JUST eight Australian golf courses have made the latest world top 100 golf courses list compiled by the US based Golf magazine.
The Royal Melbourne West course, rated as No.7, was the only Australian golf course to make the world top ten.
The iconic Australian venue, which is about to host the 2019 Presidents Cup (composite course), was joined in the top 50 by nearby Melbourne sandbelt course Kingston Heath, coming in at 22, with Tasmania’s Barnbougle Dunes at 35 and the spectacular southern Sydney seaside New South Wales layout at 46.
The top 100 list is judged by a team of 80 “well-traveled course raters”, with GOLF magazine giving them a list of more than 430 eligible courses to come up with the final rankings.
Pine Valley Golf Club, located in Pine Valley, New Jersey, once again topped the list, with the Alister MacKenzie designed (in 1928) Cypress Point at Pebble Beach runner-up and St. Andrews Old Course third.
Pebble Beach itself, controversially for some, dropped out of the top 10 to 11th while the hallowed Augusta National, also fell in the rankings from 5th to 9th.
The full Australian list is:
7. Royal Melboure West (up 4)
22. Kingston Heath (down 2)
35. Barnbougle Dunes (up 3)
46. New South Wales (down 3)
60. Cape Wickham (up 12) T77. Ellerston (down 15)
89. Barnbougle Lost Farm (down 1)
96. Royal Melbourne East (new)