Pound-for Pound, it's tough to top Columbus

Columbus, Ohio, site of this week’s Memorial Tournament, is arguably America’s top golf city, particularly in the private sector.

Though it ranks 14th nationally in terms of size, the high-end clubs in and around the city make it a major player in the golf world. Of course, there’s Jack’s Place—Muirfield Village, site of this week’s Memorial.(#37 in the GOLF Magazine list of world-wide Top 100 Courses) There’s Scioto (#71) where young Jack learned the game from legendary instructor Jack Grout. There’s The Golf Club (#48) a Pete Dye beauty. And there’s Double Eagle, (#31 on Golfweek’s America’s Best Mondern Course list) an ultra-exclusive Weiskopf–Morrish creation with just a few dozen members.

Some might argue Philadelphia is the premiere American city for top-notch private golf, with Merion, Rolling Green, Aronomink, Cricket Club, and Saucon Valley and Pine Valley lying in the outskirts. But Philly’s population is more than twice that of Columbus, giving the Ohio city the pound-for-pound title.