Just about every major national golf publication does course rankings of one sort or another these days.

There are general course rankings — nationally, internationally and by state — as well as ones for modern courses, classic courses, residential courses, resort courses, “courses you can play”, military courses, casino courses, courses in Mexico and the Caribbean … The lists go on and on.

But it wasn’t always so.

It was Golf Digest that got things rolling in a big way on the course ranking front. Since 1966, the publication has compiled a biennial ranking of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses”, which is the self-proclaimed “gold standard in the golf community.”

Golf Digest panelists play and evaluate courses based on seven criteria: shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and ambience.

With two years since its last rankings, Golf Digest last week published its 2019-20 edition of America’s 100 Greatest. And Colorado was well-represented, with two courses in the top 50 and three in the top 75.

Pine Valley in Pine Valley, N.J., checks in at No. 1 for the 14th time since 1985.

The rest of the top 10 are Augusta National in Augusta, Ga., home of the Masters (2), Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif. (3), Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y. (4), Oakmont in Oakmont, Pa. (5), Merion (East) in Ardmore, Pa. (6), Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. (7), National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. (8), Sand Hills in Mullen, Neb. (9) and Fishers Island in Fishers Island, N.Y. (10).

As for Colorado-based courses, Ballyneal (above) in Holyoke checked in at No. 46, Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock at No. 48, and Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village at No. 72. Here a short rundown on each:

46. Ballyneal in Holyoke — The minimalist Tom Doak design, which opened in 2006, has reached its highest point in the Golf Digest rankings, having been 50th two years ago. It’s been included among the America’s 100 Greatest since 2011.

Here’s Golf Digest’s take on Ballyneal: “If No. 9 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 northeast Colorado answer to Nebraska’s 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. Other than No. 15 Friar’s Head, Ballyneal is the only course to have constantly risen in our rankings over the past 10 years.”

48. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock — Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1981, Castle Pines (left) hosted the PGA Tour’s International from 1986 through 2006. The course has been ranked continuously in the America’s 100 Greatest since 1987, peaking at No. 28 in 2009-10. It was in the No. 42 slot two years ago. Jack Vickers, the club’s founder, passed away in September.

Here’s Golf Digest’s take on Castle Pines: “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 many 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.”

72. Cherry Hills in Cherry Hills Village — The William Flynn-designed course, which opened in 1922, has hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, a U.S. Women’s Open, a U.S. Senior Open, two U.S. Amateurs, a BMW Championship and nine USGA championships overall. Cherry Hills (left) has been included almost continuously — aside from 1971-72 — in America’s 100 Greatest since its inception in 1966. Its highest ranking was 21st in 2003-04 and it was slotted at No. 73 two years ago.

Here’s Golf Digest’s take on Cherry Hills: “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.”

For the entire list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, another ranking was also recently published, with Golf Advisor listing its top 50 golf courses in the U.S., determined by ratings and reviews received by Golf Advisor in 2018.

One Colorado course made the grade, with Pole Creek Golf Club in Tabernash slotted in at No. 44.

Golf Advisor’s top course for the rankings was the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

For the complete Golf Advisor list, CLICK HERE.

Applications for the honor — limited to instructors under 40 — come from around the country.

“We looked at accomplishments, who they’ve learned from, what they’ve done to continue their education, and how they handle the day-to-day challenges of trying to improve amateur golfers,” Golf Digest noted in its introduction. We even asked many of them to supply a great tip to demonstrate their ability to simplify the complexity of learning golf.”

Both of the Coloradans included among the Best Young Teachers in America come from Colorado-based GolfTEC: Patrick Nuber, 36, of Englewood; and Brad Skupaka, 31, also of Englewood.

For Golf Digest’s complete list, CLICK HERE.
 

PGA Tour players obviously relished the experience — whether it was the expansive views of the course and the Rocky Mountains, the fantastic service, the sumptuously comfortable atmosphere, or whatever the case.

So when Golf Digest recently unveiled its ranking of the 50 best golf locker rooms in America, it was no surprise that Castle Pines Golf Club was high on the list.

No. 2, in fact.

Only Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., is higher in Golf Digest’s rankings.

Here’s the magazine’s brief comment that ran with Castle Pines’ No. 2 ranking: “Dressed in a suit and tie, locker-room manager Tom Horal — in his 34th year at the club — remembers your name and drink order after one visit.”

It should be noted that the golf course isn’t too shabby either. It’s No. 42 on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 greatest golf courses.

For Golf Digest’s entire list of the top locker rooms in America, CLICK HERE.
 

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.

Dee Tidwell (pictured in a YouTube photo) of Colorado Golf Fitness Club in Greenwood Village was one of a dozen fitness pros selected from the western U.S.

Accompanying Golf Digest’s list was the publication’s reasoning for compiling what it considers the best golf-fitness pros in the nation:

“It didn’t happen quickly. Heck, it took decades to permeate. But fitness has become a big part of the conversation about what it takes to improve as a golfer. Players looking to swing better, faster, longer and, they hope, injury-free have turned to the gym to help achieve their goals.

“That’s why we believe it’s time to introduce a new ranking — the 50 Best Golf-Fitness Professionals in America. This list, the first of its kind by a fitness- or golf-media company, was compiled by Golf Digest’s expert panel of trainers, chiropractors, physical therapists and doctors who nominated their peers based on their knowledge of the game, their knowledge of exercise physiology and biomechanics, and how they apply both in working with clients.”

For Golf Digest’s entire list, CLICK HERE.

CommonGround Golf Course, the CGA-owned and operated facility in Aurora, and Four Mile Ranch Golf Club in Canon City made the grade. Only three states or provinces included more than one course on the list, and in that regard Colorado joined California (four) and Florida (two).

Here’s the introduction Golf Digest used for the Most Bang for the Buck feature:

“Identifying golf courses with the most value isn’t simply finding the cheapest rounds. For most golfers, rounds of golf that scream value are ones we can’t wait to tell others about. To us, there’s an unwritten formula including some combination of price, amount of fun, level of intrigue with the design, conditioning, overall experience and history. We all have our own barometers of what makes a valued round of golf. Here are our choices, nominated by readers, our course-ranking panelists and our editors.”

And here are Golf Digest’s blurbs that ran with each Colorado course included:

CommonGround GC (pictured): “Tom Doak and his team designed this course to be fun and playable for a wide range of golfers. Generous fairways, four sets of tees (with combo sets also rated for both men and women) and strategically placed features ensure that scratch golfers and raw beginners alike enjoy playing CommonGround. Also, the course offers generous nine-hole rates, affordable unlimited-golf annual rates, and great deals for Colorado Golf Association members.”

Four Mile Ranch GC: “There are no bunkers on this Jim Engh design that is framed by mountains all around. Shale mounds take the place of sand on many holes, including many other unique Engh design features, such as several punchbowl greens, blind shot and wild green slopes. As one of our panelists put it: “vastly underrated among the state’s public courses.”

For the complete Golf Digest list, CLICK HERE.
 

The Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course in Colorado Springs, which will host next year’s U.S. Senior Open, earned the No. 35 spot on the Greatest Public Courses list and has been in the top 100 every year since the magazine introduced it in 2003.

The East (pictured) has been the site of Jack Nicklaus’ first USGA championship (the 1959 U.S. Amateur) and Annika Sorenstam’s (the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open), along with the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2008 U.S. Senior Open.

The Fazio Course at Red Sky checked in at No. 71 on the Golf Digest list — its highest ranking ever. Its sister course, the Norman-designed layout at Red Sky, is No. 81. Resort guest play alternates daily on the two Red Sky courses.

For the record, Pebble Beach Golf Links in California sets the standard as the No. 1 “public” course in the country.

For the complete Golf Digest list, CLICK HERE.

The golf course ranking business is ever-expanding — and apparently ever-popular — but every two years it returns to its roots. And that time is now.

The grandaddy of all the rankings — both the first and the most respected — was published this week as Golf Digest unveiled its biennial “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses”. America’s 100 Greatest has been a fixture since 1966.

As usual, Colorado figures prominently in the rankings. While no local course is in Golf Digest’s very top rung — Pine Valley in New Jersey, Augusta National in Georgia and Cypress Point in California are 1-2-3, respectively — the Centennial State has more than its share of the nation’s greatest courses.

Specifically, Colorado is home to three layouts in the top 100 — and in the top 75, for that matter. The only states with more than three courses in the top 75 are New York (11), California (8), Illinois (5), Ohio (4), New Jersey (4) and Oregon (4, all in Bandon). Three states besides Colorado put three courses in the top 75: Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

The three Colorado courses that made the cut should come as no surprise to the followers of national/international golf rankings. Castle Pines Golf Club (pictured above), home of the PGA Tour’s International from 1986-2006, checks in at No. 42, according to Golf Digest. Ballyneal (left) — the minimalist Tom Doak design in a remote area of northeastern Colorado, in Holyoke — was placed No. 50, its highest mark ever. And Cherry Hills Country Club, host to three U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, was ranked No. 73.

Castle Pines, the Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 1981, has been an America’s 100 Greatest fixture since ’87, and has reached as high as No. 28. Cherry Hills, nearing its 95th birthday, was ranked from 1966-70 and ever since ’73, reaching No. 21 at one point. Ballyneal has risen in Golf Digest’s list since making its debut in 2011.

Here are the top 10 courses on America’s Greatest 100 list this time around:

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.
6. Merion in Ardmore, Pa.
7. Pebble Beach in Pebble Beach, Calif.
8. National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y.
9. Sand Hills in Mullen, Neb.
10. Winged Foot (West) in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

For the entire Golf Digest list, CLICK HERE.

While America’s Greatest 100 is the most famous golf course ranking, there are many others done on a national and international basis by respected publications and raters. Here’s a sampling of how Colorado courses have fared in such rankings in recent months, along with the top-rated course in each case:

Golf Channel travel insider Matt Ginella’s
Top 50 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. (Dec. 8, 2016)

Ranked No. 1
Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Colorado Course
50. The Broadmoor GC’s East Course in Colorado Springs

Golfweek Best Resort Courses (Nov. 1, 2016)

Ranked No. 1
Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Colorado Courses
48. The Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs
66. Red Sky Fazio Course in Wolcott
123. The Broadmoor West Course in Colorado Springs
152. Telluride GC
153. Red Sky Norman Course in Wolcott
174. Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs

Golfweek Best Residential Courses (Nov. 1, 2016)

Ranked No. 1
Wade Hampton Club in Cashiers, N.C.

Colorado Courses
5. Colorado Golf Club in Parker
9. Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Pines
32. The Glacier Club at Tamarron in Durango
60. Golf Club at Ravenna in Littleton
66. Redlands Mesa Golf Club in Grand Junction
154. Cherry Creek Country Club in Denver
177. Aspen Glen in Carbondale

Golf.com’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2016/17)

Ranked No. 1
Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Colorado Courses
51. Red Sky Norman Course in Wolcott
67. The Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs
93. Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction

Golfweek’s Best Campus Courses (Aug. 30, 2016)

Ranked No. 1
The Course at Yale in New Haven, Conn.

Colorado Course
24. Eisenhower Blue Course at Air Force Academy