GOLF Magazine’s biennial Top 100 Courses in the World Rankings are determined by a 100-strong international panel whose members include major-championship winners, architects, journalists and a cadre of connoisseurs who have played all of the world’s top 100 courses. Panelists evaluate a ballot of 493 courses. Although there are no set-in-stone criteria they must follow, we have confidence in their sense of what constitutes “greatness” in a course. These are the best courses in the United States. See below for more information about each course.
1. Pine Valley Pine Valley, N.J. George Crump/H.S. Colt, 1918
2. Cypress Point Pebble Beach, Calif. Alister MacKenzie, 1928
3. Augusta National Augusta, Ga. Alister MacKenzie/Bobby Jones, 1933
4. Shinnecock Hills Southampton, N.Y. William Flynn, 1931
5. Pebble Beach Pebble Beach, Calif. Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919
6. Oakmont Oakmont, Pa. Henry Fownes, 1903
7. National Golf Links of America Southampton, N.Y. C.B. Macdonald, 1911
8. Merion (East) Ardmore, Pa. Hugh Wilson, 1912
9. Sand Hills Mullen, Neb. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 1994
10. Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst, N.C. Donald Ross, 1907
11. Fishers Island Fishers Island, N.Y. Seth Raynor, 1926
12. Seminole Juno Beach, Fla. Donald Ross, 1929
13. Winged Foot (West) Mamaroneck, N.Y. A.W. Tillinghast, 1923
14. Pacific Dunes Bandon, Ore. Tom Doak, 2001
15. Crystal Downs Frankfort, Mich. Alister MacKenzie/Perry Maxwell, 1932
16. San Francisco San Francisco, Calif. A.W. Tillinghast, 1918
17. Chicago Wheaton, Ill. C.B. Macdonald, 1895/Seth Raynor, 1923
18. Prairie Dunes Hutchinson, Kan. Perry Maxwell, 1937/Press Maxwell, 1957
19. Riviera Pacific Palisades, Calif. George C. Thomas Jr./Billy Bell Sr., 1926
20. Los Angeles (North) Los Angeles, Calif. George C. Thomas Jr., 1921
21. Friar’s Head Baiting Hollow, N.Y. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2003
22. The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel) Brookline, Mass. Willie Campbell, 1895/Rees Jones, 1985
23. Oakland Hills (South) Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Donald Ross, 1917/Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1950
24. Bethpage (Black) Farmingdale, N.Y. A.W. Tillinghast, 1936
25. Kiawah Island (Ocean) Kiawah Island, S.C. Pete Dye, 1991
26. Garden City Golf Club Garden City, N.Y. Devereux Emmet, 1899/Walter Travis, 1906
27. Whistling Straits (Straits) Kohler, Wis. Pete Dye, 1998
28. Muirfield Village Dublin, Ohio Jack Nicklaus/Desmond Muirhead, 1974
29. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Pete Dye, 1980
30. Shoreacres Lake Bluff, Ill. Seth Raynor, 1921
31. Camargo Indian Hill, Ohio Seth Raynor, 1921
32. Baltusrol (Lower) Springfield, N.J. A.W. Tillinghast, 1922
33. Olympic (Lake) San Francisco, Calif. Sam Whiting, 1927
34. Southern Hills Tulsa, Okla. Perry Maxwell, 1936
35. Bandon Dunes Bandon, Ore. David McLay Kidd, 1999
36. Maidstone East Hampton, N.Y. Willie Park Jr., 1924
37. Oak Hill (East) Rochester, N.Y. Donald Ross, 1923
38. Somerset Hills Bernardsville, N.J. A.W. Tillinghast, 1918
39. The Golf Club New Albany, Ohio Pete Dye, 1967
40. Quaker Ridge Scarsdale, N.Y. A.W. Tillinghast, 1926
41. Ballyneal Holyoke, Colo. Tom Doak, 2006
42. Inverness Toledo, Ohio Donald Ross, 1919
43. California Golf Club of S.F. S. San Francisco, Calif. A.V. Macan, 1926/A. MacKenzie, 1928/Kyle Phillips, 2007
44. Winged Foot (East) Mamaroneck, N.Y. A.W. Tillinghast, 1923
45. Harbour Town Hilton Head Island, S.C. Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus, 1969
46. Medinah (No. 3) Medinah, Ill. Tom Bendelow, 1928
47. Streamsong (Red) Streamsong, Fla. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2012
48. Old Macdonald Bandon, Ore. Tom Doak/Jim Urbina, 2010
49. Old Sandwich Plymouth, Mass. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2004
50. Bandon Trails Bandon, Ore. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2005
51. Plainfield Plainfield, N.J. Donald Ross, 1921
52. Wade Hampton Cashiers, N.C. Tom Fazio, 1987
53. Pasatiempo Santa Cruz, Calif. Alister MacKenzie, 1929
54. Yale University New Haven, Conn. C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1926
55. The Honors Course Ooltewah, Tenn. Pete Dye, 1983
56. Streamsong (Blue) Streamsong, Fla. Tom Doak, 2012
57. Piping Rock Locust Valley, N.Y. C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1913
58. Spyglass Hill Pebble Beach, Calif. Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1966
59. Sebonack Southampton, N.Y. Jack Nicklaus/Tom Doak, 2006
60. Yeamans Hall Hanahan, S.C. Seth Raynor, 1925
61. Rock Creek Cattle Company Deer Lodge, Mont. Tom Doak, 2008
62. Valley Club of Montecito Montecito, Calif. Alister MacKenzie, 1929
63. Congressional (Blue) Bethesda, Md. D. Emmet, 1924/Robert T. Jones Sr., 1962/Rees Jones, 2011
64. Baltusrol (Upper) Springfield, N.J. A.W. Tillinghast, 1922
65. Newport Newport, R.I. Willie Davis, 1894/A.W. Tillinghast, 1923
66. Shadow Creek North Las Vegas, Nev. Tom Fazio/Steve Wynn, 1990
67. Essex County Club Manchester, Mass. Donald Ross, 1917
68. Eastward Ho! Chatham, Mass. Herbert Fowler, 1922
69. Myopia Hunt Club South Hamilton, Mass. Herbert Leeds, 1896
70. Peachtree Atlanta, Ga. Robert Trent Jones Sr./Bobby Jones, 1948
71. Nanea Kailua-Kona, Hawaii David McLay Kidd, 2003
72. Cherry Hills Cherry Hills Village, Colo. William Flynn, 1923
73. The Creek Club Locust Valley, N.Y. C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor, 1923
74. Kittansett Marion, Mass. William Flynn/Fred Hood, 1922
75. Milwaukee River Hills, Wisc. H.S. Colt/C.H. Alison, 1929
76. Chambers Bay University Place, Wash. Robert Trent Jones II, 2007
77. Monterey Peninsula (Shore) Pebble Beach, Calif. Bob Baldock, 1961/Mike Strantz, 2004
78. Old Town Club Winston-Salem, N.C. Perry Maxwell, 1939
79. Ridgewood (West/East) Paramus, N.J. A.W. Tillinghast, 1929
80. East Lake Atlanta, Ga. Tom Bendelow, 1908/Donald Ross, 1913/Rees Jones, 1994
81. Gozzer Ranch Harrison, Idaho Tom Fazio, 2007
82. Interlachen Edina, Minn. Willie Watson, 1911/Donald Ross, 1921
83. Trump National (Old) Bedminster, N.J. Tom Fazio, 2004
84. Hazeltine National Chaska, Minn. Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1962/Rees Jones, 1990
85. Scioto Columbus, Ohio Donald Ross, 1916
86. Boston Golf Club Hingham, Mass. Gil Hanse, 2005
87. Olympia Fields (North) Olympia Fields, Ill. Willie Park Jr., 1922
88. Calusa Pines Naples, Fla. Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry, 2001
89. Baltimore (Five Farms East) Lutherville, Md. A.W. Tillinghast, 1926
90. Bel-Air Los Angeles, Calif. George C. Thomas Jr./Billy Bell Sr., 1926
91. Colonial Fort Worth, Texas John Bredemus, 1935/Perry Maxwell, 1940
92. Trump National Doral (Blue Monster) Miami, Fla. Dick Wilson, 1962/Gil Hanse, 2014
93. Mountain Lake Lake Wales, Fla. Seth Raynor, 1916
94. Blackwolf Run (River) Kohler, Wis. Pete Dye, 1988
95. Fox Chapel Pittsburgh, Pa. Seth Raynor, 1925
96. Bellerive St. Louis, Mo. Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1959/Rees Jones, 2007
97. Country Club of Fairfield Fairfield, Conn. Seth Raynor, 1920
98. Crooked Stick Carmel, Ind. Pete Dye, 1964
99. Torrey Pines (South) La Jolla, Calif. Billy Bell Jr., 1957/Rees Jones, 2001
100. Aronimink Newtown Square, Pa. Donald Ross, 1928
