Golf's greatest courses

This is hot on the heels of Kwini's reference to Golf Digest's list of the world's 100 greatest courses:

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/worlds-100-greatest-golf-courses-2016-ranking

I present another list, from the top100 website:

http://top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/topcourses.asp

What I like about this website is that it amalgamates other lists globally and tries to arrive at a more objective ranking.

So what are your top courses, globally, nationally, regionally?

I don't understand Oakmont at number 10, I can easily think of 100 course I would rather play. I guess it is famous in the US but it is hard to imagine having a great deal of fun playing it.

McLaren wrote:I don't understand Oakmont at number 10, I can easily think of 100 course I would rather play. I guess it is famous in the US but it is hard to imagine having a great deal of fun playing it.

You could say the same for all the courses in the top 10 Mac. It's horses for courses. You love TOC, a lot of people find it very underwhelming.

No you couldn't. The other courses in the top 10 are not designed primarily to be tough to play. I am not saying Oakmont is a bad course but if you are saying it is the 10th best course in the world that implies it would be worth a trip from anywhere in the world to play it. Go and book your Oakmont trip if you want but the outcome would most likely be disappointing.

RCD isn't much fun to play, just ask any of the pros played the irish open this year, TORTURE.

Yes you could Mac, if you are saying that TOC is among the top 10 courses in the world then you could also say that if you book it you could be disappointed. (obviously you wouldn't) I've met many who have.

My top 10 varies greatly from yours. That's the whole point of lists. It isn't a quantitative list.

So are you saying Oakmont is one of the top ten courses that you would most want to play?

I'm not saying that Mac at all. I'm saying that the contents of arbitary lists mean nothing.
Obviously i don't mean Oakmont is a top 10 course, just as I don't think TOC is.

This latest list has only 4 courses in the world as being better than TOC. Do you really think that is true?

It's very difficult to have any opinion on these lists because most of us will have played so few of them. In fact I've never heard of most of them, especially the ones in the far east.

I'm surprised Troon is 80 odd in one list and not in the other list at all. To my mind it's the best Open venue. It's been over a decade since the Open was there, so I suspect it has slipped out of mind. I'd expect it to be right up there on these lists in a year's time.

Sandwich? On both lists? Astonishing.
Lytham? Ditto.

There's a course called Crystal Creek which I was amazed to see on the lists. Very nice course, but top 100 in the world? I think not. I played it ten years ago and it was memorable only for very slopey greens.

Baltusrol? Is this a joke? It makes the Belfry look interesting.

As for the ones in the far east, well I suspect the pics of the golfers on them are revealing. Presumably after about 8 hours you find your way back to the 18th green which will be guarded by a windmill and a mechanical crocodile and when you putt out your ball disappears down a gutter pipe to the office and a geisha carries your clubs over to the monorail link back to the clubhouse.

super_realist wrote:That's the whole point of lists. It isn't a quantitative list.

It is a quantitative list. There are definitely 100 courses on it.

I'd say the Golfbreaks list is far more objective than Golf Digest's which seems to pander to the same audience as its magazine is dumbed down to.
There should be a ten-year honeymoon for new courses to bed down and, if not exactly be seen to stand the test of time, at least be seen in a more objective context. Like the bimbos that increasingly adorn its pages.

No-one's said what they like yet, just what they don't much care for.

My five best, played or walked, are:
Muirfield Village - walked. A challenge for every level, flows beautifully and in impeccable condition. 4 great par fives.
Pebble - walked and played. Some fabulous holes, #8 my fave par 4 anywhere, #18 best finishing hole. Obviously fantastic views but some ordinary holes to go with the great ones.
Oak Hill - walked. A lot. Old fashioned, challenging grind.
Harbour Town - played. Lovely course, playable for all levels.
Wentworth - walked, before Ernie got his hands on it.

For golf porn, best scenically: Kapalua, Pebble, Kiawah, Sandy Lane (before it was changed).

Disappointments: PGA National. Bordering on unplayable for mid/high handicappers, boring too.

#16 on GD's list looks wicked!

I always think Woodhall Spa and Sunningdale look splendid.

Here are more lists from Golf Digest, the BEST! courses in every country, from "Anguilla to Zimbabwe":

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/best-golf-courses-in-206-countries?mbid=nl_010716_daily_hitlist&CNDID=25665405&spMailingID=8410892&spUserID=OTA2NDc1MDkyNzUS1&spJobID=840790452&spReportId=ODQwNzkwNDUyS0

My top 10 played, it's really hard to narrow it down:
10. Dundonald
9. PGA Catalunya
8. Sunningdale Old
7. North Berwick
6. Finca Cortesin
5. El Saler
4. Birkdale
3. Kapalua
2. Sunningdale New
1. Loch Lomond

A load of courses hovering just outside my top ten like Woburn, Formby and Princes.