Measuring 6,175 metres from the back tees, the course at Hartfield Golf Club is a challenging 18-hole championship layout set in natural bushland on the outskirts of Perth with views of the Darling Range from many of the holes.
Measuring 6,175 metres from the back tees, the course at Hartfield Golf Club is a challenging 18-hole championship layout set in natural bushland on the outskirts of Perth with views of the Darling Range from many of the holes.
Measuring 6,175 metres from the back tees, the course at Hartfield Golf Club is a challenging 18-hole championship layout set in natural bushland on the outskirts of Perth with views of the Darling Range from many of the holes.
Stretching to 6,175 metres from the tips and playing to a par of 72, the course is configured as two returning 9-hole circuits, each of which concludes with a par five close to the clubhouse. Interestingly, the club operates two stoke indices, with men’s stoke index 12 at the par five 13th rated match play index 1. Similarly, the ladies stroke index 1 at the par four 1st is rated match play index 11.
Highlight holes on this tree-lined track include the first of the par threes at the 151-metre 4th (played to an angled, heavily sand-protected green); one of the shorter par fours at the left doglegging 7th; another seriously well-bunkered par three at the 145-metre 12th; and the 194-metre 15th, where the tee shot is fired over an irrigation pond to the green.
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
This is the second of three Australian State revision articles giving a brief overview of recent updates that we’ve made to the regional listings in South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, where we maintain Top 20, Top 10 and Top 40 charts for these three states. And don’t be fooled into thinking the island of Tasmania is in anyway inferior to the other two because the top six courses are all nationally listed and half of these are good enough to be ranked in our World Top 100 – it may be relatively small in terms of geography but Tasmania punches way above its weight when it comes to quality golf courses. South Australia We begin with South Australia, where the top five layouts remain in the same position, which means the course at Royal Adelaide Golf Club in the western suburb of Seaton (pictured above) is still the state #1. It dates back to 1905 but the original design inputs of Dan Soutar and Cargie Rymill were upgraded by Alister MacKenzie during his famous 1926 visit to Australia. A recent reviewer called the course “an enchanting masterpiece that combines strategic brilliance with quirky charm.” They went on to say: “this course stands out for its unique character and playability… its blend of strategy, playability, and natural beauty make it a must-visit for golf enthusiasts worldwide.” Loxton The only SA new entry arrives at #13 and it’s Loxton Golf Club in Riverland, which first opened for play in 1951. Vern Morcom made changes before the installation of a fairway irrigation system in the early 1960s then grass greens followed in 1974, with Brian Crafter upgrading putting surfaces on holes 1 to 14 and Kevin Harrington working on the closing four greens. The original Eddie Johnson layout remains largely intact, though the nines were swapped in 1966. The course dropping out to make way for Loxton is West Lakes, which was #19 in the previous SA chart. Tasmania It’s “as you were” regarding the top four places in the Tasmania standings – with these same courses also occupying national positions #3, #4 and #5 – so Barnbougle Dunes (pictured above) holds onto the top spot, just ahead of Cape Wickham and Barnbougle Lost Farm. Co-designed by Tom Doak and Mike Clayton, Barnbougle Dunes has been widely recognized as the #1 public access course in Australia since opening twenty years ago. Here’s what a reviewer wrote only a couple of weeks ago: “The Dunes course at Barnbougle gave me one of the most unique and enchanting experiences in my golfing life… it’s become difficult to separate the magical experience from the course itself… raw yet natural and rugged linksland set amongst crumpled fairways is what I’m naturally predisposed to, and this is the very essence of Barnbougle Dunes,” Barnbougle Bougle Run The first of two new entries for Tasmania appears at #5 (it’s also a new entry in the national chart at #57) and we welcome the new 14-hole short course at Barnbougle which is named Bougle Run. Fashioned by Bill Coore on land next to the Lost Farm layout, this fun track comprises twelve par threes and two par fours, with holes laid out across some wild terrain. It only opened for play last year and we’ve yet to receive a review but we’re expecting quite a few of those in the months ahead… Country Club Tasmania The other new Tasmanian entry (at #10) is the 18-hole layout at Country Club Tasmania in Launceston which is a 1982 design from Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge. Currently, the club operates a 9-hole layout whilst an extensive 30-month upgrade project is carried out, with completion set for early next year. Expect to see this newcomer climb further up the Tasmanian table next time around. The two courses departing our Tasmania rankings to make way for these two newcomers are Kingston Beach [was #9] and Devonport [was #10]. They now revert to GEM status which still allows reviews to be posted for both tracks. Western Australia Like the other two states under consideration, there’s no movement at the very top of the order, with the leading five courses all staying exactly where they were in the pecking order. That’s good news for the Championship course at Lake Karrinyup Country Club (pictured above) as it retains its #1 in state status, despite falling a couple of rungs on the national ladder to #18. Host venue for four editions of the Australian Open between 1952 and 1974, this Alex Russell Russell design from the late 1920s was upgraded by Mike Clayton a few years back during a major overhaul that saw every green and bunker reconstructed. Cottesloe The only upward move within the top ten places in the WA listings is made by the course at Cottesloe Golf Club in the Perth suburb of Swanbourne, climbing two spots to #6. The club was founded in 1908 but moved to its current location in 1931, when club pro David Anderson set out a new 18-hole course for the membership. The Thomson, Wolveridge and Perrot design firm made alterations in the 1980s before former club champion Graham Marsh was engaged to carry out a number of course improvements shortly before the club’s centenary celebrations in 2008. Bunbury Further down the table, the 18-hole layout at Bunbury Golf Club advances five positions to #15. Located between the Collie River and the Leschenault Estuary, this tight parkland track has been in operation since just after World War II, with fairways bounded by a mix of Tuart, Gum and Wattle trees, along with blackboys and other native shrubs – hit it straight around here or you’ll soon run out of golf balls. Vines Another relatively big move (up six to #20) is made by the Ellenbrook course at The Vines Resort in the northeastern outskirts of Perth. Graham Marsh and Ross Watson created three 9-hole loops at the resort in the late 1980s then Marsh returned a decade later to add another nine to form the 18-hole Lakes and Ellenbrook layouts. The Lakes garners plenty of plaudits as a nationally ranked course (currently it’s listed at #99 in Australia) but the Ellenbrook also has its moments, with some of the holes used to form a composite course when the Heineken Classic tournament was hosted at The Vines during the 1990s. View the South Australia ranking here View the Tasmania ranking here View the Western Australia ranking here If you have any comment to make on the above article then please use the “WRITE A RESPONSE” link at the bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia Best in State Rankings 2019 This is the second of three news releases related to the revision of our regional rankings in Australia. We’ve already reported on the updated charts for Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales and we’ll publish our new listings for Queensland and Victoria in our next Australian announcement. For now, we’re concentrating on South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, where we maintain Top 10 tables for the first two regions and have just added another five courses to Western Australia, creating a Top 25 for the largest state in the nation. South Australia The course at Royal Adelaide remains the top track in South Australia but, truth be told, holding onto the number 1 spot in the state was something of a given for a layout that not only recently climbed two places in the national chart to number 9, it was also one of twelve new entries in the last edition of our World Top 100. The club moved to its current position in 1904, when Cargie Rymill and club secretary C.L. Gardiner laid out a course that was then redesigned by Alister MacKenzie during his famous tour of Australia in 1926. The design firm Thomson, Wolveridge and Perret looked after the property for almost four decades, starting in the early 1970s, until Mike Clayton was called in to conduct a 5-year renovation in 2008. Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design firm has carried out further work on the course and these improvements largely explain Royal Adelaide’s impressive advance in the rankings. Our New Zealand correspondent Matt Richardson visited just a couple of months ago, saying the course is “a masterful lesson in understatement… every single hole has one or two little features that completely set the tone for strategy and game play... simply put, it makes you think.” The only climber in the state listings is the West course at The Grange Golf Club (rising 1 to number 3), which lies immediately to the northwest of the Royal Adelaide property. Vern Morcom set out both the 18-hole layouts at The Grange and it’s the older East course that some might remember as the venue for Greg Norman’s first professional victory in 1967. Mike Clayton renovated the West course in advance of the Women’s Australian Open in 2016 and the event returns there this week. There’s one new entry (at number 9) in our South Australian listings and it’s the course at Victor Harbor Golf Club, situated an hour’s drive south of Adelaide on the Fleuriue Peninsula. Founded back in 1911, the club’s initial 9-hole layout was designed by Rufus Stewart and it’s since been extended and modified by Tom Rymill, Wayne Dale and, more recently, Neil Crafter. This is a terrific, old-fashioned track featuring one of the most exhilarating 1st hole tee shots to be found on a golf course anywhere, with the opening drive played from a bluff down to a tree-lined fairway a hundred feet below. To view further details of the South Australia Top 10rankings click the link. Tasmania The isolated island state of Tasmania lies off the southern coast of Australia, separated by the Bass Strait, and the main island of Tasmania is home to most of its population of half a million people. With only around fifty courses in operation around the state, who would have thought at the start of the new millennium that three new additions to the golfing landscape would now be ranked among the best in the world? The courses atBarnbougle Dunes (still at number 1) and Barnbougle Lost Farm(down one to number 3) sit next to each other among the towering dunes that stretch out along the northern coastline of the main island in Tasmania, next to the small town of Bridport. The spectacular Dunes course debuted first in 2004, co-designed by Mike Clayton and Tom Doak, with the Bill Coore-designed Lost Farm appearing a few years later. The Barnbougle layouts are now firmly ensconced near the top of the national rankings and placed well within our World Top 100. Our International correspondent David Davis described the Dunes course when he played there as possibly “Tom Doak’s best effort in design,” with it having “the absolutely perfect, dramatic links landscape and sandy ground.” Fergal O’Leary, our US Consultant, also visited the Barnbougle complex, commenting that Lost Farm was “more playable than the Dunes course, which is definitely the tougher challenge,” terming it “a big course with big fairways and big greens.” It was always going to take a remarkable course to split the highly regarded pair at Barnbougle but that’s exactly what the 18-hole layout at Cape Wickham has now done as it rises one spot to number 2. Located 330 kilometres northwest of Bridport on King Island, this is a Mike Devries design (built in collaboration with author Darius Oliver) which has been catapulted onto the global golf stage. As Tom Doak states in Volume V of The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses : “No course has made a bigger splash on the world scene in the past five years than Cape Wickham, sitting in the middle of the Bass Strait between Melbourne and Tasmania… It’s not an easy place to get to, and not for those who fear small planes and bumpy flights, but Cape Wickham is well worth the effort. It’s one of the wildest places in golf, and in a world growing ever more conformist, that’s a very good thing.” Another King Island course is a new entry at number 7 in our Tasmanian Top 10 and it’s the links layout at King Island Golf & Bowling Club, which dates back to 1938. The course comprises twelve greens and eighteen different tee boxes, with an 18-hole round consisting of three par threes, twelve par fours and three par fives on a layout extending to 5,475 meters – that might seem quite short but when the wind gets up, as it very often does here, it’s more than long enough. To view further details of the Tasmania Top 10rankings click the link. Western Australia The Championship course at Lake Karrinyup Country Club, which was designed by Alex Russell and opened for play in 1930, is still the number 1 golfing layout in our state standings for Western Australia. Mike Clayton extensively renovated the course not that long ago, totally rebuilding all the greens and bunkers during a major makeover, and it’s hosted a number of important competitions since then, including the World Super 6 Perth, the latest edition of which is staged there this week. Just a few weeks ago, reviewer Peter Wood gave this 5-ball endorsement to the course: “Perhaps this is the quintessential Aussie course with its genuine bush setting, large eucalyptus trees, black boys, and kangaroos roaming… Lake Karrinyup would be a great starting point for international visitors wanting to see a top quality Australian course in a classic bush setting, and should be part of any West Australian golf expeditions.” Only six courses improve their position in our revised table and the most prominent of these is The Links Kennedy Bay layout at Port Kennedy (up one to number 2), which is a late 1990s collaboration between Michael Coate, Roger Mackay and Ian Baker-Finch. Perhaps a review posted only yesterday best sums up the experience of playing here: “The wind can change this course in a matter of minutes, depending on the time of day you may end up playing with the wind from three different directions… The greens are large, fast and true, the fairways are well manicured and the bunkers well placed… This is Australian links golf at its best.” Another couple of 18-hole layouts make significant 3-place upward moves within the Top 10: the first one is the early 1990s Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed course at Meadow Springs Golf & Country Clubin Mandurah (at #5), which “has a nice selection of short par fours, doglegs, longer holes, and some impressive water holes”; and the second one is the Bob Green and Murray Dawson 1970s co-design at Sun City Country Club in Yanchep (at #10), where Mike Clayton’s OCCM design company has been carrying out upgrade work since 2012. The highest new entry at number 17 is the delightful 9-hole seaside setup at Binningup, around thirty kilometres north of Bunbury, called Lakewood Shores. It’s a mid-1980s Michael Coate design that was mentioned in the aforementioned Confidential Guide to Golf Courses book, having been played a while back by Darius Oliver, who wrote of it having “uncluttered holes arranged in a single loop through gently moving sand dunes and with pleasant coastal outlooks… It developed a following for the quality of its nine holes, along with its ‘honesty box’ green fee system and the fact the course was managed – well – by a single green keeper… Binningup certainly ranks as one of Australia’s best 9-hole courses.” We'd like to thank Peter White for persuading us to extend our course coverage in Western Australia. To view further details of the Western Australia Top 25rankings click the link. We actively seek feedback every time we re-rank regional charts so please let us know if you have any strong views on either of the three featured in this Australian release. Whether it’s to let us know about a course we’ve mistakenly missed or one we’ve undeservedly included, by all means get in touch. Whatever you’re thinking, if you’d like to share your opinion then please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
With the Presidents Cup rosters finally confirmed after both captains announced their six respective picks on Tuesday, the countdown to Medinah Country Club is officially on. Team International will head to Illinois looking to end Team USA’s dominance of the Presidents Cup and lift the trophy for only the second time in the competition’s history, having last tasted victory in 1998 at Royal Melbourne in Australia. It will be no easy task, though. Team USA boasts enormous depth, with major winners, extensive Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup experience, and the world’s number one-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler, among its ranks. But can Geoff Ogilvy’s International side cause an upset at Medinah? Top100 takes a closer look at both rosters, the key players to watch and the venue that could play a crucial role in deciding who will lift the Presidents Cup. Medinah No. 3: A new-look stage for the Presidents Cup There are few more appropriate venues for the 2026 Presidents Cup than Medinah No. 3. Completed in 1928 by renowned architect Tom Bendelow, the course has spent almost a century building a reputation as one of American golf’s great championship venues. Five major championships, a Ryder Cup and countless memorable moments have followed, including Tiger Woods’ victories in the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships and Europe’s remarkable “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012 – widely regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. But the course that welcomes the Presidents Cup will look considerably different from the one that hosted those events. After decades of incremental changes that increasingly narrowed the playing corridors and placed a premium on length, Medinah No. 3 underwent a major transformation by Australian firm OCM Golf, led by Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Cocking and Ashley Mead. The renovation, completed in 2024, sought to restore the scale and strategic character of Bendelow’s original design. Wider fairways, larger greens, expansive bunker complexes and the removal of hundreds of trees have opened up the landscape, resulting in a fascinating mix of old and new. At more than 7,650 yards from the championship tees, Medinah can still stretch the world's best players, but the increased width means distance alone should not dictate how the course is played. Instead, players will be faced with strategic decisions from the tee and into the greens, with different angles potentially offering very different rewards. The closing holes could provide some of the most dramatic moments of the week. Lake Kadijah now plays a prominent role on the inward nine, with the 16th crossing diagonally towards the water and the 17th offering another demanding one-shot test alongside the lake. The 18th, meanwhile, has been returned to its original corridor, providing a fitting finish to a course that has undergone such a significant rebirth. There is one particularly intriguing subplot for the International team. Their captain, Geoff Ogilvy, was part of the team responsible for reimagining Medinah No. 3. While intimate knowledge of a golf course is no guarantee of success, Ogilvy will know better than most how the redesigned holes are intended to be played, where the opportunities lie and which mistakes the course is designed to punish. The United States may arrive with the deeper roster and home advantage, but Ogilvy’s intimate knowledge of the course could help to level the playing field. With the course now offering considerably more strategic options than the penal layout of recent decades, the question is whether Ogilvy can use that knowledge to help his players find an advantage. Team USA: The Favourites On paper, Team USA looks extremely difficult to beat. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines a formidable 12-man roster that also includes major champions Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas, while Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay add a wealth of team-match experience. The automatic qualifiers – Scheffler, Cameron Young, Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Morikawa – are joined by captain’s picks Schauffele, Thomas, Cantlay, Chris Gotterup, Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman. Snedeker's selections have made an already strong side even more imposing. Schauffele, Thomas and Cantlay bring considerable Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup experience, while the inclusion of 21-year-old Koivun adds an exciting new dimension. Koivun, Gotterup and Bridgeman will all make their Presidents Cup debuts at Medinah. The Americans therefore have an attractive blend of proven stars and youthful talent, with strength throughout the 12-man roster. Add home advantage and an 11-match winning streak, and it is easy to see why they arrive as overwhelming favourites. The challenge for Brandt Snedeker will be turning that individual quality into the right pairings and combinations – particularly in the foursomes. If he can do that, Team USA will take some stopping. The full Team USA roster can be found below: Scottie Scheffler Cameron Young Wyndham Clark Sam Burns Russell Henley Collin Morikawa Jacob Bridgeman Patrick Cantlay Chris Gotterup Jackson Koivun Xander Schauffele Justin Thomas Team International: The Underdogs The International team enters Medinah as the clear underdog, but Geoff Ogilvy has assembled a side with plenty of experience and enough quality to make life uncomfortable for the Americans. Si Woo Kim, Ryan Fox, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim and Adam Scott qualified automatically, before Ogilvy added Corey Conners, Sungjae Im, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Nick Taylor, Nico Echavarria and Ryo Hisatsune with his six captain’s picks. There is plenty of Presidents Cup experience within the group, particularly through Scott, Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and Im. Ogilvy has also opted for three rookies in Taylor, Echavarria and Hisatsune, betting on a mixture of current form and players he believes can thrive in the team environment. It will also be a Presidents Cup debut for New Zealander and Champion Golfer of the Year, Fox. The obvious concern is star power. Si Woo Kim is the only International player inside the world's top 20, while the Americans boast Scheffler alongside a deep collection of elite players. But this is where Ogilvy's role could prove crucial. With a team that may lack the depth of the USA, the International captain will need to find the right combinations and maximise every available point. If his players embrace the occasion and the new-look Medinah rewards their style, they may have a genuine chance of making this a contest. After all, Medinah has already witnessed some extraordinary comebacks and championship moments. The 2026 Presidents Cup could provide another chapter in its remarkable history. The full Team International roster can be found below: Si Woo Kim (South Korea) Ryan Fox (New Zealand) Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) Min Woo Lee (Australia) Tom Kim (South Korea) Adam Scott (Australia) Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) Corey Conners (Canada) Nico Echavarria (Colombia) Ryo Hisatsune (Japan) Sungjae Im (South Korea) Nick Taylor (Canada)
