GOLF’s 2017-18 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the World

Prestwick, Scotland Old Tom Morris, 1851/1883

Prestwick has always had fierce critics, but atmosphere, ambience and renewed appreciation of its historical features have finally nudged Prestwick into the ranks of the elite. Its opener is one of the strangest in golf, with a stone wall and railway flush along the right side. Equal parts weird and wonderful, this host to 24 Open Championships (including the first 12) has earned its Top 100 nod—at last.

Tokyo, Japan Komei Ohtani, 1940

A gently rolling parkland layout that still features the old two-green system on each hole, Tokyo Golf Club has played host to seven Japan Opens, including four at its current location, most recently in 2001. Gil Hanse renovated Tokyo in 2010 and stated that one of his greatest pleasures here was to restore some of the elements and soul of the C.H. Alison design work, especially to the green complexes.

Toledo, Ohio Donald Ross, 1919

A marvelous collection of Donald Ross-designed par-4s set the stage for two of Greg Norman's most crushing defeats, the first when Bob Tway holed a bunker shot to win the 1986 PGA Championship, the second when the Shark lipped out putts on two straight holes, handing the 1993 PGA Championship playoff win to Paul Azinger. A recent renovation has restored Ross features, but also added length to test today's tournament players.

Brittas Bay, Ireland Pat Ruddy, 1992

Johnny Miller once stated that he'd 'love to see the British Open played here.' For years, Padraig Harrington tuned up his pre-Open links game here—and twice won Opens a week later. From the tips, the world's 97th ranked course is a rugged test, but the aesthetics match the challenge, thanks to holes that twist through amphitheaters of giant dunes and others that edge the Irish Sea.

Inverness, Nova Scotia Canada, Rod Whitman, 2012

Developers Ben Cowan-Dewar and Mike Keiser handed over a rolling plot of coastal Nova Scotia terrain to architect Rod Whitman and the result is Canada's first authentic links. Firm, rumpled, fescue fairways, coastal breezes and endless views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence make it abundantly clear why Nova Scotia is the Latin name for 'New Scotland.'

Sotogrande, Spain Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1975

Said its architect, Robert Trent Jones Sr., 'The greatest golfers in the world have found it a difficult test, yet it is beautiful and playable for the club member.' This impeccably manicured 1997 Ryder Cup host, long considered the Augusta National of Europe for conditioning, features narrow, cork tree-framed fairways, sculptured bunkers, small greens and the short but diabolical par-5 17th.

Islington, Ontario, Canada Stanley Thompson, 1929

Preeminent Canadian architect Stanley Thompson hit his professional peak at this quiet club near downtown Toronto. The wonderful rolling parkland terrain is replete with streams and natural valleys and has witnessed five Canadian Opens, most recently in 2010. Tom Doak and Ian Andrew spearheaded a restoration that was completed in 2015.

Rochester, N.Y. Donald Ross, 1923

Host to three U.S. Opens, the 1995 Ryder Cup and a handful of PGA Championships, including 2013, when Jason Dufner triumphed, Oak Hill has witnessed numerous renovations since it debuted in 1924. Yet, its character is unmistakably Donald Ross, thanks to such holes as the 323-yard, par-4 14th, its vexing undulations yielding superb risk/reward opportunities.

Tadworth, England Herbert Fowler, 1904

Its bleak, heathland setting won't set anyone aglow but as a test of character and shotmaking, Walton Heath has few peers. A superb, strategic delight, it is stern but fair, with heather, gorse, rough and bunkers that must be avoided at all costs. Yet, the chalk beneath the sandy subsoil allows for firm fairways that yield plenty of links-like run. Walton Heath was the venue of the 1981 Ryder Cup, when arguably the strongest American side of all time demolished the Europeans, 18.5 to 9.5.

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Kyle Phillips, 2010

Yas Links bursts with originality, as befits the first course in the Middle East to crack the Top 100. Architect] Kyle Phillips literally created the coastline that edges this 7,394-yard layout, dredging 2.3 million cubic yards of fill from the sea. Yas Links is carpeted in Platinum paspalum (perfect for linksy lies) and peppered with 109 bunkers. Most unforgettable is the closing stretch, where five of the final six holes ease past the Arabian Gulf.