The Top 50 has finally been updated, and Askernish Old of South Uist Island, Scotland — a ghost course — remains the top-ranked layout in the world. I’ll have more to say about the new list tomorrow, but I have told my weary staffers to take the rest of the night off, and I plan to do the same. So, until tomorrow … fairways and greens!
The Top 50
T1. Askernish Old, South Uist Island, Scotland (Old Tom Morris, John Garrity, Gordon Irvine, Martin Ebert) 10.15
T1. Carne Golf Links, Belmullet, Ireland (Eddie Hackett, Jim Engh, Ally McIntosh) 9.85
3. Girvan Links & Parkland, Girvan, Scotland (James Braid) 9.74
4. Prairie Dunes Country Club, Hutchinson, Ks. (Perry Maxwell) 9.72
5. Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, Scotland (Gil Hanse, Mark Parsinen) 9.71
6. Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. (Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones) 10.31
7. Ballybunion Old, Ballybunion, Ireland (L.L. Hewson, James McKenna) 10.33
8. The European Club, Brittas Bay, Ireland (Pat Ruddy) 10.39
9. Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Jack Neville, Douglas Grant) 9.60
10. Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links), County Antrim, N. Ireland (Harry Colt) 9.56
11. The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa (Gary Player) 10.61
12. Interlachen Country Club, Edina, Minn. (Willie Watson) 10.63
13. Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Alister Mackenzie) 9.20
14. Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla. (Donald Ross) 9.19
15. Poipu Bay Golf Course, Kauai, Hawaii (Robert Trent Jones, Jr.) 9.18
16. Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland (God) 9.17
17. Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England (F.G. Hawtree, J.H. Taylor, F.W. Hawtree, Martin Hawtree) 9.15
18. Merion Golf Club, East Course, Ardmore, Pa. (Hugh Wilson) 9.14
19. Sand Hills Golf Club, Mullen, Neb. (Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw) 9.13
20. The Golf Course at Sand Hollow Resort, Hurricane, Utah (John Fought) 10.90
21. Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland (Old Tom Morris) 9.09
22. Pacific Dunes, Bandon, Ore. (Tom Doak) 10.97
23. Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, Calif. (Alister MacKenzie) 9.00
24. Cabot Links, Inverness, Nova Scotia (Rod Whitman) 11.03
25. New Richmond Golf Club, New Richmond, Wis. (Kidd, Herfort, Goldstrand) 8.91
26. Stanford University Golf Course, Stanford, Calif. (George C. Thomas Jr., William Bell) 8.88
27. Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, Grand Junction, Colo. (Jim Engh) 8.85
28. Kinghorn Municipal Golf Club, Kinghorn, Scotland (Old Tom Morris) 8.83
29. Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle, N. Ireland (George L. Baille, Old Tom Morris, George Combe, Harry Colt, Donald Steel) 11.20
30. Milburn Golf & Country Club, Overland Park, Ks. (W.B. Langford, Harry Robb, Sr.) 11.25
31. The Country Club, Brookline, Mass. (Club members, Willie Campbell, Rees Jones) 8.74
32. Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, Southern Pines, N.C. (Donald Ross) 8.72
33. Balcomie Links, Crail, Scotland (Old Tom Morris) 8.70
34. Plantation Course, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii (Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw) 8.69
35. Machrihanish Golf Club, Machrihanish, Scotland (Charles Hunter, Old Tom Morris, J.H. Taylor, Guy Campbell) 11.50
36. Royal Dublin Golf Club, Bull Island, Ireland (Capt. William Bligh, Harry Colt, Martin Hawtree) 11.51
37. Philadelphia Cricket Club, Flourtown, Pa. (A.W. Tillinghast) 8.42
38. Wallasey Golf Club, The Wirral, England (Old Tom Morris, Harold Hilton, James Braid, Donald Steele) 8.40
39. Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Dornoch, Scotland (Old Tom Morris, John Sutherland, Donald Ross) 8.39
40. Kingsbarns Golf Links, St. Andrews, Scotland (Mark Parsinen, Kyle Phillips) 11.65
41. Whispering Pines Golf Club, Trinity, Texas (Corby Robertson Jr., Chet Williams) 8.31
42. Hillcrest Country Club, Kansas City, Mo. (Donald Ross, Bill Amick, Tom Garrity) 8.30
43. Hallbrook Country Club, Leawood, Ks. (Tom Fazio) 8.29
44. Mission Hills Tournament Course, Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Desmond Muirhead) 8.28
45. University of Florida Golf Course, Gainesville, Fla. (Donald Ross, Bobby Weed) 8.25
46. Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Bob Baldock, Jack Neville, Mike Strantz) 8.20
47. Augusta National Practice Range, Augusta, Ga. (Tom Fazio) 8.17
48. Streamsong Blue, Polk County, Fla. (Tom Doak) 8.16
49. St. Annes Old Links, St. Annes, England (George Lowe, Alex Herd) 8.15
50. Excelsior Springs Golf Club, Excelsior Springs, Mo. (Tom Bendelow) 8.09
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John Garrity's Top 50 · Golf Course Ranking and Commentary
John Garrity's Top 50 
I am glad that Tiger Woods is back playing. It makes the sport thrilling once more.
why would 2 or 3 Jim Engh courses be on this list?
Why are you surprised? Jim Engh was Golf Digest‘s Architect of the Year in 2003, and GOLF Magazine named him one of three “key architects of the new millennium.” (The other two were Tom Doak and Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw.) Engh might be as famous as Donald Ross if he didn’t spend so much time hustling darts in Irish pubs.
Dear John,
It was through your ranking several years ago that I learned of Askernish. Last year, my wife and I spent our first anniversary golfing there. It was a special experience that too few people will ever know. Only 500-600 visitors per year will play Askernish.
Out of curiosity, have you ever played Durness? If not, it is right up your alley. I did this write up last year:
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40850.0/
Anyway, I just finished reading your book, “Ancestral Links” and really enjoyed it. If you happen to be going through Chicago, I’d love to have a beer with you.
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed Askernish, and I’m flattered that you went there because of its Top 50 ranking. Some Americans, expecting a Scottish version of Augusta National, might be put off by the 4-on-the-Stimpmeter greens and the rabbit burrows and the tangly rough. But where else can you find a ghost course designed by Old Tom Morris, a spectacular links that disappeared, like Brigadoon, and then reappeared in the dunes nearly a century later? (FYI, Tom Doak of Pacific Dunes fame is contributing his expertise and some of his staff to help the Askernish golfers restore their course, as is golf architect Martin Ebert, who laid out the six new holes that lead to the Morris track.) As for Durness, thanks for the tip. My staff at Catch Basin is frantically rounding up all they have on it for a presentation this afternoon. If I like what I see, I’ll call our travel department and book the next flight.
And since you were kind enough to plug Ancestral Links, I’d love to have a drink with you some time. Chicago would be good. Lochboisdale would be better.