WORLD TOP 100
World’s Top 100 Golf Courses: 2025–2026 Rankings
2025–2026 Edition
Contents
GOLF Magazine’s World Top 100, published in November 2025 for the 2025–2026 edition, ranks Pine Valley first, Cypress Point second and the Old Course at St Andrews third. Augusta National is No. 8 (GOLF.com, 19 November 2025).
Explore all 100 courses with their locations and designers.
HOW TO READ
Understanding the ranking
About GOLF Magazine’s rankings
GOLF Magazine revises its World Top 100 every two years. This edition was selected by a panel of 126 international raters without a single uniform scoring formula (GOLF.com, 19 November 2025).
The 2025–2026 list spans 16 countries or territories and 20 US states. The United States has the most entries with 48, followed by Scotland with 13, England with 10 and Australia with seven (GOLF.com, “A country-by-country breakdown”, 19 November 2025).
BY COUNTRY
Courses by country
Number of courses by country
- United States48
- Scotland13
- England10
- Australia7
- Ireland4
- New Zealand4
- Canada2
- Japan2
- Northern Ireland2
- Netherlands2
- China1
- Dominican Republic1
- France1
- South Korea1
- Saint Lucia1
- Norway1
Number of courses by country in the World Top 100 (2025–2026). Esprit Golf compilation (source: GOLF.com, “A country-by-country breakdown”, 19 November 2025). Scotland, England and Northern Ireland are counted separately. Map adapted from svg-maps/world (CC BY 4.0).
THE ARCHITECTS
The architects behind the courses
Number of courses by architect
Counting designers credited for these 100 courses, H. S. Colt has the most with 12, followed by Tom Doak with 10, Alister MacKenzie with nine and Old Tom Morris with eight (Esprit Golf compilation based on GOLF.com, “A country-by-country breakdown”).
Japan has two entries designed by C. H. Alison, a partner of Colt: Hirono (No. 28) and Kawana Fuji (No. 62). For Alison’s influence on Japanese golf, seeJapan’s Top 50 Golf Courses.
Number of courses per architect (three or more). The example on the right is each architect’s highest-ranked course. Esprit Golf compilation (source: GOLF.com, “A country-by-country breakdown”, 19 November 2025). Co-design, renovations and restorations are included; one course may count for multiple architects.
TOP 10
Top 10 courses
A closer look at the Top 10
No. 1
New Jersey, USA
Pine Valley Golf Club
Designed by George Crump and H. S. Colt (opened 1918)
Built among pine woods and sandy ground in southern New Jersey, Pine Valley remains No. 1 more than a century after opening in 1918.
No. 2
California, USA
Cypress Point Club
Designed by Alister MacKenzie (opened 1928)
Designed by Alister MacKenzie on the Monterey Peninsula coastline, Cypress Point was visited by Bobby Jones in 1929. Jones later invited MacKenzie to design Augusta National.
No. 3
Fife, Scotland
St Andrews, Old Course
Origins in the 1400s; improvements by Old Tom Morris (1865)
The only entry whose designer is listed as “Nature”. Bobby Jones won The Open here in 1927 and the British Amateur in 1930. Esprit Golf offers selected packages involving the Old Course, subject to the specific package terms.
No. 4
County Down, Northern Ireland
Royal County Down Golf Club
Designed by Old Tom Morris (opened 1889)
The highest-ranked course on the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland has two entries, Royal County Down and Royal Portrush.
No. 5
New York, USA
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Designed by Toomey & Flynn (opened 1931)
Located at the eastern end of Long Island, Shinnecock Hills neighbours National Golf Links of America at No. 6. It hosted the 2026 U.S. Open.
No. 6
New York, USA
National Golf Links of America
Designed by C. B. Macdonald (opened 1911)
C. B. Macdonald designed the course by drawing inspiration from celebrated holes on the classic links of Britain.
No. 7
Victoria, Australia
Royal Melbourne Golf Club, West Course
Designed by Alister MacKenzie (opened 1931)
An Alister MacKenzie design in Melbourne’s sandbelt, Royal Melbourne West is the highest-ranked of Australia’s seven courses in this edition.
No. 8
Georgia, USA
Augusta National Golf Club
Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones (opened 1933)
Augusta National was No. 9 in the previous 2023–2024 edition featured on our website.
No. 9
Pennsylvania, USA
Oakmont Country Club
Designed by Henry Fownes (opened 1903)
A venue for the 2025 U.S. Open. Six US courses in this World Top 100 opened before 1910.
No. 10
Nebraska, USA
Sand Hills Golf Club
Designed by Coore & Crenshaw (opened 1995)
The only course in the Top 10 to have opened after World War II. Nebraska’s CapRock Ranch, which opened in 2021, is also ranked No. 84.
Sources: course designers from GOLF.com, “A country-by-country breakdown”, and opening years from “Old to New” (both November 2025).
TOP 100
Complete Top 100
World’s Top 100 Golf Courses (2025–2026)
| Rank | Golf course | Location | Architect / opening year cited by GOLF Magazine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine Valley Golf Club | New Jersey, USA | George Crump; H. S. Colt (1918) |
| 2 | Cypress Point Club | California, USA | Alister MacKenzie (1928) |
| 3 | St Andrews (Old Course) | Fife, Scotland | Natural links; Old Tom Morris (1865 improvements; origins in the 1400s) |
| 4 | Royal County Down Golf Club | County Down, Northern Ireland | Old Tom Morris (1889) |
| 5 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | New York, USA | Toomey & Flynn (1931) |
| 6 | National Golf Links of America | New York, USA | C. B. Macdonald (1911) |
| 7 | Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course) | Victoria, Australia | Alister MacKenzie (1931) |
| 8 | Augusta National Golf Club | Georgia, USA | Alister MacKenzie; Bobby Jones (1933) |
| 9 | Oakmont Country Club | Pennsylvania, USA | Henry Fownes (1903) |
| 10 | Sand Hills Golf Club | Nebraska, USA | Coore & Crenshaw (1995) |
| 11 | Muirfield | East Lothian, Scotland | Old Tom Morris; H. S. Colt (1891; Colt changes in 1925) |
| 12 | Royal Dornoch Golf Club | Highlands, Scotland | Old Tom Morris (1886) |
| 13 | Merion Golf Club (East Course) | Pennsylvania, USA | Hugh Wilson (1912) |
| 14 | Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links) | County Antrim, Northern Ireland | H. S. Colt (1929) |
| 15 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | California, USA | Jack Neville; Douglas Grant (1919) |
| 16 | Fishers Island Club | New York, USA | Seth Raynor (1926) |
| 17 | Chicago Golf Club | Illinois, USA | C. B. Macdonald; Seth Raynor (1895; Raynor changes in 1923) |
| 18 | Turnberry (Ailsa Course) | South Ayrshire, Scotland | Willie Fernie; Mackenzie Ross (1946) |
| 19 | Tara Iti Golf Club | Northland, New Zealand | Tom Doak (2015) |
| 20 | Pinehurst Resort (No. 2) | North Carolina, USA | Donald Ross (1907) |
| 21 | Los Angeles Country Club (North Course) | California, USA | George C. Thomas Jr. (1927) |
| 22 | Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course) | Berkshire, England | Willie Park Jr.; H. S. Colt (1922 changes) |
| 23 | Friar’s Head | New York, USA | Coore & Crenshaw (2003) |
| 24 | Kingston Heath Golf Club | Victoria, Australia | Dan Soutar; Alister MacKenzie (1928 changes) |
| 25 | North Berwick Golf Club (West Links) | East Lothian, Scotland | David Strath (1895) |
| 26 | Riviera Country Club | California, USA | George C. Thomas Jr.; Billy Bell Sr. (1927) |
| 27 | Prairie Dunes Country Club | Kansas, USA | Perry Maxwell (1937) |
| 28 | Hirono Golf Club | Hyogo, Japan | C. H. Alison (1932) |
| 29 | Ballybunion Golf Club (Old Course) | County Kerry, Ireland | P. Murphy; Tom Simpson (1936 changes) |
| 30 | Royal St George’s Golf Club | Kent, England | W. Laidlaw Purves; H. S. Colt (1922 changes) |
| 31 | Crystal Downs Country Club | Michigan, USA | Alister MacKenzie; Perry Maxwell (1932) |
| 32 | Seminole Golf Club | Florida, USA | Donald Ross (1929) |
| 33 | Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) | New York, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1923) |
| 34 | Lahinch Golf Club (Old Course) | County Clare, Ireland | Old Tom Morris; Alister MacKenzie (1927 changes) |
| 35 | Pacific Dunes | Oregon, USA | Tom Doak (2001) |
| 36 | Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) | Michigan, USA | Donald Ross (1917) |
| 37 | The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel) | Massachusetts, USA | Club members; Willie Campbell (1899) |
| 38 | Golf de Morfontaine | Oise, France | Tom Simpson (1927) |
| 39 | Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) | Angus, Scotland | Allan Robertson; Old Tom Morris; James Braid (1842; later changes) |
| 40 | San Francisco Golf Club | California, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1918) |
| 41 | Barnbougle Dunes | Tasmania, Australia | Tom Doak; Mike Clayton (2004) |
| 42 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Merseyside, England | George Lowe Jr.; Fred Hawtree (1932) |
| 43 | Southern Hills Country Club | Oklahoma, USA | Perry Maxwell (1936) |
| 44 | St Patrick’s Links (Rosapenna) | County Donegal, Ireland | Tom Doak (2021) |
| 45 | California Golf Club of San Francisco | California, USA | A. V. Macan; Alister MacKenzie (1926; 1928 changes) |
| 46 | New South Wales Golf Club | New South Wales, Australia | Alister MacKenzie; Eric Apperly (1928; 1947 changes) |
| 47 | Shoreacres | Illinois, USA | Seth Raynor (1921) |
| 48 | Sand Valley (The Lido) | Wisconsin, USA | Tom Doak; Brian Schneider (re-creation of C. B. Macdonald design, 2023) |
| 49 | Maidstone Club | New York, USA | John Park; Willie Park Jr. (1922) |
| 50 | Swinley Forest Golf Club | Berkshire, England | H. S. Colt (1910) |
| 51 | Somerset Hills Country Club | New Jersey, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1918) |
| 52 | Garden City Golf Club | New York, USA | Devereux Emmet; Walter Travis (1899; 1906 changes) |
| 53 | Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) | South Ayrshire, Scotland | Willie Fernie (1887) |
| 54 | Portmarnock Golf Club (Old Course) | County Dublin, Ireland | W. C. Pickeman; George Ross; Mungo Park (1896) |
| 55 | Sunningdale Golf Club (New Course) | Berkshire, England | H. S. Colt (1922) |
| 56 | Bethpage State Park (Black Course) | New York, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1935) |
| 57 | St George’s Hill Golf Club (A & B) | Surrey, England | H. S. Colt (1913) |
| 58 | Prestwick Golf Club | South Ayrshire, Scotland | Old Tom Morris (1851) |
| 59 | The Camargo Club | Ohio, USA | Seth Raynor (1926) |
| 60 | Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) | New York, USA | Donald Ross; Andrew Green (1921; 2020 restoration) |
| 61 | Cruden Bay Golf Club | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | Tom Simpson (1926) |
| 62 | Kawana Hotel Golf Course (Fuji Course) | Shizuoka, Japan | C. H. Alison; Kinya Fujita (1936) |
| 63 | Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club | Colorado, USA | Tom Doak (2006) |
| 64 | Shanqin Bay Golf Club | Hainan, China | Coore & Crenshaw (2012) |
| 65 | Cape Kidnappers Golf Course | Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand | Tom Doak (2004) |
| 66 | Lofoten Links | Nordland, Norway | Jeremy Turner (2015) |
| 67 | Inverness Club | Ohio, USA | Donald Ross; Andrew Green (1919; 2017 restoration) |
| 68 | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club | Lancashire, England | George Lowe Jr. (1897) |
| 69 | Cabot Saint Lucia (Point Hardy Golf Club) | Saint Lucia | Coore & Crenshaw (2023) |
| 70 | Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course) | New Jersey, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1922) |
| 71 | Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course) | South Carolina, USA | Pete Dye (1991) |
| 72 | Ardfin | Isle of Jura, Scotland | Bob Harrison (2017) |
| 73 | Childress Hall (Upper Course) | Texas, USA | Tom Doak (2025) |
| 74 | Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin Course) | Lincolnshire, England | Harry Vardon; H. S. Colt; S. V. Hotchkin (1926) |
| 75 | Peachtree Golf Club | Georgia, USA | Robert Trent Jones Sr.; Bobby Jones (1947) |
| 76 | Bandon Trails | Oregon, USA | Coore & Crenshaw (2005) |
| 77 | Sleepy Hollow Country Club | New York, USA | C. B. Macdonald; Seth Raynor; Gil Hanse (1913; 2017 restoration) |
| 78 | Cabot Cape Breton (Cabot Cliffs) | Nova Scotia, Canada | Coore & Crenshaw (2016) |
| 79 | Te Arai Links (South Course) | Northland, New Zealand | Coore & Crenshaw (2022) |
| 80 | Old Town Club | North Carolina, USA | Perry Maxwell (1939) |
| 81 | The Royal Hague Golf & Country Club (Koninklijke Haagsche) | South Holland, Netherlands | J. S. F. Morrison; C. H. Alison (1938) |
| 82 | Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East Course) | Victoria, Australia | Alex Russell (1932) |
| 83 | Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog) | La Romana, Dominican Republic | Pete Dye (1971) |
| 84 | CapRock Ranch | Nebraska, USA | Gil Hanse; Jim Wagner (2021) |
| 85 | Bandon Dunes | Oregon, USA | David McLay Kidd (1999) |
| 86 | Myopia Hunt Club | Massachusetts, USA | H. C. Leeds (1898) |
| 87 | The Club at Nine Bridges | Jeju, South Korea | Ron Fream; David Dale (2001) |
| 88 | Rock Creek Cattle Company | Montana, USA | Tom Doak (2008) |
| 89 | Utrecht de Pan | Utrecht, Netherlands | H. S. Colt (1932) |
| 90 | Rye Golf Club (Old Course) | East Sussex, England | H. S. Colt (1895) |
| 91 | Winged Foot Golf Club (East Course) | New York, USA | A. W. Tillinghast (1923) |
| 92 | Machrihanish Golf Club (Championship Course) | Argyll and Bute, Scotland | Old Tom Morris; J. H. Taylor (1879; 1914 changes) |
| 93 | Victoria Golf Club | Victoria, Australia | Alister MacKenzie (1927) |
| 94 | Kingsbarns Golf Links | Fife, Scotland | Kyle Phillips (1999) |
| 95 | Royal Liverpool Golf Club | Merseyside, England | George Morris; H. S. Colt (1869; 1924 changes) |
| 96 | Cabot Cape Breton (Cabot Links) | Nova Scotia, Canada | Rod Whitman (2012) |
| 97 | Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart Golf Links) | Highlands, Scotland | Gil Hanse; Mark Parsinen (2009) |
| 98 | Te Arai Links (North Course) | Northland, New Zealand | Tom Doak (2023) |
| 99 | Ohoopee Match Club | Georgia, USA | Gil Hanse; Jim Wagner (2018) |
| 100 | Cape Wickham Links | Tasmania, Australia | Mike DeVries; Darius Oliver (2015) |
Source: GOLF.com, “Top 100 Courses in the World 2025–26” (published 19 November 2025). Designers follow “A country-by-country breakdown” and course dates follow “Old to New”. These dates can refer to the current course design rather than the club’s founding year. Where different architects worked in different periods, the original and later designers are shown. Listed courses are not automatically available to book.
FROM JAPAN
Two Japanese courses in the Top 100
Hirono No. 28 and Kawana Fuji No. 62
Two Japanese courses feature here: Hirono (No. 28) and Kawana Fuji (No. 62). In the previous 2023–2024 edition featured on this site, Hirono was No. 31 and Kawana No. 53. For Japan’s leading domestic courses, seeJapan’s Top 50 Golf Courses.
GALLERY
Scenes from celebrated courses
St Andrews (No. 3) / Kingsbarns (No. 94) / Pebble Beach (No. 15) / Augusta National (No. 8, photo by Esprit Golf). Ranks refer to GOLF Magazine’s 2025–2026 edition.
CONSULTATION
Plan your journey
Enquire about a bespoke golf journey
Esprit Golf develops itineraries involving a selection of renowned courses such as St Andrews, Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Royal Melbourne, Los Angeles Country Club, Tara Iti, Nine Bridges and Kawana. Availability and playing access depend on each venue, membership and invitation requirements, and the selected tour. No private-club tee time is guaranteed simply because a course appears on this list. Please contact us to discuss your preferred itinerary.
READ MORE
Related reading
JAPAN TOP 50
Japan’s Top 50 Golf Courses
Hirono, Kawana, Naruo and Alison’s architectural legacy in Japan’s 2026 Top 50.
References
Books
- “Stories of the Masters”, including Dr MacKenzie’s “Golf Architecture”, Choice Books (Japanese-language edition)
- Michiyuki Sugiyama, “The Man Who Created the Masters: Bobby Jones”, Kosaido (Japanese-language book)
Web sources
- GOLF.com, “Top 100 Courses in the World 2025–26: Our raters’ votes, revealed!”, https://golf.com/travel/courses/top-100-courses-world-2025-26/ (19 November 2025)
- GOLF.com, “GOLF’s Top 100 Courses: A country-by-country breakdown”, https://golf.com/travel/golf-top-100-courses-country-breakdown/ (19 November 2025)
- GOLF.com, “Old to New: Sorting our Top 100 Courses list by year built”, https://golf.com/travel/sorting-top-100-courses-list-year-built/ (26 November 2025)
- Top 100 Golf Courses, “Japan Ranking”, https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-courses/asia/japan (accessed September 2026)
Information reflects sources available as of September 2026. Rankings may change when the publisher issues a new list.
Last updated: [Date to be confirmed] / Editorial responsibility: Esprit Golf Editorial Team / To be reviewed following GOLF Magazine’s next edition