GOLF published its latest ranking of Top 100 courses in the world (2025-26)and while Pine Valley again took the top spot, there were three newcomers and two returners in the rankings. Here, we will introduce you to them.
CapRock is part of a flock of relatively fresh arrivals in a Nebraska Sandhills the region filled with new courses. But plans for it had been in the works for years, giving Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner time to make the most of a unique site where sand hills adjoin the Snake River Canyon. They made the most of that millennial hazard, clutching multiple greens along the bluffs and banking on the drama of its fall. The gully plays a particularly compelling role in a par-3 constellation that calls out to your inner Evel Knievel.
But CapRock is no drumbeat of forced carries. As it wanders through the dunes, the course swings through all points of the compass and serves up a variety of land play options. While its light-on-ground aesthetic carries echoes of Sand hills – The OG of the region whose minimalist ethos helped spark a movement – CapRock has a personality of its own.
Two years ago, when GOLF tallied the votes for its 2023-2024 rankings, CapRock finished just outside the Top 100. The field was still maturing and only a handful of panelists had seen it. Its progress this year is an emphatic statement for a course deeply rooted in its surroundings, but far away.
Josh Sens is a senior writer and course reviewer for GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com.
