Have you ever been asked "If you could play just one course, what would it be?" For Ben Hogan, the one course he said he could play happily for the rest of his life was Seminole. Tom Lehman wrote a letter to Shinnecock Hills in 1995 stating, "If I were given one day to live, and could play any course that I wanted for my last round, I would choose Shinnecock." I actually think this is the wrong question. I'm too greedy to limit the list to just one course.
The right question would be, if you had unlimited time and money, and access to whatever courses you wanted, which courses would you put on your short list to play. Think of it as your own personal global Open Championship rota of courses.
Try sometime to rank the top golf courses you have seen or played. Then take out a blank sheet of paper and try to write it down again. Or think about it a few days and try it again. Try it again and see if you come up with the same list. It's a futile exercise. My own personal experience is that it is easier to bucket courses into categories or group them together. Below is my current list:
The right question would be, if you had unlimited time and money, and access to whatever courses you wanted, which courses would you put on your short list to play. Think of it as your own personal global Open Championship rota of courses.
Try sometime to rank the top golf courses you have seen or played. Then take out a blank sheet of paper and try to write it down again. Or think about it a few days and try it again. Try it again and see if you come up with the same list. It's a futile exercise. My own personal experience is that it is easier to bucket courses into categories or group them together. Below is my current list:
The bunkering on Royal Adelaide's 7th hole
Top 10
Cypress Point
National Golf Links of America
Sand Hills
Carnoustie
Loch Lomond
Sunningdale (Old)
Cruden Bay
Maidstone
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Royal Adelaide
Merion
Morfontaine
Cypress Point
National Golf Links of America
Sand Hills
Carnoustie
Loch Lomond
Sunningdale (Old)
Cruden Bay
Maidstone
Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Royal Adelaide
Merion
Morfontaine
Sunningdale's 12th green
Next 10
Shinnecock Hills
Camargo
Shoreacres
Pine Valley
Yeamans Hall
Royal County Down
Jack's Point
Woodhall Spa
Barnbougle Dunes
San Francisco Golf Club
Shinnecock Hills
Camargo
Shoreacres
Pine Valley
Yeamans Hall
Royal County Down
Jack's Point
Woodhall Spa
Barnbougle Dunes
San Francisco Golf Club
Jack's Point's fifteenth hole in Queenstown, NZ
Next 10
Turnberry
Whippoorwill Club
Los Angeles Country Club
Seminole
Somerset Hills
Royal Melbourne West
Kauri Cliffs
Kawana
Bethpage Black
New South Wales
Turnberry
Whippoorwill Club
Los Angeles Country Club
Seminole
Somerset Hills
Royal Melbourne West
Kauri Cliffs
Kawana
Bethpage Black
New South Wales
Whippoorwill's par three 4th hole
Next 10
Pebble Beach
Riviera
Crystal Downs
Prestwick
Kingsbarns
Baltimore (Five Farms)
Lahinch
Garden City Mens Club
Naruo
Myopia Hunt Club
Highlands Links
Pebble Beach
Riviera
Crystal Downs
Prestwick
Kingsbarns
Baltimore (Five Farms)
Lahinch
Garden City Mens Club
Naruo
Myopia Hunt Club
Highlands Links
Prestwick's ideal opening hole
Next 10
Bandon Dunes
The Valley Club of Montecito
Kiawah (Ocean Course)
Pinehurst #2
Royal Dornoch
Hirono
Chicago Golf Club
Valderamma
Royal St. George's
Royal Liverpool
Hirono's crazy sloping 14th fairway
The smart aleck's among you have probably noticed that I don't know how to count. I did take a little liberty to include eleven courses in each category because it's very difficult to keep it to ten and I've never been particularly good at math. If you don't like that approach, create your own list.
love your blog top100golfer, even inspired me to try my own top 100 courses/photograph blog though I still have about 83 to do! surprised to see royal Adelaide up so high as it seems to be criticized quite heavily of late.have not got there yet but is it really that good?? interesting that you place portrush above county down as many seem to have the opposite view on that one
ReplyDeleteGreat list! Interesting the Muirfield doesn't appear on your top 50 (or top 56). Not trying to argue, because as you said it's your list, but I was surprised not to see it on there. I was glad to see LACC on there. I played it on Wednesday...WOW!! Endlessly entertaining and unique. Good luck on Augusta!!
ReplyDeleteBill
Thanks for the comments. Glad you liked LACC, great place. If the rankings were overall experience/a unique day then Muirfield would rank higher. The golf course just isn't that special in my view. Yes, Royal Adelaide is that good. Not sure who is criticizing it, perhaps the unwashed masses who are not as learned as I! I tend to break away from group think and make up my own mind. Adelaide has a great routing, unique holes, risk/reward, the train, etc. A special place. I like both County Down and Portrush a lot but think that based on the golf course itself (excluding the beauty of County Down) Portrush is a better, more interesting routing. I wouldn't decline an invite to either!
ReplyDeleteThe main issue at Royal Adelaide has been the 17th, which has been converted from a dogleg right into a straight ahead hole with a large bunker in the middle of the fairway.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the course has been tinkered with but has been largely stable for a long time.
There is currently a big division within the club about reversing some changes versus leaving it as is
Any progress on Augusta?
ReplyDeleteGreat List! I hope to golf on many of the course you listed as my goal is to golf in all 50 states within my lifetime along with some very high end course.
ReplyDeleteProbably the only Top 50 list around that has Carnoustie, Royal Adelaide, and Jack's Point ALL ahead of Royal Melbourne. Not to mention the absence of Kingston Heath.
ReplyDeleteI liked Kingston Heath, but it didn't seem all that distinctive or unique to me. It would make my top 100 list but not the top 50. My list is indeed unique as I try to think independently about the courses and not be lulled into group think, thus, those courses you say in my personal view are better than Royal Melbourne, although it is clearly one of the world's finest.
ReplyDeleteAs of 2011, now Royal Melbourne [West] has been restored to its former glory by the best Superintendent in Oz, it is laughable to believe that Royal Adelaide is a superior course - it has, at best, 6 very fine holes
ReplyDeleteI agree also that Kingston Heath is overrated and is at least equaled in Oz by Metropolitan - there is no course in better condition which more than makes up for the relatively flat terrain
What happened to Ballybunion? I thought that was originally in your top 10?
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you ever travelled to northern Michigan? Arcadia Bluffs or Forest Dunes? I highly recommend both!
ReplyDeleteI just played Jacks Point the other day John, and I can see what you like so much about it! Incredible course!
ReplyDeleteIf I had 10 rounds left to play in my life, a week at Pine Valley playing 9 times followed by a flight to Scotland and 1 round on the Old Course at St Andrews would be pretty ideal.
ReplyDelete