November 6, 2024

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GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World, broken down by country

GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World, broken down by country

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There are some 57 million miles of land on earth, with some 7 billion humans wandering upon it. A considerably smaller amount of that land is dedicated to the pursuit of building and maintaining golf courses, with considerably fewer earthlings among those who consider themselves to be “golfers.”

And from that remarkably small patch of land sits a smaller stretch of land still. The most elite of the elite. The earth upon which GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World sits.

That land stretches across oceans, four continents, and some 14 countries (with some discernible concentrations in New York and Scotland). You can check out the full list (complete with rankings, descriptions, and lots of insider analysis) here. Below, find GOLF’s ranking sorted by country, and in the case of the United States, by state.

GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World, by country

Scotland (11)

St. Andrews (Old Course)
St. Andrews, Scotland
Nature, 1400s/Old Tom Morris, 1865

The Swilcan Bridge looms at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

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Muirfield
East Lothian, Scotland
Old Tom Morris 1891/H.S. Colt, 1925

Trump Turnberry (Ailsa)
Turnberry, Scotland
Willie Fernie, 1909/Mackenzie Ross, 1946/Martin Ebert, 2016

North Berwick (West)
North Berwick, Scotland
Unknown, 1832/C.K. Hutchison, 1932

Carnoustie (Championship)
Carnoustie, Scotland
A. Robertson, 1842/Old Tom Morris, 1872/James Braid, 1926

Royal Troon (Old)
Troon, Scotland
Willie Fernie, 1887

Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay, Scotland
Old Tom Morris, 1899/Tom Simpson, 1926

Prestwick
Prestwick, Scotland
Old Tom Morris, 1851/Charles Hunter, 1882/James Braid/Harold Hilton, 1922

Prestwick is one of the true gems of Scottish linksland.

David Cannon/Getty

Ardfin
Isle of Jura, Scotland
Bob Harrison, 2017

Castle Stuart
Inverness, Scotland
Gil Hanse/Mark Parsinen (2009)

Kingsbarns
St. Andrews, Scotland
Kyle Phillips, 1999

England (10)

Sunningdale (Old)
Sunningdale, England
Willie Park Jr., 1901/H.S. Colt, 1922

Royal St. George’s
Sandwich, Kent, England
H.S. Colt, 1922/Frank Pennick, 1970s

Royal Birkdale
Southport, England
George Low Jr., 1889/Fred Hawtree, 1932

Royal Birkdale’s beauty isn’t quite fathomable … until you see it up close.

Kevin Murray

Swinley Forest
South Ascot, England
H.S. Colt, 1910

Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin)
Woodhall Spa, England
Harry Vardon, 1905/H.S. Colt, 1912/S.V. Hotchkin, 1926

Sunningdale (New)
Sunningdale, England
H.S. Colt, 1922

Rye (Old)
Camber, England
H.S. Colt, 1895/Tom Simpson/Herbert Tippet/Guy Campbell, 1907

Royal Lytham & St. Annes
Lytham St. Annes, England
George Low Jr., 1897

Royal Liverpool
Hoylake, England
George Morris, 1869/H.S. Colt, 1924/Fred Hawtree, 1960s/Donald Steel, 2000

St. George’s Hill (A & B)
Weybridge, England
H.S. Colt, 1913

Australia (7)

Royal Melbourne (West)
Black Rock, Australia
Alister Mackenzie, 1926

Host of the 2019 Presidents Cup, Royal Melbourne has long dazzled the best players in the world.

Gary Lisbon

Kingston Heath
Cheltenham, Australia
Dan Soutar, 1925/Alister Mackenzie, 1926

Barnbougle Dunes
Bridport, Australia
Tom Doak/Mike Clayton, 2004

New South Wales
La Perouse, Australia
Alister Mackenzie, 1926/Eric Apperly, 1947

Cape Wickham
King Island, Australia
Mike Devries, 2015

Royal Melbourne (East)
Black Rock, Australia
Alex Russell, 1932

Ellerston
Hunter Valley, Australia
Greg Norman/Bob Harrison, 2001

Ireland (4)

Ballybunion (Old)
Ballybunion, Ireland
P. Murphy, 1893/Tom Sipson, 1936

Ballybunion lives in Irish golf lore, and in turn, in the hearts and minds of many of golf’s most influential design figures.

Instagram | @nregan

Lahinch (Old)
Lahinch, Ireland
Old Tom Morris, 1893/Alister Mackenzie, 1927/Martin Hawtree, 2003

Portmarnock (Old)
Portmarnock, Ireland
W.C. Pickerman/George Ross/Mungo Park, 1894/George Coburn, 1896

St Patrick’s Links
Rosapenna, Ireland
Tom Doak, 2021

Canada (3)

Cabot Cliffs
Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw 2016

There’s nowhere on earth quite like Cabot, and goodness, it’s not difficult to see why.

Brian Oar

Cabot Links
Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada
Rod Whitman, 2012

St George’s
Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Stanley Thompson, 1929

Northern Ireland (2)

Royal County Down
Newcastle, N. Ireland
Old Tom Morris, 1889

Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Portrush, N. Ireland
H.S. Colt, 1932/Martin Ebert, 2015

New Zealand (2)

Tara Iti
Te Arai, New Zealand
Tom Doak, 2015

Tom Doak owns a special place in golf wanderlust for his work at Tara Iti, one of the world’s most far-out designs.

Jacob Sjöman

Cape Kidnappers
Te Awanga, New Zealand
Tom Doak, 2004

France (2)

Morfontaine
Mortefontaine, France
Tom Simpson, 1926

Les Bordes (New)
Saint-Laurent-Nouan, France
Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner, 2021

The Netherlands (2)

Royal Hague
Wassenaar, The Netherlands
J.S.F. Morrison/C.H. Alison, 1938

De Pan (Utrechtse)
Utrecht, The Netherlands
H.S. Colt, 1929

Japan (2)

Hirono
Miki-Chi, Japan
C.H. Alison, 1932

Kawana (Fuji)
Ito-Shi, Japan
C.H. Alison/Kinya Fujita (1936)

Mexico (1)

Diamonte (Dunes)
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Davis Love III/Mark Love, 2010/ Paul Cowley, 2016

Dominican Republic (1)

Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog)
La Romana, Dominican Republic
Pete Dye, 1971

Teeth of the Dog is as challenging as it is stunning.

Patrick Koenig

South Korea (1)

Nine Bridges
Jeju Island, South Korea
Rom Fream/David Dale, 2001

United States (52)

**Ranked by state

New York (12)

Shinnecock Hills
Southampton, N.Y.
Toomey & Flynn, 1931

National Golf Links Of America
Southampton, N.Y.
C.B. Macdonald, 1911

Fishers Island
Fishers Island, N.Y.
Seth Raynor, 1926

Friar’s Head
Baiting Hollow, N.Y.
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2003

Winged Foot (West)
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1923

Garden City
Garden City, N.Y.
Devereux Emmet, 1899/Walter Travis, 1906

Devereux Emmet’s signature design, Garden City, stands out among its (many) famous neighbors.

Patrick Koenig

Maidstone
East Hampton, N.Y.
John Park/Willie Park Jr., 1922

Bethpage (Black)
Farmingdale, N.Y.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1935

Sleepy Hollow
Scarborough, N.Y.
C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913/A.W. Tillinghast, 1929/Gil Hanse, 2017

Quaker Ridge
Scarsdale, N.Y.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1926

Oak Hill (East)
Pittsford, N.Y.
Donald Ross, 1921/Andrew Green, 2020

Winged Foot (East)
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1923

California (7)

Cypress Point
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Alister Mackenzie, 1928

Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919

Pebble Beach. Is there any better piece of golf property on earth?

Channing Benjamin

Los Angeles (North)
Los Angeles
George C. Thomas Jr., 1921

Riviera
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
George C. Thomas Jr./Billy Bell Sr., 1926

San Francisco
San Francisco, Calif.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1918

California Club Of San Francisco
So. San Francisco, Calif.
A.V. Macan, 1926/Alister Mackenzie, 1928/Kyle Phillips, 2007

Olympic (Lake)
Daly City, Calif.
Sam Whiting, 1924

Ohio (4)

Camargo
Cincinnati
Seth Raynor, 1926

Inverness
Toledo, Ohio
Donald Ross, 1919/Andrew Green, 2017

The Golf Club
New Albany, Ohio
Pete Dye, 1967

Muirfield Village
Dublin, Ohio
Jack Nicklaus/Desmond Muirhead, 1974

New Jersey (3)

Pine Valley
Pine Valley, N.J.
George Crump/H.S. Colt, 1918

Somerset Hills
Bernardsville, N.J.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1918

Baltusrol (Lower)
Springfield, N.J.
A.W. Tillinghast, 1922

Georgia (3)

Augusta National
Augusta, Ga.
Alister Mackenzie/Bobby Jones, 1933

Ohoopee Match Club
Cobbtown, Ga.
Gil Hanse, 2018

Ohoopee Match Club is one of the golf world’s boldest new designs — and how could it not be? It is one of the few courses built to be played *without* a scorecard.

Jon Cavalier

Peachtree
Atlanta
Robert Trent Jones Sr./Bobby Jones, 1947

Oregon (3)

Pacific Dunes
Bandon, Ore.
Tom Doak, 2001

Bandon Trails
Bandon, Ore.
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2005

Bandon Dunes
Bandon, Ore.
David McLay Kidd, 1999

Massachusetts (2)

The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
Brookline, Mass.
TCC Members/Willie Campbell, 1899

Myopia Hunt Club
So. Hamilton, Mass.
H.C. Leeds, 1898

North Carolina (2)

Pinehurst (No. 2)
Pinehurst, N.C.
Donald Ross, 1907

Pinehurst No. 2 is an American golf treasure in every way, including Donald Ross’ signature turtleback greens — which will leave you wondering whether it’s also an American golf nightmare.

Joann Dost

Old Town
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Perry Maxwell, 1939

South Carolina (2)

Kiawah Island (Ocean)
Kiawah Island, S.C.
Pete Dye, 1991

Yeamans Hall
Hanahan, S.C.
Seth Raynor, 1925

Michigan (2)

Crystal Downs
Frankfort, Mich.
Alister Mackenzie/Perry Maxwell, 1932

Crystal Downs isn’t underrated, but it’s surely slept-on among the golf community for its brilliance.

Gary Kellner/Dimpled Rock

Oakland Hills (South)
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Donald Ross, 1917/Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1950

Pennsylvania (2)

Oakmont
Oakmont, Penn.
Henry Fownes, 1903

Merion (East)
Ardmore, Penn.
Hugh Wilson, 1912

Illinois (2)

Chicago
Wheaton, Ill.
C.B. Macdonald, 1895/Seth Raynor, 1923

Shoreacres
Lake Bluff, Ill.
Seth Raynor, 1921

Nebraska (1)

Sand Hills
Mullen, Neb.
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 1994

Sand Hills is, charitably, in the middle of nowhere. Its golf is similarly unlike anywhere you’ve ever been.

David Cannon/Getty Images

Colorado (1)

Ballyneal
Holyoke, Colo.
Tom Doak, 2006

Florida (1)

Seminole
Juno Beach, Fla.
Donald Ross, 1929

Wisconsin (1)

Whistling Straits (Straits)
Haven, Wis.
Pete Dye, 1998

Kansas (1)

Prairie Dunes
Hutchinson, Kan.
Perry Maxwell, 1937/Press Maxwell, 1957

Montana (1)

Rock Creek Cattle Company
Deer Lodge, Mont.
Tom Doak, 2008

Oklahoma (1)

Southern Hills
Tulsa, Okla.
Perry Maxwell, 1936

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James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow, during which time he cut his teeth at NFL Films, CBS News and Fox Sports. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from.

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