hit 8 greens and shot 93. It's a beautiful place, but missing a green by 5 feet and making a double or triple gets old fast.

1. Cypress Point.
2. Royal Melbourne
3. Muirfield
4. Oakmont
5. Pebble Beach
6. Winged Ft.
7. St. Andrews
8. New South Wales.
9. Pinehurst #2
10. Kingston Heath
11. Kauri Cliffs
12. Royal Adelaide

[Lloyd_Cole]

Against my better judgement. Many better men than I have already posted their twelves. Only couses I've played. And trying to order these is really quite arbitrary. I'm only sure about #1.

1.Royal County Down
2.Royal Dornoch
3.The Old Course, St Andrews
4.Royal Melbourne West
5.Pinehurst #2
6.West Sussex
7.Walton Heath
8.Ganton
9.Turnberry Aisla
10.Kingston Heath
11.Harbour Town
12.Valderama

[Mark Pearce]

For what it's worth:

1) Muirfield
2) Royal Dornoch
3) Ganton
4) The Old Course
5) Carnoustie
6) Royal Liverpool
7) Alwoodley
Hunstanton
9) Royal West Norfolk
10) Saunton East
11) Machrihanish
12) Berkshire Blue

All courses I have played more than once.  

[Andrew Mitchell]

Based purely on the courses I've played:
1. Turnberry
2. TOC
3. Royal Dornoch
4. Royal Liverpool
5. Ballybunion
6. Carnoustie
7. Woodhall Spa
8. Royal Lytham
9. The European Club
10. North Berwick
11. St Enodoc
12= Silloth on Solway/Alwoodley

Couldn't leave either Silloth or Alwoodley out.

[Matthew Hunt]

List up to Post #30

1. St Andrews Old 101 pts
2. Pine Valley 100
4.Sand Hills 85
3. NGLA 79
5.Merrion 70
6.Royal Dornach 65
7.Royal County Down 64
8.Cypess Point 55
9. Pacific Dunes 53
10.Winged Foot (East)41
11. Royal Melbourne(West) 36
12. Crystal Downs 35
13. Muirfield 33
14. Pinehurst #2 31
15. Ballybunion 27
16. Kingsby Club 25
17. Ballyneal  23
18.Teeth  of Dog 22
19. Augusta National 21
20. Woodhall Spa  21
21. Whistling Straits 20
22. Victoria National 18
23. Bethpage Black 18
24. Shinnlock Hills 16
25. Pebble Beach 16
26. Sunningdale Old 16
27. Turnburry (Alisia) 16
28. The Golf Club 15
29. Lawsonia Links (Green River WI) 15
30. Royal Cinque Ports 15
31. The Ocean Course 15
32. Oakmount 14
33. SFGC 13
34. Dancing Rabbit - Azaleas (Choctaw, MS) 12
35. Wolf Run GC 12
36. Royal Portrush 11
37. Black Wolf Run GC
38. Capstone Club (Brookwood, AL) 10
39. Cobblestone (Acworth, GA) 9
40. TPC at Sawgrass 9
50. Tobacco Road 9
51. Hoylake 8
52. Machrihans 8
53. GreyWalls 8
54. Annbriar (Waterloo, IL) 8
55. Banff Springs 8
56. Bandon Dunes 7
57. Dancing Rabbit – Oaks 7
58. High Pointe 7
59. Sandwich 7
60. Metropolitan, Vic 7
61. Point O'Woods GC 7
62. Wild Horse 6
63. French Lick 6
64. Parrie Dunes 6
65. New South Wales 6
66. Arcadia Bluffs 6
67. Shaker Run (Lebanon, OH) 6
68. Paa-Ko Ridge GC 6
69. Yale 5
70. RTJ Capitol Hill Links (Auburn, AL) 5
71. Pennard 5
72. Garden City GC 5
73. Fishers Island 5
74. North Berwick 5
75. Burnham and Berrow 5
76. Harbour Town GL (Hilton Head Island, SC) 5
77. Black Mesa GC (Espanola, NM) 4
79. BCC Five Farms 4
80. The European Club 4
81. Bandon Trails
82. Camargo 4
83. Senione 4
84. WWPB 4
85. University Ridge (Madison, WI)
86. Nob North (Cohutta, GA)
87. Apache Stronghold 3
88. Royal Birkdale 3
89. Peeping Rock 3
90. Royal Adelaide 3
91. Palmetto 3
92. Cascades 3
93. K Club 2
94. Lahninch 2
95. The Country Club 2
96. Royal Melbourne (East) 2
97. Spencer T Olin (Alton, IL) 2
98. Long Cove GC (Hilton Head Island, SC) 2
99. Newport National 2
100. Crooked Stick GC (Carmel, IN) 1
101. The Frog (Villa Rica, GA) 1
102. Aiken CC (Highland) 1
103. Kilkeel 1
104. Winchester GC 1
105. Boston Golf Club 1
106. Rye 1
107. Royal St. Kitts 1
108. Wolf Point Club 1
109. We-Ko-Pa 1

[Ian Andrew]

1-Pine Valley
2-National Golf Links
3-Royal County Down
4-Cypress Point
5-Royal Dornoch
6-Merion (East)
7-Crystal Downs
8-Muirfield
9-St Andrew's (old)
10-San Francisco
11-Pinehurst #2
12-Seminole

I'sn't the flaw in this process access or the economic ability to see everything?

I haven't been to Australia for example, yet I have a pretty good idea RMGC would blow me away.

[erichunter]

1. Pinehurst #2
2. Cypress Point
3. Royal Dornoch
4. Pine Valley
5. Old Course, St Andrews
6. Pebble Beach
7. Waterville
8. Shoreacres
9. Kapalua Plantation
10. Dunes Club
11. TPC Sawgrass
12. Canterbury

It is pretty easy to ridicule the various magazines lists but formulating my own top 12 gives me more appreciation for the inherent difficulty in ranking such a subjective topic.