The Best Golf Courses in the World: A Definitive Top 10
Course rankings are inherently subjective — the same course plays differently in different conditions, the same hole produces different memories for different players, and what constitutes "great" golf design reflects aesthetic values that reasonable people disagree about. That said, certain courses appear consistently at the top of every credible ranking across every methodology, and the convergence is meaningful. Here is the case for each course that belongs in any honest top 10.
1. Pine Valley Golf Club — Clementon, New Jersey
Pine Valley appears at the top of more world course rankings than any other course in history. George Crump's 1918 design through New Jersey pine barrens — islands of turf in an ocean of sand, with 18 holes that each pose a completely distinct strategic problem — has never been replicated because it has never been equaled. Access is members-only and legendarily exclusive. Most serious golfers who have played it describe it as the finest round of their lives.
2. Augusta National Golf Club — Augusta, Georgia
The most famous course in the world. Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie's design, opened in 1933, hosts one event annually and is otherwise closed. The azaleas, Amen Corner, the 15th and 16th back nine, the 18th — Augusta National is the course against which all parkland designs are measured.
3. Royal County Down — Newcastle, Northern Ireland
The finest links course in the world by most current surveys. Tom Morris Sr.'s 1889 design through the dunes below the Mourne Mountains is the most visually spectacular course in Ireland or Britain, and the heather-and-gorse rough, the elevated greens, and the Irish Sea wind make it the most demanding links test available to golfers who can secure access.
4. Cypress Point Club — Pebble Beach, California
Alister MacKenzie's 1928 design on the Monterey Peninsula combines forest, meadow, and Pacific cliff terrain across 18 holes that are collectively the most visually diverse routing in American golf. The 15th, 16th, and 17th holes — three consecutive oceanfront holes that end with a par 3 requiring a 230-yard carry over the Pacific — are the most dramatic finishing stretch on any course outside Ireland and Scotland.
5. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club — Southampton, New York
One of the five founding clubs of the USGA. The most links-like course in the American East — rolling, exposed terrain on the Southampton peninsula with the Shinnecock Bay visible throughout. Four US Opens. The 2018 US Open produced the most extreme scoring conditions in modern major championship history.
6. Royal Melbourne Golf Club — Black Rock, Australia
Alister MacKenzie's Australian masterpiece, consistently ranked as the finest course in the Southern Hemisphere. The composite course — combining the best holes of the West and East courses for major events — has hosted the Presidents Cup and is the primary reason Melbourne is considered the finest golf city outside the British Isles.
7. Pebble Beach Golf Links — Pebble Beach, California
The most publicly accessible course on this list — green fees are available to the public at $600 and up, expensive but not membership-restricted. Jack Neville and Douglas Grant designed it in 1919 on the cliffs above Carmel Bay; subsequent modifications have strengthened a course that has hosted six US Opens. The 7th, 8th, and 18th holes are among the most photographed in the world.
8. St Andrews Old Course — Fife, Scotland
The most historically significant course in the world. Played continuously since the 15th century. The double greens, the shared fairways, the Road Hole bunker, the Swilcan Bridge — St Andrews is the reference course for the history of the game.
9. Royal Dornoch — Sutherland, Scotland
Tom Watson called it his favorite course in the world. Located 50 miles north of Inverness, requiring commitment to reach. The natural greens — plateau, punchbowl, shelf — inspired Donald Ross's American designs. The most beloved course in Scotland that isn't St Andrews.
10. Cabot Cliffs — Inverness, Nova Scotia
The best new course built in the 21st century. Opened in 2016 on the clifftops of Cape Breton Island above the Gulf of St. Lawrence — Coore and Crenshaw's design uses the dramatic coastal terrain to produce an experience that rivals the British Isles originals it was inspired by.
FAQ
What is the number one golf course in the world?
Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey tops most world rankings most consistently. Augusta National is the most famous course in the world. Royal County Down is the most acclaimed links course. All three have credible claims to the top position depending on the ranking methodology.