How are GOLF’s Top 100 Course rankings decided? Here’s how the process works

There is only 1 adaptable successful the voting process for GOLF’s Top 100 Course rankings: the ballot, which is ever successful flux pinch caller builds, restorations and moreover deletions should the value of the people deteriorate.

For our recently released Top 100 U.S and Top 100 You Can Play lists, each panelist was provided a ballot that consisted of 609 courses. Beside the database of courses were 11 “buckets,” aliases groupings. If our panelists considered a people to beryllium among the apical 3 successful the U.S., they ticked that first column. If they believed the people to beryllium among Nos. 4-10, they checked that column, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and truthful connected retired to 250+ and moreover a file for “remove.” 

LISTEN: On our caller golf-travel podcast, Destination GOLF, our raters break down GOLF’s latest Top 100 U.S. ranking — APPLE | SPOTIFY | IHEART | AMAZON

Panelists were besides free to constitute successful courses that they felt should person been included connected the ballot.

Points were assigned to each bucket; to get astatine an mean people for each course, we disagreement its aggregate people by the number of votes. From those constituent tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly. It is an intentionally elemental and straightforward process. Why? Because it historically has produced results that are wide lauded. Like the crippled itself, there’s nary request to unnecessarily complicate things aliases effort to hole thing that already useful truthful well.

The cardinal to the methodology is the acquisition and expertise of our panel. For sure, our process is only arsenic bully arsenic the sheet itself. Hailing from 15 nations (and that is counting Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales arsenic one, the United Kingdom), each of our 127 handpicked panelists has a keen oculus for architecture, some regionally and globally.

Typecasting our sheet would beryllium impossible, isolated from to opportunity they each stock a play wanderlust. More than 55 years abstracted our youngest panelist from the oldest. Playing abilities alteration from plus-handicaps to those successful the debased double digits. If 30 panelists person seen a course, you are almost assured that each group of tees was used. Many of our panelists person played much than 1,000 courses successful 20-plus countries. In the rankings world, acquisition is essential. Communication betwixt panelists is enhanced by maintaining a comparatively small, tight group.

Browse GOLF’s people rankings: Top 100 successful the World | Top 100 U.S. | Top 100 You Can Play | Top 100 Value Courses successful the U.S. | America’s Best Municipal Courses | America’s Best Courses for $100 aliases Less | Top 100 successful the U.K. and Ireland | Top 100 successful Asia-Pacific | Top 100 Short Courses successful the World

Because we don’t prescribe a group method to measure courses arsenic other ranks do, nary 1 sentiment carries the time — our rank is simply a democracy. Some panelists judge that enjoyment is the eventual goal, and frankincense prioritize creation attributes specified arsenic width and playing angles, while frowning upon the request to perpetually hunt for balls successful heavy rough. Other panelists worth situation and the demands of hitting each nine successful the bag. Still others see a course’s surroundings and wide situation of paramount importance, thereby emphasizing the mounting and naturalness of the course. In the end, allowing raters to freely definitive their tastes is what produces the desired eclecticism successful our Top 100 lists.

Panelist integrity is vital. Voters pinch immoderate ties aliases associations to eligible courses must emblem specified conflicts. Any ballot that falls extracurricular the statistical norm is investigated. Panelists cognize not to fto the value of their play power their ballot — aforesaid for a luxe acquisition aliases clubhouse. While opulence whitethorn make for a much a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s people lists are about. Our attraction is connected creation and architecture. We study the course, not the trappings astir it.

Our promise to you pinch each and every ranking is that we put guardant our best, astir earnest effort. Ultimately, you are judge and assemblage of our success.