GOLF Magazine recently unveiled its 2020/2021 Top 100 Courses in the United States, and to showcase the country’s geographic diversity, GOLF has, for the first time, broken the country into four regions and ranked the top 50 in each. Each region is shockingly diverse — and overflowing with exquisite golf. To introduce each region, we called upon a star architect to help.
The Appeal of Golf in the West | by David McLay Kidd
I’m biased — I’ve lived in Oregon longer than I have in my native Scotland — but the golf landscape in the West is unrivaled, from mountain ranges (Gozzer Ranch) and lush valleys (Valley Club), to arid deserts (Shadow Creek) and rugged coastline (Cypress Point), and not forgetting the stunning Hawaiian Islands (Nanea). Course designers are often only as good as the canvas they are given, and the West offers a spectacular canvas.
Golfers are nature lovers — they appreciate beauty and diversity. They enjoy the artistry in the courses they play, as well as the challenge, and courses in the West offer the greatest variety in American golf. You’ll find every genre in every climate. I’d argue it’s the strongest of the four regions, but like I said, I’m biased!
The 50 best golf courses in the West
1. Cypress Point — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie, 1928)
2. Pebble Beach — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919)
3. Los Angeles Country Club (North Course) — Los Angeles, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr., 1921)
4. Riviera Country Club — Pacific Palisades, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr./Billy Bell Sr., 1926)
5. Pacific Dunes — Bandon, Ore. (Tom Doak, 2001)
6. San Francisco Golf Club — San Francisco, Calif. (A.W. Tillinghast, 1918)
7. California Club of San Francisco — South San Francisco, Calif. (A.V. Macan, 1926/Alister MacKenzie, 1928/Kyle Phillips, 2007)
8. Ballyneal — Holyoke, Colo. (Tom Doak, 2006)
9. Bandon Trails — Bandon, Ore. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2005)
10. Bandon Dunes — Bandon, Ore. (David McLay Kidd, 1999)
11. Rock Creek Cattle Company — Deer Lodge, Mont (Tom Doak, 2008)
12. Olympic Club (Lake Course) — Daly City, Calif. (Sam Whiting, 1924)
13. Valley Club of Montecito — Montecito, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie/Robert Hunter, 1929)
14. Pasatiempo — Santa Cruz, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie, 1929)
15. Gamble Sands — Brewster, Wash. (David McLay Kidd, 2014)
16. Old Macdonald — Bandon, Ore. (Dom Doak/Jim Urbina, 2010)
17. Monterey Peninsula (Shore Course) — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Bob Baldock, 1962/Mike Strantz, 2004)
18. Bel-Air Country Club — Los Angeles, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr./William F. Bell, 1926)
19. Gozzer Ranch — Harrison, Idaho (Tom Fazio, 2007)
20. Sheep Ranch — Bandon, Ore. (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2020)
21. Shadow Creek — Las Vegas, Nev. (Tom Fazio, 1990)
22. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes Course) — Pebble Beach, Calif. (Seth Raynor, 1924/Tom Fazio/Jackson Kahn, 2015)
23. Nanea — Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (David McLay Kidd, 2003)
24. Cherry Hills — Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (William Flynn, 1923)
25. Spyglass Hill — Pebble Beach, Calif.
26. Sand Hollow — Hurricane, Utah
27. Colorado Golf Club — Parker, Colo.
28. Wilderness Club — Eureka, Mont.
29. Chambers Bay — University Place, Wash.
30. Meadow Club — Fairfax, Calif.
31. Kapalua (Plantation Course) — Lahaina, Hawaii
32. Forest Highlands (Canyon Course) — Flagstaff, Ariz.
33. Desert Forest — Carefree, Ariz.
34. Clear Creek — Carson City, Nev.
35. Stone Eagle — Palm Desert, Calif.
36. Rustic Canyon — Moorpark, Calif.
37. Wilshire Golf Club — Los Angeles, Calif.
38. Madison Club — La Quinta, Calif.
39. Castle Pines – Castle Rock, Colo.
40. Estancia — Scottsdale, Ariz.
41. We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) — Fort McDowell, Ariz.
42. Eugene Golf Club — Eugene, Ore.
43. Waverley — Portland, Ore.
44. Torrey Pines (South) — La Jolla, Calif.
