[Scott Warren]

The list has just come out this month:

1. Royal Melbourne (West)
2. Kingston Heath
3. Barnbougle Dunes
4. New South Wales
5. Royal Melbourne (East)
6. The National (Moonah)
7. Royal Adelaide
8. Metropolitan
9. Victoria
10. St Andrews Beach
11. Newcastle
12. Kooyonga
13. Woodlands
14. Kennedy Bay
15. Commonwealth
16. The Lakes
17. 13th Beach (Beach Course)
18. Lake Karrinyup
19. Peninsula (North Course)
20. Royal Sydney
21. The National (old Course)
22. Barwon Heads
23. Moonah Links (Legends)
24. The Dunes
25. Magenta Shores
26. Peninsula (South)
27. Brookwater
28. The Australian
29. Yarra Yarra
30. Royal Queensland
31. The National (Ocean Course)
32. Joondalup
33. The Glades
34. Portsea
35. The Cut
36. Royal Canberra (1-18)
37. Grange (West Course)
38. Elanora
39. Moonah Links (Open)
40. Settlers Run
41. Port Fairy
42. Amstel (Ranfurlie)
43. The Vines (Lakes Course)
44. Club Pelican
45. The Vintage
46. The Grand
47. Huntingdale
48. Hope Island
49. Hyatt Regancy Coolum
50. Concord

The raters:
Brendan James
Mike Clayton
Tom Ramsay
Matt Mollica
Matt Ecob
JohnHopkins
Alex Cleave
Kevin Pallier
Matt Laverty
John Small
James Wilcher
Cameron Howell
Bob Harrison

Peruse, dissect, enjoy!

[Kevin Pallier]

Scott

It's a pretty good representative list if you ask me 

[Matt Day]

Is the moonah national worthy of top ten status?

[Tom_Doak]

Brian Phillips should get all fired up over the positioning of New South Wales and Royal Sydney.

Nice to see St. Andrews Beach getting its due again, even if they can't figure out how to make money there.

[Jason Topp]

I've only played them once but is Newcastle better than Woodlands? 

[Brian Phillips]

Brian Phillips should get all fired up over the positioning of New South Wales and Royal Sydney.

Nice to see St. Andrews Beach getting its due again, even if they can't figure out how to make money there.

 

[Ian Andrew]

I think the list is pretty damned accurate.

I saw 9 of the top 10 a few weeks back, and while I would move one or two up or down, I would have to say they got it right.

Places like Commwealth and Woodlnds are well worth playing- so that helps explain the "depth" of quality layouts.

Phillips is a lost cause....

[jim_lewis]

It has been nearly 20 years since I was there, but I am shocked to see how far Huntingdale seems to have fallen. I think is was a world top 100 at that time. What happened?

[Tom_Doak]

Jim:

Huntingdale never should have been on the list.  I think the fact that Ballesteros and Norman rated it so highly had a lot to do with its position ... but I didn't realize until several years later that both of them were getting paid annual appearance money to play there!

[Tiger would probably rate Kingston Heath highly, too.]

On top of that, there have been some considerable changes at Huntingdale -- a rebuild of the greens that most of the older players disliked intensely.  Craig Parry paid his fines to the Tour in advance a few years back so that he could speak freely what he thought of the new greens!

[Mark_F]

I've only played them once but is Newcastle better than Woodlands? 

No.

Any list that has National Ocean ahead of Portsea, and Moonah Links Open ahead of Port Fairy surely can't be taken seriously.

Or The Dunes, Moonah Links Legends and 13th Beach ahead of Peninsula South, for that matter.

[David_Elvins]

I really don't get Kooyonga.  Would be close to the end of the top 50 in my mind, not in the thick of the quality courses. 

I blame KP.

On the whole though, a better list than most. 

[Mike_Clayton]

This is one of the few rating lists where they publish all of the panelists choices.
For what it is worth here is mine.
Feel free to rip it to bits.

RMW
Barnbougle
Kingston Heath
National Moonah
NSW
RME
Lake Karrinyup
St Andrews Beach
Lakes
Royal Adelaide
Victoria
Metropolitan
Peninsula Nth
Woodlands
Peninsula Sth
Royal Queensland
13th Beach.
Kennedy Bay
Newcastle
Commonwealth
Portsea
Barwon Heads
Grange West
Kooyonga
Dunes
Port Fairy
Joondalup
Settlers Run
National Old
Royal Sydney
Legends Moonah Links
Ranfurlie
Australian
Open Moonah Links
Healesville
Glades
Ocean National
Glenelg
Grange East
Horsham
Yarra Yarra
Hope Island
Vines
Brookwater
Grand
Spring Valley
Twin Waters
Magenta Shores.
Terrey Hills
The Cut

[Andrew Summerell]

I've only played them once but is Newcastle better than Woodlands? 

I believe yes, but it doesn't have fancy bunkering.

[David Kelly]

I've played 9 of the top 10 (all only once though) and I think the list is pretty close to how I would have them although I would probably flip KH and Barnbougle and move St. Andrews Beach up a few spots.

[David_Elvins]

Clayts,

Interesting to see that you rate Lake Karrinyup as the best of the courses you have done significant redesign work at (inc Metro, Lakes,  Grange west, Peninsula nth and sth, Vic, RQ).

What do you think sets it above these courses? 

[Chris Kane]

National Moonah at #4 Mike?  You need to stop talking to Brian Walshe!!

[Andrew Bertram]

Aside from moving KH ahead of Barnbougle the top 10 is very good.

Once out of the top 10 you could conceivably swap positions of any of the courses from 11 - 20 and the list would be just as well recieved, you could also do teh same from 21 - 30 and 31 - 40.

Once outside the top 10 there is only minor difference in quality.

An interesting question to the raters would be to indicate when they last played or visited each of the courses in their personal top 50.

  

[David_Elvins]

National Moonah at #4 Mike?  You need to stop talking to Brian Walshe!!

It might be part of a deal to get Bob Harrison to put Barnbougle in his top 10.   

[Emil Weber]

Although Kingston Heath is great, for me there's no doubt Barnbougle Dunes is better than KH. I also think St Andrews Beach should be ranked better than NSW. That's about all I've played

It's good to see Royal Queensland at 30

[Kevin Pallier]

I really don't get Kooyonga.  Would be close to the end of the top 50 in my mind, not in the thick of the quality courses. 

I blame KP.

Harsh David - Mike Clayton even has Kooyonga higher than I do 

[Peter Ferlicca]

Where is Ellerston Golf Club, is it so private that they don't even rank it?

[David_Elvins]

Where is Ellerston Golf Club, is it so private that they don't even rank it?

Yes.

KP,
Seriously, it is good to see an Australian magazine take their rankings seriously and use some kowledgable and highly travelled 'nobodies' over celebrities. 

[Mike_Clayton]

Dave,

 Of all the courses we have worked onI think Karrinyup is probably the most fun to play - perhaps just ahead of The Lakes.
The land is very good and I think the combination of better greens, tree rationalisation that really improved holes like 11,interesting par fives especially 3 and 11 and the improvement to the short holes - 8 and 12 - make it a much better course than it was.
It is also a beautiful place to play golf.

Chris,

I am a fan of the Moonah course - lots of really good holes even if it is a root march back from the 12th tee when it's into the wind.

Elleston was not ranked because no one can play there.

The interesting question for me is whether a 4800m course - Healesville - can be a legitimate top 50 course.
If there are a bunch of really good holes - no matter how short - should it be in there?

[Andrew Summerell]

The interesting question for me is whether a 4800m course - Healesville - can be a legitimate top 50 course.
If there are a bunch of really good holes - no matter how short - should it be in there?

As far as I'm concerned, yes a 4800m course could be a legitimate top 50 course.

As far as reality is concerned - it will never happen.

[Chris Kane]

I am a fan of the Moonah course - lots of really good holes even if it is a root march back from the 12th tee when it's into the wind.

Fair enough - but is it improving?  In 2006 you ranked it #8...in 2008 you ranked it #6...now you rank it #4.  Should we expect it at #2 in 2012? 

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