No. 2 is No. 1 ... again!
The North Carolina Golf Panel once again puts the Donald Ross designed Pinehurst Country Club No. 2 layout as the top golf course in North Carolina
Since 1995, when the North Carolina Golf Panel was established, Pinehurst No. 2—the famed Donald Ross layout which has hosted several men’s USGA United States Open championships (with many more to come) and one women’s U.S. Open (with at least one more to come)—has been at the top of the list of best 100 courses in North Carolina. No. 2 remains No. 1 this year.
This year’s list of the top 100 North Carolina golf courses can be viewed at the website of the North Carolina Golf Panel. And while there, the list is broken down into several other categories:
Top 50 Courses You Can Play: Public courses, not private, with no consideration given for cost of greens fees.
Regional Rankings: The state is broken into several golfing districts. This breaks the list into the top courses for each region.
Most Strategic Courses: To what degree does the course require thoughtful planning and precise execution of shots from tee to green?
Fairest Courses to Play: Regardless of overall difficulty, what courses best reward good shots and penalize poor ones in a manner that is reasonable?
Best Short(er) Courses: Not all courses have to be beasts from the championship tees to be outstanding. These are the five best that play less than 6,500 yards from “the tips.”
Best Resorts: Open to the public, these are our top five golf resort getaways, meaning they have at least 36 holes
As noted on the Panel’s website front page, this ranking is not an “exact science.” Our hope is that they (the rankings) can be appreciated by a broad spectrum of golfers, the website proclaims. The Panel is charged with playing golf courses all over the state and delivering a personal ranking of as many courses as possible, up to 100, with a minimum of 50 courses on a list. All of these personal lists are combined to create the top 100. A course must appear on at least 40 ballots to be included and the Panel members must have played a course to include it. So, if a Panelist has not played Pinehurst No. 2, it cannot be on his or her list. The Panel is made up of that “broad spectrum of golfer” all across the state and includes golfers, men and women, with low and high handicaps and with various backgrounds in and out of golf.
When rating a course, the Panel members consider several categories and do so on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 the best. Once courses are rated the Panelist creates that list in points order from top to bottom. After playing a course, the Panel members are encouraged not to compare one to course to another but to consider the course by itself until it’s time (every December) to submit that top 100 courses. Here are the rating categories which, next time you play a course, use the rating categories to rate the course yourself. If that course has an overall average of 6.5 and up, it might belong on the NCGP list.
Routing: How does the basic course layout blend and maintain harmony with the existing topography?
Flow: Do the golf holes progress from No. 1 through No. 18 in a manner that is sensible and comfortable?
Design: To what degree do specific design elements (bunkering, green complexes) influence the play and contribute to the enjoyment of the course?
Strategy: To what degree does the course require thoughtful planning and precise execution of golf shots?
Fairness: Regardless of overall difficulty, does the course reward good shots and penalize poor ones in a manner that is reasonable?
Memorability: To what extent does the course possess its own unique character?
Condition: With particular emphasis on the quality of the greens, rate the overall condition of the course.
Variety: Are the holes different enough from each other in length and design to test the golfer's complete arsenal of clubs and shots?
Aesthetics: Rate the scenic values of the property on which the course is built - including views, landscaping, and flora.
Experience: Taking into conditions the completed or planned amenities (practice facility, clubhouse, restaurant, pro shop) and the attitude of the staff, rate the overall quality of your visit to this course.
Please take a few moments and look at this year’s list of the NC Golf Panel’s top 100 golf courses in North Carolina. You can also view it on the website of Business North Carolina magazine which publishes it every year in its April issue along with some additional golf-related articles. Good reading!
Let me know your thoughts on the rankings.
Are some courses ranked too high and others too low. If so why?
Is there a course left off the list that you consider a Top 100 North Carolina golf course?
Are the categories for ranking good or are there others that need to be considered.
How many of this year’s top 100 have you played. (In my lifetime, I’ve played 84 of this year’s top 100 and as many as another 25-50 not on the list, maybe more.
Make your comments in the comments section below. And, please subscribe to JIM TALK. It’s free!
Thanks and remember USGA Rule 9.