Best Golf Courses

by Rob Daniels

So what are the best golf courses in the world? Take a look at our top picks! Check out our list of top 10 Golf Courses.

1. Augusta National Golf Course (GA)
Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in Augusta, Georgia, is one of the most famous and exclusive golf clubs in the world and is considered Bobby Jones's masterpiece. It is the site of the annual Masters Tournament.

2. Pebble Beach Golf Course (CA)
Pebble Beach was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant and opened on February 22, 1919. Jack Nicklaus made alterations to the course prior to the 1992 U.S. Open, including rebuilding the 4th, 5th and 7th greens, and he designed a replacement 5th hole in 1998. Pebble Beach is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of the ocean.

3. Pine Valley Golf Course (NJ)
Pine Valley was founded in 1913 by a group of amateur golfers from Philadelphia. They purchased 184 acres (0.7 km²) of rolling, sandy ground deep in the pinelands of southern New Jersey, and gave George Arthur Crump, who knew the area from hunting expeditions, the opportunity to design the course. This was Crump's first and only golf course design, and he set himself some idiosyncratic principles: no hole should be laid out parallel to the next; no more than two consecutive holes should play in the same direction; and players shouldn't be able to see any hole other than the one they were playing. He also felt that a round of golf on his course should require a player to use every club in the bag.

4. Winged Foot Golf Club (NY)
Winged Foot Golf Club is a 36-hole golf club located in Mamaroneck, New York. The course architect is A. W. Tillinghast.. Winged Foot Golf Club was founded in 1921, by a cosortium comprised mainly of members of The New York Athletic Club.

5. Oahu Ko Olina Golf Course (HI)
A spectacular Ted Robinson designed course provides expansive landing areas and measures up to 6,867 yards from the back tees. Stunning views of the Oahu coast.

6. Crystal Downs Country Club (MI)
Crystal Downs offers the best of two worlds. Unlike many links courses, the greens are its primary defense. Like many links courses, its other defenses are the wind, the fesque rough, the imaginative bunkering that highlights the terrain, and the lumpy, bumpy fairways. A challenge for all golfers.

7. Fishers Island Club (NY)
Fishers Island Club, usually called The Big Club, is at the island's eastern tip. It is home to a world-class links golf course that is rated eighteenth in the US by Golf Magazine.

8. Shadow Creek (NV)
Shadow Creek in Las Vegas is a legendary golf course sculpted from the Nevada desert by renowned architect Tom Fazio. Every hole at Shadow Creek could make a signature statement at most golf courses throughout the world. Sparkling creeks, towering waterfalls and lush gardens are framed by commanding mountains. Shadows slide across dramatic landscapes, changing shape and contour from dawn to dusk.

9. Victoria National Golf Course (IN)
Sculpted from a reclaimed coal mine, Victoria National Golf Club is like a diamond. Brilliant and beautiful, yet in perfect harmony with her natural surroundings, this private club for members only is truly spectacular!

10. The Ocean Course (SC)
Designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1991 before the Ryder Cup Matches, The Ocean Course gained instant notoriety as the of the most dramatic "War by the Shore," a battle decided literally by the final putt of Sunday's final match. In 1997, The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf, with the world's finest golfers from 32 countries competing in the stroke play tournament.

About the Author
Rob Daniels is a professional golfer with a passion for a number of sports. Additional information available on Rob at Golf Clubhouse http://www.golf-clubhouse.net and Horse Stall http://www.horse-stall.net