This week, Golf Digest introduced a new golf course ranking as it named its 200 Greatest International Golf Courses, a mixture of the publication’s America’s 100 Greatest and the World’s 100 Greatest.

Three Colorado courses were not only included in the 200 Greatest International list, but all made it into the top 150.

Castle Pines Golf Club (pictured), home to the PGA Tour’s International from 1986 through 2006, checked in at No. 82, according to Golf Digest. Ballyneal in Holyoke was ranked No. 101. And Cherry Hills Country Club, which has hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and one U.S. Women’s Open, was placed at No. 148.

Pine Valley in New Jersey earned the coveted No. 1 spot, with Augusta National in Georgia closest on its heels.

Here are the blurbs Golf Digest published with each of the Colorado sites:

82. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Pines (designed by Jack Nicklaus) — “When Golf Digest began its annual Best New Course awards in 1983, the review panel selected Castle Pines as the Private Course winner, but Bill Davis, co-founder of Golf Digest and founding father of all its course rankings, didn’t care for the course and vetoed its inclusion. So no private course was honored that year. Davis soon recognized his error, and in 1987 — its first year of eligibility — Castle Pines joined America’s 100 Greatest and has remained there ever since. Club founder Jack Vickers, a Midwest oilman, had urged architect Jack Nicklaus to produce a mountain-venue design worthy of a major championship. Jack did, but when a championship never resulted, Vickers established his own, The International, which for years was the only PGA Tour event played under a unique Stableford format. It’s a pity that The International is no longer on the Tour’s schedule.”

101. Ballyneal in Holyoke (designed by Tom Doak) — “If Sand Hills Golf Club stands for the notion that there’s nothing more glorious than a round of golf beyond the range of cell phone reception, then Ballyneal (Tom Doak’s answer to No. 9 Sand Hills) proves that isolated golf is even better when Spartan in nature. With no carts and with dry, tan fescue turf on fairways and greens, Ballyneal is even more austere than Sand Hills. It provides absolutely firm and fast conditions, and with many greens perched on hilltops, the effect of wind on putts must be considered.”

148. Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (designed by William Flynn) — “When Cherry Hills opened in the early 1920s, it was a ground-breaking design, with the nation’s first par-5 island green and closing back-to-back par 5s, although in championship play the 18th is played as a par-4. In the 1960 U.S. Open, winner Arnold Palmer popularized the idea of a drivable par 4 by going for the first green in every round. Curiously, when Palmer and partner Ed Seay remodeled Cherry Hills in 1976, they lengthened the first hole so no player could duplicate Arnie’s feat. Nearly 40 years later, modern equipment has once again made the first hole reachable from the tee.”

Here are the top 10 courses on Golf Digest’s 200 Greatest International Golf Courses list:

1. Pine Valley GC in Pine Valley, N.J.
2. Augusta National in Augusta, Ga.
3. Royal County Down GC (Championship) in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
4. Royal Dornoch GC (Championship) in Scotland.
5. Royal Melbourne GC (West) in Black Rock, Australia.
6. Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.
7. Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland
8. Shinnecock Hills GC in Southampton, N.Y.
9. The Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland
10. Oakmont CC in Oakmont, Pa.

For the entire list, CLICK HERE.

At a tournament held the same week as the WGC-Bridgestone, Laird had his best Tour showing in 17 months, while Saunders recorded just the second top-10 finish of his PGA Tour career.

Laird (pictured) tied for seventh at the Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nev., while Saunders was ninth. Laird racked up 31 Stableford points in an event in which an eagle is worth 5 points, birdie 2, par 0, bogey minus-1, and double bogey or worse minus-3. Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, eagled his final hole to finish with 30 points. Saunders’ other PGA Tour top-10, a second at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, was also held opposite a World Golf Championship event.

Mark Hubbard, who grew up in Denver, also had a strong showing in Reno, placing 20th with 26 points.

Greg Chalmers won the Barracuda Invitational with 43 points.

In other tour events:

— At the Made in Denmark Challenge, a European Challenge Tour event in Aalborn, Denmark, former University of Colorado golfer Sebastian Heisele finished eighth. Heisele came on strong on the weekend, going 71-72-65-68 for an 8-under-par 276 total, which put him four strokes behind winner Bernd Ritthammer. It was Heisele’s fifth top-15 showing of the year on the Challenge circuit, where he ranks 20th on the 2016 money list.

— And former University of Northern Colorado golfer Carleigh Silvers posted her first top-10 finish ever on the Symetra Tour, tying for seventh in the Tullymore Classic in Canadian Lakes, Mich. Silvers carded rounds of 71-66-72 for a 7-under-par 209 total. That left her five strokes behind champion Paola Moreno.
 

Ballyneal in Holyoke, designed by Tom Doak, holds down the No. 1 slot on the list, which includes public, private and resort courses. Earlier this year, Ballyneal (pictured) was ranked No. 4 among Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.

Here are the top 40 in Colorado, as ranked by Top 100 Golf Courses:

1. Ballyneal
2. Cherry Hills CC
3. Colorado GC
4. Castle Pines GC
5. Sanctuary
6. Broadmoor (East)
7. Ravenna
8. CC of the Rockies
9. Maroon Creek
10. Denver CC

11. Redlands Mesa
12. Red Sky (Fazio)
13. Red Sky (Norman)
14. Cornerstone (now closed)
15. Aspen Glen
16. Roaring Fork
17. CommonGround
18. Catamount Ranch
19. Adam’s Mountain (renamed Frost Creek)
20. Broadmoor (West)

21. Breckenridge
22. Lakota Canyon
23. Cordillera (Valley)
24. Ironbridge
25. Ridge at Castle Pines North
26. Pradera
27. CC at Castle Pines
28. Raven at Three Peaks
29. Haymaker
30. Columbine CC

31. Devil’s Thumb
32. Murphy Creek
33. Cougar Canyon (now closed)
34. Flying Horse
35. Riverdale (Dunes)
36. Bear Dance
37. Fossil Trace
38. Four Mile Ranch
39. Eagle Springs
40. Cherry Creek CC

For more on the recent Top 100 Golf Course rankings, CLICK HERE.

And the 53-year-old native of Mexico will have another opportunity of a lifetime next month, albeit one that came about in an unusual way.

After never competing in a Masters — or even attending one — the former Coloradan will be at Augusta National in three weeks for the year’s first major championship. Though he won’t be in the field, he will be inside the ropes — as a caddie.

Toledo (pictured) persuaded fellow PGA Tour Champions player Sandy Lyle to let Toledo carry his bag for the Masters starting on April 7. Lyle won a green jacket at Augusta National in 1988.

Toledo had asked two-time Masters champ Ben Crenshaw to caddie for him last year. “I wanted to see what was going on inside the ropes,” Toledo told PGATour.com this week. “So I asked Crenshaw. I said, ‘Hey, I can donate $10,000 to your charity. Let me caddie for free and I’ll take care of the whole thing.'”

But last April was going to mark Crenshaw’s final Masters, so Gentle Ben wanted his regular Masters caddie, Carl Jackson, to do the honors.

Not one to give up, Toledo approached Lyle with a similar offer. And the Scotsman took him up on it last week, calling Toledo in Los Cabos, Mexico to give him the good news.

“He said, ‘You’re on.’ So I’m going,” Toledo said. “It will be fantastic.”
 

But while the inventory of Colorado courses has shrunk slightly, what we have in the state continues to be highly regarded, not only by Coloradans but on a national scale.

That was apparent once again last week when one of the more respected “best of” course rankings was published. Golfweek.com put out its list of Best Modern Courses (opened 1960-present), Best Classic Courses (opened prior to 1960), and best “courses you can play” state by state.

The modern and classic rankings come out every two years, and this time around one additional Colorado course — the Jack Nicklaus-designed Country Club of the Rockies (pictured) in Edwards — made it into the nation’s top 100 modern courses, checking in at No. 82.

Overall, four Colorado courses made the top 100 modern, with another three among the top 200. The Tom Doak-designed Ballyneal in Holyoke remains the standard-bearer for the state in this category, staying at No. 4 nationally, behind only Sand Hills in Mullen, Neb. (No. 1, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw), Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore. (No. 2, designed by Doak) and Friar’s Head in Baiting Hollow, N.Y. (No. 3, designed by Coore and Crenshaw). Doak, by the way, designed or co-designed four of the top seven modern courses.

Among Golfweek’s classic course rankings, two Colorado venues made the top 200 nationally, with Cherry Hills Country Club, host of three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, leading the way at No. 82. Pine Valley in New Jersey was tops in that category, followed by Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif., and Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.

In the best “courses you can play” state by state, the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction led the way in Colorado. Rounding out the top five were The Broadmoor’s East Course in Colorado Springs (second), Red Sky’s Fazio Course in Wolcott (third), the CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (fourth) and Haymaker in Steaboat Springs (fifth).

Here’s a rundown of where all the Colorado courses were placed by Golfweek in the new rankings published last week:

Golfweek Best Modern Courses (opened 1960-present)

4. Ballyneal in Holyoke (Tom Doak design)
34. Colorado Golf Club in Parker (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design)
46. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Pines (Jack Nicklaus design)
82. Country Club of the Rockies in Edwards (Jack Nicklaus design)
179. Golf Club at Ravenna in Littleton (Jay Morrish design)
184. Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction (Jim Engh design)
197. Sanctuary in Sedalia (Jim Engh design)

For a complete list of the top 100 modern courses, CLICK HERE.

Golfweek Best Classic Courses (opened before 1960)

82. Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (William Flynn design)
171. Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, East Course (Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones design)

For a complete list of the top 100 classic courses, CLICK HERE.
 

Golfweek Best State-by-State Courses You Can Play–Colorado

1. GC at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction (Jim Engh design) 
2. The Broadmoor (East Course) in Colorado Springs (Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones design)
3. Red Sky (Fazio Course) in Wolcott (Tom Fazio design)
4. CommonGround in Aurora (Tom Doak design)
5. Haymaker in Steamboat Springs (Keith Foster design)
6. Devil’s Thumb in Delta (Rick Phelps design)
7. The Broadmoor (West Course) in Colorado Springs (Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones design) 
8. Lakota Canyon Ranch in New Castle (Jim Engh design)
9. Red Sky (Norman Couse) in Wolcott (Greg Norman design)
10. The Ridge at Castle Pines North in Castle Pines (Tom Weiskopf design) 

For a complete rundown of the top courses you can play state by state, CLICK HERE.
 

Which is to say, he won the tournament.

The 53-year-old golfer from Mexico has been in three PGA Tour Champions playoffs in his career, and so far he’s 3-0 in sudden death.

On Sunday in the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla., Toledo rallied in a big way in the final round, then prevailed over Billy Andrade on the third playoff hole — the same as in each of his prior sudden-death wins. Toledo drained a 3-foot par putt on the par-4 17th hole after Andrade lipped out his 4-foot par attempt on the third playoff hole.

“Being in a playoff isn’t easy,” Toledo said. “There’s a lot of stress and a lot of nerves. Sometimes I surprise myself how well I play in tough conditions.”

Andrade could have won in regulation, but also missed a 5-foot putt on No. 18 — that one for birdie. Meanwhile, on the first extra hole, Andrade prolonged the playoff despite having to pitch out his third shot from the bushes.

The victory was Toledo’s fourth on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, with two of those coming in the last 4 1/2 months.

Toledo went into the final round four strokes out of the lead, but he followed up rounds of 68-70 with a 5-under-par 67 on Sunday, giving him an 11-under 205 total.

“Winning four times is amazing,” Toledo said. “It’s just fantastic. It’s a thrill being on this tour. I guess they have to put up with me a little longer.”

The victory was worth $262,500 for Toledo, leaving him at $280,000 for the year, good for second on the 2016 money list.
 

This year, those reflections have particularly come into focus.

With the CGA celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, there’s been a concerted look back on the past century of golf in Colorado. That includes a 10-part series of stories on notable people and events from the last hundred years.

Writing that series was illuminating, which brings us back to Thanksgiving. A better understanding of the past can lead to increased appreciation for all we have to be thankful for in Colorado golf.

To wit, here are 10 things that come to mind:

— Rich History of Golf. The Century of Golf Gala held recently at The Broadmoor particulary brought this home, with Jack Nicklaus reminiscing about his strong links to Colorado over the last 60 years. Nicklaus is one of golf’s all-time pantheon to have won significant tournaments in the state, with others being Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Kathy Whitworth, Babe Zaharias, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson. For much more about Colorado golf history, CLICK HERE.

— Teamwork. Another thing that the Century of Golf Gala — 1,250 attendees strong — and related activities reinforced is that big things can happen when the Colorado golf community joins forces. Teaming up with the CGA in making it all a major success were the CWGA, Colorado PGA and the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.

— Great Venues. The day of the Century of Golf Gala, a golf outing held at The Broadmoor (pictured) demonstrated yet again what stellar golf courses Colorado has produced. On a mid-November day, temperatures reached the mid-60s, and the setting was enough to make any golfer take pause. The same can be said for countless other courses in the state — Sanctuary, Arrowhead, Castle Pines, Ballyneal, Red Sky, Eisenhower, etc., etc. Golfers in Colorado are indeed fortunate.

— Good of the Game Partnerships. The recent creation of a partnership between the CGA and the Colorado PGA will result in a new Colorado Junior Tour and many other advantages for all levels of junior golfers in Colorado (READ MORE). It’s yet another example of how the game can be well served by constructive cooperation.

— Local Players Who Excel. Colorado has a long history of homegrown players hitting it big — with Hale Irwin, Steve Jones, Dale Douglass, Jill McGill, Brandt Jobe, Bob Byman, Kevin Stadler, Shane Bertsch, Bill Loeffler and to some extent Mike Reid, to name some. It’s always fun for Coloradans to have one of their own to root for on the national or international level. And we also have some very promising young players potentially in a similar pipleline with the likes of Mark Hubbard, Jennifer Kupcho, Wyndham Clark and Hannah Wood.

— Highly Regarded PGA Professionals. There are oustanding PGA professionals throughout the country, but members of the Colorado PGA have proven to be high achievers as the Section or its members have won national PGA of America awards eight times in the last nine years. And highly respected instructor Ann Finke was recently voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, along with Colorado-based Champions Tour player Craig Stadler. And Vic Kline was honored as Colorado Golf Professional of the Century during the Century of Golf Gala.

— Foundations to Support Good Causes. Numerous golf foundations in Colorado do considerable and commendable work in bolstering good causes through the game of golf. Among them are the Colorado Golf Foundation, Colorado PGA Reach, the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Environmental Golf Institute.

— Volunteers. While the staffs of the major golf organizations in Colorado do yeoman’s work, those organizations would be a shell of what they are were it not for volunteers. Such volunteerism came to the forefront this past year with the passing of Joe Salvo, and the departure from the Colorado tournament golf scene of Rich Langston and Joan Scholes. Each of them made major contributions — in terms of both time and dediction — to the likes of the CGA, CWGA and Colorado PGA over the years. And many, many others do likewise each year.

— Another Senior Major on the Horizon.This year it was announced that the 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be contested at The Broadmoor the year the resort celebrates its 100th birthday. It will mark the third U.S. Senior Open held in Colorado, meaning only Ohio (with six) will have hosted more. The Centennial State also was home to another senior major, the Senior PGA Championship contested at Colorado Golf Club in 2010.

— Good People. I’ve always marveled at the number of good people you meet through the game of golf. Perhaps it’s part of the significant “self-policing” aspect of the sport that tends to attract people of high character. But whatever the case, it’s refreshing.

And yet another reason to give thanks.
 

In at least one respect, and perhaps others, Phil Lane will be that.

Lane — who is about to begin a two-year term as president of the CGA, succeeding Tom Lawrence — resides in Colorado Springs and has for most of his life, which makes him unusual for the golf association’s top volunteer position. Almost all past CGA presidents have lived in the greater Denver metro area, but Lane will be an exception.

“We’re the Colorado Golf Association, not the Denver Golf Association,” noted Lane (pictured above). “So how do we add value to (CGA) member clubs outside Denver and make them feel part of the CGA’s mission and work, and reward them for being associated with the CGA?”

That will be one of many things on the plate for Lane, the CGA Board of Governors and the association staff in 2014 and ’15 and perhaps beyond. COgolf.org discussed such matters recently with Lane as he gears up for his two-year term as CGA president. (Note: A feature story on incoming CWGA president Joanie Ott will be posted on COgolf.org next week.)

Besides the CGA bringing in a new president heading into 2014, it’ll also have four new members of the association’s Board of Governors: Carl de Rozario of Columbine Country Club and Ballyneal, Doak Jacoway of Cherry Hills Country Club, Tom Markham of Valley Country Club, and Chris McClain of Canongate Colorado. Departing the board after years of service are Steve Anderson, Rick George, Jim Hayes and Don Sall. To see brief biographies on all of the CGA’s Governors, CLICK HERE.

Lane, a 48-year-old who owns undergraduate and Masters degrees from Northwestern University, is currently a private investor and businessman. For many years he worked for Pepsi and in his family’s longstanding business as a large Pepsi franchisee in Colorado and surrounding regions. That franchisee business was sold just over five years ago.

Besides the CGA, Lane sits on the boards for the Nature Conservancy and the YMCA, and in the past he’s served on the board for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. He’s a member at the Broadmoor Golf Club and Castle Pines Golf Club.

“Phil is really engaged in civic projects,” noted Ed Mate, executive director for the CGA. “He has a very diverse background in civic and community projects. He’s helped guide other non-profits, which is a valuable asset for us. Today’s CGA is no longer your dad’s CGA. We have a far broader and deeper reach in the community.”

As for the CGA work that lies ahead for himself, the board and the staff, Lane foresees several priorities:

— Getting CommonGround Golf Course, owned by the CGA and CWGA and home to many golf-related community outreach programs, back to its former self after suffering significant damage from the September floods. CommonGround is operating as a nine-hole facility — in addition to the nine-hole Kids Course — while the eight damaged holes are restored.

CommonGround is home to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program and many other “for the good of the game” and junior development initiatives.

“Getting the course up and running full-speed is clearly a top priority for us,” Lane said. “People have been great, playing the nine-hole course, the junior course, hitting balls and supporting (the golf shop and dining facility), but we have to focus our efforts in getting that back up and running (full-bore) as soon as possible in 2014. Obviously, that was an unforeseen need. The flooding threw us a bit of a curve, but we’re working through the challenges and we’ll come back stronger on the back end.”

— Enhancing the collaboration with the CWGA and other major golf organizations in the state.

Regarding the CWGA, Lane said, “We’re working better than we ever have with the CWGA. We need to continue to find ways to work more closely together and serve members better than ever before.”

— Helping the newly formed Colorado Golf Foundation get its legs.

Founded early this year, the Foundation aims to provide assistance for innovative programs that use the game of golf to instill hard work and self-reliance in young people.

“There are a lot of organizations that want to promote golf,” Lane said. “How do you find a balance between all of them and not have groups pulling on the same rope from two different ends? We want to make sure we’re all rowing together.

“The (lead) gift George Solich gave is fabulous, and under Will Nicholson’s leadership (as foundation chairman), it will take off in 2014. And the CGA will be intimately involved with how it evolves over its lifetime.”

— Celebrating the CGA’s centennial in 2015.

“That’s a huge opportunity to highlight all the great things that have happened over the last 100 years, (and) to have a year-long celebration of the game.”

The CWGA, by the way, will reach its 100-year anniversary the following year, in 2016.

Lane has served on the CGA Board of Governors for more than four years, under the presidencies of Bill Fowler, Jim Magette and Lawrence.

“They all brought great strength and passion and leadership,” Lane said. “I hope I can continue the momentum and continue to strengthen our board. There are always opportunities to find new people and to tap into the talent of the existing board. It’s a personal interest of mine to get the most out of the board. And Ed (Mate) and I also want organizational development to bring out the best in the staff.”

Lane didn’t start playing golf until well into adulthood, but he’s certainly dived head-first into the game since. He served as co-general chairman for the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor, and joined the CGA board the following year. And now becoming the CGA president is another big step in that regard.

“I love golf, and any opportunity to give back to the game in a small way gets me excited,” he said. “It should be a fun, interesting two years.”
 

But it’s not just the quantity that’s impressive. It’s also the quality.

The list includes such standouts as Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock (1981), Ballyneal in Holyoke (2006) and Colorado Golf Club in Parker (also 2006).

In fact, it’s safe to say that over the last three-plus decades, the state has had more than its share of stellar new courses.

And while local residents might be biased in saying as much, another national ranking of courses confirms that Colorado has certainly added more highly-regarded layouts since 1980 than is the norm for a given state.

Last week, Golfweek published its list of the best modern courses in the U.S., with the magazine classifying “modern” as opening in 1960 or later.

Six Colorado courses are included in Golfweek’s best 200 modern layouts. With 176 of those courses having opened since 1980, the Colorado venues make up 3.4 percent of that total, almost twice the norm for the 50 states.

Moreover, three Colorado courses are in the nation’s top 40.

Without further ado, here’s Golfweek’s rundown of the Colorado courses in the top 200, with the top pick in the category also included: 1. Sand Hills in Mullen, Neb.; 6. Ballyneal (pictured); 35. Colorado Golf Club, home of this year’s Solheim Cup; 38. Castle Pines Golf Club, where the PGA Tour’s International was held from 1986 through 2006; 124. Ravenna in Littleton; 131. Sanctuary in Sedalia; 188. Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction.

In last week’s top course breakdown, Golfweek also ranked the top 200 classic courses in the country, those opened before 1960. Colorado wasn’t nearly as well represented in that category, which included just two courses from the state.

Here are the Colorado courses in Golfweek’s “classic” list, plus the No. 1 layout: 1. Pine Valley in New Jersey; 86. Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, which will host the PGA Tour’s 2014 BMW Championship after the 2012 U.S. Amateur was played there; 190. East Course at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, home of the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open and 2008 U.S. Senior Open.

Golfweek also picked the “best courses you can play” in each state, and these were the Colorado layouts included, in order: 1. Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction; 2. Cougar Canyon in Trinidad; 3. Fazio Course at Red Sky in Wolcott; 4. Lakota Canyon in New Castle; 5. CommonGround in Aurora; 6. East Course at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs; 7. Devil’s Thumb in Delta; 8. Norman Course at Red Sky in Wolcott; 9. Haymaker in Steamboat Springs; 10. Bear Dance in Larkspur.
 

Golf course rankings have become commonplace these days. Just about every major golf publication carries some variation on the theme, and the rankings often provide good fodder for discussions around the water cooler.

But few of the rankings take on the entire world, and far fewer still are as extensive as those in a 1,300-plus-page book that first came out two years ago, and which recently published its second edition.

The title of the book pretty much tells the story: “The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses”. It’s the work of a French family (Morgue d’Algue) which specializes in golf publishing, and the book is the brainchild of Gaetan Morgue d’Algue, a three-time French amateur champion. Also playing a major role in putting together the publication was Kristel Morgue d’Algue, the 1995 NCAA women’s champion from Arizona State.

How much credence to put in this book’s rankings — as opposed to those of any other publication — is obviously a matter of personal opinion. But the Morgue d’Algue family did publish the popular Peugeot guide of Europe’s top 1,000 golf courses. For the world book, more than 200 anonymous course “inspectors” were used, all knowledgeable in golf architecture.

Colorado is well-represented in the second edition of the World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses, which is a feather in the state’s cap considering there are more than 32,000 registered golf courses on the planet. About a third of the top 1,000 are in the U.S., but there are 66 countries represented, including Egypt, Cambodia and Vietnam.

All told, 10 Colorado courses made the list: Ballyneal Golf Club, the East Course at the Broadmoor (pictured at left), Castle Pines Golf Club, Cherry Hills Country Club (pictured at top), Colorado Golf Club, CommonGround Golf Course, Denver Country Club, Sanctuary, and both the Fazio and Norman Courses at Red Sky Golf Club.

That’s a pretty good mixture of courses for the Centennial State.

We have one public facility (CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA), one resort (Broadmoor), two resort/private (the courses at Red Sky) and six private clubs.

We have one course from the eastern plains (Ballyneal), one from southern Colorado (Broadmoor), two from the Western Slope (the courses at Red Sky) and six from the extended Denver metro area.

And we have three courses completed before 1925 (Denver, Broadmoor and Cherry Hills), six finished in the last 15 years (Sanctuary, the two at Red Sky, Colorado Golf Club, Ballyneal and CommonGround, the most recent addition, debuting in 2009), and one in the 70-some years in between (Castle Pines).

The 10 Colorado courses have hosted a combined 16 USGA championships, with the latest being the 2012 U.S. Amateur as Cherry Hills took on the primary role and CommonGround (pictured at left) was the supporting course. Those 10 courses also have been the sites of more than 30 tour events between the PGA, LPGA and Champions circuits.

The Rolex book doesn’t rank the courses in 1-1,000 order. Rather, the facilities that make the list are rated in five-point increments from 75 to 100, with 100 being the best. Here’s how the Colorado courses fared in that regard: Cherry Hills 95; Castle Pines, the Broadmoor East and Ballyneal 90; Denver Country Club, Colorado Golf Club, Sanctuary and the Fazio Course at Red Sky 85; CommonGround and the Norman Course at Red Sky 80.

Only 15 courses received ratings of 100, including seven in the U.S.: Augusta National (Ga.) , Bethpage Black (N.Y.), Cypress Point (Calif.), Maidstone West (N.Y.), National Golf Links of America (N.Y.), Oakmont (Pa.) and Pine Valley (N.J.).