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.
Golf is fickle, subject to fluctuations. The ranking of golf courses can also be volatile. Cape Wickhamwhich opened in 2015, debuted at number 72 in the World Top 100 and rose to 60 two years later, only to fall off the list in 2023–2024. Critics of the course pointed to problems with the site itself, on King Island between Tasmania and the mainland Australiawhere breezes often blow in four-club winds. Wind is an integral part of the game, detractors said. But conditions this mess? This, according to them, pushed the character past and into chaos.
This year, however, Cape Wickham is back on the list, buoyed by the votes of reviewers who felt that any extreme noise and bloat was more than offset by the presentation’s strengths. Start with the setting, which feels like golf at the edge of the map, opening up the bluffs by the sea and offering views of Bass Strait everywhere. Throw in a collection of coastline-hugging par 3s and a cloying cape hole that invites shame, and Cape Wickham is delivered with a rare blend of strategy and beauty.
It was also created for its surroundings. To address the elements, the fairways are generous and the greens open-fronted, built to welcome low-flying approaches. When the votes were tallied, Cape Wickham landed right in the number, returning to the standings on the winds of change.
