Dyes contributions to modern architecture cant be overstated. Many of its greens are plateaued, with some of the more pronounced coming on the 3rd, 11th and 14th holes. (Photo: Patrick Koenig), This 15-time British Open host dates to 1887. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), Arguably the finest site on which Donald Ross ever worked, the course plays along and between two main dune lines, and Ross made the most of the opportunity with holes continually tacking in different directions. 2. Kudos to William Watson, who might well be the least appreciated important architect from the Golden Age. (Photo: Getty Images), Developers Ben Cowan-Dewar and Mike Keiser handed over a rolling plot of coastal Nova Scotia terrain to Canadian architect Rod Whitman. Though Sandwich is expansive, tense moments present themselves, including on 4th tee, where you must clear the rotas most fearsome fairway bunker. Fescue fairways help the ground-game options flourish as balls release across the rumpled ground. / Robert Trent Jones (1962) More about this course , 7,037 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.3327Winston-Salem, N.C. / Perry Maxwell (1939)More about this course , 7,540 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.3059Louisville / Jack Nicklaus (1987)More about this course , 7,280 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.2570 Newtown Square, Pa. / Donald Ross (1928) More about this course , 7,404 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.1407Kohler, Wis. / Pete Dye (1990)More about this course , 7,175 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.1206Galena, Ohio / Jay Morrish & Tom Weiskopf (1992)More about this course , 7,635 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 61.1174 Charlotte, N.C. / George Cobb (1961) More about this course , 6,500 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.0755Santa Cruz, Calif. / Alister MacKenzie (1929)More about this course , 6,808 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.0487Charleston, S.C. / Seth Raynor & Charles Banks (1926)More about this course , 7,035 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.0191Wayzata, Minn. / Tom Fazio (1999)More about this course , Photo By: Peter Wong/Courtesy of Spring Hill GC. In the memorability department, however, 15 takes a backseat to the par-4 13th, The Pit, whose green sits directly behind a low stone wall. Hotchkin for enhancing Harry Vardons initial work and turning the course into one of golfs supreme inland delights, an oasis amid the surrounding flat fenland of Lincolnshire. (Photo: Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour), Better known to English speakers as The Hague, The Netherlands highest-ranking course is a Morrison-and-Alison collaboration that plays across chaotically heaving fairways amid substantial dunes. Florida. (Photo: Gary Lisbon), This ancient links dates to 1842 and is defined by heather, gorse, jungle-like fescue rough, steep-faced revetted bunkers and the sinuous Barry Burn all of which create havoc in the wind. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), This host to 24 Open Championships (including the first 12) features an irresistible combination of quirk and muscle. Tillinghast (1918)More about this course , Photo By: Evan Schiller/Courtesy of Quaker Ridge GC, LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of The Kittansett Club, 6,934 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 61.6906Marion, Mass. Hard to imagine that the professionals now try to drive the sliver of green at 14 but thats how much the game has changed and yet the hole is still no easy par. Then it moved higher still. Much to its credit, the club recently reversed course, recognizing that Donald Ross's work should be brought back to the greatest extent possible. Click the star icon to create and share a list of Top 100 Courses youve played! When you discover the design plays as good as it looks, you have something special. Located in MacKenzie extracted the best from the land in part by breaking the rules and having back-to-back par-5s on the front and back-to-back par-3s on the back. (Photo: Getty Images), With sweeping, cross-course vistas punctuated by tawny native grasses and an exemplary routing thattwists around miles ofcreek beds, side-slopes andartistic bunkering, Old Towns restoration portrays the enduring spirit of classic golf architecture. The manner by which Maxwell draped the fairways across the rolling landscape resulted in few level lies. Thanks to the inspired positioning of the bunkers and the angled green, options abound on how to card a big number on this tiny hole. Crystal Downs 18. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images), This 16-time Open venue and site of the 2022 Womens Open was never more testing or memorable than in 2013, when Phil Mickelson rode his 3-wood to victory. Harrison mixes up the asks with a variety of fine green complexes. Add in fescue fairways and the sites broad slopes and you have a course whose asks change daily. Wake Forests golf teams practice at Old Town, which gives them a huge home-field advantage as few collegiate golfers are accustomed to putting on undulating Maxwell greens orconsistently hitting approach shots from uneven stances. (Photo: Kevin Murray), A.W. The lumpiest/bumpiest ground is near the clubhouse and yields such marvels as the 1st with the stonewall and railroad line hard down the right of the fairway, the Narrows 15th and the famous Alps 17th. The more the world speeds up, the more people appreciate clubs like Swinley where calm reigns supreme. YEAR BUILT. Myopia Hunt Club 17. Royal Portrush Most Junior Friendly Club: Trophy Club. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images), The value that an architect provides is highlighted here in technicolor. Why? (Photo: Evan Schiller), GOLF Magazines Top New International Course of 2009 has maintained its early lofty results thanks to a brilliant Gil Hanse/Mark Parsinen design that was effusively praised by Phil Mickelson before Mickelson won the 2013 Scottish Open here. Ultimately, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner were given this dream site upon which to build an original design. The two most famous holes are the par-5 5th, with its long, downward sloping fairway toward the Pacific, and the 195-yard 6th that plays over an inlet of Cape Banks, but the stretch from 13 to 16 is as good a run of par-4s as you will find anywhere. All I have to do is eliminate 100 of them. All that's missing is an ocean at this linksy-looking layout that played host to the 2002 U.S. Women's Open (Juli Inkster) and 2006 U.S. Senior Open (Allen Doyle). (Photo: Evan Schiller), The only course outside of England and Scotland to host the Open is perennially ranked in the worlds top-15 courses, thanks to a superior 1929 H.S. Tillinghast (1922)More about this course , 6,665 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.1302East Hampton, N.Y. / Willie Park Jr. & Jack Park (1924)More about this course , 7,730 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.0882 Toledo, Ohio / Donald Ross (1919) More about this course , 7,203 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.0564 Manakin-Sabot, Va. / Lester George & Vinny Giles (2001) More about this course , 6,788 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.0223Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (2005)More about this course , 7,140 Yards / Par 70 / Points: 62.0136Columbus, Ohio / Donald Ross (1916)More about this course , 6,539 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.9385South Hamilton, Mass. Be careful of its short par-4s: the 4th, 9th and 14th all tempt with driver off the tee and punish rash tactics. (Photo: Jon Cavalier), Manmade hazards are few on Australian architect Bob Harrison's design, but he puts golfers on notice early, with the tee shot at the 205-yard 2nd needing to carry a 100-foot cliff. / William Flynn & Frederic Hood (1922)More about this course , Photo By: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of The Kittansett Club, 6,610 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 61.6493Alister MacKenzie & Robert Hunter (1929)More about this course , 6,555 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 61.6493 Manchester, Mass. Alison introduced to Hirono in the early 1930s, so bunkers built since became known as Alisons. Originally, the course bore a sandy, scrubby appearance, but tree planting changed Hironos character over the decades. Pine Valley excels at all three, with many contending it has the most formidable hazards and sophisticated green complexes in golf. True, the Great Depression began during construction but the grace with which the holes flow across the property is a tribute to the hands-on, slow-build process. Macdonald (1915) / A.W. The par-3 9th is one of the hidden gem one-shotters in the Northeast, though it may take a few rounds to figure out why. 2 and NGLA in the sense that one mans steady hand (in this case John Sutherland) elevated the course over a period of several decades. (Photo: Getty Images), Tom Doaks works along large bodies of water populate our list but some contend what he did in the American West at Rock Creek is just as exhilarating as his more photographed courses in sandy soil. First established in 1966, the biennial 2021-2022 ranking of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses is ready for its close-up, 7,181 yards, Par 70 / Points: 72.1554 Clementon, N.J. / George Crump & H.S. Such designs enjoy their own unique voices with County Down further blessed with staggeringly handsome long views of the Irish Sea, the Mountains of Mourne and the red-brick steeple of the Slieve Donard Hotel. (Photo: Gary Lisbon), The birthplace of golf features blind bunkers, huge double greens, quirks such as the Road Hole and Hell Bunker and strategic options that vary with the days wind. Work started in 1928 and the course didnt open until 1931. The home of the Masters tournament, the Augusta National Golf Club was founded more than 80 years ago and has only 300 members. / Tom Fazio (2004)More about this course , 6,836 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 63.3210A.W. Both casual golfers and architecture buffs alike should take note of the features that make the three longest par-4s (9, 11 and 16) so much fun to play. Alister MacKenzie. Thats great architecture. (Photo: Patrick Koenig), This unconventional Tom Doak treasure catapulted him into the spotlight at the turn of the century. Dont miss Morfontaines nine-hole Valliere course; its green contours are as dazzling as the City of Lights itself. Two of the best examples occur late in the round. Recent tree clearing along the perimeter has enhanced the sites phenomenal coastal setting. Fishers joined our World Top 100 at No. But a two decade-long renovation based on Raynors original property maps discovered in the clubhouse attic has returned this Golden Age masterpiece to its original brilliance. The 2021 Ryder Cup played here highlighted what a great match-play course it is, too, with its plethora of -par holes. Tillinghast (1918) More about this course , 6,960 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.5718Pebble Beach / Robert Trent Jones (1966)More about this course , Photo By: Courtesy of Pebble Beach Company, 7,245 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.5002Ponte Vedra Beach / Pete Dye & Alice Dye (1980)More about this course , LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Monterey Peninsula CC, 6,873 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.4628 Pebble Beach / Mike Strantz (2004)More about this course , Photo By: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Monterey Peninsula CC, 6,729 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 62.3327 Lake Bluff, Ill. / Seth Raynor (1921) More about this course , Hugh Hargrave/Courtesy of Whispering Pines CC, 7,468 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.3161 Trinity, Texas / Chet Williams (2000)More about this course , Photo By: Hugh Hargrave/Courtesy of Whispering Pines CC, 6,944 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.3008Bandon, Ore. / Tom Doak & Jim Urbina (2010)More about this course , Mike Klemme/Courtesy of Oak Tree National, 7,410 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.2427 Edmond, Okla. / Pete Dye & Alice Dye (1976)More about this course , Photo By: Mike Klemme/Courtesy of Oak Tree National, 6,908 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 62.2410 Plymouth, Mass. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), Conceived by Jack Nicklaus in 1966 to be his hometown equivalent of Bobby Jones Augusta National, this 1974 collaboration with Desmond Muirhead was an instant smash, both for its strategic design and flawless conditioning. Indeed, the beauty of Oakmont is how it doesnt doll itself up, and yet to a purist the view from the crest of the hill on 15 is as breathtaking as any in the country. California. Hosting major events on a regular basis confers prestige and pride to any membership. Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia In 1932, on the grounds of the storied 365-acre Fruitland Nurseries, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts opened arguably Their own sense of aesthetics complemented the rustic sites color palette of browns, rusts and tans. The construction process was slow going as jungle brush needed to be beat back with machetes. / Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (2005)More about this course , 6,981 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.2244Edina, Minn. / Willie Watson (1911) / Donald Ross (1922)More about this course , Photo By: Peter Wong/Courtesy of Interlachen CC, 7,657 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.2194Tom Bendelow (1928)More about this course , David Normoyle/Courtesy The Garden City Golf Club, 6,922 Yards, Par 73 / Points: 62.1846Devereux Emmet (1899) / Walter Travis (1913)More about this course , Photo By: David Normoyle/Courtesy The Garden City Golf Club, 6,902 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 62.1752Scarborough-on-Hudson, N.Y. / C.B. Though the course just turned 30 years old, it already has an illustrious history of hosting big-time events, none more memorable than the drama-filled 1991 War by the Shore Ryder Cup. 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