Forty years ago, the Chicago Bears ruled the NFL. Carl Lewis was the fastest man alive. And in the golf universe, El Saler, in Valencia, Spain, ranked ahead of Riviera. So said GOLF’s inaugural World Top 100 list in 1985. Times change, tastes evolve, and the rankings evolve along with them. Here are six other curiosities from that first-ever list.
The Dawn of Doak
In 1985, GOLF’s rankings were overseen by a recent Cornell graduate and rising architect named Tom Doak. Today, Doak is the designer of 10 original courses on GOLF’s World Top 100 — more than any other living architect.
Assigning Letter Grades
Today, GOLF’s course raters work within numbered buckets (1–3, 4–10, 11–25, and so on). Forty years ago, Doak went with what he knew: a school-style system in which raters assigned letter grades.
Some Stunning Shifts
Some things never change. Pine Valley, the top-rated course in 1985, has held that position in every ranking since. Elsewhere, the reshuffling has been dramatic. In 1985, Royal Dar es Salam in Morocco ranked 57th, one spot ahead of National Golf Links of America, which today sits at No. 6; Royal Dar es Salam now doesn’t crack the Top 200. That year, Pevero, in Italy, placed 51st, one ahead of Sunningdale Old. Today, Sunningdale Old is 22nd. Pevero isn’t even on the ballot.
Pebble in Perspective
In 1985, Pebble Beach Golf Links ranked 2nd in the world, sandwiched between Pine Valley and Muirfield. In the current 2025–26 ranking, Pebble sits at No. 15, down one spot from two years ago.
The Glow of the Golden Age
In 1985, courses from the Golden Age and earlier dominated the World Top 100. The highest-rated modern design was Muirfield Village, at No. 20. In the 2025–26 ranking, Muirfield Village has slipped just outside the Top 100. Golden Age courses still lead the way, but modern designs now climb higher. Of them, Sand Hills ranks highest at No. 10, followed by Tara Iti at No. 19.
A Global Representation
Golf has grown more global — no doubt about it. But you might not know it from the rankings. In 1985, 17 countries appeared in the World Top 100. Today? Sixteen. And eight countries represented in 1985 — Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Sweden, South Africa, Colombia, Mexico and Morocco — no longer have a single course on the list. Meanwhile, seven countries in the 2025–26 Top 100 did not appear on the inaugural ranking: China, Korea, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and St. Lucia.
When Tour Stops Carried More Weight
PGA Tour venues once held a more prominent place on the list. GOLF’s architecture buffs now view many of them through a different lens. Among regular Tour stops, Pebble Beach and Riviera remain. But gone are the likes of Bay Hill, Butler National, Doral, Firestone and Harbour Town.
