The last ranking of GOLF e Top 100 courses in the world it features many familiar names, from Augusta National and Pine Valley to Cypress Point and Pebble Beach. But in between these icons are lesser-known sketches with compelling designs and rich stories of their own. In this ongoing series, we will introduce you to them.
The 1970s, the decade that gave us disco, also brought a wave of prominent golf course redesigns. One was a renovation of Inverness before the 1979 US Open, run by Tom Fazio and his uncle, George Fazio. To help defend Donald Ross’ famous design against the world’s best players, Fazios added length, tightened fairways and altered the fairway, including adding three new holes. Mission accomplished, at least in terms of severity. However, the changes were polarizing. Critics saw them as inconsistent with Ross’s work, a blemish on a gem.
Over time, the rankings came to reflect that sentiment. Inverness debuted at number 54 on the GOLF list in 1985. By 2017, it had fallen to number 98.
Sign in Andrew Green. In 2018, Green, a relatively unknown architect at the time, completed a restoration aimed at returning Inverness to its roots. As part of the project, Green reopened the fairways, expanded the greens and fairways, and revived Ross’ driving cadence, replacing three holes that Fazio built with three of his own—each intended to channel Ross. The result is a course with more width, more short grass options around the greens and more strategic nuances.
You feel it all the time. The 6th and 7th, both tough par-4s, are compelling tests of power and accuracy. The 4th, 10th and 18th holes, in turn, present a variety of risk-reward decisions, tempting you to take bunkers, creeks or difficult downhill and sideways lies for a shorter approach. It’s no surprise that many of the Solheim Cup 2021 matches were decided by how the players handled these beautifully calibrated challenges.
For a course with four US Opens, two PGA Championships and a Solheim Cup on his resume, Inverness hardly needed validation. But Green’s restoration was a welcome refresh. The ranking also reflects this sentiment, as Inverness has climbed back up to number 67. This feels right. The course is a compelling test for members, but remains a worthy championship stage, just as Ross would surely have wanted. And another chairman is on the way. I’m excited to see Inverness back in the spotlight at the 2027 US Women’s Open.
Dave Greiner is a course reviewer for GOLF and GOLF.com.
