America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses: By Architect

By golfdigest.com

February 03, 2013

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Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Prairie Dunes

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Kittansett Club

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Augusta National

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Congressional CC

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Old MacDonald

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Bandon Trails

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Valhalla G.C.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Winged Foot G.C. East

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Oakland Hills C.C. South

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Kiawah Ocean Course

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Gozzer Ranch

T-10. Perry Maxwell (3 Courses in the Top 100)

Perry Maxwell kicks off our list with three courses in America's Greatest 100, including No. 12, Crystal Downs, which Maxwell built in 1931 with the help of the legendary Alister MacKenzie. Maxwell also spawned another great architect, his son Press, who would go on to redesign his 25th ranked Prairie Dunes. Perry's accomplishments are rounded out with Southern Hills C.C.at No. 30.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Prairie Dunes

T-10. William Flynn (3 Courses in the Top 100)

William Flynn is tied for No. 10 on our list with three courses, but gets the nod one spot higher than Maxwell because his includes the fourth best track, Shinnecock Hills, built in 1931. Shinnecock was relatively late in Flynn's career however, as the other two on the list, Cherry Hills C.C.(1922) and Kittansett Club(1922) came while Flynn was only in his early 30s.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Kittansett Club

T-10. Alister MacKenzie (3 Courses in the Top 100)

It's almost unfair that Alister MacKenzie is only 10th on our list considering he's responsible for two of the top three greatest -- and most iconic -- American courses. With Augusta National(No. 2) and Cypress Point at Pebble Beach(No. 3), along with Crystal Downs C.C.(No. 12), to his credit, MacKenzie remains one of the most recognizable names in golf course architecture.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Augusta National

T-8. Robert Trent Jones (4 Courses in the Top 100)

Keeping with our theme of recognizable names in golf course design, Robert Trent Jones comes in at No. 8 with four in the top 100. Incidentally, none of the RTJ Trail courses made the list, but Peachtree G.C.(43), Spyglass Hill at Pebble Beach(48), Congressional C.C., Blue (77), and Hazeltine National(94) all did.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Congressional CC

T-8. Tom Doak (4 Courses in the Top 100)

Tom Doak is the first modern architect to make the list with 2001's Pacific Dunes at Bandontopping his accomplishments at No. 19. Another of his Bandon courses -- Old MacDonald-- made the cut at No. 49, while Sebonack G.C.(39) and Ballyneal G.C.(78) round out his four.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Old MacDonald

T-6. Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (5 Courses in the Top 100)

Appropriately, the architect pair of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, who also have a Bandon course under their belt, are next up on the list with five courses making America's Greatest 100. Topping their personal list of accomplishments is Sand Hills G.C.at No. 9, followed by Friar's Head G.C.(28), Old Sandwich G.C.(68), Bandon Trails(70) and Kapalua Plantation(No. 97).

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Bandon Trails

Jack Nicklaus (7 Courses in the Top 100)

We crack the top five architects with the man who has won more tournaments than any other on this list. Jack Nicklaus' tremendous career on the course has led to a very successful one designing them with seven in the top 100. None higher than his signature track, Muirfield Villagein Dublin, OH at No. 14.

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Valhalla G.C.

T-3. A.W. Tillinghast (8 Courses in the Top 100)

The old guard returns with A.W. Tillinghast and his eight courses in the top 100. Tillinghast has designed some of America's most iconic courses, including Winged Foot West(No. 8) and East(76), both Baltusroltracks (35and 59) and Bethpage Black(42).

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Winged Foot G.C. East

T-3. Donald Ross (8 Courses in the Top 100)

Donald Ross might just be the grandfather of American golf. After serving as an apprentice to Old Tom Morris, Ross lent his skills to hundreds of U.S. courses at the turn of the 20th Century. At the top of that list is Seminole G.C.at No. 13, with two more Ross designs cracking the top 20 courses in Oak Hill C.C. East(17) and Oakland Hills C.C. South(20).

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Oakland Hills C.C. South

T-2. Pete Dye (10 Courses in the Top 100)

If Ross is the grandfather of American golf architecture, these next two gentlemen are carrying the torch today. Coming in at No. 2 -- and the first to hit double-digits on Golf Digest's top 100 -- Pete Dye is known for turning uninhabitable plots of land into magnificent, championship quality golf courses like Whistling Straits(16), the Ocean Course at Kiawah(21), and TPC Sawgrass(44).

Photo By: Stephen Szurlej: Kiawah Ocean Course

Tom Fazio (15 Courses in the Top 100)

With 15 courses on the list of America's Greatest 100 Courses -- five more than the next closest -- Tom Fazio sits alone as the country's preeminent modern day designer. While detractors might point to the fact he has no tracks in the top 10, his breadth of work speaks for itself, with The Alotian Club(15), Wade Hampton G.C.(22), Gozzer Ranch(27), Shadow Creek(29), Victoria National G.C.(47), and Butler National G.C.(50) all in the top half.