[Tom_Doak]

Tom,

I am not sure what the answer is to the Moonah Links question. It's not really member based so I suspect there were more National members on the panel than Moonah Links connected people.  i think most of the GD panel are golf club members.
Golf Australia (formerly AGU) and not involved down there any longer.

Mike:

Thanks for the response.  I didn't really mean to suggest foul play on the Moonah Links ranking ... I didn't even notice where it ranked!  I was just pointing out to Joe Byrnes that there are many conflicts of interest that the public glosses over.  Tour officials pump up TPC courses.  PGA members pump up future PGA sites.  Golf photographers pump up courses that hire them.  Club members pump up their own clubs.  Ad infinitum.  I'm just tired of people believing that architects are the only ones with potential conflicts.

[Scott Warren]

Absolutely right, Tom. You'd have to think a member with a tradeable share in a club has a greater vested interest in bumping his course up and possibly shitcanning nearby rivals than the architect who designed a course 15 years earlier.

[Joe Byrnes]

Hi Tom,

Do you think the GOLF Magazine's list is diminished or altered because of the fact architects can't vote on their own courses, or have they on the most part got it right? And for other magazines to put that on the GOLF rankings is a pure marketing play and I would hope most readers are smart enough to see that.

I have no idea about Moonah Links and how they get votes. I don't think much of either course considering the quality nearby (StAB is one of my favorites! The open course is an abomination!).

My issue is not with the rankings, just the perceived conflict, and, how the better ranking (with the architects opinions) can be improved in the average linters eyes.

JB

[Joe Byrnes]

Punters, not Linters!! Damn auto-correct!

[Justin Ryan]

On the topic of conflicts of interest, do you think Kerry Packer may have owned Australian Golf magazine in 1979 - http://forums.iseekgolf.com/forums/15-your-favourite-golf-courses/topics/5144-the-way-we-were

These lists have always been rubbish. But it is amazing how insecure a lot of clubs are about them. I wonder how many of the disastrous changes made at many of our best courses over the 80s and 90s were in response to dropping a few spots down a list compiled by a bunch of blokes who in many cases had no idea or a vested interest?

[Mark_F]

I wonder how many of the disastrous changes made at many of our best courses over the 80s and 90s were in response to dropping a few spots down a list compiled by a bunch of blokes who in many cases had no idea or a vested interest?

I am ashamed of myself for being a ranker now, Justin.  After all, it appears all NSW needs to be number 3 in Australia is smooth greens.  I thought it was little things like pineapple bush and pigface that made the difference between NSW and Lost Farm.

The true dynamics and real interest in the Australian list is in how well, for instance, NSWGC bounces back from redoing their greens... and whether that's enough to re-establish NSW as a Top 3 course. Recent reports suggest better than the naysayers here on GCA.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()