Royal County Down (Championship Links)

Newcastle, Co. Down

Rankings

Golf Magazine's Top 100 Golf Courses in U.S.

Developed by the smallest and most distinguished panel of the three big golf publications, Golf Magazine owns one of the most respected ranking systems. Below is their current Top 100 list with an * marking the public access courses. Courses in BOLD have been played by Billy; a total of 82 so far. Courses in italics are scheduled to played this year.

Top 10 Courses

  1. PINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB (George Crump and H.S. Colt 1918, Pine Valley, NJ)
  2. CYPRESS POINT CLUB (Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter 1928, Pebble Beach, CA)
  3. SHINNECOCK HILLS GOLF CLUB (William Flynn 1931, South Hampton, NY)
  4. NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA (C.B. MacDonald 1911, Southampton, NY)
  5. OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB (Henry Fownes 1903, Oakmont, PA)
  6. Augusta National Golf Club (Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones 1933, Augusta, GA)
  7. SAND HILLS GOLF CLUB (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 1994, Mullen, NE)
  8. MERION GOLF CLUB (EAST) (Hugh Wilson 1912, Ardmore, PA)
  9. PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS (Jack Neville and Douglas Grant 1919/H. Chandler Egan 1929, Pebble Beach, CA)*
  10. LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB (NORTH) (George C. Thomas Jr. 1921, Los Angeles, CA)
15th Hole and 16th at Cypress Point Club
15th Hole and 16th at Cypress Point Club

Courses 11-20

  1. FISHERS ISLAND CLUB (Seth Raynor and Charles Banks 1926, Fishers Island, NY)
  2. CHICAGO GOLF CLUB (C.B. MacDonald 1894/Seth Raynor 1923, Wheaton, IL)
  3. PINEHURST RESORT (NO. 2) (Donald Ross 1907, Pinehurst, N.C.)*
  4. RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB (George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell 1926, Pacific Palisades, CA)
  5. FRIAR'S HEAD GOLF CLUB (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 2002, Riverhead, NY)
  6. PRAIRIE DUNES COUNTRY CLUB (Perry Maxwell 1937/Press Maxwell 1957, Hutchinson, KS)
  7. SEMINOLE GOLF CLUB (Donald Ross 1923, Juno Beach, FL)
  8. WINGED FOOT GOLF CLUB (WEST) (A.W. Tillinghast 1923, Mamaroneck, NY)
  9. PACIFIC DUNES GOLF COURSE (Tom Doak 2001, Bandon, OR)*
  10. OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY CLUB (SOUTH) (Donald Ross 1918/Robert Trent Jones 1950, Bloomfield Hills, MI)
3rd Hole at Chicago Golf Club
3rd Hole at Chicago Golf Club

Courses 21-30

  1. THE COUNTRY CLUB (CLYDE/SQUIRREL) (Willie Campbell 1895/Alex Campbell 1902, Brookline, MA)
  2. SAN FRANCISCO GOLF CLUB (A.W. Tillinghast 1918, San Francisco, CA)
  3. CRYSTAL DOWNS COUNTRY CLUB (Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell 1931, Frankfort, MI)
  4. SOUTHERN HILLS COUNTRY CLUB (Perry Maxwell 1936, Tulsa, OK)
  5. SHOREACRES (Seth Raynor 1921, Lake Bluff, IL)
  6. CALIFORNIA GOLF CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO (A. Vernon Macon 1926/Alister MacKenzie 1928/Kyle Phillips 2007, South San Francisco, CA)
  7. SOMERSET HILLS COUNTRY CLUB (A.W. Tillinghast 1918, Bernardsville, NJ)
  8. GARDEN CITY GOLF CLUB (Devereux Emmet 1899, Garden City, NY)
  9. MAIDSTONE CLUB (Willie Park Jr. and Jack Park 1924, East Hampton, NY)
  10. THE LIDO (Tom Doak 2023, Rome, WI)*
12th Hole at Shoreacres Golf Club
12th Hole at Shoreacres Golf Club

Courses 31-40

  1. CAMARGO CLUB (Seth Raynor 1921, Indian Hill, OH)
  2. Old Town Club (Perry Maxwell 1939, Winston-Salem, NC)
  3. PEACHTREE GOLF CLUB (Robert Trent Jones and Bobby Jones 1947, Atlanta, GA)
  4. BETHPAGE STATE PARK (BLACK) (A.W. Tillinghast and Joseph H. Burbeck 1936, Farmingdale, NY)*
  5. BALLYNEAL GOLF CLUB (Tom Doak 2005, Holyoke, CO)
  6. OAK HILL COUNTRY CLUB (EAST) (Donald Ross 1925, Rochester, NY)
  7. KIAWAH ISLAND (OCEAN) (Pete Dye 1991, Kiawah Island, SC)*
  8. ROCK CREEK CATTLE COMPANY (Tom Doak 2008, Deer Lodge, MT)
  9. BANDON TRAILS (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 2005, Bandon, OR)*
  10. SLEEPY HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB (C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor 1911/A.W. Tillinghast 1928, Briarcliff Manor, NY)
5th Hole at Camargo Club
5th Hole at Camargo Club

Courses 41-50

  1. INVERNESS CLUB (Donald Ross 1919, Toledo OH)
  2. BALTUSROL GOLF CLUB (LOWER) (A.W. Tillinghast 1922, Springfield, NJ)
  3. MYOPIA HUNT CLUB (Herbert Leeds 1896, South Hamilon, MA)
  4. Ohoopee Match Club (Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner 2018, Cobbtown, GA)
  5. WINGED FOOT GOLF CLUB (EAST) (A.W. Tillinghast, Mamaroneck, NY)
  6. CAPROCK RANCH (Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner 2021, Valentine, NE)
  7. Yeamans Hall Club (Seth Raynor 1925, Hanahan, SC)
  8. TPC SAWGRASS (PLAYERS STADIUM) (Pete Dye 1981, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)*
  9. BANDON DUNES GOLF COURSE (David McLay Kidd 1999, Bandon, OR)*
  10. EASTWARD HO! (Herbert Fowler 1922, Chatham, MA)
12th Hole at Bandon Dunes
12th Hole at Bandon Dunes

Courses 51-60

  1. Old Barnwell (Brian Schneider and Blake Conant 2023, Aiken, SC)
  2. QUAKER RIDGE GOLF CLUB (A.W. Tillinghast 1918, Scarsdale, NY)
  3. THE CREEK CLUB (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor 1923, Locust Valley, NY)
  4. THE HONORS COURSE (Pete Dye 1983, Ooltewah, TN)
  5. WHISTLING STRAITS RESORT (STRAITS) (Pete Dye 1998, Haven, WI)*
  6. MUIRFIELD VILLAGE GOLF CLUB (Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead 1974, Dublin, OH)
  7. Pikewood National Golf Club (J. Robert Gwynne/John Raese 2009, Morgantown, WV)
  8. Valley Club of Montecito (Alister MacKenzie/Robert Hunter 1929, Santa Barbara, CA)
  9. THE OLYMPIC CLUB (LAKE) (Sam Whiting 1928, San Francisco, CA)
  10. THE GOLF CLUB (Pete Dye 1967, New Albany, OH)
15th Hole at Eastward Ho!
15th Hole at Eastward Ho!

Courses 61-70

  1. CONGRESSIONAL COUNTRY CLUB (BLUE) (Devereaux Emmet 1924/Andrew Green 2020, Bethesda, MD)
  2. OLD SANDWICH GOLF CLUB (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 2004, Plymoth, MA)
  3. Wade Hampton Golf Club (Tom Fazio 1987, Cashiers, NC)
  4. PLAINFIELD COUNTRY CLUB (Donald Ross 1921, Plainfield, NJ)
  5. ESSEX COUNTY CLUB (Donald Ross 1917, Manchester, MA)
  6. PIPING ROCK GOLF CLUB (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor 1913, Locust Valley, NY)
  7. PASATIEMPO GOLF CLUB (Alister MacKenzie 1929, Santa Cruz, CA)*
  8. KITTANSETT CLUB (William Flynn and Frederic Hood 1922, Marion, MA)
  9. HARBOUR TOWN GOLF LINKS (Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus 1969, Hilton Head Island, SC)*
  10. Bel-Air Country Club (George Thomas/William Bell Sr. 1926, Los Angeles, CA)
15th Hole at Gozzer Ranch
15th Hole at Gozzer Ranch

Courses 71-80

  1. MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB (SHORE) (Bob Baldock 1961/Mike Strantz 2004, Pebble Beach, CA)
  2. SCIOTO COUNTRY CLUB (Donald Ross 1916, Columbus, OH)
  3. INTERLACHEN COUNTRY CLUB (Willie Watson 1911/Donald Ross 1921, Edina, MN)
  4. MEDINAH COUNTRY CLUB (NO. 3) (Tom Bendelow 1928, Medinah, IL)
  5. Hollywood Golf Club (Walter Travis 1915/Tom Doak 2014, Deal, NJ)
  6. GOZZER RANCH GOLF AND LAKE CLUB (Tom Fazio 2007, Harrison, ID)
  7. Newport Country Club (Willis Davis 1894/A.W. Tillinghast 1920, Newport, RI)
  8. MILWAUKEE COUNTRY CLUB (H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison 1929, River Hills, WI)
  9. OLD MACDONALD (Tom Doak 2010, Bandon, OR)*
  10. SHADOW CREEK GOLF CLUB (Tom Fazio 1990, North Las Vegas, NV)*
14th Hole at Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Dunes)
14th Hole at Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Dunes)

Courses 81-90

  1. MORAINE COUNTRY CLUB (Alex 'Nipper' Campbell 1930/Keith Foster 2016, Dayton, OH)
  2. FOX CHAPEL GOLF CLUB (Seth Raynor & Charles Banks 1925/Brian Silva 1997, Pittsburgh, PA)
  3. NANEA GOLF CLUB (David McLay Kidd 2003, Kailua-Kona, HI)
  4. ARONIMINK GOLF CLUB (Donald Ross 1928, Newtown Square, PA)
  5. RIDGEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB (EAST/WEST OR CHAMPIONSHIP) (A.W. Tillinghast 1929, Paramus, NJ)
  6. White Bear Yacht Club (William Watson 1915, White Bear Lake, MN)
  7. Ladera Golf Club (Gil Hanse 2023, Thermal, CA)
  8. Pinehurst No.10 (Tom Doak 2024, Pinehurst, NC)*
  9. THE GOLF COURSES OF LAWSONIA (LINKS) (Bill Langford/Ted Moreau 1930, Green Lake, WI)
  10. MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB (DUNES) (Seth Raynor 1926/Tom Fazio and Jackson-Kahn 2016, Pebble Beach, CA)
15th Hole at Streamsong Resort (Red)
15th Hole at Streamsong Resort (Red)

Courses 91-100

  1. CHERRY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB (William Flynn 1923, Englewood, CO)
  2. Sankaty Head Golf Club (Emerson Armstrong 1923, Siasconset, MA)
  3. ST. LOUIS COUNTRY CLUB (C.B. Macdonald, St. Louis, MO)
  4. Old Elm (Harry S. Colt 1923, Highland Park, IL)
  5. BALTIMORE COUNTRY CLUB (FIVE FARMS EAST) (A.W. Tillinghast 1926, Timonium, MD)
  6. Trinity Forest (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw 2016, Dallas, TX)*
  7. STREAMSONG RESORT (RED) (Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw 2012, Streamsong, FL)*
  8. Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon) (A.W. Tillinghast 1922, Flourtown, PA)
  9. KINGSLEY CLUB (Mike DeVries 2001, Kingsley, MI)
  10. GAMBLE SANDS RESORT (David McLay Kidd 2014, Brewster, WA)
Clubhouse at Calusa Pines Golf Club
Clubhouse at Calusa Pines Golf Club

Map of Golf Digest Top 100 Courses I haven't been to yet

Dropped from the list since 2016

  • Glen Falls Country Club (Donald Ross 1920, Queensbury, NY)
  • Congaree Golf Club (Tom Fazio 2017, Ridgeland, SC)
  • STREAMSONG RESORT (BLUE) (Tom Doak 2012, Streamsong, FL)*
  • CALUSA PINES GOLF CLUB (Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry 2001, Naples, FL)
  • PRAIRIE CLUB (DUNES) (Tom Lehman/Chris Brands 2010, Valentine, NE)*
  • DAVENPORT COUNTRY CLUB (H.S. Colt & C.H. Alison 1924/Forse Golf Design 2014, Pleasant Valley, IA)
  • Brookside Country Club (Donald Ross 1922, Canton, OH)
  • SHEEP RANCH (Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw 2020, Bandon, OR)*
  • SAND VALLEY RESORT (SAND VALLEY) (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw 2017, Nekooska, WI)*
  • Palmetto Golf Club (HC Leeds 1897/Alister MacKenzie 1933, Aiken, SC)
  • PINEHURST RESORT (NO. 4) (Donald Ross 1919/Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner 2017, Pinehurst, NC)*
  • TXO formerly Wolf Point Ranch (Mike Nuzzo 2008, La Hood, TX)
  • Mountain Ridge Country Club (Donald Ross 1929, West Caldwell, NJ)
  • SAND VALLEY RESORT (MAMMOTH DUNES) (David McLay Kidd 2018, Nekooska, WI)*
  • SEBONACK GOLF CLUB (Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak 2006, Southampton, NY)
  • BALTUSROL GOLF CLUB (UPPER) (A.W. Tillinghast 1922, Springfield, NJ)
  • COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB (John Bredemus 1935/Perry Maxwell 1940, Fort Worth, TX)
  • HAZELTINE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB (Robert Trent Jones 1962, Chaska, MN)
  • ERIN HILLS GOLF COURSE (Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry/Ron Whitten 2006, Erin, WI)*
  • SPYGLASS HILL GOLF COURSE (Robert Trent Jones 1966, Pebble Beach, CA)*
  • YALE UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE (C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor 1926, New Haven, CT)
  • EAST LAKE GOLF CLUB (Tom Bendelow 1910/Donald Ross 1924/Rees Jones 1995, Atlanta, GA)
  • TORREY PINES GOLF COURSE (SOUTH) (William Bell Jr. 1957/Rees Jones 2001, La Jolla, CA)*
  • BOSTON GOLF CLUB (Gil Hanse 2005, Hingham, MA)
  • CHAMBERS BAY GOLF CLUB (Robert Trent Jones Jr. 2007, University Place, WA)*
  • Mountain Lake (Seth Raynor 1916, Lake Wales, FL)
  • BLACKWOLF RUN (RIVER) (Pete Dye 1990, Kohler, WI)*
  • Trump National Bedminster (Old) (Tom Fazio 2004, Bedminster, NJ)
  • OLYMPIA FIELDS COUNTRY CLUB (NORTH) (Willie Park Jr. 1922, Olympia Fields, IL)
  • Trump National Doral (Blue Monster) (Dick Wilson 1962/Gil Hanse 2014, Miami, FL)
  • BELLERIVE COUNTRY CLUB (Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1959/Rees Jones 2007, St. Louis, MO)
  • Country Club of Fairfield (Seth Raynor 1920, Fairfield, CT)
  • CROOKED STICK GOLF CLUB (Pete Dye and Alice Dye 1964, Carmel, IN)

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