Golf Digest 100 Greatest Public Courses

[tjl48]

On 12/17/2021 at 9:05 AM, BG5 said:

I've played about 20 of these courses with 11 of them being in the top 20.

 

I was most dissapointed with Erin Hills....course did nothing for me.

 

Loved the Loop at Forest Dunes....most guys who complain dont understand how to play those types of conditions.  The Loop plays the same way as the Bandon courses and its fast and firm which frustrates most.

 

Black Lake Golf club in Onaway Michigan should be added to list in my opinion

 

Boo!

 

Just kidding. To each there own, but I love Erin Hills. Played it 3 times now. 1st two times were on the same trip. 1st round little underwhelmed. 2nd round enjoyed, but still wasn't blown away. When I left I couldn't explain it, but was itching to go back. Now played it a 3rd time and just love the place. Still can't put my finger on exactly why. 

Edited December 21, 2021 by tjl48

[APJ316]

Having played 19/100, this list is certainly up for debate.

 

Rated Correctly (give or take a few spots):

 

3. Whistling Straits (Straits)

4. Kiawah Island (Ocean)

9. Erin Hills

16. Blackwolf Run (River)

19. French Lick Resort (Dye)

20. Streamsong (Red)

26. Streamsong (Blue)

34. Streamsong (Black)

39. Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry)

75. Old Waverly

 

Underrated:

 

49. Tobacco Road being outside the top 25 is criminal. This course is so unique, spectacular, and fun. Everything about it exceeded my expectations.

 

83. PFAU will continue to move up the list as it matures. Steve Smyers created a really memorable layout that will test even the best players. From the tips, this is a bruiser.

 

90. World Woods (Pine Barrens) should climb back up toward the top half of the list now that it going to be renovated and under new ownership. A tremendous layout that offers some world-class golf holes, including the 4th, 14th, and 15th.

 

99. McLemore is a spectacular golf course that features some of the best views of any inland layout. Expect to see it move up the list as time goes on.

 

Overrated:

 

6. Pinehurst #2 is a great course, but I really think the history clouds the panelists minds when making evaluations. The greens are unforgettable, the shot values are strong, and it's a great walk. But when you think of #2, there isn't much risk-reward in terms of tee shots, bunkering, etc. 

 

30. Ozarks National is rated the best course at Big Cedar Lodge, which is very surprising. There are a lot of great holes, including the 5th, 9th, and 16th, but there are several holes that are squeezed into the property. Some of the holes people rave about, including 4 and 12, are headscratchers.

 

32. Pinehurst #4 is a really golf course, that's fun to play and a pleasure to walk. How many holes, though, really capture the players' attention?

 

47. Whistling Straits (Irish) is a good course, but ends with three very marginal holes. Top 100? Certainly, but closer to the lower end of the list.

 

56. Cog Hill #4 (Dubsdread) has no place on this list. This is a typical Jones Family snoozer: long, difficult, boring, and one-dimensional. As someone who hits the ball high and far, I cannot imagine how miserable a round here must be for high handicappers or anyone who is a low-ball hitter.

 

Coming Soon: Expect to see the other courses at Big Cedar Lodge, Buffalo Ridge Springs and Payne's Valley to make the next Top 100 public list. Buffalo Ridge is spectacular, and is easily the favorite of most players at the resort. Tiger's new course is really good, too. Playable, fun, and full of options, expect to see Payne's Valley on here as well.

[mci711]

On 2/22/2022 at 2:19 PM, APJ316 said:

Having played 19/100, this list is certainly up for debate.

 

Rated Correctly (give or take a few spots):

 

3. Whistling Straits (Straits)

4. Kiawah Island (Ocean)

9. Erin Hills

16. Blackwolf Run (River)

19. French Lick Resort (Dye)

20. Streamsong (Red)

26. Streamsong (Blue)

34. Streamsong (Black)

39. Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry)

75. Old Waverly

 

Underrated:

 

49. Tobacco Road being outside the top 25 is criminal. This course is so unique, spectacular, and fun. Everything about it exceeded my expectations.

 

83. PFAU will continue to move up the list as it matures. Steve Smyers created a really memorable layout that will test even the best players. From the tips, this is a bruiser.

 

90. World Woods (Pine Barrens) should climb back up toward the top half of the list now that it going to be renovated and under new ownership. A tremendous layout that offers some world-class golf holes, including the 4th, 14th, and 15th.

 

99. McLemore is a spectacular golf course that features some of the best views of any inland layout. Expect to see it move up the list as time goes on.

 

Overrated:

 

6. Pinehurst #2 is a great course, but I really think the history clouds the panelists minds when making evaluations. The greens are unforgettable, the shot values are strong, and it's a great walk. But when you think of #2, there isn't much risk-reward in terms of tee shots, bunkering, etc. 

 

30. Ozarks National is rated the best course at Big Cedar Lodge, which is very surprising. There are a lot of great holes, including the 5th, 9th, and 16th, but there are several holes that are squeezed into the property. Some of the holes people rave about, including 4 and 12, are headscratchers.

 

32. Pinehurst #4 is a really golf course, that's fun to play and a pleasure to walk. How many holes, though, really capture the players' attention?

 

47. Whistling Straits (Irish) is a good course, but ends with three very marginal holes. Top 100? Certainly, but closer to the lower end of the list.

 

56. Cog Hill #4 (Dubsdread) has no place on this list. This is a typical Jones Family snoozer: long, difficult, boring, and one-dimensional. As someone who hits the ball high and far, I cannot imagine how miserable a round here must be for high handicappers or anyone who is a low-ball hitter.

 

Coming Soon: Expect to see the other courses at Big Cedar Lodge, Buffalo Ridge Springs and Payne's Valley to make the next Top 100 public list. Buffalo Ridge is spectacular, and is easily the favorite of most players at the resort. Tiger's new course is really good, too. Playable, fun, and full of options, expect to see Payne's Valley on here as well.

Agree with a lot. Strong disagree that Blackwolf Run deserves 16 and WS Irish is overrated. I would play the Irish over BWR every time. BWR is the most overrated course in on the list with Cog Hill close behind. I like playing Cog, but there is no way there are only 55 better courses in the country.  

 

Agree with your assessment on PFAU as well. Place is awesome and one of the hardest courses I have played. 

Edited February 28, 2022 by mci711

[StudentGolfer4]

@APJ316

I’m always interested to see the different rankings between golf digest, golf week, and golf mag. Sometimes there is an obvious outlier or two. ( I believe shadow creek is a outlier with golf digest thinking it’s much better than the other 2 do when ranking it high in the overall top 100.)  I tend to put the least amount of stock in  golf digest when looking at the 3 for rankings. 
 

Thank you for listing the course rating and why you feel it’s rated correctly or not! So many times people say X course is overrated. Or I heard this place was overrated, is that true? I love a good discussion comparing courses and describing your thoughts makes that possible. 
 

I also strongly disagree about Pinehurst 2. (I am not comparing it to the ocean course or straits because I’ve yet to play either.) I think the tee shots are much more strategic than they appear, but it’s difficult to realize that on the first time through. Example, the short par 4 3rd. With a bunker in the landing zone, you have to make the choice of laying up or carrying it off the tee. With a front right pin, you need to be on the left side to have the preferred angle and it makes sense to challenge the bunker from the tee. The way most greens are, some pins are not accessible unless you shape it like a pro, or simply hit your drive in the correct spot. Thinking back through the round I remember every shot hit and hole played. 

Regarding pinehurst 4 and French Lick Dye course, I think #4 is a much stronger golf course. To me, the shot values are stronger, but they are not as dramatic due to the views and elevation change not being the same. A few holes here may not capture the players attention standing on the box, but they demand full attention when hitting a golf shot. The short par 3 11th is a great example of this. Looks short and easy from the tees, all of us walked off with bogey or worse because we did not give it the attention it required. Drivable 16th is another great hole. The closer you get to the green the more options become available. It’s 290 or so from the tee and my group made scores ranging from 3-6 after all hitting fine tee balls. 4 would be a fantastic course to play 3 times a week. After playing the Dye course I’m glad I played it, but really have no desire to get back there and play it again. The views are definitely tough to beat though. 

The best part about golf is there are so many great courses and everyone has their own set of preferences. Based on your comments about Pinehurst and Tobacco Road it seems like we value certain things in a course  differently and that’s ok. I hope you get to cross some more courses off your list this year! 
 

I’ve heard good things about the Pfau from a lot of people. Looking forward to experiencing it for myself soon. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by StudentGolfer4

[ode]

On 2/22/2022 at 1:19 PM, APJ316 said:

Whistling Straits (Irish) is a good course, but ends with three very marginal holes. Top 100? Certainly, but closer to the lower end of the list.

I would agree on the last two, especially #17, feels very much like a throw away hole; 18 has potential but unfortunately the lay up options are horrendous and ruin what otherwise could be a very good hole; 16 I don't agree and feel like it's a very good hole, love it off the tee and approach, the green is a bit much but everything else is really good about that hole!

[NoCalHack]

Pebble Beach

Pacific Dunes

Bandon Dunes

Bethpage Black

Spyglass

Bandon Trails

Pasatiempo

Kapalua Plantation

Spanish Bay

Caledonia

Poppy Hills

 

 

I would pretty much rank them like GD did, except I'd probably move Pasatiempo up a few spots.  Really interesting course.  Always plays firm in the summer which makes the MacKenzie design more interesting.  Didn't love Bandon Trails compared to the other Bandon courses on the list so maybe move that down.

 

Spanish bay is not the most amazing course but the scenery is on par with Pebble, minus the history.  

 

Spyglass is freaking hard and a great course.  But take in the ocean on the first few holes because you won't see it again.

 

I haven't played Poppy since the renovation.  But I probably wouldn't play poppy for the green fees.  But is well worth it if you're local and an NCGA member.  

 

 

[Argonne69]

After a swing through the southeast this past winter, I picked up another seven courses, bringing my total to 58 played. I added Streamsong Black, Sea Island Seaside, Tobacco Road, Mossy Oak, Pine Needles, Old Waverly, and Mid Pines. 

 

I'll check off Old White next week. 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

After a swing through the southeast this past winter, I picked up another seven courses, bringing my total to 58 played. I added Streamsong Black, Sea Island Seaside, Tobacco Road, Mossy Oak, Pine Needles, Old Waverly, and Mid Pines. 

 

I'll check off Old White next week. 

 

Arg, do us all a favor and rank those by preference. If you’re bored in the RV tonight, compare your rankings to where Golf Digest has them ranked. Please

[ND2005]

18/100 and scheduled to add 7 more this year (all Bandon courses, Pasa, and Pine Needles).

 

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

Arg, do us all a favor and rank those by preference. If you’re bored in the RV tonight, compare your rankings to where Golf Digest has them ranked. Please

 

Tobacco Road is definitely too far down on the list. I would put it around #25. 

 

Streamsong Black is probably correct in the mid-30's.

 

Sea Island Seaside is about right at #36. 'Same with Pine Needles (#73).

 

I might move Mossy Oak up 10 spots.

 

Mid Pines would be around #75 on my list.

 

Old Waverly shouldn't be on the list. Decent layout, but not Top 100 material.

 

[CarlLipbaum]

Played only 3 of them--Kapalua Plantation (23), Caledonia (85), and Spring Creek (100).  Maybe I should be less of a loser and go play some better golf courses.  

 

I'd put both Whirlwind courses, and Eagle Mountain in Phoenix, and Lighthouse Sound in Ocean City, Maryland up there with the 3 top 100 courses I've played.  Add UNC Finley, and True Blue (Myrtle Beach) to that list as well.  

[Argonne69]

I played Old White yesterday. Just don't see it it as a Top 100 course, nevermind #51. Visually bland. Not particularly challenging. The vast majority of the 50+ Top 100 courses I've played I'd have no problem playing again. No desire to return to OW. 

 

[eboettne]

Played:

 

2 Pac Dunes

7 Bandon Dunes

8 Bethpage Black

12 Old Mac

13 Bandon Trails

18 Sand Valley

29 Mammoth Dunes

35 Quarry @ Giants Ridge

62 Class @ Madden's Resort

65 Wolf Creek

69 Wilderness @ Fortune Bay

88 Quintero

 

Will Play in less than 2 weeks:

 

3 Whistling Straits - Straits Course

9 Erin Hills

16 Blackwolf Run - River Course

47 Whistling Straits - Irish Course

74 Blackwolf Run - Meadow Valleys

 

Things I'd change on my order:

- Bethpage Black and Bandon Trails Over Bandon Dunes

- Wolf Creek somewhere around the 35 mark

- Wilderness @ Fortune Bay ahead of The Classic @ Maddens and ahead of The Quarry too

- Not sure Quintero deserves to be top 100, cool views but outside of that didn't do a ton for me

 

Looking forward to growing my list from 12 to 17 in a couple weeks!

 

 

[Abh159]

One thing I've always wondered is if courses get sort of a "heads up" when a GD rater/panelist is going to be there. I would assume so since a lot of the courses in the Top 100 aren't places you can just easily snag a last minute tee time. 

 

I'd be willing the bet they do a little bit of extra maintenance on those days (raking the bunkers to perfection, cutting the greens a little bit lower, edging around the green to get a crisp fringe, and so on...) in order to boost their ranking a bit. Sort of like how your office is business casual 99% of the time except for that once per quarter day when the Board shows up and everyone has to throw on a sport coat 🤣. 

[klebs01]

2 hours ago, Abh159 said:

One thing I've always wondered is if courses get sort of a "heads up" when a GD rater/panelist is going to be there. I would assume so since a lot of the courses in the Top 100 aren't places you can just easily snag a last minute tee time. 

 

I'd be willing the bet they do a little bit of extra maintenance on those days (raking the bunkers to perfection, cutting the greens a little bit lower, edging around the green to get a crisp fringe, and so on...) in order to boost their ranking a bit. Sort of like how your office is business casual 99% of the time except for that once per quarter day when the Board shows up and everyone has to throw on a sport coat 🤣. 

Those items shouldn’t have an impact on the score. 

[vandyfan]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:37 AM, CarlLipbaum said:

True Blue (Myrtle Beach)

 

True Blue is a better course than Caledonia every day of the week and this is a hill I am willing to die on. Caledonia is better looking. That is about it. 

[mci711]

2 hours ago, klebs01 said:

Those items shouldn’t have an impact on the score. 

You don't think conditioning plays a factor in course rankings? Obviously a terrible layout can be in great shape and vice versa but if you have 2 identical layouts the better conditioned one will be ranked higher right?

Edited April 22, 2022 by mci711

[klebs01]

17 minutes ago, mci711 said:

You don't think conditioning plays a factor in course rankings? Obviously a terrible layout can be in great shape and vice versa but if you have 2 identical layouts the better conditioned one will be ranked higher right?

Conditioning is but a small component of the criteria. The courses have been pre screened before a rater would go. Yeah, there are Ross and Langford dog tracks for example, but these aren’t in contention. Doing an extra hour of maintenance on the day a rater is coming is not going to move the needle. The condition criteria are based around delivering a fast, firm and true playing surface without excess water. This isn’t something that would happen overnight. 

[Argonne69]

True, but I've played highly rated courses with ungroomed, compacted bunkers, and shaggy, unrolled greens. Surely 24 hours would be enough to touch up the rough edges. 

 

[Golferpaul]

On 4/22/2022 at 3:11 PM, mci711 said:

You don't think conditioning plays a factor in course rankings? Obviously a terrible layout can be in great shape and vice versa but if you have 2 identical layouts the better conditioned one will be ranked higher right?

Conditioning absolutely plays a factor in course rankings.  

 

Golf Digest's course rankings: How Our Process Works | Courses | Golf Digest

[pb_n_joe]

19 hours ago, Golferpaul said:

Conditioning absolutely plays a factor in course rankings.  

 

Golf Digest's course rankings: How Our Process Works | Courses | Golf Digest

Love seeing the scoring breakdown by criteria for each course. If Pebble and Spyglass are only rated in the mid-high 7s on conditioning, I can't even comprehend what the conditioning is like at the private clubs on the list with ratings of 8+!

Edited April 25, 2022 by pb_n_joe

[ShanksForeNothing]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:31 AM, eboettne said:

Played:

 

2 Pac Dunes

7 Bandon Dunes

8 Bethpage Black

12 Old Mac

13 Bandon Trails

18 Sand Valley

29 Mammoth Dunes

35 Quarry @ Giants Ridge

62 Class @ Madden's Resort

65 Wolf Creek

69 Wilderness @ Fortune Bay

88 Quintero

 

Will Play in less than 2 weeks:

 

3 Whistling Straits - Straits Course

9 Erin Hills

16 Blackwolf Run - River Course

47 Whistling Straits - Irish Course

74 Blackwolf Run - Meadow Valleys

 

Things I'd change on my order:

- Bethpage Black and Bandon Trails Over Bandon Dunes

- Wolf Creek somewhere around the 35 mark

- Wilderness @ Fortune Bay ahead of The Classic @ Maddens and ahead of The Quarry too

- Not sure Quintero deserves to be top 100, cool views but outside of that didn't do a ton for me

 

Looking forward to growing my list from 12 to 17 in a couple weeks!

 

 

I'm looking to put together a Wisconsin golf trip so I'm excited to hear your impressions.  Leaning towards Sand Valley/Mammoth and Whistling Straits.

[Golferpaul]

1 hour ago, ShanksForeNothing said:

I'm looking to put together a Wisconsin golf trip so I'm excited to hear your impressions.  Leaning towards Sand Valley/Mammoth and Whistling Straits.

We did a Wisconsin golf trip 3 years ago and here is the average ranking that our group of eight golfers gave the courses using whatever method they chose.

 

1.43 Whistling Straits

1.86 Erin Hills

4.14 Sand Valley

4.36 Blackwolf Run River

4.50 The Bull

5.07 Whistling Straits Irish

6.64 Mammoth Dunes

 

The top two are in a plateau of their own.  Only two of our eight rated Mammoth Dunes better than last place. Whistling Straits got five of the eight first place votes.

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, ShanksForeNothing said:

I'm looking to put together a Wisconsin golf trip so I'm excited to hear your impressions.  Leaning towards Sand Valley/Mammoth and Whistling Straits.

 

My ranking would be The Straits, Erin Hills, Mammoth Dunes, Sand Valley, Blackwolf Run, Irish, and The Bull. 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

1 hour ago, Golferpaul said:

We did a Wisconsin golf trip 3 years ago and here is the average ranking that our group of eight golfers gave the courses using whatever method they chose.

 

1.43 Whistling Straits

1.86 Erin Hills

4.14 Sand Valley

4.36 Blackwolf Run River

4.50 The Bull

5.07 Whistling Straits Irish

6.64 Mammoth Dunes

 

The top two are in a plateau of their own.  Only two of our eight rated Mammoth Dunes better than last place. Whistling Straits got five of the eight first place votes.

I always enjoy seeing the data from your trips! 
 

I’m surprised Mammoth Dunes was so low. Whenever I ask someone about a sand valley trip half of them tell me Mammoth Dunes is the most fun course they have ever played. 

[klebs01]

17 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

My ranking would be The Straits, Erin Hills, Mammoth Dunes, Sand Valley, Blackwolf Run, Irish, and The Bull. 

 

I would knock the straits down a notch or two but get it. Otherwise agree. The bull is such a distant last place I don’t really think it should even be part of the list. 

[Argonne69]

28 minutes ago, klebs01 said:

I would knock the straits down a notch or two but get it. Otherwise agree. The bull is such a distant last place I don’t really think it should even be part of the list. 

 

I probably ranked WS higher than EH because I've only played it once, whereas I've played EH twice. Lol. It's a tough call. Erin Hills is a gem of a course. 'Just needs a big body of water placed next to it to move it up the rankings. 😁

 

 

[Golferpaul]

1 hour ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

I always enjoy seeing the data from your trips! 
 

I’m surprised Mammoth Dunes was so low. Whenever I ask someone about a sand valley trip half of them tell me Mammoth Dunes is the most fun course they have ever played. 

First, it's only low compared to the other spectacular courses.

 

Mammoth Dunes is quite a lot of fun, but not as challenging or as interesting as some of the others.  The fairways are extremely wide and that's nice if you don't want to ever lose a ball.  But it totally takes the driver out of the equation.  You just grip it and rip it.  Even guys ranked last on the Tour for fairways hit would never lose a ball.

 

So, it's a very fun course but so is a putt putt course.

[jvincent]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I probably ranked WS higher than EH because I've only played it once, whereas I've played EH twice. Lol. It's a tough call. Erin Hills is a gem of a course. 'Just needs a big body of water placed next to it to move it up the rankings. 😁

 

 

 

Erin Hills and Chambers Bay get the shaft in the rankings compared to Pebble.

 

Thread on the public US Open venues coming up shortly!

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

Erin Hills and Chambers Bay get the shaft in the rankings compared to Pebble.

 

Thread on the public US Open venues coming up shortly!

 

Pebble is more than just the course, though. EH and CB are wonderful, but the entire experience at PB is outstanding.