Golf Courses
Top 50 Golf Courses in the world
This survey is compiled annually for Golf Magazine by an international panel of 100 golfers, journalists, architects and industry figures. New courses occasionally break into the 50 but in this list 44 of the golf courses were built before 1940.
The criteria for judgement covers strategic integrity, test of golf skills, rhythm of design, location, ambience, conditioning, tradition and visual appeal. As technology has advanced, many people are worried about great courses becoming obselete, but a combination of lengthening (which keeps hazards in play) and more stringent set-up (pins, fairways, landing areas etc) is enough to save many of the older layouts.
*denotes the course has hosted a Major Championship.
1 Pine Valley Golf Club 1922
2 Cypress Point Club 1928
3 Pebble Beach Golf Links 1919*
4 Augusta National Golf Club 1933
5 St.Andrews - Old Course 1400 *
6 Shinnecock Hills Golf Club 1931 *
7 Pinehurst Country Club - #2 1935
8 Muirfield 1744 *
9 Royal Melbourne - Composite 1926
10 Royal County Down 1898
11 Ballybunion - Old 1893
12 Royal Portrush 1888 *
13 Merion Golf Club - East 1912 *
14 Sand Hills Golf Club 1993
15 Oakmont Country Club 1903 *
16 Royal Dornoch 1877
17 Seminole Golf Club 1929 *
18 Crystal Downs Country Club 1931
19 Turnberry - Ailsa 1897 *
20 Winged Foot - West 1923 *
21 National Golf Links 1911 *
22 Carnoustie - Championship 1842 *
23 San Francisco Golf Club 1918 *
24 Prairie Dunes Country Club 1937
25 Oakland Hills Country Club - South 1918 *
26 Royal St. George's 1887 *
27 Kingston Heath 1887
28 Casa de Campo 1971
29 The Olympic Club - Lake Course 1924 *
30 Royal Birkdale 1889 *
31 Muirfield Village Golf Club 1974
32 The Country Club - Open Course 1895 *
33 Woodall Spa 1926
34 Royal Troon 1878 *
35 Chicago Golf Club 1894 *
36 Oak Hill Country Club - East Course 1925 *
37 Baltusrol Golf Club - Lower Course 1922
38 Portmarnock Golf Club 1894
39 Fishers Island Club 1927
40 Sunningdale Golf Club - Old 1985
41 Southern Hills Country Club 1935 *
42 Hirono 1932
43 New South Wales 1928
44 Bethpage State Park - Black 1936 *
45 Morfontaine Golf Club 1927
46 Kingsbarns 1999
47 Riviera Country Club 1926 *
48 The Golf Club 1967
49 Loch Lomond 1994
50 Royal Lytham and St. Annes 1886 *