Georgia lands four golf courses in "Top-100 courses you can play" rankings
Georgia's top golf courses held steady in Golf Magazine's "Top-100 courses you can play list," the magazine's ode to public-access golf courses.
Four Georgia golf courses made the recently published 2008 list: Sea Island Seaside, the Golf Club at Cuscowilla and two layouts at Reynolds Plantation, the Great Waters course and Oconee.
The Seaside course, was the highest-rated at No. 16, the same place it held in 2006. The course is also one of the oldest in the state, a design by H.S. Colt and C.H. Allison that debuted in 1928.
The Golf Club at Cuscowilla in Eatonton, an elegant, minimalist work by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, fell three notches to No. 22.
The Great Waters course, a very scenic Jack Nicklaus design, is at No. 42, up a spot from 2006, and the Oconee course, designed by Rees Jones in 2001 jumped two spots to No. 58.
California led the nation with 10 golf courses on the list, followed by South Carolina. Florida and Arizona tied for third.
Eleven new courses made the list, none from Georgia, and Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon was again named the top course.
Tom Fazio is the architect with the most ranked courses, followed by Pete Dye with nine and Nicklaus with seven.
The rankings are put together with input from the magazine's World Course Ranking Panel, its editorial staff, industry insiders, and the magazine's network of "course spies." The issue hit newsstands Aug. 15. Click here to see the complete list.
Although 23 of the courses charged green fees of less than $50, some of those who responded to the magazine's online feedback section were unhappy with what they considered high rates. "It is pretty hard to imagine playing courses with green fees requiring a loan," one said.
"You guys cannot rate the course better because it charges $500," said another.
The Seaside course is the most expensive Georgia course listed, with green fees ranging from $250-$325, while the Golf Club at Cuscowilla is the cheapest at $35-$135.
August 26, 2008
Tim McDonald, Contributor
Veteran golf writer Tim McDonald keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.