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For the three Planet Golf books former ausgolf partner Darius Oliver spent close to ten years visiting courses across the globe, studying more than 1,500 layouts in 45 countries, making him one of the best-traveled and most authoritative voices on golf course design and architecture. His website offers what we consider the most independent and informed reviews of these courses.
Below we present the Planet Golf World 100 as at December 2016. This listing is constantly updated on Planet Golf website. We also include the 2016 Golf Digest and 2015 Golf Magazine rankings for comparison.
Planet Golf expresses concern at the high rankings by Golf Magazine of several recent big budget or highly exclusive layouts including Nine Bridges in Korea (#43; Golf Digest #79), Oitavos Dunes in Portugal (#58; not ranked by Digest), Ayodhya in Thailand (#76; not ranked by Digest) and Kauri Cliffs (#94; Golf Digest #49). Clearly Oliver is concerned that courses from his listing overlooked by both magazines include St George's Hill, Bandon Trails, Royal Aberdeen, Essex, Highlands Links, Old Macdonald, Old Sandwich and several Australasian courses.
Let ausgolf arrange your visit to play Royal Melbourne (No. 9), Cape Wickham (No. 11), Kingston Heath (No. 18), Barnbougle Dunes (No. 42), Lost Farm (No. 47) and New Zealand's highly ranked courses. Enquire now.
| Planet | Course Name | Location | Country | Golf Mag | Digest |
| 1 | Cypress Point Club | Pebble Beach, California | USA | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Pine Valley Golf Club | Pine Valley, New Jersey | USA | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Royal County Down Golf Club | Newcastle, Down | N. IRELAND | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | St. Andrews Golf Club (Old) | St. Andrews, Fife | SCOTLAND | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Southampton, New York | USA | 6 | 7 |
| 6 | Royal Dornoch Golf Club | Dornoch Highland | SCOTLAND | 14 | 5 |
| 7 | Sand Hills Golf Club | Mullen, Nebraska | USA | 13 | 17 |
| 8 | National Golf Links Of America | Southampton, New York | USA | 10 | 13 |
| 9 | Royal Melbourne G.C. (West) | Melbourne, Victoria | AUSTRALIA | 12 | 6 |
| 10 | Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce) | Portrush, Antrim | N. IRELAND | 15 | 27 |
| 11 | Cape Wickham | King Island, Tasmania | AUSTRALIA | new | 24 |
| 12 | Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | USA | 8 | 11 |
| 13 | Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes) | Bandon, Oregon | USA | 21 |
39 |
| 14 | Augusta National Golf Club | Augusta, Georgia | USA | 4 | 2 |
| 15 | Ballybunion Golf Club (Old) | Ballybunion, Kerry | IRELAND | 17 | |
| 16 | Merion Golf Club (East) | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | USA | 11 | 10 |
| 17 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | USA | 7 | 12 |
| 18 | Kingston Heath Golf Club | Melbourne, Victoria | AUSTRALIA | 28 | 18 |
| 19 | Ballyneal | Holyoke, Colorado | USA | 78 | |
| 20 | Cabot Cliffs | Inverness | CANADA | new | 19 |
| 21 | North Berwick (West) | North Berwick | SCOTLAND | 63 | 50 |
| 22 | Crystal Downs Country Club | Frankfort, Michigan | USA | 22 | 31 |
| 23 | St. George's Hill Golf Club | Weybridge | ENGLAND | ||
| 24 | Prairie Dunes Country Club | Hutchinson, Kansas | USA | 27 | 59 |
| 25 | Royal St. George's Golf Club | Sandwich, Kent | ENGLAND | 33 | 45 |
| 26 | Fishers Island Golf Club | Fishers Island, New York | USA | 18 | 15 |
| 27 | Friars Head | Baiting Hollow, New York | USA | 31 | 53 |
| 28 | Swinley Forest | Ascot | ENGLAND | 89 | 61 |
| 29 | Morfontaine Golf Club | Senlis, Senlis, | FRANCE | 45 | 20 |
| 30 | Carnoustie G.C.(Championship) | Carnoustie, Tayside | SCOTLAND | 25 | 26 |
| 31 | Prestwick | SCOTLAND | |||
| 32 | Muirfield Golf Club | Gullane, Lothian | SCOTLAND | 9 | 9 |
| 33 | Bandon Dunes (Bandon Trails) | Bandon, Oregon | USA | ||
| 34 | Pinehurst Country Club (No. 2) | Pinehurst, North Carolina | USA | 16 | 63 |
| 35 | Lahinch Golf Club | Lahinch, Clare | IRELAND | 41 | 65 |
| 36 | Royal Aberdeen | Aberdeen | SCOTLAND | ||
| 37 | Hirono Golf Club | Kobe, Kobe | JAPAN | 42 | 21 |
| 38 | Turnberry Golf Club (Ailsa) | Turnberry, Strathclyde | SCOTLAND | 23 | 22 |
| 39 | Sunningdale Golf Club (New) | Sunningdale, Surrey | ENGLAND | 95 | 92 |
| 40 | Somerset Hills Country Club | Bernardsville, New Jersey | USA | 71 | |
| 41 | Chicago Golf Club | Wheaton, Illinois | USA | 26 | 32 |
| 42 | Barnbougle Dunes | Bridport, Tasmania | AUSTRALIA | 36 | 33 |
| 43 | St. George's Golf Club | Islington, Ontario | CANADA | 87 | 41 |
| 44 | Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) | Sunningdale, Surrey | ENGLAND | 35 | 23 |
| 45 | Essex County Club | Mass. | USA | ||
| 46 | Highlands Links Golf Club | Ingonish, Nova Scotia | CANADA | ||
| 47 | Barnbougle Lost Farm | Bridport, Tasmania | AUSTRALIA | 85 | 40 |
| 48 | Bandon Dunes (Old Macdonald) | Bandon, Oregon | USA | ||
| 49 | Old Sandwich | Mass. | USA | ||
| 50 | Shanqin Bay Golf Course | Hainan | CHINA | 47 | 37 |
| 51 | San Francisco Golf Club | San Francisco, California | USA | 24 | 81 |
| 52 | Winged Foot Golf Club (West) | Mamaroneck, New York | USA | 20 | 14 |
| 53 | Los Angeles C.C. (North) | Los Angeles, California | USA | 30 | 60 |
| 54 | West Sussex Golf Club | Pulborough | ENGLAND | ||
| 55 | Macrihanish | Macrihanish | SCOTLAND | 93 | 91 |
| 56 | Pasatiempo Golf Club | California | USA | ||
| 57 | Rye Golf Club | Camber, East Sussex | ENGLAND | 98 | |
| 58 | Casa De Campo (Teeth of the Dog) | La Romana | DOM. REP. | 39 | 56 |
| 59 | White Bear Yacht Club | Minnesota | USA | ||
| 60 | Seminole Golf Club | North Palm Beach, Florida | USA | 19 | 28 |
| 61 | Tara Iti Golf Club | North Is | NEW ZEALAND | ||
| 62 | New South Wales Golf Club | La Perouse, New South Wales | AUSTRALIA | 37 | 30 |
| 63 | Paraparaumu | Wellington | NEW ZEALAND | ||
| 64 | Eastward Ho! Golf Club | Chatham, Mass. | USA | ||
| 65 | Kingsbarns Golf Club | St. Andrews, Fife | SCOTLAND | 65 | 69 |
| 66 | Cape Kidnappers | Havelock North, North Island | NEW ZEALAND | 40 | 16 |
| 67 | Royal Porthcawl | Porthcawl | WALES | 88 | 47 |
| 68 | Kawana Golf Club (Fuji) | Shizuoka, Shizuoka | JAPAN | 67 | 64 |
| 69 | Riviera Country Club | Pacific Palisades, California | USA | 29 | 57 |
| 70 | St Enodoc (Church Course) | Rock | ENGLAND | ||
| 71 | The National GC (Moonah) | Cape Schanck, Vic | AUSTRALIA | ||
| 72 | Victoria GC | Melbourne, Victoria | AUSTRALIA | ||
| 73 | Chantilly | Chantilly | FRANCE | ||
| 75 | Gleneagles (Kings Course) | Gleneagles | SCOTLAND | ||
| 76 | Kingsley Club | Michigan | USA | ||
| 77 | Kennemer Country Club | Kennemer | HOLLAND | ||
| 78 | Cruden Bay Golf Club | Cruden Bay, Grampian | SCOTLAND | 77 | |
| 79 | Belmullet GC Carne Links | Carne | IRELAND | ||
| 80 | Ellerston Golf Course | Scone, New South Wales | AUSTRALIA | 73 | 29 |
| 81 | Cabo Del Sol (Ocean Course) | Los Cabos, Baja | MEXICO | 100 | 70 |
| 82 | Colorado Golf Club | Parker, Co | USA | ||
| 83 | The Country Club (Open) | Brookline, Massachusetts | USA | 34 | 42 |
| 84 | Woodhall Spa Golf Club | Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire | ENGLAND | 70 | |
| 85 | Notts Golf Club | Nottingham | ENGLAND | ||
| 86 | Sebonack | Southampton, New York | USA | 94 | |
| 87 | Hamburger | Falkenstein | GERMANY | ||
| 88 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Southport, Merseyside | ENGLAND | 32 | 35 |
| 89 | California Golf Club of San Francisco | San Francisco, California | USA | 81 | |
| 90 | The Berkshire (Red Course) | Berkshire | ENGLAND | ||
| 91 | The Mid Ocean Club | Bermuda | USA | ||
| 92 | Quaker Ridge Golf Club | Scarsdale, New York | USA | 74 | |
| 93 | Whistling Straits Golf Club | Haven, Wisconsin | USA | 52 | 51 |
| 94 | Humewood | Port Elizabeth | SOUTH AFRICA | ||
| 95 | The Golf Club | New Albany, Ohio | USA | 72 | 89 |
| 96 | Royal Melbourne G.C. (East) | Melbourne, Victoria | AUSTRALIA | 55 | |
| 97 | Rock Creek Cattle Company | Rock Creek, Montana | USA | ||
| 98 | Boston Golf Club | Boston, Mass. | USA | ||
| 99 | Trump International Doonbeg | Co. Clare | IRELAND | ||
| 100 | Silloth on Solway Golf Club | Silloth | ENGLAND |