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

Melbourne, Australia Des Soutar/Alister MacKenzie, 1925/1928

'Kingston Heath offers perhaps the best collection of par-3s without water in the world,' claims Greg Norman.' The Alister MacKenzie bunkering is phenomenal. Short by modern day technology, it's still visually demanding, visually impressive.'

Fishers Island, N.Y. Seth Raynor, 1926

Accessible only by ferry, this exclusive retreat off Connecticut is populated by the oldest of the Old Money crowd, many of whom still enjoy hoofing it. Why wouldn't they, given the classic Seth Raynor design, the delightful tumbling terrain and the spectacular views of Long Island Sound.

Pinehurst, N.C. Donald Ross, 1907

Donald Ross' 108-year-old chef d'oeuvre rolls gently and spaciously through tall Longleaf pines in the Carolina Sandhills, with holes culminating in the legendary 'inverted saucer' greens. For the 2014 U.S. Open, a Coore-Crenshaw restoration brought back the tawny-edged fairways and native roughs last seen in the 1940s.

Ballybunion, Ireland P. Murphy/Tom Simpson, 1893/1936

This Southwest Ireland gem is wedged between huge sandhills and the Atlantic Ocean. 'Nothing less than the finest seaside course I have ever seen,' stated Hall of Fame writer Herbert Warren Wind. Echoed five-time Open champion Tom Watson, 'It is one of the best and most beautiful tests of links golf anywhere.'

Turnberry, Scotland Willie Fernie/P. Mackenzie Ross, 1909/1951

Now under the Trump aegis, Turnberry provides unforgettable images, from Tom Watson's heroic and tragic performances to remarkable seaside holes that feature churning surf, a lighthouse and vistas of the football-shaped monolith called Ailsa Craig jutting out of the sea. Rebuilt following its use for RAF airfields in World War II, the "Duel in the Sun" 1977 British Open venue witnessed a series of well-received design changes in the past two years by MacKenzie & Ebert that altered several of its most celebrated holes.

Dornoch, Scotland Old Tom Morris, 1886

This seaside Old Tom Morris classic is worth the journey. After Tom Watson played here prior to his Open defense in 1981, he remarked that the experience was 'the most fun I've ever had a on a golf course.' Donald Ross grew up here and you can see his affinity for Dornoch's raised plateau greens on his American masterpiece, Pinehurst No. 2.

Portrush, Northern Ireland H.S. Colt, 1929

The only Irish course ever to host an Open is perennially ranked in the world's Top 15 courses, thanks to a superior 1929 H.S. Colt design that maximizes its setting in the high dunes along the Irish Sea. Two new holes, now the seventh and the eighth, have replaced the old 17th and 18th holes in plenty of time for the return of the Open Championship in 2019.'

Mullen, Neb. Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 1994

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw had to move only teaspoons of dirt to construct the most natural, hew-to-the-land layout built in the past 50 years. Rolling, sandy terrain, rippled fairways crafted to accommodate ever-present winds, wavy prairie grasses and gigantic 'blow-out' bunkers create the sensation of being seaside in the middle of land-locked Nebraska.

Ardmore, Pa. Hugh Wilson, 1912

What makes Merion so distinctive is its remarkable variety. Some par-4s are short, others are monsters. One par-3 is tiny, at 115 yards. The other par-3s measure 236, 246 and 256 yards. The famous par-4 11th, where Bobby Jones clinched the 1930 Grand Slam, is slashed by a creek, while the par-4 16th demands a shot over an abandoned stone quarry. In short, Merion has everything.

Melbourne, Australia Alister MacKenzie, 1926

The appeal of Alister MacKenzie's Golden Age masterpiece is best explained by Sir Nick Faldo. 'I love the way it plays firm and fast-running, the way the bunkering frames and almost intrudes into the putting surfaces and the brilliance of the bunkering style with the native scrubby look.'