A U.S. state-by-state guide to the Top 100 Courses in the World

November 24, 2019

A view of Fishers Island in New York. The Empire State has 11 courses on GOLF's Top 100 Courses in the World ranking.

LC Lambrecht

Where are some of the best golf courses on the planet? For starters, 49 of GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World are in the United States.

The U.S. had the most courses on our Top 100 list, and it was one away from being a 50/50 split with the rest of the honorees. The United Kingdom/Ireland had 30 courses, and Australia/New Zealand made up 10 others. The other 11 courses to make the list were scattered about, from Japan to South Korea and so on.

As for the U.S. breakdown, one state heavily outnumbered the others, with New York leading the way with 11 courses. New York’s 11 courses were led by Shinnecock Hills (4th) and National Golf Links of America, both of which leaped Augusta National into the top five this year. California was next with seven courses, led by Cypress Point (2nd) and Pebble Beach (11th).

Ohio came in third with four courses — Camargo was the top-ranked one at 52nd — and Oregon and Georgia both had three courses each. All of Oregon’s were from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, with Tom Doak’s Pacific Dunes (24th) receiving the highest rank among the three. It’s no surprise that Georgia’s three courses were headlined by Augusta National (9th), which fell four spots from the previous ranking.

Six states had two courses in the Top 100 ranking, and nine had one course. The complete state-by-state breakdown is below.

Top 100 Courses in the World by U.S. state

New York (11): Shinnecock Hills (4th), National Golf Links of America (5th), Fishers Island (18th), Winged Foot West (23rd), Friar’s Head (26th), Garden City (47th), Bethpage Black (53rd), Winged Foot East (62nd), Maidstone (64th), Quaker Ridge (74th), Sleepy Hollow (76th)

California (7): Cypress Point (2nd), Pebble Beach (11th), LA North (20th), Riviera (28th), San Francisco (30th), California Club of San Francisco, The Olympic Club, Lake (79th)

Ohio (4): Camargo (52nd), Inverness (81st), The Golf Club (84th), Muirfield Village (85th)

Oregon (3): Pacific Dunes (24th), Bandon Dunes (80th), Bandon Trails (87th)

Georgia (3): Augusta National (9th), Peachtree (91st), Ohoopee Match Club (98th)

New Jersey (2): Pine Valley (1), Somerset Hills (42nd)

Pennsylvania (2): Oakmont (8th), Merion East (15th)

Michigan (2): Crystal Downs (25th), Oakland Hills South (72nd)

Florida (2): Seminole (34th), TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium (68th)

Massachusetts (2): The Country Club Clyde/Squirrel (38th), Myopia Hunt Club (92nd)

Illinois (2): Chicago (19th), Shoreacres (45th)

Montana: Rock Creek Cattle Company (99th)

Nebraska: Sand Hills (14th)

North Carolina: Pinehurst No. 2 (16th)