Pete Dye Dominates List; 32 Public Layouts Included Among 26 States Represented in the Ranking
New York, NY—Resurrecting its first-ever ranking from 1966, Golf Digest names America’s 50 Toughest Golf Courses in its upcoming March 2007 issue (on newsstands February 13). The full list of "America’s 50 Toughest Golf Courses" can be viewed now at www.golfdigest.com/courses.
Designed by Pete Dye, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C., was selected by Golf Digest as the nation’s toughest course. According to the U.S. Golf Association, The Ocean Course, site of the historic 1991 Ryder Cup and 2012 PGA Championship, has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) of any golf course in the country.
Rounding out the Top 10 of America’s 50 Toughest Courses are: No. 2 The International (The Pines), No. 3 Koolau Golf Club, No. 4 PGA West (Stadium Course), No. 5 Oakmont Country Club, No. 6 Bethpage State Park Golf Courses (Black), No. 7 Tot Hill Farm Golf Club, No. 8 Whistling Straits (Straits), No. 9 Pine Valley Golf Club, No. 10 Tobacco Road Golf Club.
Famed architect Pete Dye created eight of the courses on the list. Thirty-two of America’s 50 Toughest Courses are open to the public and 26 states have courses included. California has the most with five and Florida has four. Hobe Sound, in Florida, is the only facility with two courses included among the 50 Toughest.
The America’s 50 Toughest Golf Courses list was first established as America’s 200 Toughest Courses 41 years ago. The list was determined by a collection of Golf Digest editors who have played—and been "battered and bruised" by—all the courses included in the ranking.
Contact:
Andrew Katcher
212-630-2488, andrew.katcher@golfdigest.com
Bret Hopman
212-630-2490, bret.hopman@golfdigest.com
