GOLF’s latest ranking of Top 100 Courses in the World features plenty of familiar names, from Augusta National and Pine Valley to Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. But tucked amid those icons are lesser-known layouts with compelling designs and rich histories of their own. In this ongoing series, we’ll introduce you to them.
The 1970s, the decade that gave us disco, also delivered a wave of prominent golf-course redesigns. One was an overhaul of Inverness in advance of the 1979 U.S. Open, conducted by Tom Fazio and his uncle, George Fazio. To help defend the storied Donald Ross design against the world’s best players, the Fazios added length, tightened corridors and altered the routing, including the introduction of three new holes. Mission accomplished, at least in terms of toughness. The changes, though, were polarizing. Critics saw them as incongruous with Ross’ work, a blemish on a gem.
Over time, the rankings came to reflect that sentiment. Inverness debuted at No. 54 on GOLF’s list in 1985. By 2017, it had slipped to No. 98.
Enter Andrew Green. In 2018, Green, a relatively unknown architect at the time, completed a restoration aimed at returning Inverness to its roots. As part of the project, Green reopened corridors, expanded greens and surrounds and revived the cadence of Ross’s routing, replacing three holes the Fazios built with three of his own — each meant to channel Ross. The result is a course with more width off the tee, more short-grass options around the greens and more strategic nuance.
You feel it throughout. The 6th and 7th, both stout par-4s, are imposing tests of power and precision. The 4th, 10th and 18th holes, for their part, present a variety of risk-reward decisions, tempting you to take on bunkers, creeks or awkward downhill and sidehill lies for a shorter approach. It’s no surprise many of the 2021 Solheim Cup matches were decided by how players managed these beautifully calibrated challenges.
For a course with four U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and a Solheim Cup on its résumé, Inverness hardly needed validation. But Green’s restoration was a welcome refresher. The rankings reflect that sentiment, too, as Inverness has climbed back to No. 67. That feels about right. The course is a compelling test for members yet remains a worthy championship stage, just as Ross surely would have wanted. And another major is on the way. I’m excited to see Inverness back in the spotlight at the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open.
Dave Greiner is a course rater for GOLF and GOLF.com.
