Waterville Golf Links

Waterville, Co. Kerry

Rankings

Best Courses in North America

While courses from the United States will dominate this list, it also includes great tracks found in Canada and the Caribbean.

Top 10 Courses

  1. Pine Valley Golf Club (George Crump and H.S. Colt 1918; Clementon, New Jersey)
  2. Cypress Point Golf Club (Dr. Alister MacKenzie 1928; Pebble Beach, California)
  3. Cabot Cliffs (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw 2016; Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada)*
  4. Playa Grande Golf & Ocean Club (Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1997 and Rees Jones redesign 2018; Rio San Juan 33000, Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic)
  5. Punta Espada Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus 2006; Punta Cana 23000, Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic)*
  6. Fishers Island Club (Seth Raynor 1926; Southold, New York)
  7. National Golf Links of America (C.B. Macdonald 1908; Southampton, New York)
  8. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Jack Neville and Douglas Grant 1919; Pebble Beach, California)*
  9. Oakmont Country Club (Henry Fownes 1904; Oakmont, Pennsylvania)
  10. Merion Golf Club (East) (Hugh Wilson 1912; Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
Pine Valley Golf Club

Courses 11–20

  1. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (William Flynn 1937 (Willie Davis 1891, C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor 1901); Southampton, New York)
  2. Pacific Dunes (Tom Doak 2001; Bandon, Oregon)*
  3. Eastward Ho! (Herbert Fowler 1921; Chatham, Massachusetts)
  4. California Golf Club of San Francisco, The (Vernon Macan 1926; Alister Mackenzie 1927 bunkers, Kyle Phillips renovation 2007; South San Francisco, California)
  5. Chambers Bay Golf Club (Robert Trent Jones Jr. 2007; University Place, Washington)*
  6. Bandon Dunes (David McLay Kidd 1999; Bandon, Oregon)*
  7. Sleepy Hollow Country Club (C.B. Macdonald 1914; Scarsborough, New York)
  8. Monterey Peninsula CC (Shore) (Bob Baldock 1961/Mike Strantz 2004; Pebble Beach, California)
  9. Los Angeles Country Club (George Thomas 1921; Los Angeles, California)
  10. Country Club (Brookline), The (Willie Campbell 1895 (Rees Jones 1988); Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Courses 21–30

  1. Riviera Country Club (George Thomas 1927; Pacific Palisades, California)
  2. Muirfield Village Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus 1974; Dublin, Ohio)
  3. Quivira Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus 2014; Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico)
  4. Myopia Hunt Club (Herbert C. Leeds 1896 (back nine added 1901); South Hamilton, Massachusetts)
  5. Crystal Downs Country Club (Alister Mackenzie 1931; Frankfort, Michigan)
  6. Rock Creek Cattle Company (Tom Doak 2008; Deer Lodge, Montana)
  7. Prairie Club (Dunes), The (Tom Lehman and Chris Brands 2010; Valentine, Nebraska)*
  8. Ballyneal Golf Club (Tom Doak 2005; Holyoke, Colorado)
  9. Landmand Golf Club (Rob Collins and Tad King 2022; Homer, Nebraska)*
  10. Sand Hills Golf Club (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 1995; Mullen, Nebraska)
Riviera Country Club

Courses 31–40

  1. Kingsley Club (Mike DeVries 2001; Kingsley, Michigan)
  2. Yale Golf Course (C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor 1926; New Haven, Connecticut)
  3. Kiawah Island Resort (Ocean) (Pete Dye 1991; Johns Island, South Carolina)*
  4. Diamante (Dunes) (Davis Love III 2009; Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico)
  5. Greywolf Golf Course (Doug Carrick 1999; Panorama, British Columbia, Canada)*
  6. Manele Golf Course (Jack Nicklaus 1993; Lanai, Hawaii)*
  7. Kapalua Plantation (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 1991; Lahaina, Hawaii)*
  8. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs) (Warren Henderson and Rick Smith 2000; Arcadia, Michigan)*
  9. Sheep Ranch (Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw 2020; Bandon, Oregon)*
  10. Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club (Tom Fazio 2007; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
Kingsley Club

Courses 41–50

  1. Whistling Straits (Straits) (Pete Dye 1998; Sheboygan, Wisconsin)*
  2. Tobacco Road Golf Club (Mike Strantz 1998; Sanford, North Carolina)*
  3. Toronto Golf Club (Harry S. Colt 1912; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
  4. Chicago Golf Club (C.B. Macdonald 1894; Wheaton, Illinois)
  5. Prairie Dunes Country Club (Perry Maxwell 1937; Hutchinson, Kansas)
  6. Kinloch Golf Club (Lester George and Vinny Giles 2001; Manakin-Sabot, Virginia)
  7. Peachtree Golf Club (Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Bobby Jones 1948; Atlanta, Georgia)
  8. Bethpage State Park (Black Course) (A.W. Tillinghast 1936; Farmingdale, New York)*
  9. Whispering Pines Golf Club (Chet Williams of Nicklaus Designs 2000.; Trinity, Texas)
  10. Omaha Country Club (Langford and Moreau 1927, Perry Maxwell redesign 1951 and Keith Foster restoration 2007; Omaha, Nebraska)
Whistling Straits (Straits)

Courses 51–60

  1. Kirtland Country Club (H. S. Colt and C. H. Allison 1921; Willoughby, Ohio)
  2. The Golf Club (Pete Dye 1967; New Albany, Ohio)
  3. Honors Course (Pete Dye 1983; Ooltewah, Tennessee)
  4. Sebonack Golf Club (Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus 2006; Southampton, New York)
  5. Black Rock, The Club at (Jim Engh 2003; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
  6. Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog) (Pete Dye 1971; La Romana, Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic)*
  7. Monterey Peninsula CC (Dunes) (Seth Raynor 1926; Alister Mackenzie and Robert Hunter 1927, Rees Jones 1999, Tom Fazio 2016; Pebble Beach, California)
  8. Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont (Stanley Thompson 1925; Jasper, Alberta, Canada)*
  9. Banff Springs Golf Course, Fairmont (Stanley Thompson 1927; Banff, Alberta, Canada)*
  10. Kananaskis Country Golf Course (Mount Kidd) (Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1983; Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada)*
Kirtland Country Club

Courses 61–70

  1. Maidstone Club (Willie Park Jr. 1922, William Tucker 1891 original nine, Coore & Crenshaw 2012-14 renovation; East Hampton, New York)
  2. Blessings Golf Club (Robert Trent Jones Jr. 2004; Fayetteville, Arkansas)
  3. Erin Hills Golf Course (Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry, and Ron Whitten 2006; Hartford, Wisconsin)*
  4. Old Macdonald (Tom Doak and Jim Urbina 2010; Bandon, Oregon)*
  5. St. Georges Golf & Country Club (Stanley Thompson 1929 (Robbie Robinson work the 60s, Doug Carrick 1992 renovation, Ian Andrew & Tom Doak bunker and green work 2001, 2014, and 2019); Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada)
  6. Bandon Trails (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 2005; Bandon, Oregon)*
  7. Moonlight Basin, The Reserve at (Jack Nicklaus 2016; Big Sky, Montana)
  8. Nanea Golf Club (David McLay Kidd 2003; Kailua-Kona, Hawaii)
  9. Lawsonia, The Golf Courses of (Links) (William Langford and Theodore Moreau 1930 (Ron Forse restoration 2014); Green Lake, Wisconsin)*
  10. Boston Golf Club (Gil Hanse 2005; Hingham, Massachusetts)
Maidstone Club

Courses 71–80

  1. Mauna Kea Resort (Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1965; Kohala Coast, Hawaii)*
  2. Bayonne Golf Club (Eric Bergstol 2006; Bayonne, New Jersey)
  3. Harvester Club, The (Keith Foster 2000; Rhodes, Iowa)
  4. San Francisco Golf Club (A.W. Tillinghast 1915; San Francisco, California)
  5. Shoreacres (Seth Raynor 1921; Lake Bluff, Illinois)
  6. Victoria National (Tom Fazio 1998; Newburgh, Indiana)
  7. Atlanta Country Club (Willard Byrd 1965 (Modifications by Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, and Mick Riley); Marietta, Georgia)
  8. NCR Country Club (South) (Dick Wilson 1954; Kettering, Ohio)
  9. Mammoth Dunes (David McLay Kidd 2018; Nekoosa, Wisconsin)*
  10. Streamsong Resort (Black) (Gil Hanse 2017; Bowling Green, Florida)*
Mauna Kea Resort

Courses 81–90

  1. Streamsong Resort (Red) (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw 2012; Streamsong, Florida)*
  2. Old Sandwich Golf Club (Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore 2004; Plymouth, Massachusetts)
  3. Sand Valley (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw 2017; Nekoosa, Wisconsin)*
  4. Spring Hill Golf Club (Tom Fazio 1999; Wayzata, Minnesota)
  5. Baltimore Country Club (East) (A.W. Tillinghast 1924 (Keith Foster restoration 2015); Lutherville, Maryland)
  6. Milwaukee Country Club (H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison 1929; River Hills, Wisconsin)
  7. Bluejack National (Tiger Woods 2016; Montgomery, Texas)
  8. Fox Chapel Golf Club (Seth Raynor and Charles Banks 1925; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  9. St. Louis Country Club (C.B. Macdonald 1914; St. Louis, Missouri)
  10. Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club (Ken Dye 2000 (Holes 19-27 2005); Sandia Park, New Mexico)*
Streamsong Resort (Red)

Courses 91–100

  1. Shadow Creek Golf Club (Tom Fazio 1989; North Las Vegas, Nevada)*
  2. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Players) (Pete Dye 1980; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida)*
  3. Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside) (H.S. Colt and Charles Alison 1928/Tom Fazio 1999; St. Simons Island, Georgia)*
  4. Castle Pines Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus 1981; Castle Rock, Colorado)
  5. Hawks Ridge Golf Club (Bob Cupp 1999; Ball Ground, Georgia)
  6. Cedar Rapids Country Club, The (Donald Ross 1915 and Restoration by Ron Prichard 2015; Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
  7. Davenport Country Club (H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison 1924 / Ron Forse 2014 renovation; Pleasant Valley, Iowa)
  8. Essex County Club (Donald Ross 1917 (original nine 1893); Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts)
  9. Cabot Links (Rod Whitman 2012; Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada)*
  10. Pasatiempo Golf Club (Alister MacKenzie 1929; Santa Cruz, California)*
Shadow Creek Golf Club

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