Meet GOLF’s Top 100 Course Raters: 97 well-traveled (and well-connected) golf aficionados

Any “best” or “greatest” list is, at its core, a study in subjectivity, and our Top 100 Courses in the World and U.S. rankings are no stranger to the whims of human taste. We’re more than fine with that, if for the only reason that the folks who rate courses on GOLF’s behalf have the keenest eyes in golf architecture. We empower and hold accountable a group of 97 well-traveled — and well-connected — golfers/aficionados, each capable of expressing their own sense of design excellence at the highest level.

The group is seasoned and experienced —  we look for raters who know what’s out there, what’s changing and what’s coming down the pike. And from judging posts across four continents, our panelists are positioned to place courses from different regions around the globe into proper context, one of the main reasons GOLF’s world list is the most esteemed in the game.

Here’s the list (updated October 2020) of GOLF’s course raters:

Hoyt McGarity Chairman, GOLF Rankings Panel, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Ran Morrissett, Architecture Editor, GOLF Southern Pines, N.C.
Ian Andrew, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Joseph Andriole, MD, Orlando, Fla.
J. Dean Baggett, Athens, Tenn.
Rodolfo Barreto, São Paulo, Brazil
David Baum, Short Hills, N.J.
Jack Bonner, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Bart Bradley, Bristol, Tenn.
Thomas Brown, Los Angeles, Calif.
Frank Casey Jr., Letterkenny, Ireland
Mack Clapp, Missoula, Mont.
Tom Clasby, Seal Beach, Calif.
Mike Clayton, N. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Chris Cochran, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
John Cornish, Brighton East, Victoria, Australia
Ben Cowan-Dewar, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jimmy Dunne, North Palm Beach, Fla.
Brian Curley, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Gordon Dalgleish, Wilmington, N.C.
Mike Davis, Liberty Corner, N.J.
Tripp Davis, Norman, Okla.
John Dempsey, Pinehurst, N.C.
Tom Doak, Traverse City, Mich.
Barry Doyle, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Alfonso Erhadt, Madrid, Spain
David Eger, Charlotte, N.C.
Christian Faergemann, Hellerup, Denmark
Ron Farmer, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Noel Freeman, Lafayette, Calif.
Dana Fry, Naples, Fla.
Jeff Fujimoto, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tim Gallant, Edinburgh, Scotland
Philip Gawith, London, England
Matt Gibb, St. Louis Park, Minn.
Patrick Glynn, Lahinch, Ireland
Kye Goalby, Webster Groves, Mo.
Michael Goldstein, Otago, New Zealand
Hindrik Gommer, Voorburg, The Netherlands
Charlie Grace, New York City, N.Y.
David Greinner, Stamford, Conn.
Vaughn Halyard, Milwaukee, Wis.
Gil Hanse, Malvern, Pa.
Walter Harris, Naples, Fla.
Niall Hay, Birmingham, Mich.
Robin Hiseman, Fleet, England
Bill Hogan, Austin, Texas
Simon Holt, Edinburgh, Scotland
Barry Hyde, Neshanic Station, N.J.
Allan Jamieson, Burlingame, Calif.
Clyde Johnson, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Sunil Kappagoda, Hillsborough, Calif.
Michael Keiser, Chicago, Ill.
Irv Kessler, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Steve Lapper, Far Hills, N.J.
Jeffrey Lewis, New York, N.Y.
Hong-Seh Lim, Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Gary Lisbon, Malvern East, Victoria, Australia
Brooke Mackenzie, Boulder, Colo.
Don Mahaffey, Edna, Texas
Sally Markiewicz, New York, N.Y.
Ashley Mayo, New York, N.Y.
Tom McBroom, Los Angeles, Calif.
Stephen McHugh, Santa Barbara, Calif.
David McLay Kidd, Bend, Ore.
Adam Messix, Cashiers, N.C.
Lukas Michel, Oakleigh South, Victoria, Australia
Kelly Miller, Pinehurst, N.C.
Adrian Mitchell, Kew, England
David Morgan, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Adrian Morrow, Dublin, Ireland
Angela Moser, Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
Kristel Mourgue D’Algue-Lawton, Bordeaux, France
Nick Mullen, Morristown, N.J.
Kotaro Nakamoto, Kobe, Japan
Greg Nathan, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Zach Nelson, Hillsborough, Calif.
Masa Nishijima, Tokyo, Japan
Sang Jun Oh, Seoul, Korea
Michael Pelliccione, Basking Ridge, N.J.
Hal Phillips, New Gloucester, Maine
Mike Policano, Glen Rock, N.J.
Frank Pont, Den Dolder, The Netherlands
John Preschlack, Chicago, Ill.
Tyler Rae, Wilmington, Del.
Bob Ranum, Southampton, N.Y.
Luke Reese, Chicago, Ill.
Mitch Reese, Vero Beach, Fla.
Javier Reviriego, Cádiz, Spain
Paul Rudovsky, Pinehurst, N.C.
Josh Sens, Oakland, Calif.
Sho Tobari, Tokyo, Japan
Jim Urbina, Littleton, Colo.
Chick Wagner, Oakmont, Pa.
Peter Webster, Dublin, Ireland
Par Widmark, Båstad, Sweden
Peter Wood, Lower Plenty, Victoria, Australia