[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Let the Games Begin...

Golfweek’s America’s Best Classic 2004

1.   Pine Valley
2.   Cypress Point
3.   Shinnecock
4.   Augusta
5.   Pebble Beach
6.   Oakmont
7.   Merion (East)
8.   NGLA
9.   Crystal Downs
10.   Pinehurst No. 2
11.   Fishers Island
12.   San Francisco GC
13.   Prairie Dunes
14.   Chicago GC
15.   Seminole
16.   Winged Foot (West)
17.   Garden City GC
18.   LACC (North)
19.   Oakland Hills (South)
20.   Olympic Club (Lake)
21.   Bethpage (Black)
22.   Wannamoisett CC
23.   The Country Club (Composite)
24.   Southern Hills
25.   Riviera
26.   Camargo Club
27.   Quaker Ridge
28.   Shoreacres
29.   Plainfield CC
30.   Somerset Hills
31.   Oak Hill CC
32.   Medinah (No. 3)
33.   Maidstone
34.   Winged Foot (East)
35.   Inverness
36.   Baltimore CC (East)
37.   Peachtree
38.   Baltusrol GC  (Lower)
39.   Homestead (Cascades)
40.   White Bear Yacht Club
41.   Yeamans Hall
42.   Salem CC
43.   Myopia Hunt Club
44.   East Lake
45.   Holston Hills CC
46.   Colonial
47.   Newport CC
48.   Milwaukee CC
49.   Valley Club of Montecito
50.   Fenway GC
51.   Piping Rock
52.   Scioto
53.   Pasatiempo
54.   Cherry Hills
55.   Interlachen
56.   Aronomink
57.   Olympia Fields CC (North)
58.   Baltusrol GC (Upper)
59.   Country Club of Fairfield
60.   Kittansett Club
61.   Congressional (Blue)
62.   Hollywood GC
63.   Philadelphia (spring Mill)
64.   Huntingdon Valley CC
65.   NCR (South)
66.   St.Louis CC
67.   Lawsonia GC (Links)
68.   Northland CC
69.   Essex CC
70.   Creek Club
71.   Lancaster CC
72.   Taconic GC
73.   Ridgewood CC (East/West)
74.   Brookside
75.   Fox Chapel
76.   Lehigh CC
77.   Point O’Woods
78.   Indianwood (Old)
79.   Mountain Lake
80.   CC of Buffalo
81.   Minikahda
82.   Franklin Hills
83.   Pine Needles
84.   Whippoorwill
85.   Ekwanok CC
86.   Westchester (West)
87.   CC of Detroit
88.   Bel-Air CC
89.   Champions (Cypress Creek)
90.   Manufacturers
91.   Mountain Ridge
92.   Brook Hollow CC
93.   Wykagyl CC
94.   Philadelphia Cricket Club
95.   Moraine CC
96.   Monterey Peninsula CC (Dunes)
97.   Firestone (South)
98.   Canterbury GC
99.   Dunes Golf & Beach Club
100.   Rolling Green GC

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Oops.  Forgot to mention that 80)Country Club of Buffalo, 91) Mountain Ridge GC and 92) Brook Hollow CC are newcomers to the Classic List...

[mike_malone]

 As i see Rolling Green hanging by a thread i agree with Tom Doak's statement that these ratings lag---two years ago we had grren problems.I also think tree problems are rising in the ratings equation and we were way behind the curve a few years ago but are catching up.

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike;


Thanks for posting!!

What fell off?

[ferkauf]

It looks like Yale, Sankaty Head, The Cal Club, And Saucon Valley fell off the list. Also, Hollywood was added this year after a glaring omission last year.

[Mike_Cirba]

Thanks Ferkauf;

Interesting about the Cal Club.  I understand that they took down a lot of trees, so that might be one to watch in future rankings.

[THuckaby2]

Thanks for posting, Mike, but....

YAWN.

Nothing very exciting there, which is to be expected from a wuss rating system that refuses to have the nads to compare ALL golf courses.

Mike C., you knew I had to say this at some point.  I'm just getting it out of the way early.

 

[John_Lovito]

Does anyone recall Aronomink's ranking last year?  The restoration has been widely applauded and I'm curious if the 56 spot is a big improvement.

[A_Clay_Man]

Here's the 2003 classic list;

1. Pine Valley Golf Club (p)
2. Cypress Point Club (p)
3. Augusta National Golf Club (p)
4. Pebble Beach Golf Links (r)
5. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (p)
6. Oakmont Country Club (p)
7. Merion Golf Club (East Course) (p)
8. Crystal Downs Country Club (p)
9. National Golf Links of America (p)
10. Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (No. 2 Course) (r)
11. Prairie Dunes Country Club (p)
12. Fishers Island Golf Club (p)
13. San Francisco Golf Club (p)
14. Seminole Golf Club (p)
15. Chicago Golf Club (p)
16. Winged Foot Golf Club
17. Oakland Hills Country Club
18. The Country Club (Composite Course)
19. Bethpage State Park (Black Course) (d)
20. Garden City Golf Club (p)
21. The Olympic Club (Lake Course) (p)
22. Wannamoisett Country Club (p)
23. Riviera Country Club (p)
24. Southern Hills Country Club (p)
25. Los Angeles Country Club (North Course) (p)
26. Quaker Ridge Golf Club (p)
27. Winged Foot Golf Club (East Course) (p)
28. Shoreacres (p)
29. Medinah Country Club (No. 3 Course) (p)
30. Plainfield Country Club (p)
31. Baltusrol Country Club
32. Camargo Club (p)
33. East Lake Golf Club (p)
34. Baltimore Country Club (East Course) (p)
35. Holston Hills Country Club (p)
36. Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) (p)
37. Maidstone Club (p)
38. Yeamans Hall Club (p)
39. Salem Country Club (p)
40. Valley Club of Montecito (p)
41. Inverness Club (p)
42. Somerset Hills Country Club (p)
43. Homestead Resort (Cascades Golf Club) (r)
44. Pasatiempo Golf Club (d)
45. Scioto Country Club (p)
46. Milwaukee Country Club (p)
47. Newport Country Club (p)
48. Interlachen Country Club (p)
49. White Bear Yacht Club (p)
50. Fenway Golf Club (p)
51. Myopia Hunt Club (p)
52. Olympia Fields Country Club(North Course) (p)
53. NCR Country Club (South Course) (p)
54. Peachtree Golf Club (p)
55. Congressional Country Club (Blue Course) (p)
56. Point O’Woods Golf Club (p)
57. Essex County Club (p)
58. Colonial Country Club (p)
59. Aronimink Golf Club (p)
60. Baltusrol Country Club (Upper Course) (p)
61. Cherry Hills Country Club (p)
62. Country Club of Fairfield (p)
63. Kittansett Club (p)
64. Moraine Country Club (p)
65. Huntingdon Valley Country Club (p)
66. Piping Rock Club (p)
67. Lancaster Country Club (p)
68. Creek Club (p)
69. Manufacturers Golf & Country Club (p)
70. Lawsonia Golf Club (Links Course) (d)
71. Ridgewood Country Club(East/West Course) (p)
72. Brookside Country Club (p)
73. Fox Chapel Golf Club (p)
74. Country Club of Detroit (p)
75. Philadelphia Country Club (Spring Mill Course) (p)
76. Lehigh Country Club (p)
77. Rolling Green Golf Club (p)
78. Whippoorwill Club (p)*
79. Bel-Air Country Club (p)
80. Pine Needles Country Club (r)
81. Yale Golf Course (p)
82. Saucon Valley Country Club(Old Course) (p)
83. Canterbury Golf Club (p)
84. Taconic Golf Club (p)
85. Indianwood Country Club(Old Course) (p)
86. Philadelphia Cricket Club (p)
87. Westchester Country Club (West Course) (p)
88. Minikahda Club (p)
89. Firestone Country Club (South Course) (p)
90. Sankaty Head Golf Club (p)
91. Dunes Golf & Beach Club (r)
92. California Golf Club of San Francisco (p)*
93. Franklin Hills Country Club (p)
94. Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Dunes Course) (p)
95. The Country Club (p)
96. Wykagyl Country Club (p)
97. St. Louis Country Club (p)
98. Saucon Valley Country Club (Grace Course) (p)
99. Champions Golf Club(Cypress Creek Course) (p)
100. Mountain Lake Club

[Rick Shefchik]

Not a bad showing by Northland CC (Duluth, Minn.), which came in at 68 on the Classic List, after not even making Golf Digest's most recent list of 20 best in the state.

Someone at GD really dropped the ball on Northland, a wonderful Donald Ross design on the hills overlooking Lake Superior. True, the course was undergoing a facelift the last couple of years, but GW managed to get it right.

[blasbe1]

Looks like Mountain Lake jumped 21 spots from the '03 list.  A Raynor design that was restored by Brian Silva, does anyone have detailed knowledge of the course, the project, the results?  I received some literature and from what I can tell it looks like a great winter weekend getaway for those of us in the NE.  Thoughts?
   

[Scott_Burroughs]

Shivas,

I think it is an issue that old ratings get used, however, the problem is that if you used only ratings submitted during a calendar (or GW list calendar) year, probably 75% or more of the courses on both lists wouldn't get enough visits to qualify, even with the addition of new panelists.  I also heard through the grapevine that 15 is now the minimum number of votes needed to qualify for the lists, so I'd raise that 75% to a much higher number.  There'd be no lists.


Rick,

I'll take a guess that Northland isn't even on the GD list of courses for GD panelists to see to rate.  I saw the GD list of candidate courses once and was very surprised at some of the courses not even on the list to vote on.  Either that, or not enough GD panelists have seen Northland, not exactly in a highly visited location.

[Rick Shefchik]

Scott --

You might be right about Northland not being on the most recent list of candidates for GD raters to visit (and you're definitely right that Duluth is way, way off the beaten path), but Northland has been on GD's list of best in Minnesota prior to the most recent list. It's been as high as fifth, if memory serves. To drop off the list completely last time seemed very odd.

Maybe GD has a policy of not considering courses which are undergoing renovation/restoration work, but Northland never closed during the work (mostly adding bunkers).

[Brian_Gracely]

Looks like Mountain Lake jumped 21 spots from the '03 list.  A Raynor design that was restored by Brian Silva, does anyone have detailed knowledge of the course, the project, the results?  I received some literature and from what I can tell it looks like a great winter weekend getaway for those of us in the NE.  Thoughts?
   

blasbe1,

Links magazine did a nice write-up about Mountain Lake in last month's issue.  The author did a nice job of highlighting many of the strategic elements that Silva brought back to the course.  

Also, I think "klangone" posted some pictures from there recently.  You should be able to search through his postings for the last few weeks and find them.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Rick,

If Northland was 5th in a past edition, then something is amiss.  I don't know if they have a policy on old ratings or not - perhaps discarding them after a certain time or something.  I doubt they would take a course once thought of so highly as to remove it from the list.


Brian,

FYI, that Mountain Lake article in Links was written by sometime GCA poster Anthony Pioppi.

[klangone]

Blasbe......MLake is the real deal.  Silva did a great job......I think it needs a year or so for the changes to grow in.......I can't wait for the firm and fast conditions to hit........it is not that long a course, but has some monster holes.  A great place to spend a few days out of the winter (or in my case out of the East coast of FL)

[Willie_Dow]

blasbe/klangone

The new list says Mountain Ridge not Mountain Lake, which was 100 last year.  Was this an error?

Willie

[SPDB]

Willie -
They are both on the list. Both benefitted from well received restorative work, Mtn Ridge (NJ)(Prichard), and Mtn. Lake (FL)(Silva). They are Ross and Raynor, respectively.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Willie,

Mountain Lake is #79 on the new list, Mountain Ridge #91.

[Willie_Dow]

Sorry guys, and thanks for info.

I'm anxious to get over to Mountain Lake to compare the work Silva did with his work at Fox Chapel.  Was he also starting a restortion at Highland Field, outside Baltimore?

[Scott_Burroughs]

Willie,

Do you mean Elkridge?  Silva is starting a restoration of that Raynor design near Baltimore.

[Willie_Dow]

Thanks again, Scott, for filling in my absent mind!

Wasn't Raynor involved with the additional nine added to Bendelow's original nine at Elkridge?  Seems we discussed this here a few months ago.

Willie

[Scott_Burroughs]

I don't know the details.  David Carroll (who has been conspicuously absent lately) would know the details.  Mr Hurricane may know....

[Joel_Stewart]

Olympic moved from 21st all the way up to #20.   Shooting for #19 in the next ballot-whew.

[JakaB]

Where is Beverly.....I don't understand how people that love architecture can't see what is there and see what will be by reading the master plan...Don't tell me you can't rate based on what will be when so often you base your opinions on what is not there....It is good enough as it stands already.

oops..in the interest of disclosure...I was comped by somebody at Beverly...don't know who for sure but most likely a private party and not the club...and I had a free lunch.  

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