ORLANDO, Fla. (July 3, 2013) – With the Open Championship only two weeks away, Golfweek once again celebrates the storied golf architecture from across the pond with the release of its fourth annual Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland lists. Showcasing the top 50 Classic courses (built before 1960) and top 50 Modern layouts (built after 1960) from golf’s birthplace, the 2013 lists recognize not only the region’s great golf tradition, but also its commitment to building a new wave of must-play courses.
“On the Classic side of the Great Britain & Ireland list is strong evidence of some enduring values,” said Bradley S. Klein, national director of the Golfweek’s Best rating program. “All nine courses on the rota for the Open Championship can be found among the top 30, including the site for this year’s Open Championship, Muirfield (Gullane, Scotland), at No. 5.”
In addition to the upcoming Open Championship sites, the Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland 2013 Classic list features three timeless tracks – Royal County Down (Newcastle, Northern Ireland), St. Andrews’ Old Course (St. Andrews, Scotland) and Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush (Portrush, Northern Ireland) – holding strong at the top of the rankings.
In contrast, the 2013 Modern list places a premium on the next generation of golf architecture with a heralded newcomer unseating perennial favorites Kingsbarns (St. Andrews, Scotland), Castle Stuart (Inverness, Scotland) and Loch Lomond (Luss, Scotland).
“The big news with our Golfweek’s Best Modern list for Great Britain & Ireland is that there’s a new No. 1: Trump International Golf Links – Scotland (Balmedie, Scotland),” said Klein. “With its spectacular setting on the Aberdeen coast, the drama of its tee shots through dunes and the quality of its firm, linksland turf, Trump Scotland has made a very powerful impression on our international course raters.”
To produce Golfweek’s Best Courses lists, an expert team of nearly 750 course raters uses a 10-point ranking system to identify the best layouts from two distinctly different eras: pre-1960 and 1960-present. The exclusive system recognizes that before 1960 – the year that separates Classic from Modern – most course designers relied on native contours for course features. Since 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 designs.
Visit Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest to view the complete list of the 2013 Golfweek’s Best Courses of Great Britain & Ireland.
About Golfweek’s Best Rankings
Since beginning its rating system in 1997, Golfweek has developed the most respected ranking structure in the industry. Golfweek’s expert team of course raters, which currently boasts nearly 750 evaluators, rates each nominated course on the basis of Golfweek’s 10 strict standards of evaluation. Collectively, Golfweek raters have turned in more than 55,000 votes. Golfweek’s Best Courses lists include: Modern, Classic, Casino, Municipal, Campus, Residential, Resort, Canadian, Caribbean & Mexico, Great Britain & Ireland and 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, TurfNet.com and TurfNetSports.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, The Seminole Voice, The Winter Park/Maitland Observer and Turnstile Connect.
Contact:
Kayla Mitchell, Marketing Communications Manager
407.563.7047 | KMitchell@Golfweek.com