Top modern, classic and state-by-state courses featured in best courses issue
Golfweek, the most authentic, authoritative and independent voice in golf, celebrates the crème de la crème of golf architecture with the release of its annual Best Courses Issue. This special edition not only unveils the 2013 list of Golfweek’s Best Classic, Modern and State-by-State Courses, but also takes a closer look at the artistry involved in creating these masterworks.
“This year’s presentation of Golfweek’s Best features some of the most innovative work done by contemporary architects,” said Bradley S. Klein, national director of Golfweek’s Best Courses rating program. “That’s why we put Streamsong Resort [the Florida resort featuring designs by Tom Doak and the team of Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw] on our cover. It’s also why we have an in-depth profile of Gil Hanse, the innovative designer who will be doing the golf course for the Rio 2016 Olympiad. Their emphasis upon shot-making diversity, natural features and whimsy were standard elements of classical-era design, and now they are back in the mainstream of modern design as well.”
Standouts on the 2013 Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list include No. 1 Pine Valley Golf Club (Pine Valley, N.J.), No. 2 Cypress Point Club (Pebble Beach, Calif.) and No. 3 Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (Southampton, N.Y.), each of which held onto their top spots from the previous year. On the Modern list, Sand Hills Golf Club (Mullen, Neb.) and Pacific Dunes (Bandon, Ore.) took the lead once again, while Straits at Whistling Straits (Kohler, Wis.) edged Friar’s Head (Baiting Hollow, N.Y.) and Old Macdonald (Bandon, Ore.) for the No. 3 position.
“Our Golfweek’s Best Courses issue has become one of our more anticipated issues of the season, and one we always look forward to producing,” said Golfweek Editor Jeff Babineau. “Our readers are passionate about the places they play, and our raters are equally passionate in ranking the thousands of venues they visit. We’re happy to know the hard work that goes into compiling our annual lists will provide great fodder for conversation and debate at the 19th hole.”
To produce Golfweek’s Best Courses lists, an expert team of nearly 750 course raters annually identifies the best layouts from two distinctly different eras: pre-1960 and post-1960. The exclusive system recognizes that prior to 1960 (the year that separates Classic from Modern) most golf course architects relied on native contours for course features. After 1960, as the game became more popular, architects began to utilize high-tech engineering and advanced mechanical means to transform the landscape to suit their design.
Visit Golfweek.com/GolfweeksBest to view complete lists of the 2013 Golfweek’s Best Modern, Classic and State-by-State Courses.
