GOLF DIGEST in association with GOLFWORLD have published another list as noted above. Lists are fun, and difficult to to agree with. It’s like picking the best curry, the best kiss, the best actor, the best TV show – strictly someone’s opinion, often a bunch of people give their opinions and you end up with a list than nobody picked. Many of the courses are my favourites, some I wouldn’t play again if I had to. Some I have not played, and wish that I had (Australia).
The 2007 Top 100 included 11 Canadian courses – is that the percentage of Canadian pollsters? Canadian subscriptions? Probably not, but I think it’s a good percentage. The list of Canadian courses (2007):
27. St George’s in Toronto
32. National Golf Club Woodbridge
34. Hamilton Golf Club in Ancaster
35. Beacon Hall in Aurora (really?)
38. Capilano in West Vancouver
42. Highland (Links) in Cape Breton (it was suffering from maintenance and improvements)
51. Retail Golf Course in St Thomas (IMHO not as good as St Thomas GC)
52. Banff Springs GC (because of “improvements”, otherwise its top of the list)
75. Fox Harbour Resort in Nova Scotia
78. Devil’s Paintbrush in Caledon
81. Royal Montreal Blue Course in Montreal
a nice list. Now the 2012 list, 100 Best Courses outside the USA Percentage has gone up, 12/100 courses are Canadian
10. St. George’s GC Toronto Improved 17 spots!
17. National GC Woodbridge Also improved, as it should.
27. Hamilton GC also agree with the new location
49. Capilano in Vancouver No way, Cap is brilliant, should be in top 20
55. Highlands Links Cape Breton Wait to Ian Andrew’s work starts to show, and people play it on way to Cabot Links
69. Jasper Park in Alberta “we’ll use Jasper this year, Banff bunkers are too soft”
72. Devil’s Paintbrush great fun
75. Royal Montreal Still enough Dick Wilson showing to stay in top 100!
78. Beacon Hall (what’s Mad River?, chopped liver?) Still not sure how it gets the love.
85. Sagebrush G and Sporting Club in Merit BC Amazing that it can get the votes, but should be top 100.
91. Shaughnessy GC in Vancouver (tight fairways must equal votes (?) Imagine if they saw how good it is the week after the CDN Open.
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