America’s top 100 golf courses, 1997-1998

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Summary of changes from previous rankings

New entries

• Golf Digest
  • Kiawah Island (Ocean) (41st), Atlantic (65th), Double Eagle (71st), Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow) (81st), Robert Trent Jones (92nd), East Lake (94th), Spanish Bay (99th), Bethpage (Black) (100th)
• Golf Magazine
  • Sand Hills (10th), Estancia (54th), Stonewall (Old) (60th), East Lake (66th), Pete Dye (76th), Ocean Forest (86th), Castle Pines (87th), Baltusrol (Upper) (89th), Bay Hill (91st), Cog Hill (No. 4) (92nd), Merit (98th), Desert Forest (100th)

Fell off the ranking

• Golf Digest
  • Shadow Glen (82nd), Wild Dunes (Links) (91st), Barton Creek (Fazio Foothills) (94th), Sherwood (95th), Atlanta (96th), Ridgewood (97th), Desert Highlands (98th), Desert Mountain (Renegade) (100th)
• Golf Magazine
  • Point O’ Woods (66th), PGA West (Stadium) (71st), Ohio State (Scarlet) (81st), Quarry at La Quinta (83rd), Lancaster (84th), Champions (Cypress Creek) (87th), Mauna Kea (88th), Saucon Valley (Old) (90th), Detroit (92nd), Doral (Blue Monster) (93rd), Ridgewood (97th), Pine Tree (98th)

Biggest improvements

• Golf Digest
  • Kiawah Island (Ocean): 60+ spots, unranked to 41st
  • Atlantic: 36+ spots, unranked to 65th
  • Double Eagle: 30+ spots, unranked to 71st
  • Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow): 20+ spots, unranked to 81st
  • Somerset Hills: 17 spots, 60th to 43rd
• Golf Magazine
  • Stonewall (Old): 41+ spots, unranked to 60th
  • East Lake: 35+ spots, unranked to 66th
  • Congressional: 30 spots, 77th to 47th
  • Pete Dye: 25+ spots, unranked to 76th
  • Blackwolf Run: 23 spots, 94th to 71st

Biggest drops

• Golf Digest
  • Mauna Kea: 28 spots, 70th to 98th
  • Salem: 27 spots, 52nd to 79th
  • Shadow Glen: 19+ spots, 82nd to unranked
  • Chicago: 17 spots, 18th to 35th
  • Bellerive: 14 spots, 53rd to 67th
• Golf Magazine
  • Point O’ Woods: 35+ spots, 66th to unranked
  • Wild Dunes (Links): 33 spots, 60th to 93rd
  • PGA West (Stadium): 30+ spots, 71st to unranked
  • Saucon Valley (Grace): 28 spots, 69th to 97th
  • Butler National: 20 spots, 64th to 84th

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1997-1998 rankings

Course	Location	Year Designed	Golf Digest	Golf Magazine	Average
Pine Valley	Pine Valley, NJ	1918	1	1	1
Cypress Point	Pebble Beach, CA	1928	3	2	2.5
Augusta National	Augusta, GA	1933	2	4	3
Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, CA	1919	4	3	3.5
Shinnecock Hills	Southampton, NY	1931	5	5	5
Pinehurst (No. 2)	Pinehurst, NC	1935	9	6	7.5
Merion	Ardmore, PA	1912	8	7	7.5
Oakmont	Oakmont, PA	1903	7	9	8
Winged Foot (West)	Mamaroneck, NY	1923	6	13	9.5
Oakland Hills	Bloomfield Hills, MI	1918	10	14	12
Seminole	Juno Beach, FL	1929	12	12	12
National Golf Links	Southampton, NY	1911	14	11	12.5
Crystal Downs	Frankfort, MI	1931	18	8	13
Olympic (Lake)	San Francisco, CA	1924	11	17	14
Prairie Dunes	Hutchinson, KS	1937	17	15	16
The Country Club	Chestnut Hill, MA	1895	13	20	16.5
San Francisco	San Francisco, CA	1924	19	16	17.5
Muirfield Village	Dublin, OH	1974	21	18	19.5
Oak Hill	Rochester, NY	1925	22	19	20.5
Shadow Creek	North Las Vegas, NV	1990	15	27	21
Medinah (No. 3)	Medinah, IL	1928	16	28	22
The Golf Club	New Albany, OH	1967	26	21	23.5
Southern Hills	Tulsa, OK	1936	24	25	24.5
Baltusrol (Lower)	Springfield, NJ	1922	28	22	25
Quaker Ridge	Scarsdale, NY	1918	23	31	27
Riviera	Pacific Palisades, CA	1926	30	24	27
Chicago	Wheaton, IL	1894	35	23	29
Garden City	Garden City, NY	1899	25	36	30.5
Inverness	Toledo, OH	1919	33	32	32.5
Scioto	Columbus, OH	1916	32	33	32.5
Maidstone	East Hampton, NY	1924	34	35	34.5
Peachtree	Atlanta, GA	1947	29	42	35.5
Wade Hampton	Cashiers, NC	1987	20	52	36
Spyglass Hill	Pebble Beach, CA	1966	27	45	36
Cherry Hills	Cherry Hills Village, CO	1923	31	41	36
Los Angeles (North)	Los Angeles, CA	1921	38	37	37.5
Honors Course	Ooltewah, TN	1983	37	40	38.5
Winged Foot (East)	Mamaroneck, NY	1923	36	48	42
Harbour Town	Hilton Head Island, SC	1969	60	29	44.5
Homestead (Cascades)	Hot Springs, VA	1923	42	49	45.5
TPC Sawgrass	Ponte Vedra Beach, FL	1980	53	39	46
Somerset Hills	Bernardsville, NJ	1918	43	51	47
Colonial	Fort Worth, TX	1936	47	50	48.5
Shoal Creek	Shoal Creek, AL	1977	55	43	49
Baltimore	Lutherville, MD	1926	40	59	49.5
Camargo	Indian Hill, OH	1927	70	30	50
Interlachen	Edina, MN	1911	46	56	51
Long Cove	Hilton Head Island, SC	1982	51	55	53
Plainfield	Edison, NJ	1921	39	72	55.5
Black Diamond Ranch	Lecanto, FL	1987	59	53	56
Wannamoisett	Rumford, RI	1916	52	61	56.5
Forest Highlands	Flagstaff, AZ	1988	48	67	57.5
Congressional	Bethesda, MD	1962	69	47	58
Double Eagle	Galena, OH	1992	71	46	58.5
Kittansett	Marion, MA	1922	45	75	60
Canterbury	Beachwood, OH	1922	63	57	60
Blackwolf Run	Kohler, WI	1990	50	71	60.5
Oak Tree National	Edmond, OK	1976	68	62	65
Kiawah Island (Ocean)	Kiawah Island, SC	1991	41	90	65.5
Castle Pines	Castle Rock, CO	1981	44	87	65.5
Bethpage (Black)	Farmingdale, NY	1936	100	34	67
Olympia Fields (North)	Olympia Fields, IL	1922	62	78	70
Butler National	Oak Brook, IL	1974	58	84	71
Laurel Valley	Ligonier, PA	1959	49	94	71.5
Hazeltine National	Chaska, MN	1962	64	81	72.5
Cog Hill (No. 4)	Lemont, IL	1964	54	92	73
Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow)	North Plains, OR	1992	81	69	75
Pasatiempo	Santa Cruz, CA	1929	83	68	75.5
Crooked Stick	Carmel, IN	1967	76	77	76.5
Desert Forest	Carefree, AZ	1962	57	100	78.5
Troon	Scottsdale, AZ	1986	93	65	79
East Lake	Atlanta, GA	1915	94	66	80
Troon North (Monument)	Scottsdale, AZ	1990	91	70	80.5
Jupiter Hills	Tesquesta, FL	1970	74	88	81
Valley Club of Montecito	Montecito, CA	1929	85	80	82.5
Saucon Valley (Grace)	Bethlehem, PA	1958	77	97	87
Salem	Peabody, MA	1925	79	96	87.5
Bay Hill	Orlando, FL	1961	97	91	94
Sand Hills	Mullen, NE	1995	-	10	-
Fishers Island	Fishers Island, NY	1926	-	26	-
Cabot Citrus (Pine Barrens)	Brooksville, FL	1993	-	38	-
Shoreacres	Lake Bluff, IL	1921	-	44	-
Estancia	Scottsdale, AZ	1995	-	54	-
Point O’ Woods	Benton Harbor, MI	1958	56	-	-
Yale	New Haven, CT	1923	-	58	-
Stonewall (Old)	Elverson, PA	1993	-	60	-
Valhalla	Louisville, KY	1986	61	-	-
Firestone (South)	Akron, OH	1929	-	63	-
Indianwood (Old)	Lake Orion, MI	1925	-	64	-
Atlantic	Bridgehampton, NY	1992	65	-	-
Prince	Princeville, HI	1990	66	-	-
Bellerive	St. Louis, MO	1960	67	-	-
Haig Point	Hilton Head Island, SC	1986	72	-	-
Lake Nona	Orlando, FL	1986	-	73	-
Milwaukee	River Hills, WI	1929	73	-	-
High Pointe	Williamsburg, MI	1989	-	74	-
Stanwich	Greenwich, CT	1962	75	-	-
Pete Dye	Bridgeport, WV	1994	-	76	-
Eugene	Eugene, OR	1967	78	-	-
Dunes Club	Myrtle Beach, SC	1950	-	79	-
NCR (South)	Kettering, OH	1954	80	-	-
Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek)	North Plains, OR	1992	-	82	-
Wilmington (South)	Wilmington, DE	1960	82	-	-
Colleton River (Nicklaus)	Bluffton, SC	1991	-	83	-
Greenville (Chanticleer)	Greenville, SC	1970	84	-	-
Caves Valley	Owings Mills, MD	1991	-	85	-
North Carolina (Dogwood)	Pinehurst, NC	1963	86	-	-
Ocean Forest	Sea Island, GA	1995	-	86	-
Sycamore Hills	Fort Wayne, IN	1989	87	-	-
Aronimink	Newtown Square, PA	1928	88	-	-
Baltusrol (Upper)	Springfield, NJ	1922	-	89	-
Old Waverly	West Point, MS	1988	89	-	-
Pine Tree	Boynton Beach, FL	1961	90	-	-
Robert Trent Jones	Gainesville, VA	1991	92	-	-
Wild Dunes (Links)	Isle of Palms, SC	1980	-	93	-
Sahalee	Sammamish, WA	1969	95	-	-
The Country Club (Ohio)	Cleveland, OH	1930	-	95	-
Old Warson	St. Louis, MO	1955	96	-	-
Mauna Kea	Waimea, HI	1964	98	-	-
Merit	Libertyville, IL	1992	-	98	-
Medalist	Hobe Sound, FL	1995	-	99	-
Spanish Bay	Pebble Beach, CA	1987	99	-	-