ORLANDO, Fla., (March 7, 2006) — Golfweek magazine will publish its tenth annual list of America’s Best 100 Classic and 100 Modern golf courses for 2006, in its March 11 issue. Once again, Golfweek has devoted an entire issue to the America’s Best Courses rankings, including state-by-state rankings.
"The 2006 America’s Best list is notable for two reasons," said Bradley S. Klein, National Director of Golfweek’s America’s Best course rating program. "First, we have a new no. 1 on the top-100 Classic list, Cypress Point, which displaces perennial front runner Pine Valley. Second, we have a record fourteen newcomers to the top-100 Modern list. Because of a slowdown in the new golf course market, any facility that does come on board has to be extraordinarily well planned and well designed to make it as a business. So it’s no surprise we’re seeing such inventive new courses being opened."
Golfweek’s America’s Best Courses identifies the best courses from two distinctly different eras — pre- and post- 1960. The exclusive system acknowledges that before 1960, the year that separates Classic from Modern, most course designers relied on native contours for their features. As the game became more popular, designers turned to more difficult sites that required bulldozing and high-tech engineering.
Coming in at no. 1 on the top-100 Modern list is Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Neb., designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, followed by the Tom Doak designed Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore.
Golfweek’s course raters, a nationwide team of more than 380 evaluators, have scoured the landscape, surveyed over 500 Classic and 1,200 Modern nominated courses, and rendered their judgment on the basis of 10 standards of evaluation. Collectively, they turned in more than 37,000 votes.
The criteria for evaluating the golf courses, and the America’s Best Classic, Modern, and a comprehensive state-by-state list, may be found at www.americasbestcourses.com.
Founded in 1975, Golfweek is the journal of record for competitive golf. It delivers the most complete news and information about the game, the people and the industry, to golf’s most important audience. Golfweek is a part of The Golfweek Group, which also includes Golfweek’s SuperNEWS, Golf Life Orlando, Fish & Fly, TurfNet Monthly, TurfNet.com, GolfweekBusiness.com and golfweek.com. The Golfweek Group is owned by Turnstile Publishing Co., which is headquartered in Orlando, Fla.
Golfweek’s America’s Best 100 Golf Courses 2006
CLASSIC COURSES
**indicates a new course to the list
1. Cypress Point Club
Pebble Beach, CA
2. Pine Valley GC
Pine Valley, NJ
3. Augusta National
Augusta, GA
4. Shinnecock Hills
Southampton, NY
5. Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, CA
6. Oakmont CC
Oakmont, PA
7. Merion Golf Club – East
Ardmore, PA
8. National Golf Links of America
Southampton, NY
9. Crystal Downs
Frankfort, MI
10. Prairie Dunes CC
Hutchinson, KS
11. Chicago Golf Club
Wheaton, IL
12. Fishers Island GC
Fishers Island, NY
13. Pinehurst No. 2
Pinehurst, NC
14. San Francisco GC
San Francisco, CA
15. Seminole GC
North Palm Beach, FL
16. Winged Foot GC – West
Mamaroneck, NY
17. Oakland Hills – South
Bloomfield Hills, MI
18. Los Angeles CC – North
Los Angeles, CA
19. Olympic Club – Lake
San Francisco, CA
20. Garden City Golf Club
Garden City, NY
21. Bethpage State Park – Black Course
Farmingdale, NY
22. The Country Club – Composite
Brookline, MA
23. Riviera CC
Pacific Palisades, CA
24. Wannamoisett CC
Rumford, RI
25. Southern Hills CC
Tulsa,OK
26. Camargo Club
Indian Hill, OH
27. Shoreacres
Lake Bluff, IL
28. Plainfield CC
Plainfield, NJ
29. Quaker Ridge
Scarsdale, NY
30. Oak Hill CC – East
Pittsford, NY
31. Somerset Hills CC
Bernardsville, NJ
32. Baltimore CC – East
Timonium, MD
33. Pasatiempo
Santa Cruz, CA
34. Congressional CC – Blue
Bethesda, MD
35. Maidstone Club
East Hampton, NY
36. Myopia Hunt Club
Hamilton, MA
37. Inverness Club
Toledo, OH
38. Winged Foot GC – East
Mamaroneck, NY
39. Peachtree
Atlanta, GA
40. Baltusrol CC – Lower Course
Springfield, NJ
41. Olympia Fields CC – North
Olympia Fields, IL
42. Yeamans Hall Club
Charleston, SC
43. White Bear Yacht Club
White Bear Lake, MN
44. Homestead Resort (Cascades)
Hot Springs, VA
45. Valley Club of Montecito
Santa Barbara, CA
46. Salem CC
Peabody, MA
47. Newport CC
Newport, RI
48. East Lake GC
Atlanta, GA
49. Piping Rock
Locust Valley, NY
50. Colonial CC
Fort Worth, TX
51. Holston Hills CC
Knoxville, TN
52. Aronimink GC
Newton Square, PA
53. Scioto CC
Columbus, OH
54. Milwaukee CC
Milwaukee, WI
55. CC of Fairfield
Fairfield, CT
56. Interlachen CC
Edina, MN
57. Medinah No. 3
Medinah, IL
58. Cherry Hills CC
Englewood, CO
59. Fenway GC
Scarsdale, NY
60. Yale GC
New Haven, CT
61. Lawsonia – Links
Green Lake, WI
62. Kittansett
Marion, MA
63. Franklin Hills
Franklin, MI
64. NCR CC – South
Kettering, OH
65. Brookside CC
Canton, OH
66. Baltusrol CC – Upper Course
Springfield, NJ
67. Essex County Club
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
68. St. Louis CC
St. Louis, MO
69. Huntingdon Valley CC
Abingdon, PA
70. Mountain Lake
Lake Wales, FL
71. Lancaster CC
Lancaster, PA
72. Skokie CC
Glencoe, IL
73. Hollywood GC
Deal, NJ
74. Fox Chapel GC
Pittsburgh, PA
75. Pine Needles CC
Southern Pines, NC
76. Philadelphia CC
Gladwyne, PA
77. Lehigh
Allentown, PA
78. Bel – Air CC
Los Angeles, CA
79. Indianwood CC – Old
Lake Orion, MI
80. Whippoorwill CC
Armonk, NY
81. Ridgewood CC East/West
Paramus, NJ
82. Point O’Woods
Benton Harbor, MI
83. Northland CC
Duluth, MN
84. Minikahda Club
Minneapolis, MN
85. Creek Club
Locust Valley, NY
86. Taconic GC
Williamstown, MA
87. Beverly CC
Chicago, IL
88. Moraine CC
Dayton, OH
89. Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Myrtle Beach, SC
90.** Atlantic City CC
Northfield, NJ
91. CC of Buffalo
Williamsville, NY
92. Champions GC – Cypress Creek
Houston, TX
93. Manufacturers G&CC
Oreland, PA
94. Westchester CC – West
Rye, NY
95. Ekwanok
Manchester, VT
96. Canterbury
Beachwood, OH
97.** Sunnehanna CC
Johnstown, PA
98. Brook Hollow
Dallas, TX
99. Firestone CC – South
Akron, OH
100. Rolling Green GC
Springfield, PA
Golfweek’s America’s Best 100 Golf Courses 2006
MODERN COURSES
**indicates a new course to the list
1. Sand Hills GC
Mullen, NE
2. Pacific Dunes
Bandon, OR
3. Friar’s Head
Baiting Hollow, NY
4. Straits Course at Whistling Straits
Kohler, WI
5. Pete Dye GC
Bridgeport, WV
6. Muirfield Village GC
Dublin, OH
7. The Golf Club
New Albany, OH
8. Shadow Creek GC
North Las Vegas, NEV
9. Bandon Dunes
Bandon, OR
10. Kinloch
Richmond, VA.
11. Honors Course
Ooltewah, TN
12. TPC at Sawgrass – Stadium
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
13. Wade Hampton Club
Cashiers, NC
14. The Golf Club at Cuscowilla
Eatonton, GA
15. Spyglass Hill GC
Pebble Beach, CA
16. Sutton Bay
Onida, SD
17.** Bandon Trails
Bandon, OR
18. Ocean Course
Kiawah Island, SC
19. Kingsley Club
Kingsley, MI
20. Wolf Run
Zionsville, IN
21. Blackwolf Run – River
Kohler, WI
22. Arcadia Bluffs
Arcadia, MI
23. Desert Forest
Carefree, AZ
24. Dallas National
Dallas, TX
25. Wild Horse
Gothenburg, NE
26. World Woods – Pine Barrens
Brookeville, FL
27. Harbour Town GL
Hilton Head, SC
28. Calusa Pines
Naples, FL
29. Castle Pines GC
Castle Rock, CO
30. Double Eagle GC
Galena, OH
31.** Old Sandwich Golf Club
Plymouth, MA
32. Black Diamond Ranch – Quarry
Lecanto, FL
33. Sanctuary GC
Sedalia, CO
34. Karsten Creek GC
Stillwater, OK
35. Butler National GC
Oak Brook, IL
36. Galloway National GC
Galloway Township, NJ
37. Paa – Ko Ridge GC
Sandia Park, NM
38. Mayacama Golf Club
Santa Rosa, CA
39.** Briggs Ranch GC
San Antonio, TX
40. Long Cove
Hilton Head, SC
41.** Monterey Peninusla CC – Shore
Pebble Beach, CA
42. Hazeltine National GC
Chaska, MN
43. Olde Farm
Bristol, VA
44.** Trump National GC
Bedminster, NJ
45. The Rim
Payson, AZ
46.** Lakota Canyon
New Castle, CO
47. Victoria National GC
Newburgh, IN
48. Eugene CC
Eugene, OR
49.** Boston Golf Club
Hingham, MA
50. Hawk’s Ridge
Ball Ground, GA
51.** Black Rock
Coeur d’Alene, ID
52. Harvester
Ames, IA
53. Black Sheep GC
Sugar Grove, IL
54. Lost Dunes
Bridgman, MI
55. Forest Highlands – The Canyon
Flagstaff, AZ
56. Hawktree
Bismarck, ND
57. Pumpkin Ridge GC – Witch Hollow
Cornelius, OR
58. Kapalua GC – Plantation
Maui, HI
59. Ocean Forest GC
Sea Island, GA
60. The Preserve
Carmel Valley, CA
61. Princeville – Prince
Kauai, HI
62. Black Mesa
Espanola, NM
63. Atlantic GC
Bridgehampton, NY
64. Links of North Dakota at Red Mike Resort
Williston, ND
65. Musgrove Mill GC
Clinton, SC
66. Shoal Creek
Birmingham, AL
67.** Whisper Rock – Lower Course
Scottsdale, AZ
68.** Forest Creek Golf Club- North Course
Pinehurst, NC
69. Kiawah Island Club (Cassique)
Kiawah Island, SC
70. Crosswater at Sunriver
Sunriver, OR
71.** Pronghorn – Nicklaus Course
Bend, OR
72. Jupiter Hills Club – Hills Course
Tequesta, FL
73. Stone Canyon
Tucson, AZ
74. Raven Course at Snowshoe Mtn
Snowshoe, WV
75. Rustic Canyon
Moorpark, CA
76. Crooked Stick
Carmel, IN
77. Valhalla GC
Louisville, KY
78. Hidden Creek
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
79. Quintero
Peoria, AZ
80. Lahontan
Truckee, CA
81. Estancia
Scottsdale, AZ
82. Powder Horn GC
Sheridan, WY
83.** Sage Valley GC
Graniteville, SC
84. Southern Highlands
Las Vegas, NV
85. Cascata
Henderson, NV
86. Robert Trent Jones GC
Lake Manassas, VA
87. Crown Colony CC
Lufkin, TX
88. Lake Las Vegas (SouthShore)
Henderson, NV
89. Bulle Rock GC
Havre de Grace, MD
90. Secession GC
Gibbes Island, SC
91. Old Tabby Links
Beaufort, SC
92. Caledonia G&FC
Pawleys Island, SC
93. Barona Creek Golf Club
Lakeside, CA
94. Oak Tree GC
Edmond, OK
95. Flint Hills National
Witchita, KS
96. Forest Creek Golf Club – South Course
Pinehurst, NC
97. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel GC
Kamuela, HI
98. Old Memorial
Tampa, FL
99.** Seven Canyons Golf Course
Sedona, AZ
100.** May River Course at Palmetto Bluff
Bluffton, SC
Contact:
Amy Bunn
407-563-7016
1500 Park Center Drive
Orlando, Fla. 32835
abunn@golfweek.com
www.americasbestcourses.com
