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.
Tom Doak hit second at Te Arai, going to the plate next Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw knocked one out of the park on the resort’s South Course. Doak’s northern course, less comfortable on the coast, starts and ends in the middle of the coastal dunes, but also makes the most of its inland reach. The real story, however, is the scale and drama of the greens, large and expressive surfaces that present a completely different challenge depending on where the flag is expected.
You know you’re in for a treat from the opening hole, a drivable par-4 that often leaves a tight lie for your second. Other early highlights include the par-4 5th, which, like the top of the Dell’s 6th hole, occupies a ridge alongside the remains of an ancient Maori castle, a feature that sharpens the property’s lively sense of place.
As the course moves toward the back nine, it becomes carrier, taking advantage of a natural sand crater that Doak has likened to the landscape of Valley of the Pines. That’s the backdrop for a particularly attractive stretch that begins with the 11th: a tough par-5 with a greenside bunker about two stories deep. It leads to a short, downhill par-3; then a roller-coaster par-4 with a blind tee shot and an unruly green; followed by an elegant par-5 and an Eden hole delivered so faithfully it could pass for a postcard from St. Andrews.
At several rings around the north, some of my favorite memories include watching partners play after the last shot, experimenting with bumps and runs, slides, and even the occasional Texas wedge, evidence of a course that leaves you itching to come back and try yourself again.
Michael Goldstein is a course evaluator for GOLF.
