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Scotland golf course rankings: Me vs. the Big Magazines spark debate

Friday December 8, 2006 | 07:01:38 am 411 words, 4364 views  

Golf course rankings: subjective, arbitrary, incomplete and AWESOME! Who doesn’t like looking at rankings, especially right before or after a big golf trip where you played a bunch of nominees of the world’s best?

I recently posted my Official Scotland Top Ten at GolfEurope.com: ranking the best courses I played while over there in the fall. I have now compared the list to three others: Golf Digest’s Best outside America, Golf Mag’s Best in the world, and Golf Monthly’s best in the UK and Ireland.

Now, I do have one - count ‘em one - trip to Scotland under my belt, making my rankings superior to any “committees” or “panels” full of “experienced” and “fair” judges, so keep that in mind when looking at the three magazine’s far inferior compilations. Maybe Tim, Kiel and I, along with other experienced bloggers like Ron Mon and Shanks will form a mutt panel of our own and release the glossy TravelGolf.com Best in Europe edition.

My Rankings

In parentheses is Golf Digest’s World Ranking, followed by Golf Monthly and then Golf Magazine.

1. Old Co. St. Andrews (1 - 2 - 3)
2. Royal Dornoch (5 - 51 - 15)
3. Turnberry (11 - 1 - 17)
4. Carnoustie (12 - 12 - 21)
5. Gleneagles, King’s (NR - 10 - NR)
6. Kingsbarns (20 - 8 - 65)
7. Royal Aberdeen (NR - 27 - NR)
8. Prestwick (NR - 39 - NR)
9. New Co. St. Andrews (98 - 37 - NR)
10. Duke’s (NR - NR - NR)

One notable course I played that didn’t make my Top Ten:

Nairn Golf Club - Many might put this Walker Cup host as high as 6th or 7th among my candidates. I wasn’t thrilled with it. Maybe it’s because I had played Dornoch the day before. You ever go on a date with a girl, then the next weekend go out with a different one and you can’t help but think about the previous one the whole time? That’s what happens with any course you play after Dornoch.

So which of the three lists (besides my own perfect one) is best? Well, Golf Digest and I agree on the order of the top four, but they give Kingsbarns too much props and Gleneagles and Royal Aberdeen not enough.

Golf Monthly inexplicably puts Nairn above Royal Dornoch, meaning their panelists likely sniff glue before rating courses on occasion. They are the only list that gives Gleneagles its due however.

Golf Mag’s first four are solid, but doesn’t have any of my courses after that.

Eh, all three of these rankings are looney. For my full article, click here.

What do you think?

How Golf Monthly put Nairn ahead of Royal Dornoch (above) is beyond me.
Permalink 4 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]
Well, the sum total of my golfing experiences in Europe is the Old and New Courses at St. Andrews, plus an undocumented (and therefore, un-prosecutable) foray up the Gran Via in Madrid. Since the Gran Via and its great nineteenth hole, the Plaza Mayor, don't rate against Sotogrande and other fine Spanish courses, I have to say that I am woefully unprepared to comment further. I do remember being even par after some four holes on the New course (not sure which ones) until the remainder kicked my nalgas.
PermalinkPermalink 12/08/06 @ 23:28
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]
Love how you didn't mention Baldy. No one takes him seriously any more, not since he took those thinly-disguised shots at me and beautiful Buffalo.
PermalinkPermalink 12/08/06 @ 23:29
Comment from: Dave M - Eye On Golf [Visitor]
BTuck, ranking golf courses is just like rating wine: if it's good to you, that makes it great. Don't be fooled by big thick magazines which are about 15% journalism and 85% advertisement quite a bit of which is golf courses and resorts. You don't have to be a math wiz to figure which courses get the nod.

Many years ago I had the pleasure of playing four courses on your list and enjoyed each one equally.
PermalinkPermalink 12/09/06 @ 07:25
Comment from: Shanks [Member] · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/shanks
Good article and I agree with Dave, although my group decided to play strictly links courses so I wouldn't have any idea about the inland tracks you mention. We focused on mid-Scotland - east & west coasts. Next time over, probably in 2008, we will focus on the northeast and highlands. I don't know about you, but when I just hear the nameScotland, I get nostalgic about my first trip & excited about the next trip.
PermalinkPermalink 12/12/06 @ 09:37

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Brandon Tucker Brandon Tucker

a WorldGolf.com Blog

WorldGolf.com blogger Brandon Tucker offers his unique perspective on golf and travel destinations from Scotland and Ireland to Myrtle Beach. He also chimes in on news events on the PGA and LPGA Tours, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and other happenings around the world of golf.