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Results: 2008 Top 5 Courses in the World (that you have played)

2008 Fairways of Life:  Top 5 Courses in the World (that you have played)

FairwaysofLife.com and the Fairways of Life Show, which airs globally on the PGA Tour Network and on PGATour.com, recently announced the results of their yearlong effort to identify the Top 5 Courses in the World (that you have played).

“The difference in our campaign is that listeners and visitors to the site voted for their Top 5 Courses based upon the criteria of having played the courses they recommended,” said Matt Adams, host and founder.  “In a forum such as ours, it is easy to have a discussion about what courses are the ‘Top 5 in the World,’ but often times the courses at the top of the list are available only to pros and VIP’s due to their exclusive membership.  We didn’t exclude private clubs from consideration, we simply required that you have to have played each course that you think merited being numbered among the Top 5, and ultimately, I think the courses on our list for 2008 reflect both their exceptional golfing experience and their access.”

More than 3,000 golfers sent in their preferences.  Courses were given points based upon how many times they were chosen and where they placed.  Courses received 5 points for each First Place vote, 4 points for each Second Place vote, 3 points for each Third Place vote, 2 points for each Fourth Place vote and 1 point for each Fifth Place vote.  The final results are as follows:

2008 Fairways of Life:  The Top 5 Courses in the World (that you have played):

1.        Ballybunion Old, Ballybunion Ireland (2,800 points) www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie


The Beauty of Ballybunion Old 
N. Cummings Photo



2.       Turnberry Ailsa Course, Turnberry, Scotland (2,100 points) www.turnberry.co.uk



Turnberry Ailsa Course



3.       Pinehurst # 2, Pinehurst, NC (1,100 points) www.Pinehurst.com


Pinehurst # 2, 15th Hole
copyright: Pinehurst Resort




4.       (tie) Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland (1,000 points) www.royalcountydown.org



Royal County Down



Lahinch Golf Club, Lahinch, Ireland (1,000 points) www.lahinchgolf.com


6th Hole, Lahinch Golf Club

Photo courtesy of Lahinch Golf Club

5.        Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland (900 points) www.standrews.org.uk



R & A Building, St Andrews

Rounding out the top ten courses, were Carnoustie, Scotland (800 points), Old Head Golf Links, Kinsale, Ireland (700 points), Pine Valley, New Jersey (700 points), Cruden Bay, Scotland (600 points), Waterville Golf Links, Ireland (600 points).

We would love to know what you thing about this list, please post your comments below:
posted on 1/1/2009 by Matt Adams | 18 Comments | Email
Where's Royal Dornoch?
1/1/2009 | Rick C
Hi Rick, Royal Dornoch finished with 500 points, so it came in just after Waterville. Royal Dornoch deserves a higher placement. Please be sure to vote for Royal Dornoch when the 2009 campaign begins and thank you for writing.
1/1/2009 | Matt Adams
I have played all 5 and Pine Valley . To start, a top course is beauty in the eye of the beholder; I’d rate Shinnecock above any of the top five and Pine Valley easily above all them all.
1/2/2009 | Barney Adams (no relation)
Hi Barney, Thank you for your letter. There is no doubt that a person's perception of what makes a course their personal '# 1' varies from one to another and is as much emotional as practical, I think. I've not played Shinnecock or Pine Valley, but hope to one day. BTW...nice work with your recent book and Adams Golf...
1/2/2009 | Matt Adams
Cruden Bay in the top 10 copurses in the world? The people who vote on this list need to get out of Scotland and Ireland and see some real golf courses. Just because something is old doesn't necessarily make it better. Cruvden Bay is a joke.
1/2/2009 | sblski
sblski - no problem at all with you disagreeing with what they picked (that is what this is all about), but what are your personal Top 5?
1/2/2009 | Matt Adams
They are all good choices. I have played all of your list and most of the top 100. Pine Valley clearley in a category of it's own. So many great ones in the states. Murfield,Salem,Pebble Beach,Cypress,Pete Dye Club,Oak Hill,Oakmont,Merrion,Maselem Springs,Teeth of the Dog,Medina,Praiere Dunes,Spye Glass. I could go on for a while, it comes down to personal preferences when talk about the top 100 they all have something special. Have a great day. John
1/2/2009 | John P. Gilmore
Great to hear from you, John. Amazing list of courses you noted. It sounds like you've played almost all of the greatest.
1/2/2009 | Matt Adams
sblski should maybe learn how to spell Merion, and then take a refresher course in what makes a golf course GREAT. (uniqueness, memorability, playability, etc and Cruden Bay has them ALL in heaps and heaps.
1/5/2009 | Beau Kazzi
Cruden Bay is no joke, I can assure you. My top 5 - wow that's difficult - are probably Bandon Dunes, Merion, Dornoch, National G.L., and Wade Hampton. (haven't played Pine Valley yet) 5 more? Muirfield, Yale, Pacific Dunes, Fisher's Island, and Quaker Ridge.
1/5/2009 | Larry
Beau and Larry, thank you for your letters. Beau, I really enjoyed Cruden Bay too. I thought the course; routing, uniqueness of hole designs, etc., was average to slightly above average. The setting is amazing, as good or better than any other in the world. What really set Cruden Bay apart to my way of thinking was the history that took place on those very grounds in the Battle of Cruden Bay against the Danes and the fact that the Bloody Burn is so named for very good reason. This fact so influenced my emotional perception of the round and the course that it has elevated Cruden Bay in my personal list of favorites (probably still would not make my top ten, but its close). Frankly, I don't think one can fully embrace the experience of playing the Old Course unless they allow themselves to be swept up by all of the emotions that are a part of St Andrews. I respect sblski's right to disagree, infact, I love the debate it causes, but ultimately, my survey is not a 'rating' of the best courses, it is a popularity contest, as I think too many lists of the 'best' of this and that simply connect the dots and fail to embrace what may be the most important element of golf, and that is fun. Larry - you run is some fine company, indeed. I've only played Dornoch from your list. Please don't forget to vote for your five when the 2009 survey kicks off.
1/6/2009 | Matt Adams
Any golfer that talks negatively or doesn't like Cruden Bay has very very little credibility when talking great courses--perhaps sblski likes boring golf, between the trees only. Cruden is magical. Plain and simple. Wonder how he missed the Punchbowl 3rd, Port Errol the awesome 4th...the tough, narrow 7th with its green pinched in and set up high, the gorgeous 9th!!! , and the even more spectacular 10th...the reachable par 5 13th along the sea, the coolest 14th with its blind drive AND blind second!!!-to it's sunked green, and the 240 yard dogleg par 3 "blin dunt". How did he miss all of those great holes?
1/6/2009 | beau
My top 5 in reverse order are National Golf Links (5th), Merion, Muirfield, St. Andrews, and the best of the lot: LAHINCH--Golf's Holy Grail. My great Uncle was Robert "Red" Lawrence, a William Flynn (shinnecock, cascades, Brookline, Cherry Hills creator) protoge that came from the "Philly school of course architecture." He worked as Design Asst. at MERION for 11 years, was the layout engineer at Westchester CC, and had a hand in the Cascades/Homestead with Flynn. He was a two-time President of the ASGCA and founding member who also did Desert Forest in Arizona, which is considered the Pine Valley of the west. Golfweek Architecture Editor Brad Klein wrote a nice book about this place.
1/6/2009 | Beau
I'll put YALE Golf Course (in terms of FUN, challenging, beauty, and memorability-and any other category you can think of) up against any other track in the world. The "Father" of American Golf, Charles Blair, and his engineer Raynor did some job there.
1/6/2009 | Beau
Beau- I enjoyed reading your reply as you seem very well educated in the ways of golf course design. Your uncle has an impressive list of accomplishments as well (but I am a little confused as to why you listed them, unless we are to infer that such talents are in your gene pool). Your words seem to have merit independent of you lineage. Lahinch as # 1 is hard to argue with!
1/7/2009 | Jack (Ohio)
Matt, I appreciate your comments. My thinking was something like: If you found yourself in a discussion with someone who happens to be 'more than just very keen (this is you-am I wrong?) on the overall subject of gc architecture...and you were related to I don't know, let's say Devereaux Emmet- DOn't you think that person would want to know that fact? Or that it might further enrich your discussion? Or future discussions? If I was talking with someone about the topic of US Presidents, and he/she was related to Hoover or LBJ--I wouldn't have a problem upon hearing that. In fact, being interested in the topic, I'd absolutely want to know that fact--as it could only enhance things and who knows, I might learn something new from it. I like reading your comments, and as a fellow golf course architect fan, I wouldn't be surprised if we crossed paths one day and hope we do. (You may have to give me some shots though-I'm a 7 hdcp these days)
1/7/2009 | beau
Jack - I like your reply to Beau. Just because my mother might be an architect doesn't mean I'm going to design my own house ;-) That Beau (I happen to know him) is a good talker/salesman type, if you couldn't tell. Slighty opinionated, but we won't hold that against him, as (ironically enough) he is among the "company" I run in, to get on some of those fine tracks atop my list. Actually, he's my brother, so I can get give him some static. And yes, we played Cruden together, in a mere 50+ mph gale.
1/7/2009 | Larry
Jack, Beau and Larry, Thank you one and all for your letters. Sorry my response has been delayed due to travel and a busy production schedule (we have some really interesting guests coming up this year on the Fairways of Life show on the PGA Tour Network - shameless plug, I know, but I am enthusiastic for the upcoming shows). Jack, thank you for being respectful in the manner that you expressed your opinion. Beau, thank you for expressing your opinions, as Jack mentioned, you clearly have both knowledge and perspective. I appreciate your comments as well about why you referenced what you did, but should point out that the comments that promted your reply did not come from me. Larry, again, well said and humorous and I stand by my earlier statement that you run in good company (and play some amazing golf courses)!
1/8/2009 | Matt Adams
 
 
 
   
 
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