Golf Magazine Top 100 Public Courses — The Top Five
Public golf courses are those that are open to the public, as their name indicates. The Golf Magazine Top 100 Public Courses list is released every year and ranks the courses around the nation based on a variety of criteria. Golfers everywhere respect the decisions of Golf Magazine and flock to the courses listed by this periodical. Here is a brief guide to the top five from the most recent list released:
Pacific Dunes in Bandon Oregon is a course that is part of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. This course was designed by Tom Doak and is prized for its natural design which features incredible scenery, majestic shore pines and amazing sand dunes. While Pacific Dunes comes in at number one, Bandon Dunes which is a course at the same resort ranks number five. So, a trip to this resort is ideal as you would be able to play two of the best public courses in the world. The Bandon Dunes course was designed by David McLay Kidd and pays homage to his Scottish roots.
In the nearby state of California is Pebble Beach, one of the most famous golf courses in the world. Legend Jack Nicklaus has even spoken about his love for Pebble Beach. This course has thrilled golfers since 1919 and incorporates the beauty of the Pacific coastline into challenging and fun holes. You may have seen this course on television as it has been the site of many well-known tournaments including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Both amateurs and pros alike can enjoy the benefits of this spectacular course.
In South Carolina you’ll find Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which has a long history of hosting world renowned competitions and providing golfers of all skill levels with five incredible courses on which to play. One of the best things about Kiawah is that the courses were designed by golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Gary Player and Clyde Johnston. Events hosted here in the past have included the World Cup and Ryder Cup, to name a few. Rounding out our list of the top five is a course quite far from South Carolina in the state of Wisconsin.
In Sheboygan, Wisconsin is Whistling Straits. This course comes in at number four on the Golf Magazine Top 100 Public Courses list. This course has played host to several PGA Championships and was designed by Pete Dye and Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. Here you’ll get a taste of Ireland and Scotland right in the middle of Wisconsin. This challenging and breathtaking course is beautifully designed and definitely deserves its top five ranking.
