The post InsideGOLF: What makes St. Andrews’ par-4 12th the best short 4 in the world appeared first on Golf.

The post InsideGOLF: What makes St. Andrews’ par-4 12th the best short 4 in the world appeared first on Golf.

The world is full of amazing short par-4s, but here’s why one of them in particular (the 12th at St. Andrews) is the best of the best.

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The post When to practice off good and bad lies, according to a Hall-of-Fame golf coach appeared first on Golf.

The post When to practice off good and bad lies, according to a Hall-of-Fame golf coach appeared first on Golf.

As a member of GOLF Magazine’s Coaching Hall of Fame, Mike Adams has seen and taught it all: Every different kind of problem, and each different kind of golfer. He’s also a great follow on Instagram (you can check him out right here), because he’s constantly sharing handy tips that can help you play better golf. One that caught my attention introduced itself with a simple question: How do you get better when you practice?

In the video, which you can watch below, Adams explains that so many golfers spend so much time practicing off “perfect” driving range lies, that it can actually end up hurting them when they get on the course because they get intimidated by “bad lies.”

“The mind can play games with us on the course,” Adams writes. “So practice more efficiently from all lies to help improve your game and mind when on the course.”

Here’s when to practice off each kind of lie, according to Adams.

When to practice off good lies

Good lies, like when your ball is resting perfectly on a tee or on a plush bit of turf, are generally what golfers practice off the most, even though that’s not what you’ll always get on the golf course itself. Adams says it’s fine to practice off lies like that when your primary goal is working on your swing: like warming it up, or making a technical change.

“That’s fine when you’re working on your golf,” he says.

But there are times, he went on to say, when practicing off bad lies is a great recipe for your game.

When to practice off bad lies

It may sound strange to practice hitting a 3-wood out of a divot, but it’s one of the best things you can do, Adams says. It makes life more difficult on the range, sure, but it’ll make it easier on the golf course. And, better yet, it will prevent you from being intimidated on the golf course.

“Instead of working off the world’s best lie, work off a [bad] lie,” he says, rolling his student’s ball into a divot. “If you can master hitting out a [bad] lie and get used to it, when you’re playing, everything’s going to look like an easy lie. When you get out on the golf course, no lie is ever bad.”

Wise words from one of the very best coaches around.

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The post GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S., ranked by price appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S., ranked by price appeared first on Golf.

In golf as in life, true value exists at the intersection of what is feasible and what is affordable.

Sure, everybody wants a tee time at Pine Valley — the No. 1 course on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the U.S. — but finding an invite is easier said than done. And as lovely as a weekly, Saturday morning tee time at Pebble Beach sounds, unless you’ve recently won the lottery, you’ll find yourself hurting in the wallet sooner rather than later.

Indeed, the very best golf — the golf that is not only attainable but repeatable — exists in a manner that is reasonably priced. GOLF knows this too, which is why our crew of course raters recently crafted our newest ranking, GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. You can check out the main list here, but below we took it a step further and ranked them all by price, using the number that’s the absolute most anyone — a local, an out-of-stater, etc. — would pay to play them. Some still are much cheaper than what’s listed here. So, what are you waiting for?

Methodology: How we rate courses | Meet our expert panelists

More GOLF rankings: Top 100 in the U.S. | Top 100 in the World | Top 100 You Can Play | Best Municipal Courses in the U.S. | 100 Best Short Courses

GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S., sorted by price

1. Spring Valley — Salem, Wisc.: $25 (Value rank: 96)

T2. Buffalo Dunes — Garden City, Kans.: $30 (Value rank: 20)

T2. Aiken — Aiken, S.C.: $30 (Value rank: 46)

4. Palatka — Palatka, Fla.: $34 (Value rank: 90)

5. Mirimichi — Millington, Tenn.: $36 (Value rank: 82)

T6. Wilmington Municipal — Wilmington, N.C.: $40 (Value rank: 67)

T6. Riverdale (Dunes) — Brighton, Colo.: $40 (Value rank: 74)

T8.  Sleepy Hollow — Cleveland, Ohio: $44 (Value rank: 54)

T8. Keney Park — Hardford, Conn.: $44 (Value rank: 57)

T8. Manakiki — Willoughby, Ohio: $44 (Value rank: 65)

11. Butterfield Trail — El Paso, Tex.: $44.99 (Value rank: 28)

12. Bear Trace at Harrison Bay State Park — Nashville, Tenn.: $47 (Value rank: 97)

13. Triggs — Providence, R.I.: $48 (Value rank: 69)

14. Shennecossett — Groton, Conn.: $52 (Value rank: 100)

15. Diamond Springs — Hamilton, Mich.: $56 (Value rank: 39)

T16. George Wright — Hyde Park, Mass.: $57 (Value rank: 7)

T16. Fowler’s Mill — Chesterland, Ohio: $57 (Value rank: 30)

T18. Tanglewood (Championship) — Clemmons, N.C.: $59 (Value rank: 42)

T18. Mount Prospect — Mount Prospect, Ill.: $59 (Value rank: 91)

T20. Charleston Municipal — Charleston, S.C.: $60 (Value rank: 62)

T20. Wailua — Kailua, Hawaii: $60 (Value rank: 78)

22. Wild Horse — Gothenburg, Neb.: $61.61 (Value rank: 5)

23. Brackenridge Park — San Antonio, Tex.: $62 (Value rank: 59)

T24. Pinion Hills — Farmington, N.M.: $65 (Value rank: 23)

T24. North Palm Beach — North Palm Beach, Fla.: $65 (Value rank: 64)

T24. Wintonbury Hills — Bloomfield, Conn.: $65 (Value rank: 76)

T24. Denison — Granville, Ohio: $65 (Value rank: 86)

T24. Highland Park — Birmingham, Ala.: $65 (Value rank: 95)

T29. Common Ground — Aurora, Colo.: $66 (Value rank: 22)

T29. The Home Course — DuPont, Wash.: $66 (Value rank: 88)

31. University of New Mexico (Championship) — Albuquerque, N.M.: $67 (Value rank: 37)

32. Jeffersonville Golf Club — Norristown, Pa.: $68 (Value rank: 79)

33. Rustic Canyon — Moorpark, Calif.: $69 (Value rank: 4)

34. Cochiti — Cochiti, N.M.: $70 (Value rank: 58)

35. Pilgrim’s Run — Pierson, Mich.: $71 (Value rank: 45)

36.  La Purisma — Lompoc, Calif.: $73 (Value rank: 68)

T37. San Vicente — Ramona, Calif.: $75 (Value rank: 32)

T37. Rutland — Rutland, Vt.: $75 (Value rank: 49)

T37. Links of North Dakota — Ray, N.D.: $75 (Value rank: 53)

T37. University Ridge — Madison, Wisc. $75 (Value rank: 83)

41. Sunday River — Newry, Maine: $76 (Value rank: 36)

42. Gold Mountain — Bremerton, Wash.: $77 (Value rank: 34)

43. Lakewood Shores (The Gailes) — Oscoda, Mich.: $78 (Value rank: 94)

T44. Legends Resort (Heathland) — Myrtle Beach, S.C.: $79 (Value rank: 40)

T44. Green Mountain National — Killington, Vt.: $79 (Value rank: 72)

T44. Oyster Bay — Sunset Beach, N.C.: $79 (Value rank: 77)

47. Black Mesa — Espanola, N.M.: $80 (Value rank: 16)

48. Bandon Crossings — Bandon, Ore.: $81 (Value rank: 61)

49. Lederbach ­— Harleysville, Pa.: $82 (Value rank: 84)

50. Corcica Park (South) — Alameda, Calif.: $84 ( Value rank: 35)

T51. Seven Oaks — Hamilton, N.Y.: $85 (Value rank: 48)

T51. Cypresswood (Tradition) — Spring, Tex.: $85 (Value rank: 55)

T51. Indian Wells (Players) — Wells, Calif.: $85 (Value rank: 73)

T54. Redlands Mesa Grand Junction — Grand Junction, Colo.: $87  (Value rank: 43)

T54.  Knoll (West) —  Boonton, N.J.: $87 (Value rank: 63)

56. Hawktree — Bismarck, N.D.: $89.68 (Value rank: 17)

T57. Warren Course at Notre Dame — South Bend, Ind.: $90 (Value rank: 11)

T57. Presidio — San Francisco, Calif.: $90 (Value rank: 99)

T59. Rawls Course at Texas Tech — Lubbock, Tex.: $91 (Value rank: 19)

T59. Old Works — Anaconda, Mont.: $91 (Value rank: 38)

61. RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National (Links) — Opelika, Ala.: $94.18 (Value rank: 12)

T62. Pfau Course — Bloomington, Ind.: $95 (Value rank: 13)

T62. Southern Pines — Southern Pines, N.C.: $95 (Value rank: 24)

T64. Bethpage Red — Farmingdale, N.Y.: $96 (Value rank: 8)

T64. RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National (Lake): Opelika, Ala.: $96 (Value rank: 56)

T64. Montauk Downs — Montauk, N.Y.: $96 (Value rank: 60)

67. Twisted Dune — Egg Harbor Township, N.J.: $99 (Value rank: 47)

T68. Duke University Golf Course — Durham, N.C.: $100 (Value rank: 51)

T68. Gearhart Golf Links — Gearhart, Ore.: $100 (Value rank: 98)

70. The Links at Union Vale — LaGrangeville, N.Y.: $105 (Value rank: 33)

71. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay — Tower, Minn.: $107 (Value rank: 26)

72. Crumpin-Fox — Bernardstown, Mass.: $108.41 (Value rank: 25)

T73. Giant’s Ridge (Quarry) — Biwabik, Minn.: $109 (Value rank: 9)

T73. Circling Raven — Worley, Idaho: $109 (Value rank: 31)

T73. Bully Pulpit — Medora, N.D.: $109 (Value rank: 41)

76. Belvedere — Charlevoix, Mich.: $110 (Value rank: 10)

77. Jimmie Austin (University of Oklahoma) — Norman, Okla.: $111 (Value rank: 44)

78. Palouse Ridge — Pullman, Wash.: $115 (Value rank: 80)

79. Stoatin Brae — Augusta, Mich.: $118 (Value rank: 14)

80. Architects — Lopatcong, N.J.: $118.69 (Value rank: 66)

T81. TPC Deere Run — Silvis, Ill.: $119 (Value rank: 50)

T81. Puakea — Lihue, Hawaii: $119 (Value rank: 81)

T83. Lawsonia (The Links) — Green Lake, Wisc.: $120 (Value rank: 2)

T83. Eagle Eye — Bath, Mich.: $120 (Value rank: 71)

85. Avalon Field Club at Newcastle — New Castle, Pa.: $121.20 (Value rank: 75)

86. Harborside International (Port) — Chicago, Ill.: $122 (Value rank: 89)

87. Kebo Valley — Bar Harbor, Maine: $124 (Value rank: 21)

T88. Sand Hollow (Championship) — Hurricane, Utah: $125 (Value rank: 3)

T88. French Lick (Ross) — Frend Lick, Ind.: $125 (Value rank: 6)

T88. Salish Cliffs — Shelton, Wash.: $125 (Value rank: 85)

T88. Normandy Shores — Miami Beach, Fla.: $125 (Value rank: 87)

T88. Omni Mt. Washington Resort — Bretton Woods, N.H.: $125 (Value rank: 92)

93. Kiva Dunes — Gulf Shores, Ala.: $126 (Value rank: 52)

94. Red Trail — Devens, Mass.: $129 (Value rank: 93)

95. Leatherstocking — Cooperstown, N.Y.: $130 (Value rank: 18)

96. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms — Sheboygan Falls, Wisc.: $135 (Value rank: 27)

97. Memorial Park — Houston, Tex.: $140 (Value rank: 15)

T98. Bethpage Black — Farmingdale, N.Y.: $150 (GOLF’s Value Courses rank: 1)

T98. American Dunes — Grand Haven, Mich.: $150 (Value rank: 29)

T98. Newport National — Middletown, R.I.: $150 (Value rank: 70)

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The post Bethpage Confidential: What it’s like playing all 5 courses (and 90 holes) at the People’s Country Club appeared first on Golf.

The post Bethpage Confidential: What it’s like playing all 5 courses (and 90 holes) at the People’s Country Club appeared first on Golf.

Last month, GOLF staffers Zephyr Melton, James Colgan and Emily Haas headed east of New York City to Bethpage State Park for a golf marathon. Over the course of 36 hours, they played all five courses Bethpage has to offer — the Blue, Yellow, Green, Red and, of course, the Black — and documented their entire journey. Here are their takeaways from the 90-hole  Bethpage Gauntlet. 

What’s it like driving into the parking lot at Bethpage for the first time?

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It’s strangely … normal? Everyone has heard of Bethpage, so when I went for the first time I was expecting more grandeur. In reality, it’s just like any other muni. It’s welcoming and unassuming. The People’s Country Club moniker is well-earned. 

Emily Haas, project analyst (@emilycarole): Zephyr is right. My first time there, I took the LIRR from Penn Station to Farmingdale then got an Uber to the course — though it’s actually close enough to the train station to make the walk if necessary. When our car pulled up, the lot is pretty much what you’d expect — big enough to fit cars for five courses, a restaurant, and an event venue — nothing out of the ordinary.

James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): If you’re a Long Islander, you’re trained to think first of your parking spot, then everything else. Bethpage is no different. If you’re lucky, though, your first drive will feature a glimpse at one of the park’s all-time great traditions: the post-round tailgate. 

You started on the Blue, what are your thoughts on the course?

Melton: I’m not the biggest fan of the Blue, but I think that can partially be attributed to it kicking my teeth in at 5:45 a.m. There’s lots of elevation change on the course, and it can play a bit long if you don’t hit it to the right spots. The back nine has a nice little stretch of holes from 12-16, but overall I’d say it’s my least favorite of the bunch.

Haas: Yeah, the Blue used to be one of my favorites, but after experiencing all five courses back-to-back, I’d have to say it’s at the bottom of my list. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be back, but the walk is pretty brutal.

Colgan: The Blue earns a lot of acclaim for being the easiest of the three Tillinghast courses on the Bethpage property (an easily attainable honor with the Red and Black courses as competitors), but it’s a true Jekyll & Hyde course. Alfred Tull’s renovation of the front nine in the 50s made way for the Yellow Course and muted many of Tillinghast’s original design features, which is only evident upon making your way to the back nine. The front, which seemingly features nine elevated tees and greens, is target golf. The back? Classic Tillinghast.

The Yellow Course doesn’t get much press, but you all seemed to enjoy it. What’s the skinny?

Melton: I’m a BIG fan of the Yellow Course. It’s fairly straightforward and not too long, but there are still some interesting holes. They also keep the track in great condition. If you can’t get on the Red or the Black, I’d recommend the Yellow to anyone headed to Bethpage. 

Haas: The Yellow Course rocks! It’s like a junior version of the Black — fescue, fast greens, excellent condition. The only difference is it’s super gettable if you’re hitting the ball well, and you’ll walk away feeling extreme confidence. What golfer doesn’t love that?

Colgan: Eh. I’m still pretty lukewarm on the Yellow Course. There’s a whole lot of room to make something happen, which makes it a very fun course for scoring well. But there’s not much else! It’s an amazing course for beginner golfers (a younger me among them), but I’m not sure how much more it adds.

How does the Green Course compare?

Melton: The Green Course is similar to the Yellow in that it’s all right in front of you, but there is far less elevation change. It has a parkland feel to it and there are some interesting green complexes on several holes. It’s perfect for a leisurely day on the links. 

Haas: The Green Course feels like your classic, standard muni. It’s rough around the edges, but in overall good shape and definitely has the slowest pace of play out of every course at Bethpage State Park. That being said, none of our rounds took more than five hours. The greens are super fun — almost wavy (that’s probably not the technical word, but you get the idea).

Colgan: The Green is (surprisingly) the oldest Bethpage Course, which might not show at first glance. Originally named Lenox Hills Country Club, it was absorbed into Bethpage State Park in the late 1920s, shortly before A.W. Tillinghast was hired to complete routings for what are now the Blue, Red and Black Courses. It’s a cunning little course designed by Devereux Emmet with a handful of entertaining holes. Where the Green sticks out is in its … greens, which have a bit more contour than Yellow or Blue.

After surviving a 54-hole day, what are your recovery tips?

Melton: Advil and icy hot. A pint of ice-cold beer also helps. 

Haas: Say no to the birthday drinks you’re invited to the night before. Get lots of rest, drink plenty of water, change shoes between rounds and you’ll honestly be fine. I did not think the 54-hole walk was as bad as it sounds.  

Colgan: Hydrate. Shower. Sleep. Cry. Not necessarily in that order.

The Red Course is universally loved (No. 8 on GOLF’s Best Under $150 List). What are some key takeaways?

Melton: This was my first crack at the Red, and you can count me as a big fan. At par-70 you can card some great scores, but the course is not easy by any stretch. If you want the perfect balance between tough and scorable, the Red is a great bet.

Haas: Red is in my top-three most favorite golf courses to play of all time. I LOVE a good dogleg, and Red has them galore. It’s one of those courses that really makes you think, and requires the right strategy to score well. If you crack the code and execute your shots, you’ll be pretty happy heading into the clubhouse. 

Colgan: It’s hard not to love the Red. It’s beautiful, undulating, quirky and exceptionally well-conditioned. For my money, it’s the second-best public golf course on Long Island, it just happens to fall in the direct shadow of its brutish sibling, the Black.

Shoes

You saved the Black Course for last. Explain what makes the course so demanding.

Melton: Everything is bigger on the Black. The holes are long, the bunkers are deep, and the elevation change is severe. And once you hit your ball in the thick rough, good luck getting it out. The warning on the first tee box should be heeded. Bring your A+ game if you want to play well on the Black. And even then, it might not be enough.

Haas: It’s SOOOOOOOO long, the rough is too thick for my weak little forearms to muster up a shot with anything longer than a pitching wedge and the greens are fast and don’t break like you’d expect!

Colgan: I don’t know Em, for all that “weak little forearms” talk, you sure had no problem making the most impressive sand-save par I’ve ever seen on No. 10. Anyway, what makes the Black Course so difficult is that it never stops pummeling you. From first tee to 18th, you earn every single inch (and for those of us with the misfortune of getting buried in the fescue, that could well mean literally).

What was your favorite hole on the property?

Melton: No. 17 on the Black. The long par-3 is well-guarded by bunkers and the hill behind the green acts as a natural amphitheater. It’s easy to imagine the electricity in the atmosphere around this hole during a major championship.

Haas: What a tough question! I think I need to go with No. 13 on the Red. It’s a split fairway that requires you to decide: do I go for the narrow side of the fairway and risk going into the trees on the left for a better angle to the pin? (Yes.) Or, do I go up the right side of the fairway and contend with the large front greenside bunker and narrow green?

Colgan: The best hole on the entire property is probably No. 4 on Black. The hardest is unquestionably No. 15 on Black. My favorite, though? No. 5 on the Red Course, a delightfully gettable par-5. It’s the sort of hole where good outcomes are accessible, but not necessarily guaranteed. A good drive off the tee and you’ve got a reasonable play into an elevated green in 2. Anything worse than par on this hole, and you’re in for a long day.

What is your favorite memory from the Gauntlet?

Melton: Walking up the hill to the 18th green. After 36 hours of non-stop golf, it was rewarding to finally reach the summit.

Haas: Hmmm, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment from the actual golf that stands out as my favorite memory, but I did really love recounting each round with James and Zephyr over a surprisingly fabulous salad in the clubhouse. I typically order the turkey club (which is also excellent), but the salad was giant, fresh, and extremely satisfying after a long morning with another round on the books after lunch. 

Colgan: A weird sunset (we were told from the California wildfires) on the Green Course at the end of our 54-hole day set the perfect scene for the Gauntlet. Two coworkers and great friends walking to an elevated tee box, before us: a blazing red orb descending over the skyline and a perfect vantage point of the property.

Any advice for golfers trying to conquer the Gauntlet?

Melton: Prepare for some mental deterioration. I figured my body would feel most of the effects of a golf marathon, but the most challenging aspect was keeping myself mentally engaged. Safe to say I didn’t have the same mental edge on hole 90 as I did on hole 1. But just remember you’re there to have fun! Bad shots will happen, but the memories from the Gauntlet will last forever.

Haas: It was definitely tough to stay focused for that long. By the end of the challenge, I found myself having to really think about the shot at hand (sometimes even saying my plan out loud) to avoid silly, lazy mistakes. 

Colgan: Time is your friend. Build in more of it than we did. Oh, and that post-Gauntlet beer is exactly as good as it sounds.

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The post Lawsonia Links, one of the best values in the U.S., lives up to the hype (and then some) appeared first on Golf.

The post Lawsonia Links, one of the best values in the U.S., lives up to the hype (and then some) appeared first on Golf.

GOLF.com’s list of Top 100 Value Courses is out, and ringing in at No. 1 is a track that almost needs no introduction: Bethpage Black, in Long Island, the triumphant swan song of the Golden Age giant, A.W. Tillinghast, and a three-time major championship host.

But just behind Bethpage, in the No. 2 spot on our roster of great bargains, is a course that, well — how exactly to define Lawsonia Links? Describe it as a sleeper and you’re bound to draw an eye-roll from design enthusiasts, especially those in the Midwest. In those circles, Lawsonia long ago ceased being a secret, if it ever was one. Among the broader golf-loving public, though, it’s fair to say that Wisconsin’s low-key darling is having a moment. Or, better yet, a fine few years.

Excited conversations about the course, once confined largely to architecture blogs, have gone mainstream, thanks in part to a keen-eyed restoration, still ongoing, of Lawsonia’s grand old bones. The staging of notable regional events — including the 2019 Wisconsin State Amateur — has also helped raise the property’s profile. Nowadays, when you mention must-plays in the Badger State, Lawsonia is right there in the mix with the likes of Whistling Straits and Sand Valley. To no small number of design buffs, Lawsonia stands out as the best of the bunch. It’s much cheaper, too, and can be played for $65-$120.

So, what is all the buzz about?

Like the Black Course, Lawsonia dates to the Golden Age, a tandem effort by William Langford and Theodore Moreau. While both were engineers, Langford, the more accomplished golfer of the pair (he played on the national championship team at Yale), handled the bulk of the design work; Moreau was the man in charge of moving dirt. And move it he did.

Lawsonia boasts big, bold, man-made features. Though the broad fairways roll in sync with the glaciated landscape, they are pinched by furrowed brows and deep-gouged bunkers. Many of the greens are pushed up, a number dramatically so, with steep drop-offs plunging into sandy hazards. If you had to pick a signature, it would be the par-3 7th, with a bulging green that has a boxcar buried underneath it.

At first blush, little about Lawsonia suggests you’re in for something truly special. The facilities are decidedly understated, suited to their small-town, rural surrounds, with a straightforward pro shop and restaurant, and a makeshift driving range beside the first tee. Then comes the layout. A rollicking swath of entertainment, it is not a brutal challenge of ball-gobbling forced carries but a find-it, hit-it strategic test, a design nerd’s delight that’s about to get yet another boost through a bunker-restoration project, set to start this fall.

Sleeper? Not exactly. Just a course you’d like to wake up to every day.

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The post The Bethpage Gauntlet: Playing all 90 holes(!) in just 36 hours appeared first on Golf.

The post The Bethpage Gauntlet: Playing all 90 holes(!) in just 36 hours appeared first on Golf.

Three GOLF.com staffers took on the ultimate golf marathon, playing all 90 holes at Bethpage State Park in only 36 hours, culminating at the brutal Black Course.

The post The Bethpage Gauntlet: Playing all 90 holes(!) in just 36 hours appeared first on Golf.

The post 4 key takeaways from our 2020-21 Top 100 Courses in the U.S. ranking appeared first on Golf.

The post 4 key takeaways from our 2020-21 Top 100 Courses in the U.S. ranking appeared first on Golf.

Elections have consequences, as our biennial vote on the best 18-hole courses in the U.S proves. This year, more than a dozen stunning rookies make their Top 100 debut. That’s change we can believe in. Here are 4 key takeaways from our 2020-21 Top 100 Courses in the U.S. ranking.

Missing Pete Dye

For the first time since GOLF published its inaugural U.S. Top 100 ranking in 1983, Pete Dye is not among us. The course design icon passed away in January of this year. Yet his influence is strongly felt throughout the ranking. He leaves behind a litany of great layouts (six in the Top 100, four of which are in the Top 50) as well as numerous protégés. Without trying to simplify a complex topic, Dye imparted some key truths to all architects: Be on-site, get dirt under your nails and make it happen yourself. His disciples include Bill Coore and Tom Doak — of the living architects, these designers appear the most in our U.S. Top 100, with seven and five-and-a-half original works, respectively. Pete was an original, too, and along with his wife, Alice, did as much to shape modern architecture as anyone.

The pandemic effect

Covid certainly manifested itself in this year’s rank. Some clubs adopted a “no guests” policy, which precluded our panelists from visiting many private courses. From a travel perspective, our global panelists ceased stateside visits in February, yet because of the travel ban, our U.S.-based panelists were able to see more courses in America than they might have otherwise. Thus, 2020 turned out to be a fine year for introspection for our U.S. crew. Although we will never know how the results would have been tweaked in the absence of the pandemic, we’re confident that these rankings remain the game’s best and most thoughtfully considered.

Greens with envy

Overstating the importance of greens is nearly impossible. For starters, they’re the targets for every hole ever built! One easily identifiable characteristic of this year’s rankings is that the courses with the best greens continue their dominance on the list. It starts with Pine Valley (No. 1, again), which many argue has the country’s best complexes in terms of contour and variety. As much as the course’s fierce appearance, Pine Valley’s greens have kept it glued to the top of our rankings for decades.

Travel

As the USGA moves toward rethinking a new rota of U.S. Open venues, other household-name courses with great greens — Oakmont (No. 5), Pinehurst No. 2 (No. 11) and Winged Foot (No. 15) — are sure to take center stage. Also, take a look at the architects with the most courses represented. What’s the connection? They were/are master green builders!

As the restoration effort continues to gain momentum and greens are pushed back to their original edges, it’s wonderful to see lesser-known gems like Ross’ Beverly and Mountain Ridge or Travis’ Hollywood or Tillinghast’s Somerset Hills gain appropriate fame. Just one look at Beverly’s 17th green, the 8th green at Mountain Ridge, the 6th green at Hollywood or the 5th green at Somerset Hills confirms as much. If you’re disgruntled that a particular course isn’t ranked higher, ask yourself if its greens are truly special. If they’re fine (but not great), you likely have answered your own question. Courses most likely to make the most headway in 2022? You guessed it: courses with great greens.

Knocking on the door

Courses that fell just outside the Top 100 feature more of the same characteristics as the courses that actually made it, whether you prefer the old-guard style or the new. Restoration work by Ron Forse at two C.H. Alison works (Davenport GC in Iowa and Kirtland outside of Cleveland) have both Golden Age gems on the rise. Two of Ron Prichard and Tyler Rae’s efforts (Beverly CC in Chicago and Cedar Rapids) have placed even more Donald Ross designs on the precipice of Top 100 inclusion as well.

Travel

Truth be told, the statistical difference between No. 80 on our list (Sheep Ranch) and No. 120 (Boston GC) is the smallest it has ever been. Interlachen and Erin Hills (both former hosts of our national championship) fell out of the Top 100 by the tiniest of margins. So did longtime stalwart Scioto, but both the club and the panel are keen to see a purer version of Ross’ original effort versus the one that exists today. Scioto shuts next year, and when our next U.S. ballot rolls out in 2022, don’t be surprised to see it make a concerted charge.

Also, since reimagining the makeup and marching orders of the GOLF ranking panel in 2019, there appears to be a willingness to embrace different forms of architecture like never before. (Kingsley’s inclusion at No. 79 is an example.) Mike Strantz’s Tobacco Road has its highest finish ever (No. 123) and Tom Doak’s reversible course in Michigan (Forest Dunes, No. 115) also joins the Top 120. Given that golf’s ultimate appeal is its dazzling array of diverse playing fields, this is a very encouraging and exciting trend. The aforementioned Sand Hollow — something straight out of a science-fiction movie — might even make it in, which would be a first for Utah. Trust us: If design excellence is out there, our panel will find it. Stay tuned.

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America offers an amazing — dare I say, unmatched — golf palette. Unlike in other great golf countries with enviable regions (like Australia and its Sandbelt or Scotland with its linksland), the U.S. golf landscape can’t be pegged to a single type of geography. Additionally, it has welcomed scores of architects over the years willing to adapt to this topographical tapestry. Add it all up and it is an embarrassment of course riches.

This point was driven home this summer. After three straight months of “Covid togetherness,” my wife urged me to get back on the road. During one excursion across this great land, on back-to-back days in July, I played Trinity Forest, built on reclaimed land just south of urban Dallas, and Sand Hollow in southern Utah, whose back nine famously plays along the rim of a canyon. Talk about diversity!

At Trinity Forest (No. 41 in the Heartland), Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw lent the barren, treeless landscape a plethora of playing characteristics like those at St. Andrews. Balls ricochet along tight zoysia fairways — and hopefully past the numerous central hazards that make the course such a strategic marvel. At Trinity, one- and two-feet contours go a long way in determining a shot’s outcome.

Meanwhile, Sand Hollow (No. 26 in the West) is in-your-face dramatic. John Fought and Andy Staples seized on the opportunity of routing holes that maximized the property’s natural qualities. One can’t help but reflect on the millions of years that went into producing such striking landforms. (Miss a shot left on No. 12 and your ball is gone — 150 feet below the level of the fairway!)

The unifying factor between those two courses is first-rate architecture, and that’s what our Top 100 Courses in the U.S. list is engineered to celebrate. In past rankings, we often did so by focusing mostly on new builds. Yet, on this ranking, Ohoopee Match Club (No. 32), Congaree (No. 72) and Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley (No. 96) are the only legit built-from-scratch courses that have debuted since 2017. Moreover, the number of restored or renovated courses outpaces the new ones by 3 to 1. Specifically, nine of the 17 new entrants to the current list were the beneficiary of significant restoration/renovation work in recent times. (We’re counting Sheep Ranch and Pinehurst No. 4, which debut at No. 80 and No. 92 respectively, as massive renovations.) America, for sure, is getting her house in order by taking care of what she already had.

Significant risers within the rank (based on their position in 2017) were also the beneficiaries of major restorations this century. Of the 16 courses experiencing big jumps up the list (defined as a climb of 10 spots or more), 12 are restorations/renovations, including Sleepy Hollow (up a staggering 60 spots), Bel-Air (+12) and Old Town (+18). If we don’t acknowledge how far such courses have come, we will have failed in our mission. (The four non-reno big gainers, by the way, were all built after World War II.)

Monitoring restoration and renovation work is much more involved than judging new builds. A vote for Ohoopee Match Club is self-evident — the course is only two years old and was mature when it opened — every rater on our panel got to play the same course. Contrast that rating experience with the one for, say, a place such as Kittansett Club (No. 58) along Buzzards Bay, in Massachusetts. It has been working with Gil Hanse for more than 20 years (!) to polish its William Flynn design to perfection. Just last winter, Hanse pushed several of Kittansett’s famous center-fairway mounds farther from the tee boxes to replicate the original playing intent from the 1920s. Typical of a club that values discretion, Kittansett doesn’t trumpet such work. Nonetheless, staying current is part of our panel’s responsibility; otherwise we would be voting inadvertently on an outdated version of a course.

Unlike resorts, private clubs are less likely to hire public-relations firms to stir up interest. Who knew that Hollywood (No. 83), near the Jersey Shore, had made a concerted effort to restore its Walter Travis playing features via the services of Renaissance Golf Design and Brian Schneider? How about the fact that Ron Prichard has been at Mountain Ridge (No. 90) in New Jersey for years, teasing out Donald Ross’ original plans? The rise of both courses in our rankings shows that our panelists evidently did.

Of course, some restoration projects are more well-known than others. Take Oak Hill (No. 40), in Pittsford, N.Y. The course, one of America’s preeminent parkland designs, closed in September 2019 and reopened this past May. During that nine-month period (which included a work interruption for the Lake Ontario winter), Andrew Green and crew set about executing their carefully devised master plan to eradicate modern vestiges that never felt at home on this Donald Ross gem. The property was allowed to breathe again with the removal of some poorly situated trees (and enhancing the roles played by the ones left behind). The work has been met with universal acclaim, sending a great signal that Oak Hill realizes it’s more than simply a major venue.

We’ve seen this trend for two decades now. Golf in America at all levels improves when the leadership clubs do just that — lead. If our most fabled clubs are content to rest on their laurels, what message does that send? The opposite is happening, and that makes getting into the U.S. Top 100 more difficult than ever.

Other giants, including Oakland Hills (No. 35) and the Lower Course at Baltusrol (No. 69), shut down this year, both embarking on transformative restoration projects under the practiced hand of Hanse Design. Gone will be the wasp-shaped fairways that narrowed in from both sides at Oakland Hills, dictating what the golfer was supposed to do from the tee; driving decisions will be more complicated now and in part depend on the day’s hole location, as Donald Ross always intended. Regarding Baltusrol, one of A.W. Tillinghast’s most sophisticated bunkering schemes ever will be reintroduced when the course opens again in 2021. Similarly, we await to see what renovations Jack Nicklaus is cooking up at Muirfield Village (No. 51). You can check them out yourself during the PGA Tour’s 2021 Memorial Tournament.

Next year, Scioto CC in Columbus, Ohio, does the same with Andrew Green. Brook Hollow, a feature-laden Tillinghast in Dallas, reopened the end of October. This Tillinghast course has long charmed golfers — and that’s before they shut it down and let Keith Foster do his thing. Tillinghast’s characteristically bold features are back in evidence, which are especially neat as this is one of the rare sandy sites upon which Tillinghast ever worked.

The actions of these clubs send a brutal message: If you’re not moving forward, you’re getting passed. The rub is that “moving forward” has different meanings. Maybe you replaced your cart paths? That’s great, but our panel views golf as a walking sport. Maybe you added ponds to your Golden Age course to stiffen the challenge. That’s your prerogative. But there’s a renewed appreciation for designs that stimulate recovery options, not stifle them. Plus, if a course isn’t desirable to play on a regular basis, has it done itself any favors

Happily, that’s where rankings come in. In the November/December 2020 issue of GOLF Magazine (and here on GOLF.com) we’ve highlighted the path forward. Success stories abound. The amount of excellent restoration work being done is at a fever pitch and an all-time high.

Additionally, the good news here stateside is that we’re playing on firmer fairways and harder greens than possibly ever. What a privilege it was to tour both the Honors Course (No. 63) and Trinity Forest in July this year. To see bouncy conditions in the heat of the summer is wonderful, because those are the very months that many of us play. If global warming is coming, we’re ready, thanks to steadfast improvements in tolerant grasses that are conducive to good golf and to greenkeepers devoted to presenting their courses in a manner so that options abound.

Sadly, one course plummeted for conditioning, and that was Yale, where everything seemed to go wrong. Its longtime greenkeeper left in January. Then Covid hit. The course closed and was maintained only by a skeleton crew. Photographs in mid-August showed an unplayable course in neglect, with some greens more brown than green. The university has always had reasons the course lagged in conditioning, but 2020 was the year when our panel had had enough. Any design aficionado finds this turn of events heartbreaking, but when will Yale University do right and treat its prized asset as just that?

Across America you’ll find a vast range of exceptional playing surfaces, from fescue fairways in the Pacific Northwest to bermuda fairways in the Southeast. Either way, bouncy conditions can exist year around. Plus, fewer courses are overseeding during the winter, so instead of rye fairways that offer attractive, verdant playing surfaces but slow down the ball, you get blazingly quick dormant bermuda. Beauty remains in the eye of the beholder, but increasingly, things that make for better playing surfaces (increased air circulation, less shade and dormant grasses) are redefining “beauty” all across this country. Additionally, courses that are wall-to-wall green draw tepid applause compared to those that dazzle with grasses rich in texture and contrasting colors. Cases in point: dramatic movers Kingsley (unranked to No. 79) and the Honors Course (+15).

The highest level of architecture occurs when the player is given a multitude of options in response to both design (width, short grass) and agronomy (surfaces that release the ball). Great designs don’t stifle bold play; they encourage it. When you leave a course thinking about how you’ll attack it differently the next time you play it, that course has done its job.

As you peruse the various lists in this issue, you’ll realize that the days of narrow fairways and flanking bunkers is not what energizes golfers anymore, to say nothing of raters. We want puzzles, conundrums and options. “Thinking” your way around a course is gratifying and why we keep returning to the sport.

No doubt, this country of ours had a tough year. Yet through it all, its resplendent and natural beauty — and its courses — remained, graciously lying in wait for golfers to have fun and gain solace. Covid made us all slow down. When we did, we definitely liked what we saw.

To amplify on the country’s geographic diversity, GOLF has, for the first time, broken the country into four regions and ranked the top 50 in each. Even each region is shockingly diverse. Just look at the West: The Arizona desert is home to a concentration of courses like few other spots in the world. Meanwhile, Wyoming has fewer courses per square mile than any in the contiguous states. Prefer a treeless environ? Options abound. Coastal golf your thing? Say hello to the five courses (Nos. 19, 38, 44, 66, 80) at Bandon Dunes. Island golf? You have heard of Hawaii, right, and Nanea (No. 94)? From golf through lava fields to the tops of mountains, the Pacific region alone has you covered.

Our hearts break as tens of thousands of jobs in the hospitality and travel industry hang in the balance, based on what life will look like on the other side of Covid, but we’re grateful that golf has managed to keep thousands of people employed and provide a safe release for tens of thousands more. This country has always flourished because it is a nation of doers. Even if your comfort level for travel has narrowed, our regional breakdown offers must-plays in your area you can reach by car. If a course is anywhere on our rankings, we guarantee you’re in for a treat.

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Get a glimpse into the dynamic scenic view that is Costa Palmas.

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Get an overhead look at Costa Palmas 16th hole.

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