Golf Advisor has revealed its annual list of Top 50 golf courses in the United States, the website’s most-popular and most-anticipated list determined by recreational golfers who shared their reviews throughout the year with the online destination for traveling golfers.
Unlike golf course rankings published by industry insiders who have access to golf courses the public may never have the opportunity to play, the Golf AdvisorTop 50 list is totally consumer driven – by recreational golfers, for recreational golfers. Ages, handicaps and budgets of golfers using the website run the gamut, so the more than 825,000 reviews Golf Advisor has accumulated showcase the golf course characteristics that are the most important to avid golfers across the country, like pace of play, staff friendliness and value.
What makes Golf Advisor’s Top 50 list unique and interesting is the potential for volatility year-to-year due to changes in consumer tastes. These swings can depend on a variety of factors – anything from course conditioning to new pricing. This year’s list includes eight new courses within the top 10 that were not included last year, and 22 new courses overall.
“This is our fifth Top 50 list since we launched Golf Advisor in 2014 and the variety of our reviewers continue to evolve,” said Brandon Tucker, senior managing editor, Golf Advisor. “While the list includes a sampling of bucket-list courses that are delivering on high golfer expectations, a large selection of the list features special, more reasonably priced courses that are excelling in their local or regional market.”
More than 2,800 golf courses of the 144,000-plus courses reviewed on Golf Advisor in 2018 were considered, having received the minimum 10 reviews to qualify for the Top 50.
“Reading through the reviews, we are seeing evidence of reviewers choosing to book at a golf course based on what golfers like them have to say on Golf Advisor about the total experience,” Tucker said.
Other lists released this week include: Top 25 Most Improved Courses; Top 25 Courses Rated by Value; Top 25 Course Layouts in the U.S.; Top 25 Courses for Staff Friendliness; Top-Rated Courses for Pace of Play; Top 25 Courses Rated by Conditions; Top 25 Courses for off-course amenities; and Top Courses by state.
Below is Golf Advisor’s list of Top 50 golf courses for 2018. An asterisk signifies a course which has never previously appeared on the list:
1. Bethpage State Park/Black Course* – Farmingdale, N.Y.
2. Atlantic City Country Club* – Northfield, N.J.
3. Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
4. Tobacco Road Golf Club* – Sanford, N.C.
5. Pilgrims Run Golf Club – Pierson, Mich.
6. Black Lake Golf Club* – Onaway, Mich.
7. Yocha Dehe Golf Club at Cache Creek Casino Resort – Brooks, Calif.
8. Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort/Snow Mountain Course – Las Vegas, Nev.
9. Chariot Run Golf Club – Laconia, Ind.
10. Mauna Lani Resort/South Course* – Kohala Coast, Hawaii
11. Royal Manchester Golf Links – Mount Wolf, Pa.
12. Pinehills Golf Club/Nicklaus Course* – Plymouth, Mass.
13. Rams Hill Golf Club – Borrego Springs, Calif.
14. Bear Slide Golf Club*- Cicero, Ind.
15. Blackstone Golf Club – Marengo, Ill.
16. World Woods Golf Club/Pine Barrens Course – Brooksville, Fla.
17. Harbour Town Golf Links – Hilton Head Island, S.C.
18. Seaview Golf Club – Bay Course* – Absecon, N.J.
19. Kiva Dunes – Gulf Shores, Ala.
20. Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort/Sun Mountain Course – Las Vegas, Nev.
21. Ballamor Golf Club*- Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
22. Barnsley Resort* – Adairsville, Ga.
23. Waldorf Astoria Golf Club – Orlando, Fla.
24. FOX Hopyard Golf Club* – East Haddam, Conn.
25. Prairie Landing Golf Club* – West Chicago, Ill.
26. Riverwood Golf Club – Port Charlotte, Fla.
27. Indian Wells Golf Resort – Celebrity Course – Indian Wells, Calif.
28. River Course at Sevierville Golf Club* – Sevierville, Tenn.
29. Founders Course at Verrado Golf Club – Buckeye, Ariz.
30. King and Bear Golf Course at World Golf Village* – St. Augustine, Fla.
31. Royal Hylands Golf Club – Knightstown, Ind.
32. Heron Glen Golf Course* – Ringoes, N.J.
33. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – Pawleys Island, S.C.
34. The Links At Union Vale* – Lagrangeville, N.Y.
35. White Horse Golf Club* – Kingston, Wash.
36. Whirlwind Golf Club – Devil’s Claw – Chandler, Ariz.
37. Maderas Golf Club – Poway, Calif.
38. Lanier Islands Legacy Golf Course* – Buford, Ga.
39. Harbor Links Golf Club at Sagamore Resort – Liberty, Ind.
40. Quintero Golf Club – Peoria, Ariz.
41. Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club* – Lewiston, N.Y.
42. Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course at Lake Richard B. Russell – Elberton, Ga.
43. The Palmer Course at La Cantera Resort – San Antonio, Texas
44. Pole Creek Golf Club – Tabernash, Colo.
45. North Conway Country Club* – North Conway, N.H.
46. Grand Cypress North/South/East – Orlando, Fla.
47. English Turn Golf & Country Club – New Orleans, La.
48. Trump National Doral Miami/Red Tiger* – Doral, Fla.
49. TPC Myrtle Beach* – Murrells Inlet, S.C.
50. University of Georgia Golf Course – Athens, Ga.
The Golf Advisor online destination grew rapidly in 2018, expanding services for the avid traveling golfer, including the debut of a Golf Channel series and the introduction of hosted golfing trips. User traffic to the website hit all-time highs for four consecutive months during the year.
About Golf Advisor
Golf Advisor is the ultimate digital destination for traveling golfers, who love to play, travel and learn more about how the sport of golf can be experienced around the world. Featuring more than 825,000 reviews of 14,000-plus golf courses, Golf Advisor serves as a one-stop, customized experience for golfers of all levels to find honest recommendations from their peers – and to offer feedback of their own – about any golf course they play, anywhere, anytime. TheGolf Advisor portfolio also includes a Golf Channel travel series, Golf Advisor Round Trip; Golf Advisor Getaways, which are premium travel experiences at world-class resorts and clubs; and Golf Advisor Club, offering exclusive member benefits and perks. A veteran staff of award-winning writers provides complementary, expert editorial content about golf travel, architecture and history. Golf Advisor also is home to the popular “Best of” Lists generated each year from authentic golfer reviews.
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