Readers' Choice Awards

We though the Golf World's Readers' Choice Awards issue would have brought a slew of mail rejecting, challenging and amending the best-courses lists. The letters have been surprisingly light. A sampling:

J.K. Hillstrom of Phoenix hates the whole idea:

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I'm disappointed in seeing Golf World initiate a "Reader's Choice Awards" feature about favored golf courses.  First, probably about half of one percent of your readers genuinely care about such rankings, which are rife in other golf periodicals.  Thus you're largely initiating extensive wastes of space.  Second, it wipes out GW's uniqueness in primarily providing only results info about the game, not where or how it might be played as is also way overdone in other golf publications.  Please, don't let yourself slide into becoming just another golf magazine.  Stay what you've been, which is why I subscribe.

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Ohio reader Michael Loehrer took exception to one listing in particular:

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I was more than amused when I read that Cook's Creek golf course in Nashport, Ohio was listed as the number 36 > best [public] courses in the country. I've played the course numerous times and, although it's a very beautiful and challenging,  it is many times  shut down  when the creek next to it floods. I then noticed the extremely nice courses rated behind it: Las Sendas, Tidewater, The Raven and many other very excellent and pricey golf venues. What you've done is give Cook's Creek a reason to raise their fees.

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Not in this economy, Michael. Or they really will be under water.

--Bob Carney