With so few new golf courses having opened in the U.S. in recent years — and none in Colorado since 2009 — the plethora of course ratings lists published by golf magazines seldom includes many surprises these days.
Still, it’s fun for devoted golfers to peruse the various lists, seeing and reviewing the best the game has to offer internationally, nationally, and statewide.
We at COgolf.org periodically compile and note such course ratings, particularly those put together by prominent national publications with experience in such matters.
With Golfweek magazine having recently published several “best of” lists, now seemed an opportune time to take a look at some of the various course ratings that have been unveiled in the last several months.
In each case, we include Colorado courses which made national/international lists, plus the top five courses in the category.
Golfweek Magazine Best Residential Courses
Colorado Courses on List — 6. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock (pictured above); 7. Colorado Golf Club in Parker (pictured at left); 33. Golf Club at Ravenna in Littleton; 60. The Glacier Club in Durango; 79. Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Wade Hampton Club in Cashiers, N.C.; 2. Rock Creek Cattle Company in Deer Lodge, Mont.; 3. Huntsman Springs in Driggs, Idaho; 4. Shooting Star in Teton Village, Wyo.; 5. Gozzer Ranch in Arrowpoint, Idaho.
Golfweek Magazine Best Resort Courses
Colorado Courses on List — 45. Red Sky Golf Club (Fazio Course) in Wolcott; 71. Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course) in Colorado Springs.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore.; 2. Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 3. Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, N.C.; 4. Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.; 5. Old Macdonald in Bandon, Ore.
Golfweek Magazine Best Campus Courses
Colorado Course on List — 23. Eisenhower Golf Club (Blue Course) at Air Force Academy.
Top 5 Overall — 1. The Course at Yale in New Haven, Conn.; 2. Taconic GC in Williamstown, Mass.; 3. Rawls Course at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas; 4. Palouse Ridge GC in Pullman, Wash.; 5. University Ridge GC in Verona, Wis.
Golf.com (Golf Magazine) Top 100 Courses in the World
Colorado Course on List — 75. Ballyneal in Holyoke.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Pine Valley in Pine Valley, N.J.; 2. Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 3. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.; 4. St. Andrews (Old Course) in St. Andrews, Scotland; 5. Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
Links Golf Magazine “100” World Rankings
Colorado Course on List — 32. Ballyneal in Holyoke.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 2. Pine Valley in Pine Valley, N.J.; 3. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.; 4. Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.; 5. St. Andrews (Old Course) in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Links Golf Magazine “100” U.S. Rankings
Colorado Courses on List — 19. Ballyneal in Holyoke; 81. Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village; 90. Colorado Golf Club in Parker.
Top 5 Overall — Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 2. Pine Valley in Pine Valley, N.J.; 3. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.; 4. Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.; 5. National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y.
And even though Golf Digest’s lists date back to the beginning of 2013 — and we’ve written about them previously — they’re worth including because they’re considered the course rating gold standard by many.
Golf Digest Magazine America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses
Colorado Courses on List — 33. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock; 64. Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village; 78. Ballyneal in Holyoke.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Pine Valley in Pine Valley, N.J.; 2. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.; 3. Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 4. Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.; 5. Oakmont in Oakmont, Pa.
Golf Digest Magazine America’s Second 100 Greatest Golf Courses
Colorado Courses on List — 131. Colorado Golf Club in Parker; 135. Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course) in Colorado Springs; 139. Sanctuary in Sedalia; 194. Red Sky Golf Club (Norman Course) in Wolcott; 197. Country Club of the Rockies in Edwards.
Golf Digest Magazine America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses
Colorado Course on List — 29. Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course) in Colorado Springs; 70. Red Sky Golf Club (Norman Course) in Wolcott; 99. Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction.
Top 5 Overall — 1. Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.; 2. Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis.; 3. Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore.; 4. Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.; 5. Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas, Nev.
