Golf’s Participation Surge Continues as Golfers’ Choice Celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2024
First 11 of 69 Total Lists Revealed Today, Headlined by the Top 50 Courses in the U.S., and also Including Rankings by Most Improved, Pace of Play, Value, Course Conditions, Staff Friendliness, and More
ORLANDO, Fla. – With the sport of golf experiencing unprecedented growth – eclipsing 40 million participants in 2022, according to the National Golf Foundation – the 10th edition of the highly anticipated Golfers’ Choice lists were revealed this week by NBC Sports Next’s GolfPass, which include 11 categories generated by golfer reviews to determine the best golf courses played by recreational golfers in 2023. The lists are headlined by the Top 50 courses in America and can be found within dedicated pages on GolfPass.
Relied on by golfers for its user-generated golf course reviews and expert travel content, GolfPass creates the Golfers’ Choice lists every January to recognize top courses as determined by recreational golfers who shared nearly 300,000 reviews the previous year through NBC Sports Next’s leading online tee-time service, GolfNow. With golf’s popularity at an all-time high, this year’s list continues to shine a spotlight on the game’s best playgrounds for everyday golfers.
Unlike golf course rankings published by industry insiders who have access to golf courses the public may never have the opportunity to play, the Golfers’ Choice lists are totally consumer driven – by recreational golfers, for recreational golfers. Ages, handicaps and budgets of golfers using the website run the gamut, so the millions of reviews accumulated by GolfPass and GolfNow showcase the golf course characteristics that are the most important to avid golfers across the country in any given year.
Golfers’ Choice will reveal 69 lists this year. New in 2024, the most celebrated lists are being announced first so the courses honored can take a bow in a spotlight all their own.
The first categories released include:
1. Top 50 U.S. Courses
2. Most Improved
3. Value
4. Layout
5. Staff Friendliness
6. Pace of Play
7. Course Conditions
8. Off-Course Amenities
9. Short Courses
10. College Courses
11. Military Courses
This year, the popular state by state lists will be released in tiers with warm-weather states Hawaii, California, Arizona, Florida and Texas publishing Feb. 1, with the balance of the states (excluding Alaska) announced on March 1. New international lists will be announced on April 1.
“This new release schedule allows the courses who earned their way onto our most prestigious lists to enjoy their own spotlight in January, while at the same time allowing most of the state-by-state lists to be announced closer to their actual golf seasons, adding to the anticipation of the coming year,” said Jason Scott Deegan, GolfPass’ managing editor. “A byproduct of the change allowed us to spend more time on each article, improving the presentation with more photos, more key information like green fees and adding functionality where golfers can actually book tee times for many courses right from the lists. Hopefully that makes it easier for golfers to play more in 2024.”
This year’s Top 50 includes 22 courses new to the list. Deegan notes that turnover on the list happens naturally every year. Local weather can impact course conditions from year to year, just as staff changes can impact service levels, positively or negatively. All of these dynamics play into review scores.
“Ultimately, what endears courses to golfers is, ‘Did the round meet expectations? Did I get my money’s worth?’ Price is one the biggest reasons many golfers choose where to play,” Deegan said. “If courses can deliver a round that golfers perceive as a value, they will tend to get positive reviews from satisfied customers.”
• Several college football powerhouses had their golf courses ranked, including the Walker Course at Clemson University and the Warren Course at Notre Dame.
• Multiple courses continue to be a fixture in the Top 50: Annbriar Golf Course (6 times), Snow Canyon at Las Vegas Paiute (6 times), Grand Bear (4 times) and Pinehills Golf Club, Jones Course (3 times).
More than 3,300 courses received the minimum 10 reviews in 2023 to qualify for consideration.
Below is GolfPass’ Golfers’ Choice list of the “Top 50 U.S. Courses” for 2023. Additional categories can be found on GolfPass. An asterisk signifies the 22 courses that appear for the first time in the Top 50, with many making the jump to national recognition from being state ranked in past Golfers’ Choice lists:
1. Tiburon Golf Club, Gold Course – Naples, Fla.
2. Bolingbrook Golf Club* – Bolingbrook, Ill.
3. TPC Louisiana* – Avondale, La.
4. Sultan’s Run Golf Club – Jasper, Ind.
5. Journey at Pechanga – Temecula, Calif.
6. Worthington Manor Golf Club* – Urbana, Md.
7. The Fortress Golf Club* – Frankenmuth, Mich.
8. Annbriar Golf Course – Waterloo, Ill.
9. Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course – Stateline, Nev.
10. Sugarbush Golf Club* – Davison, Mich.
11. Heritage Landing Golf & Country Club* – Punta Gorda, Fla.
12. Sandy Pines Golf Course – DeMotte, Ind.
13. Meadowlark Hills Golf Course* – Kearney, Neb.
14. Cantigny Golf – Wheaton, Ill.
15. Gladstone Golf Course – Gladstone, Mich.
16. Meadowlands Golf Course* – Calabash, N.C.
17. Warren Golf Course At Notre Dame – South Bend, Ind.
18. Cateechee – Hartwell, Ga.
19. St. Croix National Golf Course – Somerset, Wis.
20. Wildhorse Golf Club of Robson Ranch* – Denton, Texas
21. Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, Snow Mountain Course – Las Vegas, Nev.
22. Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort, Stonehedge South Course – Augusta, Mich.
23. Thistle Golf Club – Sunset Beach, N.C.
24. Reunion Resort, Nicklaus Course* – Reunion, Fla.
25. The Club at Lac La Belle – Oconomowoc, Wis.
26. Forest Glen Golf & Country Club – Naples, Fla.
27. Viroqua Hills Golf Course* – Viroqua, Wis.
28. Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club – Carmel, Calif.
29. Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club* – Fairview, Texas
30. Skytop Lodge Golf Course* – Skytop, Pa.
31. Pinehills Golf Club – Jones Course – Plymouth, Mass.
32. Chippewa Golf Club – Doylestown, Ohio
33. Ravines Golf Club* – Saugatuck, Mich.
34. Grand Bear – Saucier, Miss.
35. Pine Mountain Lake Golf Course* – Groveland, Calif.
36. The Founders Club of Pawleys Island* – Pawleys Island, S.C.
37. Wyncote Golf Club – Oxford, Pa.
38. The Walker Golf Course At Clemson University – Clemson, S.C.
39. Gateway National Golf Links* – Madison, Ill.
40. Stonelick Hills Golf Course – Batavia, Ohio
41. Swan Lake Resort, Silver Course* – Plymouth, Ind.
42. FarmLinks at Pursell Farms – Sylacauga, Ala.
43. Walden Ponds Golf Club* – Hamilton, Ohio
44. Deer Island Country Club* – Tavares, Fla.
45. The Ranch Golf Club – Southwick, Mass.
46. Lanier Islands Legacy Golf Course – Buford, Ga.
47. The Classic Club – Palm Desert, Calif.
48. PrairieView Golf Club* – Byron, Ill.
49. Hastings Golf Club & Events* – Hastings, Minn.
50. Merrill Golf Club* – Merrill, Wis.
GOLFPASS HELPS GOLFERS PLAY MORE AND BETTER GOLF
GolfPass offers a vast instructional library featuring more than 4,500 video titles, including Ask Rory, The Golf Fix, with host Devan Bonebrake; Lessons with a Champion Golfer; and Build a Better Game – all hosted by top instructors like Martin Hall, Chris Como and Michael Bannon, as well as golf fitness expert Don Saladino. GolPass also offers a selection of original video content available exclusively as part of a GolfPass membership, including shows like The Conor Moore Show, On Tour/On Course, My Roots, My Daily Routine, and more.D eveloped in partnership between global golf superstar Rory McIlroy and NBC Sports Next – the innovation and technology division of NBC Sports – GolfPass is designed for today’s golfer and is the only digital golf membership that delivers exclusive content and comprehensive tee-time benefits designed to help every type of golfer – from beginner to expert – play more and better golf. A GolfPass membership is available in North America at GolfPass.com, in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland at GolfPass.co.uk, and in Australia at www.GolfPass.com.au. The GolfPass membership also is available via connected TV, iOS and Android apps.
About NBC Sports Next
NBC Sports Next is a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all NBCUniversal digital applications in sports and technology within Golf and Youth & Recreational Sports. Known for its sports technology product innovation, NBC Sports Next equips more than 30 million players, coaches, athletes, sports administrators and fans in 40 countries with more than 25 sports solution products, including GolfNow, the leading online tee time marketplace and provider of golf course operations technology and services; GolfPass the ultimate golf membership that connects golfers to exclusive content, tee time credits, coaching, tips and other benefits; and SportsEngine, an industry leader in youth sports club, league and team management technology and youth sports editorial content. NBC Sports Next is fueled by its mission to innovate, create larger-than-life events and connect with sports fans through technology to provide the ultimate in immersive experiences.
Dan Higgins
NBC Sports Next
Dan.Higgins@nbcuni.com
407-496-8107
