As the table below shows, there's been little change in Golf Magazine rankings over the years. Their panel of around 100 judges claim to have played a large percentage of the candidate courses. For earlier lists with our comments click here. The more recent publication of a Top 100 by rival Magazine US Golf Digest, however highlights just how contentious ranking lists can be.
| Course Name | Country | 2015 | 2013 | 2011 | 2009 |
| Pine Valley Golf Club | USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cypress Point Club | USA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| St. Andrews Golf Club (Old) | SCOTLAND | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Augusta National Golf Club | USA | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Royal County Down Golf Club | N. IRELAND | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | USA | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Pebble Beach Golf Links | USA | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Oakmont Country Club | USA | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Muirfield Golf Club | SCOTLAND | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| National Golf Links Of America | USA | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| Merion Golf Club (East) | USA | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Royal Melbourne G.C. (West) | AUSTRALIA | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Sand Hills Golf Club | USA | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Royal Dornoch Golf Club | SCOTLAND | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce) | N. IRELAND | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Pinehurst Country Club (No. 2) | USA | 16 | 16 | 15 | 19 |
| Ballybunion Golf Club (Old) | IRELAND | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
| Fishers Island Golf Club | USA | 18 | 24 | 28 | 31 |
| Seminole Golf Club | USA | 19 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
| Winged Foot Golf Club (West) | USA | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Pacific Dunes Golf Club | USA | 21 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
| Crystal Downs Country Club | USA | 22 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
| Turnberry Golf Club (Ailsa) | SCOTLAND | 23 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
| San Francisco Golf Club | USA | 24 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| Carnoustie G.C.(Championship) | SCOTLAND | 25 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
| Chicago Golf Club | USA | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| Prairie Dunes Country Club | USA | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
| Kingston Heath Golf Club | AUSTRALIA | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
| Riviera Country Club | USA | 29 | 33 | 31 | 30 |
| Los Angeles C.C. (North) | USA | 30 | 30 | 39 | 52 |
| Friars Head | USA | 31 | 32 | 38 | 32 |
| Royal Birkdale Golf Club | ENGLAND | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
| Royal St. George's Golf Club | ENGLAND | 33 | 29 | 32 | 34 |
| The Country Club (Open) | USA | 34 | 42 | 37 | 37 |
| Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) | ENGLAND | 35 | 39 | 35 | 33 |
| Barnbougle Dunes | AUSTRALIA | 36 | 34 | 41 | 43 |
| New South Wales Golf Club | AUSTRALIA | 37 | 41 | 34 | 38 |
| Diamante | MEXICO | 38 | 52 | 58 | - |
| Casa De Campo (Teeth of the Dog) | DOM. REP. | 39 | 46 | 47 | 42 |
| Cape Kidnappers | NEW ZEALAND | 40 | 38 | 33 | 36 |
| Lahinch Golf Club | IRELAND | 41 | 40 | 42 | 44 |
| Hirono Golf Club | JAPAN | 42 | 37 | 40 | 39 |
| Nine Bridges | KOREA | 43 | 45 | 49 | 55 |
| Oakland Hills C.C. (South) | USA | 44 | 35 | 29 | 28 |
| Morfontaine Golf Club | FRANCE | 45 | 53 | 55 | 54 |
| Bethpage Golf Club (Black) | USA | 46 | 36 | 36 | 35 |
| Shanqin Bay Golf Course | CHINA | 47 | 78 | - | - |
| Trump International Menie | SCOTLAND | 48 | 50 | - | - |
| Royal Troon Golf Club (Old) | SCOTLAND | 49 | 44 | 48 | 48 |
| Kiawah Island (Ocean) | USA | 50 | 43 | 45 | 47 |
| Garden City Golf Club | USA | 51 | 47 | 50 | 51 |
| Whistling Straits Golf Club | USA | 52 | 49 | 44 | 40 |
| Muirfield Village Golf Club | USA | 53 | 48 | 52 | 46 |
| TPC At Sawgrass (Stadium) | USA | 54 | 58 | 51 | 50 |
| Portmarnock Golf Club | IRELAND | 55 | 54 | 46 | 45 |
| Shoreacres Country Club | USA | 56 | 61 | 64 | 71 |
| Camargo Club | USA | 57 | 70 | 69 | 66 |
| Oitavas Dunes | PORTUGAL | 58 | 65 | 68 | 88 |
| Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower) | USA | 59 | 51 | 53 | 49 |
| Olympic Club (Lake) | USA | 60 | 57 | 43 | 41 |
| Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. | ENGLAND | 61 | 59 | 57 | 53 |
| Southern Hills Country Club | USA | 62 | 64 | 63 | 60 |
| North Berwick (West) | SCOTLAND | 63 | 68 | 89 | 93 |
| Bandon Dunes | USA | 64 | 63 | 60 | 58 |
| Kingsbarns Golf Club | SCOTLAND | 65 | 55 | 54 | 61 |
| Maidstone Club | USA | 66 | 67 | 72 | 65 |
| Kawana Golf Club (Fuji) | JAPAN | 67 | 71 | 76 | 74 |
| Oak Hill Country Club (East) | USA | 68 | 60 | 61 | 57 |
| Castle Stuart | SCOTLAND | 69 | 56 | 56 | - |
| Woodhall Spa Golf Club | ENGLAND | 70 | 62 | 59 | 56 |
| Somerset Hills Country Club | USA | 71 | 77 | 81 | 79 |
| The Golf Club | USA | 72 | 66 | 62 | 59 |
| Ellerston Golf Course | AUSTRALIA | 73 | - | - | - |
| Quaker Ridge Golf Club | USA | 74 | 73 | 70 | 70 |
| Cabot Cliffs | CANADA | 75 | 82 | - | - |
| Ayodhya Links | THAILAND | 76 | - | - | - |
| Cruden Bay Golf Club | SCOTLAND | 77 | 79 | 83 | 81 |
| Ballyneal | USA | 78 | 75 | 79 | 83 |
| Inverness Club | USA | 79 | 83 | 71 | 68 |
| Ganton Golf Club | ENGLAND | 80 | 84 | 66 | 63 |
| California Golf Club of San Francisco | USA | 81 | - | - | - |
| Royal Liverpool Golf Club | ENGLAND | 82 | 69 | 77 | 80 |
| Waterville | IRELAND | 83 | 76 | 91 | 91 |
| Winged Foot Golf Club (East) | USA | 84 | - | 75 | 67 |
| Barnbougle Lost Farm | AUSTRALIA | 85 | 72 | 82 | - |
| Walton Heath Golf Club (Old) | ENGLAND | 86 | 80 | 86 | 82 |
| St. George's Golf Club | CANADA | 87 | 87 | 90 | 89 |
| Royal Porthcawl | WALES | 88 | 95 | 94 | 100 |
| Swinley Forest | ENGLAND | 89 | 92 | 92 | 84 |
| European Club | IRELAND | 90 | 86 | 95 | 85 |
| Harbour Town Golf Links | USA | 91 | 81 | 78 | 73 |
| Royal Hague Golf & CC | HOLLAND | 92 | - | - | - |
| Macrihanish | SCOTLAND | 93 | 91 | 93 | 92 |
| Kauri Cliffs | NEW ZEALAND | 94 | 74 | 80 | 78 |
| Sunningdale Golf Club (New) | ENGLAND | 95 | - | - | - |
| Tokyo Golf Club | JAPAN | 96 | 93 | 96 | 97 |
| Durban Golf Club | S. AFRICA | 97 | 100 | 99 | 94 |
| Rye Golf Club | ENGLAND | 98 | 96 | - | - |
| Valderrama Club de Golf | SPAIN | 99 | 98 | 88 | 76 |
| Cabo Del Sol (Ocean Course) | MEXICO | 100 | 97 | 100 | 95 |