Every two years, Joe Passov of Golf.com compiles his list of the Top-100 Courses You Can Play in America. These are either public or semi-private golf courses that you or I could call up, reserve a tee time and get to play one of the best courses in the country.
Many on this list will be familiar to you, either from word of mouth, as seen on TV or simply by name recognition. Regardless of what you’ve heard, every one of the courses on this list are worth considering for your next buddies trip.
Here’s how Golf.com describes this year’s batch of courses.
Who says that golf lacks a compelling mano-a-mano rivalry? In our Top 100 Courses You Can Play ranking, two heavy hitters have dominated the competition for more than a decade. Now, for the first time in 12 years, there’s a new number one: Pebble Beach has reclaimed the top spot from Pacific Dunes.
Mind you, Tom Doak’s design on the Oregon coast is no less brilliant. Rather, our judges were swayed by Pebble’s ongoing improvements. Since our last survey two years ago, Pebble has enhanced the seaside 17th (restoring the size of the green and revamping the bunkering) and smoothed out the wildly sloping 14th green, which had gotten out of control with modern green speeds.
Beyond Pebble and Pacific, six rookies have catapulted their way onto the list, headed by urban legend Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx, N.Y., and Gamble Sands, David McLay Kidd’s high-desert fun-fest in central Washington State. And kudos to Streamsong Resort’s Red course in central Florida, a Bill Coore–Ben Crenshaw design that’s cracked the top 10.
Could one of these newcomers challenge the Big Two for supremacy? Check back in 2018.
Here are the top five on this year’s list.
5. Whistling Straits Golf Club (Straits)
4. Bethpage State Park (Black)
3. Pinehurst Resort (No. 2)
2. Pacific Dunes
1. Pebble Beach Golf Links
[Golf.com]
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