Golf.com Top 100 you can play 2024-2025

[Rob Marshall]

https://golf.com/travel/courses/best-public-golf-courses-america-2024-25/

[Michael Felton]

It's interesting looking at the state-to-state disparity in public courses vs all courses. For example, NY has 2 courses in this top 100 (Bethpage Black and Bethpage Red) and 14 courses in the Golf.com Top 100 (US), with Shinnecock and NGLA leading the way.


Compare with Florida which I think has 9 on this list and only 3 on the Golf.com Top 100 list (Seminole, TPC and Streamsong Red).


Then California has 13 on the Golf.com list and 11 on this list, so is a lot more evenly balanced.

[Alex_Hunter]

Such a shame for Cape Arundel to be ranked only at 63. I think it is far and away better than that. The preoccupation of raters with length and difficultly of the golf course is likely what has led to its mediocre ranking.

[astavrides]

Missed this post, probably because it didn't generate much discussion for some reason.
Notable new courses: Lido at #4, Pinehurst10 at #15, Sedge Valley #22, Cabot Citrus Karoo #32, The Park #36, Landmand #46, Fields Ranch East #69, La Costa North #89

[Dan_Callahan]

Such a shame for Cape Arundel to be ranked only at 63. I think it is far and away better than that. The preoccupation of raters with length and difficultly of the golf course is likely what has led to its mediocre ranking.

Cape Arundel gets a lot of love on here, but I think it has a ton of flaws. And as someone who grew up in New England, I am definitely partial to courses in the northeast. But a round of golf at Arundel on a busy day means keeping your head on a swivel at all times. It’s way too tight, and balls are crossing fairways at all angles. Also, I love quirky greens with lots of movement, but the greens at Arundel are over the top. I get that greens are the defense on a short course. Even so, there’s a line between tricky and absurd. And too many are in the absurd bucket, in my opinion, unless they holes are cut in forgiving areas, which has never been the case when I’ve played there, and that would sort of defeat the purpose of having wild contours. Beautiful setting, and probably more fun when there are only a few groups out there.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Lido at #4 deserves a wow. I am tickled to see Bandon Trails move up. I always thought it was the second-best course at the resort.

[Alex_Hunter]

Such a shame for Cape Arundel to be ranked only at 63. I think it is far and away better than that. The preoccupation of raters with length and difficultly of the golf course is likely what has led to its mediocre ranking.

Cape Arundel gets a lot of love on here, but I think it has a ton of flaws. And as someone who grew up in New England, I am definitely partial to courses in the northeast. But a round of golf at Arundel on a busy day means keeping your head on a swivel at all times. It’s way too tight, and balls are crossing fairways at all angles. Also, I love quirky greens with lots of movement, but the greens at Arundel are over the top. I get that greens are the defense on a short course. Even so, there’s a line between tricky and absurd. And too many are in the absurd bucket, in my opinion, unless they holes are cut in forgiving areas, which has never been the case when I’ve played there, and that would sort of defeat the purpose of having wild contours. Beautiful setting, and probably more fun when there are only a few groups out there.

Interesting. I've only played it once (in June of this year) but I had neither experience. It was a fairly busy day when we were there and didn't have any issues with balls flying to other parts of the course and my friends certainly are below average golfers, they made out ok. I didn't think the greens were too tricked up. For sure some parts like the aggressive fall off on the front of the par 3 13th it can get you but with the green speeds at what they are I didn't find them offensive. Short and quirky can work well together and Cape Arundel is one of the best in that regard.


On the other hand I've just returned from a trip to North Carolina where I played Southern Pines, Mid Pines and Pine Needles. I adore Southern Pines, architecturally it is fantastic use of land, but those greens are cooked. Many are too extreme, especially given the speed they were at.


Cape Arundel waxes those three for me.

[Tom_Doak]

Notable new courses: Lido at #4, Pinehurst10 at #15, Sedge Valley #22

Swept the medals!  We've had a pretty good couple of years.

[Paul Jones]

I compared the list to the 2022 Top 100 in US and was surprised how dominate the rankings are with private clubs.  In 2022 Pinehurst 4 was 100 in the US and now 25 in the this year Courses You Can Play for this year.


The comparison is between 2 different years, but from that data 75 of the 100 in the US are private courses.

[Tom_Doak]

I compared the list to the 2022 Top 100 in US and was surprised how dominate the rankings are with private clubs.  In 2022 Pinehurst 4 was 100 in the US and they are 25 in the this year Courses You Can Play for this year.

The comparison is between 2 different years, but from that data 75 of the 100 in the US are private courses.

Actually it's more like 80 out of 100.  Sedge Valley is #22 in this list and didn't make the U.S. top 100 they published last week, using the same votes.

[Steven Wade]

I think Mr. Doak mentioned on a recent podcast that I listened to that often courses that have just opened will get an initial rankings boost because of recency bias. So many raters are excited to see the course, go see it, rank it highly, and voila!, there it is in the rankings. I think Pinehurst #4 was a case study in this.


I will be interested to see where a course like The Lido or Old Barnwell is ranked in 5 years. I’ve played neither, and I’m not assuming they’ll go down. They may follow the Ballyneal trajectory where they seem to climb the rankings year after year.

[Tom_Doak]

I think Mr. Doak mentioned on a recent podcast that I listened to that often courses that have just opened will get an initial rankings boost because of recency bias. So many raters are excited to see the course, go see it, rank it highly, and voila!, there it is in the rankings. I think Pinehurst #4 was a case study in this.

Recency bias also extends to any course that has recently hosted a major championship, and to courses that have recently done a restoration.  Indeed, the GOLF Magazine rankings have promoted the latter by insisting that anyone who saw a restored course before it was restored shouldn't vote on it . . . so the only votes that count are the recent ones.

[Paul Rudovsky]

[Indeed, the GOLF Magazine rankings have promoted the latter by insisting that anyone who saw a restored course before it was restored shouldn't vote on it . . . so the only votes that count are the recent ones.

Tom-- While your statement above is true from a "statistical" standpoint, do you think it was a mistake for GOLF to only consider post-restor/renov evaluations?  Note that the rule you cite really only applies to major restor/renov.  Evaluations are supposed to be of the course in its "present" format, correct?

[Sean_A]

What is a major reno/resto?


Ciao