Nation’s best modern, classic and state-by-state course rankings among items featured
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 10, 2011) – Golfweek magazine, the most authentic, authoritative and independent voice in golf, will release its highly anticipated 2011 Best Courses issue tomorrow. Devoted to honoring the nation’s greatest layouts, the March 11 issue features the 15th annual edition of Golfweek’s Best Classic and Modern Courses top 100 lists, as well as a state-by-state listing of the country’s best public-access courses.
This year’s Classic list (courses built before 1960) shows unusual volatility, with two courses – Canterbury Golf Club (Beachwood, Ohio) and California Golf Club (South San Francisco, Calif.) – leaping 19 spots. There are five new courses breaking into the Classic list, while the Modern list features 10 newcomers among this year’s top 100.
The top three spots on the Classic list remain unchanged from last year with Pine Valley Golf Club (Pine Valley, N.J.) leading the list and Cypress Point Club (Pebble Beach, Calif.) and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (Southampton, N.Y.) ranking No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. On the Modern list, Sand Hills Golf Club (Mullen, Neb.) and Pacific Dunes (Bandon, Ore.) continue to take top billing. At No. 3 is a newcomer, Old Macdonald in Bandon, Ore.
“In this, our fifteenth year of doing the Golfweek’s Best ratings, we’re still spotting some fascinating trends,” said Bradley S. Klein, national director of Golfweek’s Best Courses rating program. “On the Modern side, much of the activity is in the West, with some high-profile real estate development in Montana (Rock Creek Cattle Company, No. 15), Wyoming (Shooting Star, No. 24) and Idaho (Huntsman Springs, No. 30). Over on the Classic side, restoration continues to have a profound impact. Those are both good signs for a golf design market that, at first glance, looks sluggish.”
To produce Golfweek’s Best Courses lists, an expert team of 675 course raters annually identifies the best layouts from two distinctly different eras: pre- and post-1960. The exclusive system acknowledges that prior to 1960 – the year that separates Classic from Modern ÌâåÂ- most course designers relied on native contours for course features. After 1960, as the game became more popular, designers began to utilize high-tech engineering and advanced mechanical means to transform the landscape to suit their design.
Visit Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest to view the complete list of Golfweek’s Best Courses.
About Golfweek’s Best Ratings
Since beginning its rating system in 1997, Golfweek has developed the most respected ranking structure in the industry. Every year, Golfweek’s nationwide team of course raters, which currently boasts 675 evaluators, surveys more than 2,200 courses – rating each nominated course on the basis of Golfweek’s 10 strict standards of evaluation. Collectively, Golfweek raters have turned in more than 51,000 votes. Golfweek’s Best Courses lists include: Modern, Classic, New, Casino, Municipal, Campus, Residential, Resort, Caribbean & Mexico, Great Britain & Ireland, Courses You Can Play and Tour Courses You Can Play. The full criteria for evaluating the golf courses may be found at Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest.
About Golfweek
Founded in 1975, Golfweek is the most authentic, authoritative and independent voice in golf. Serving enthusiasts who are truly passionate about the game of golf, the Golfweek brand includes Golfweek magazine, Golfweek.com, Golfweek OnDemand, Golfweek Mobile, Golfweek Custom Media, The Golf Wire, The Apparel Wire, The Tour Van and TurfNet.com. Golfweek is part of Turnstile Media Group, which specializes in developing diverse media platforms that engage and strengthen the communities they serve. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Orlando, Fla., Turnstile Media Group is also the parent of Professional Artist, Community Media Holdings, The Seminole Voice, The Winter Park/Maitland Observer and Turnstile Connect.
Contact:
Elizabeth Hawkins
Marketing Director
407.563.7006
EHawkins@Golfweek.com
