The blind spots in our World Top 100 ranking? Our audience called a few

“Lido at 48 is crazy. It’s the fourth best course in Sand Valley.” — Social media commentator reacting to our the latest ranking of the top 100 courses in the world

This may be my bias, but given the potential for backlash, I thought our new World list was well received. However, you can’t reduce a planet’s golf value to 100 points without pissing someone off. And the answers, in turn, never fail to reveal the stubborn biases that shape how golfers view the game.

One of the most persistent is the tendency to confuse championship origins with architectural merit.

“How is it Olympic Club not on the list?” asked one commenter.

“No Adare Manor here is worth it,” said another.

Strong courses, of course. But if we were to rearrange the ballots and focus strictly on design, I’m not convinced that our panel would decide Olympic Club within the top 10 in California, or Adare Manor within the top 10 in Ireland.

The same trend towards professional golf was evident in the comments being surprised that Florida and Arizona were so poorly represented. Between the two states, only Seminole was on the list. For some readers, that was hard to fathom given how many Tour pros live in those sunbelt enclaves — as if the architectural splendor was what brought them there, rather than the weather and tax relief.

Other familiar refrains appeared. The list is too US-centric, some argue, and too New York-centric within that tunnel view. Others expressed disbelief that South Africa was not represented. Someone made a hearty case for Cape Breton Highlands Links (a sentiment I share). Stretching farther west into the Great White North, I can make a case for Jasper Park as well.

Then there were the criticisms aimed at the top. Valley of the PinesNo. 1 since our inaugural Top 100 in 1985, drew this gem: “Kick Pine Valley way down. No one knows what the course looks like…how are we going to rank it #1 just because of prestige?” In reality, about 100 of our 127 course reviewers have played it.

Then again, that’s the beauty of exercise. It is subjective. We can agree to disagree. And while stocks are not really small—rankings drive business—the passions they ignite still bring to mind that line about bickering in niche academic circles: people care so much because stocks smelt so small Golfers bring that same enthusiasm to their pitches, which are more persuasive when they’re imbued with a sense of perspective.

I look forward to our next Top 100, which will focus on the best courses in the US. Then people can rightly accuse us of ignoring the rest of the world.

3 things I’m thinking

The New Bite in Canine Teeth: In Top 100 other news, Teeth of the Dog finished 75th in our rankings, an impressive feat for a course that has been closed all year for renovations overseen by Jerry Pate Design. This is about to change. Pete Dye’s famous Casa de Campo structure in the Dominican Republic is scheduled to reopen to the public on December 7. A friend who has a house in the resort tells me that the previous two days are set aside for the residents and their guests.

Another pebble update: Then there’s the goings-on in Monterey, where the Pebble Beach lodge reopened earlier this month after an ambitious makeover. Changes include a reimagined Stillwater restaurant, which has gone out of business with an enclosed dining room, floor-to-ceiling windows and a central bar offering ocean views and (staying with the Top 100 theme) the 15th-ranked course in the world. It’s all part of the resort-wide effort to expand amenities and public spaces, most recently headlined by reopening the tap roomPebble’s famous 19th hole.

Checking my list: It’s a common topic in post-round conversations: What Top 100 courses have you played? Depending on your tone, making such lists can come across as obsessive or obnoxious, or a combination of both. Personally, I have never bothered to count my number. But prodded by a friend after the release of our newest ranking, I finally counted: I’ve played 62 out of 100. My takeaway from this is two-fold: while I’m not deprived, I clearly have a lot more traveling to do.