(Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images), Modern architecture did itself no favors by pursuing holes that constantly scream at the golfer, because at some point the golfer goes tone deaf. Eventually it became a site for illegal dumping of toxic waste. The standard quartet of Raynor template one-shot holes (Redan, Short, Biarritz and Eden) are here and rival his best set. Crystal Downs 18. Golf Connoisseur, with a BPA audited rate base of 235,000, is distributed at top golf and country clubs, luxury resorts, spas and casinos, airline lounges, on private Dating to 1916, the course was made over by A.W. The clubhouse is situated in the middle, with each nine fanning out on either side. Arnold Palmer once tabbed the 15th as one of golfs best par-3s and yet the other par-3 on that side (the shorter 12th) is just as good. 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. The 4th hole, for instance, features a reverse-camber fairway: the hole swings right to left but the fairway tilts left to right, mandating a draw from the tee. Ran Morrissett, GOLFs Architecture Editor, Photos in revolving gallery above: Royal County Down (Evan Schiller), Friars Head (Jon Cavalier), Baltusrol Lower (Patrick Koenig), Tara Iti (Jacob Sjoman), Ardfin (Konrad Borkowski), Podcast: What makes a Top 100 course? Maidstone 15. 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. One banal way? Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 Peoples Open, as that U.S. Open came to be known. / Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (1995) More about this course , 6,836 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 66.0702 Juno Beach, Fla. / Donald Ross (1929) More about this course , 7,477 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 66.0543 Mamaroneck, N.Y. / A.W. (Photo: Courtesy Swinley Forest), Drone shots of this course are evocative, showing holes located on fingers of land hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean. Any modern architect should spend time here, studying how its creators teased so much from land that is neither rambunctious nor expansive. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913/A.W. Its abrupt change in direction from any previous holes means golfers dont have a good read on how the wind will affect their tee balls. 17 at Trinity Forest. Often on a Tom Doak course, the best way to get a ball close to the hole requires both imagination and creativity. Is that true for Myopia Hunt, given that it has played host to four U.S. The iconic par-3 16th, which extends into the churning Pacific, is the games most dramatic and photographed hole, but there are endless other highlights, from the forested portion to heaving dunes to its famed jagged coastline. Seventy-five years later and this Georgia course still adheres to the founding vision, which speaks volumes to the quality of RTJs original design. Maidstone has struck the perfect balance. (Photo: Patrick Koenig), This unconventional Tom Doak treasure catapulted him into the spotlight at the turn of the century. Recent clearing has helped to highlight the stunning nature of the cypress trees that line this hillside overlooking Lake Merced. (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. Why? Known as the Duel Hole, the drop-shot par-3 7th may be the courses most famous hole, but its par-4s, including the 2nd, 3rd, 10th and 12th, are the real headliners. The Outlier. Nearly every hole at St. Andrews and Augusta National provides a safe route to the green and also a riskier one. Fuji and cliff-top panoramas of the Pacific Ocean. Opens and the famous 1999 Ryder Cup. 7,181 yards, Par 70 / Points: 72.1554. Twenty-three miles north of Aberdeen, Cruden Bay offers many novel features, including the postcard-perfect par-3 4th, which overlooks the Water of Cruden and the fishing village of Port Erroll, and the par-4 14th, with its funnel-shaped bathtub green. Amateur telecast from here was captivating. Fishers joined our World Top 100 at No. Following a 2008 Kyle Phillips re-do that was part restoration and part redesign, many feel this private course is equal to any in California north of Cypress Point. (Photo: Wood Sabold), This 1999 Kyle Phillips design 15 miles from the Old Course has earned the respect of links fans, who can be a tough bunch as they generally travel to the United Kingdom to play courses that are 100-plus years old. (Photo: Kevin Murray), A.W. 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. Additionally, does any walk compare with that final stroll up the iconic par-5 18th as it curves left around Carmel Bay?! Constant refinements, no matter how small, have Friars Head as dialed-in as any course in the country. Over the years, the courses original wonder faded as bunkers grew in and green complexes shrank. Yes, that would be Portmarnock, set among low dunes at the end of a peninsula. One par-3 is tiny, at 115 yards; the others measure 236, 246 and 256. The panels appreciation of the East Course raises the question: What is the finest 36-hole day in golf at one location? On the back side, one feature that was recently expunged was a natural pond 100 yards shy of the 17th green. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images), Venue for five U.S. USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OURVISITOR AGREEMENT(UPDATED 1/6/23),PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE(UPDATED 1/4/23) ANDCALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE. Blind tee shots abound, in brilliant fashion at such holes as 2, 5 and 9. Tillinghast (1928) / Gil Hanse and George Bahto (2014-2018)More about this course , 7,348 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 62.1595Springfield, N.J. / A.W. Photo By: Taku Miyamoto/Courtesy of Riviera Golf and Tennis, Inc. 7,790 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 64.5043Haven, Wis. / Pete Dye (1998)More about this course , 7,849 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 64.4146Kiawah Island, S.C. / Pete Dye & Alice Dye (1991)More about this course , 6,947 Yards, Par 70 / Points: 64.3556 Hutchinson, Kan. / Perry Maxwell (1937) / Press Maxwell (1957) More about this course , 7,395 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 64.3510Cashiers, N.C. / Tom Fazio (1987)More about this course , 7,560 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 64.1319North Las Vegas, Nev. / Tom Fazio & Steve Wynn (1990)More about this course , Photo By: The Henebrys/Courtesy of Shadow Creek GC, 7,450 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 64.0136Ooltewah, Tenn. / Pete Dye (1983)More about this course , 7,588 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 63.9639Donald Ross (1935)More about this course , 7,414 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 63.7615Atlanta / Robert Trent Jones & Bobby Jones (1947)More about this course , 7,317 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 63.7013Harrison, Idaho / Tom Fazio (2007)More about this course , 7,481 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 63.6918 Tulsa, Okla. / Perry Maxwell (1936) More about this course , Photo By: Andy Johnson/Courtesy of Southern Hills, 7,649 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 63.6389 Morgantown, W. Va. / J. Robert Gwynne & John Raese (2009) More about this course , 7,170 Yards, Par 71 / Points: 63.5175San Francisco / Sam Whiting (1924)More about this course , 7,500 Yards, Par 72 / Points: 63.5083Roland, Ark. (Photo: Dave Samson), Several of Coore & Crenshaws finest designs are located at hard-to-access private clubs but many of their works thankfully are available to the public, often courtesy of developer Mike Keiser. Forsgate Banks Course (Monroe Township) 14. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. 1 The Club at The Ivy (London) You can find this invite-only club in London's West End neighborhood. Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes, owing to rugged, uphill par-4s, massive bunkers and the wrist-fracturing rough found on this Rees Jones-restored A.W. Some of the interior green contours like those found on 5, 10, 11, and 17 are as dazzling as the overall environment. For a course known for its difficulty, what gets lost in the shuffle is the brilliance of its quartet of short par-4s at 2, 11, 14 and 17. Some grouse that the courses reputation is built on the clubs exclusivity, which is unwarranted given that standout holes abound, including the 4th, 6th, 13th and one of the games finest finishing three-hole stretches. Wickham compensates with wide landing areas and greens that are open in front, meaning golfers are guaranteed to have fun, be they in a one-club wind or five! (Photo: Gary Lisbon), Augusta National is the vision of Bobby Jones and his chosen architect, Alister MacKenzie. The Country Club (Brookline) 14. Its not a pretty course in the conventional sense, as there are no lighthouses, mountains or majestic undulations. Best Club to Host a Large Charity Outing: Walnut Creek Country Club. (Photo: LC Lambrecht), Japanese golfers had never seen the kind of deep, strategically placed bunkers that architect C.H. Chicago Golf Club 8. Holes 1 through 4, which include a Road and Biarritz template, represent one of the games most testing starts. The construction process was slow going as jungle brush needed to be beat back with machetes. Tillinghast understood about green construction that eludes other architects. Fishers Island (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. (Photo: Clyde Johnson), Maidstones glorious edge-of-the-Atlantic location is once again fully evident, thanks to a recent restoration by Coore & Crenshaw. The stonewall separating the course and the rail line is unnervingly tight right of the 11th green and serves as a great litmus test to determine who is (and isnt) in full control of their swings. Just as impressive is the diagonal bunker scheme that slashes into the 5th fairway, making it one of the best 400-yarders in the country. 2 CORE (Manhattan) Instagram/thecoreclub On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. The Royal County Down Golf Club 4. (Photo: Courtesy Nine Bridges), Confident in his own work, Alister MacKenzie freely lauded the work of others. The 2021 Ryder Cup played here highlighted what a great match-play course it is, too, with its plethora of -par holes. (Photo: Graylyn Loomis), Lahinch charms with titanic sandhills and stunning views of both the Atlantic Ocean and of the Cliffs of Moher. One is at the downhill 560-yard 15th, which is reachable under certain wind conditions. Found in the state of Georgia, in the United States, many golfers are adamant that the Augusta National is the worlds most exclusive and prestigious golfing club. Royal Belfast Golf Club, Down 1 Adare Manor, Limerick 10. California. Ballybunion Golf Club, Kerry 5. Chicago Golf Club 8. With GOLF Course Rater Lukas Michel, 48. You havent favorited any courses yet. Number of Golf Courses in the State of Texas: 907. Set on the northern end of King Island in the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia, this course occupies the windiest spot of any on our list. (Photo: Patrick Koenig), Unlike America, England doesnt have a phobia about courses with par under 70. The clubs longtime green chair analyzes every minute detail of the design during his annual walks around the property with former Wake grad, Bill Coore. This low-profile course has aged gracefully and remains in the conversation for Dyes best work. Others might relish the shelf green at the 9th that poses similar intriguing questions as the 12th at the Old Course. 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