Im curious to know your other two as that would explain more of why Royal Melbourne was top 3 than anything else. Id wager the Old Course was also one of your top 3.
Correct, although I doubt you'd have found anyone to take the other side of that wager.
I'm honestly not 100% sure what the third course was, since I don't really have a top three. I think it was The National Golf Links of America, though it might have been Sand Hills. Those are the four courses that do the best at engaging every class of player.
When I used to run the balloting for GOLF Magazine, the late Peter Thomson would only vote for two courses in the top ten: The Old Course and Royal Melbourne . Which is interesting because he won five Open Championships, but never at The Old Course.