The Golf Course Rankings You Need to See

Ranking golf courses is a tricky business. Many publications rely on a team of keen experts and reviewers to draw up a list, while at Golfshake, we defer that to the ratings and opinions of the everyday golfers who use our platform.

However, LINKS Magazine goes into intriguing territory when revealing its new The LINKS 100, its ranking of the world’s top 100 courses presented by FootJoy.

Unlike any other current course ranking, The LINKS 100 was voted on solely by course architects - specifically, members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA), and the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects (SAGCA). The men and women from the three societies cast their votes from a survey ballot of 400 courses, assigning each course they had played or walked a number from 1 through 5, inclusive of half-points, with 5 being the highest rating.

Rankings were compiled by a point system and bonus points were awarded for courses that the architect had visited in the past five years. To be eligible for inclusion in The LINKS 100, a course had to reach a minimum threshold of being voted on by 10 percent of the voters.

"One may question whether architects can be fair about evaluating the work of fellow designers," said Joe Passov, contributing writer for LINKS, who administered The LINKS 100. "But our take is this: Who better to judge the comparative merits of golf courses than the men and women who design them for a living?"

As a guideline, the architects were encouraged to weigh six factors in arriving at their assessments; it was up to each voter how much to emphasize any of these aspects:

• How well the course tests the full range of skills
• Design rhythm - the flow and balance of a course
• Variety - both of the terrain and individual holes
• Skill of routing, navigability
• Beauty, setting, and course conditioning
• Imaginative (or admirably restrained) use of the given land

Architects were asked to abstain from voting for their own original designs.

"The results of The LINKS 100 confirmed much of what we expected, and unveiled some surprises, too. The unexpected starts at the top, where Cypress Point nudged ahead of perennial Number 1 Pine Valley - by a mere 42/100ths of a point," said George Peper, Editor, LINKS Magazine. The LINKS 100 will be compiled biennially.

In the words of the voters, "Pine Valley possesses more world-class holes than any course on earth, but Cypress Point is the apex as a feast for the senses, as a course that makes you grateful to be alive and playing golf."

Overall, the architects preferred sand-based, seaside golf courses. Nearly 60 of the top 100 courses are either classic, low-lying links, clifftop layouts above the sea, or inland spreads draped atop sandy subsoil.

The Society architects also reserved special admiration for the designs of Pete Dye: Seven Dye creations found places on The LINKS 100 list and another two courses ranked between 101 and 110. Only Alister MacKenzie had a higher tally, with seven original courses and four substantial renovations among the top 100.

Only two courses built since 2020 - Rosapenna’s St Patrick’s Links in Ireland and Vietnam’s Hoiana Shores - cracked the top 100, and only seven courses that opened in the past 10 years earned a spot.

"No ranking is perfect, but we hope that our expertise, experience, and passion make The LINKS 100 a vehicle to advance awareness of great design, foster discussion, and inspire us all to design courses that golfers will continue to enjoy for generations to come," said Brian Costello, ASGCA President, Caspar Grauballe, EIGCA President, and Paul Mogford, SAGCA President, in a joint statement.

The top 10 courses on The LINKS 100 are:

1. Cypress Point (Pebble Beach, Calif./USA); Alister MacKenzie

2. Pine Valley (Pine Valley, NJ/USA); George Crump/H.S. Colt

3. Royal County Down (Newcastle, Northern Ireland); Old Tom Morris

4. National Golf Links of America (Southampton, N. Y); C.B. Macdonald

5. St Andrews - Old Course (St Andrews, Scotland); Nature

6. Shinnecock Hills (Southampton, N.Y.); William Flynn

7. Sand Hills (Mullen, Neb.); Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw

8. Royal Melbourne - West (Melbourne, Australia); Alister MacKenzie

9. Royal Portrush - Dunluce (Portrush, Northern Ireland); H.S. Colt

10. Royal Dornoch - Championship (Dornoch, Scotland); Old Tom Morris

Looking further down the rankings, Augusta National sits at 12th, iconic Pebble Beach at 15th, this year's men's US Open host Oakmont at 16th, while Ballybunion Old (17th) is the top ranked Republic of Ireland course, with Royal St George's (31st) being the leading venue in England. Royal Porthcawl (57th) is the best in Wales.

To access the complete list, please visit the LINKS website.

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