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World’s Top 100 Golf Courses (Golf Magazine 2015)

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