2013 Golf Magazine World Top 100

Of all the rankings Golf's panel seems to select the fewest courses that make you pause and say, "Really?" Yes it's very America-centric and Trump International Scotland landing in the top 50 when it's probably not in the top 50 Scottish links you'd enjoy playing, helps distract from the strange infatuation the list has with South Korea's Seven Bridges.

Nonetheless, Golf presents a timeless architecture-focused list presented with images in gallery form, starting with the world 1-25.

And 26-50.

And 51-75.

And 76-100.

They've also posted the top 25 U.S. courses.

Comments

[George Blunt]

I am pretty sure the picture they have used for Royal Melbourne West is actually the 16th Green on Royal Melbourne East, with just a sliver of the fourth fairway on the West in the background. Can anybody else confirm / deny?
George

[Eric]

Yeah, that's 16 East. It's the same angle as the photo the club uses for the hole on their website.

[drr345]

It seems like Mssrs. McCoy and Klaparda seem to get a few courses in there that have no business making it in an obscure country so almost no one can finish "their" list. Nine Bridges and Oitavos Dunes making the list tell you all you need to know. They tried with San Lorenzo years ago, but you couldn't remotely fake that one.

[D. maculata]

The Donald is gonna be pissed!

[Bill Greene]

Nice to see LACC North getting the recognition it deserves (#19 US).

[Pepperdine]

Cabot made it ... that's pretty sweet.

[Brad O]

Stopped reading when I saw Royal Melbourne East at #94

[Darren Kilfara]

I'm pretty sure the photo used for Machrihanish at #91 is actually Machrihanish Dunes.

[pasaplayer]

Ho hum. Another Top list. I'd like to see the why with the what, if only to expose a few of the raters. Learning something would be worthwhile, too, I venture.

[digsouth]

George, my friend, I am only too happy to confirm and deny it, as per your wish.

these lists are GREAT!, as they are impossible to compile, given the number of days in a year, the need to eat a few dozen oysters on the half shell a couple times a month or week, depending on where you are, and a few pounds of brisket, for nourishment.

It is one of the real treats of Golf, great misidentified photos of beautiful golf holes. I think they should have 50's style pix of models taking the flagstick out; stuff like that.

No one will ever get to play all these courses, much less paying for doing so, but....

More random thoughts worth knowing. thank you.

[Don't cut this Geoff- those who get it, get it.]

[Stephen W]

Troon 44th and Kingston Heath not even in the top 25 - this is some joke!

[Alan McD]

A friend of mine played Trump International recently. While he attested to a spectacular looking course, the playing experience was poor - miss the fairway and it's a lost ball, and it's the "wrong" grass for links golf, the stickiness rendering bump and run impossible.

[F. X. Flinn]

How could they get the turf wrong? Makes no sense.

[Rich Mac]

To add to the photo issues - the photo for Nine Bridges is actually from it's sister course Haesley, which is an hour out of Seoul. The Nine Bridges ranked course is on Jeju Island off the south coast of Korea.