THE BEST OF THE BEST

Chris Bertram details the rises and falls as well as the spectacular new entries in our refreshed World Top 100 Courses ranking

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As you can imagine, I am often asked by clubs and PR companies how their course can break into the World Top 100. I always say it is simply an incredibly difficult ranking to get into, because the standard is so high.

It is a sincere reply, but it is one this list makes a complete mockery of.

Three brand-new courses enter the ranking in eyebrow-raising positions and, remarkably, I think we are actually being cautious with their placings.

It is also remarkable - as well as fortunate - that so many panellists have already played them, despite two being on the other side of the world and the third on the other side of the Atlantic.

As a result, I have absolute confidence these headline new entries - part of six newcomers in total, none of which are more than 30 years old into the most competitive list I compile are entirely justified.

From every report I have had, these positions are just the start for all three and confirm in my mind that this is the most exciting era for golf course construction since the Golden Age.

More than a third of the top 50 are modern courses (mid-1990s onwards) and close to half of the second 50 fit that criteria.

The three very high newcomers mean there are lots of changes in positions; if a course has a gentle fall of, say, two places in relation to the 2022 list, that is automatically amplified to five as a result of the new entries.

But, while there is no lack of risers, fallers and storylines in this Top 100, it must be said the start has a very familiar look. The names in the top 10 are the same as in 2022 and the top six are in the same positions. That means St Andrews (Old) edges out Royal County Down (Championship) as it did in our GB&I list earlier this year, and they are followed by Royal Melbourne (West), Turnberry (Ailsa), Royal Dornoch (Championship) and Muirfield.