National Golf Links of America is a golf course of monumental historical importance, it’s a “Bear’s Best”, or “Blair's Best” of the early 20th century.
National Golf Links of America is a golf course of monumental historical importance, it’s a “Bear’s Best”, or “Blair's Best” of the early 20th century.
6
I was fortunate to play NGLA four years after I lived on it at the 2013 Walker Cup. By lived, I mean that I had a press pass, so I spent the entirety of the practice round and matches day one, along with the morning matches on day two, on property. When you have legitimate access to a top-tier golf course in its finest condition and presentation, you avail yourself of every opportunity to walk the property.
I follow the grounds crew. I see how they move across and along a golf course, and I use their trails as guidance for proper photographic angles. The five photos that you see, are five of five million that I might have selected. National Golf Links of America can be legitimately rated as one of the top five golf courses in the world. At that level, it is a hair-splitting contest, and a preference pallate.
There are minimum three ways to successfully make par or better on every hole at NGLA. There are countess ways to stumble. I almost made an ace at the Redan fourth, but I would have chosen it as one of my top three holes, regardles. I don't love 17 as much as others, but I do agree that it is a fabulous par four. There is not a weak hole at NGLA.
Donald Ross had his Pinehurst #2. Alistair MacKenzie had his Pasatiempo. Devereux Emmet had his St. George's. Walter Travis had his Garden City. Charles Blair MacDonald got them all started with his lifelong devotion to NGLA. That's the big five of devotion to a property. Sometimes, it works out. In the case of the big five, it did.
Do yourself a favor and make plans to come to NGLA for the 2030 Curtis Cup. If you never play the course, you'll at least see the holes and how they are meant to be played.
buffalogolfer
Round Information
Date Played
August 15, 2017
Standout Holes
#18, #4, #3
Rating Breakdown
Strategy
Green Complexes
Variety
Facilities & Amenities
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
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
Victoria, Australia
Scotland, United Kingdom
Top 100 Golf Courses has ranked every course that has hosted the Walker Cup since 1922. The rankings cover three categories and provide insight into the championship venues that have shaped amateur golf's most prestigious international competition. Three Complete Rankings The research has produced three specialised rankings: USA Walker Cup Venue Ranking - American courses that have hosted the biennial competition. Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Venue Ranking - Historic links courses and venues across the British Isles. Combined Walker Cup Venue Rankings - All American and international venues ranked together. The Walker Cup Competition The Walker Cup is a biennial match-play competition between 10-man amateur teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. Named after George Herbert Walker, USGA president in 1920, the competition began in 1922 at the National Golf Links of America. The tournament has maintained its status as amateur golf's premier international competition for over a century, showcasing the world's finest golf courses. Top Venues in Combined Rankings Cypress Point Club leads the combined rankings. Alister MacKenzie's Pacific coast course will host the 50th Walker Cup in September 2025. The US won 15-9 when it previously hosted in 1981. Pine Valley Golf Club ranks second. George Crump's design is considered the ultimate penal golf course. It will host the 2044 Walker Cup and previously staged matches in 1936 (US won 9-0) and 1985 (US won 13-11). Royal County Down Golf Club is the highest-ranked international venue at third. Located beneath the Mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland, it's consistently rated among the world's most scenic courses. Leading American Venues Shinnecock Hills Golf Club was one of the USGA's five founding members. The New York course features original American design from 1891, when Scottish professional Willie Davis worked with the Shinnecock Reservation. National Golf Links of America is the Walker Cup birthplace. Charles Blair Macdonald's 1922 course established the competition and introduced the term "golf architect." Oakmont Country Club represents championship golf's toughest test. Originally set to host in 2033, then moved to 2032, this Pennsylvania course has hosted multiple major championships. Great Britain & Ireland Leaders St Andrews Old Course has hosted nine Walker Cup matches—more than any other venue. The Home of Golf has also staged 29 Open Championships. Muirfield is home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (founded 1744). This East Lothian course pioneered the two-ring, nine-hole layout design. Turnberry Ailsa Course offers Scotland's most scenic championship golf. The course overlooks the Firth of Clyde with views of the Mull of Kintyre and Isle of Arran. Architectural Excellence Golden Age architects dominate the rankings. Merion Golf Club (East Course) represents Hugh Wilson's success as an amateur architect. Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) is A.W. Tillinghast's finest work. The demanding layout has tested both amateur and professional golfers for decades. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort represents modern design. The Oregon resort has a USGA partnership through 2045 and will host the Walker Cup in 2028. International Links Tradition Lahinch Golf Club sits beside Liscannor Bay in Ireland. Old Tom Morris created the original layout before Dr. Alister MacKenzie redesigned it in 1926-27. Royal St George's Golf Club is a natural links course in Sandwich, England. It maintains traditional character while hosting major championships. Sunningdale Golf Club represents England's best inland course. The Old Course is considered Britain's most beautiful championship venue away from the coast. Future Walker Cup Venues Prince's Golf Club will host the 53rd Walker Cup after recent investments in facilities and course improvements. Walker Cup matches move to even years from 2026 to avoid conflicts with World Amateur Team Championships. Walker Cup Venue Excellence Both American and international courses contribute to the Walker Cup's legacy. These rankings celebrate golf architecture's finest examples, from MacKenzie's coastal designs to Macdonald's pioneering American courses. View the complete rankings: USA Walker Cup Venue Rankings Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Venue Rankings Combined Walker Cup Venue Rankings
V is for Valley ORIGINAL Everyone knows that the National Golf Links of America is the holy land for template golf architecture, as C.B. Macdonald set out almost all of these holes based on UK precedents, which he would continue to refresh and recycle at courses to come. You need to wait until the second hole for that reality to set in, however, as the opener at NGLA is a Macdonald original. National Golf Links of America 1st hole - image courtesy of Jon Cavalier @LinksGems “Valley” is nearly driveable with modern technology, at 330 yards, but Macdonald’s creative design has maintained its challenge. From the tee, players hit down into the title valley, and the friendly slopes help the first shot of the day back down into the fairway. Bolder individuals can choose to go over the bunker-laden hilltop along the left (mind you, there are more bunkers than you can see. If you don’t see a ball roll up the fairway on the other side, be concerned). Even the resulting short pitch back up to the perched green guarantees nothing. The first hole features what many consider the club’s most turbulent green. Although not quite crowned, poorly-struck putts will still feed off the edges of the green, potentially into the bunkers along the right. Those who take a less-daring route to the right side of the fairway will probably have a blind approach to this roller coaster green. A bunker set in the fairway features a tall backing mound that obscures the uphill approach. OTHER INTERPRETATIONS “Valley” is not nearly as prevalent as other templates in the MacRaynor library and—considering that it’s a Macdonald original and not based on European originals—some may consider whether it merits the “template” status at all. Fortunately for our side of the argument, Macdonald named one other hole “Valley.” No. 8 at the Mid Ocean Club follows a similar formula, but reverses the sides of the fairway. This time the safe route is to go left of a hillside that rolls in from the right, which results in a partially obscured look and a less favorable angle to a green that angles front-right to back-left. The tiger may try to take advantage of a (Mid)ocean breeze to carry the hillside and get the perfect angle to the green, but those who come up short will be provided an awkward lie on the hill, aiming at a daunting green. Although not as topsy-turvy as NGLA’s, the green slants aggressively downhill from back to front...staying below the pin is essential. Two bunkers lurk on the left, very deep as Macdonald and Raynor built the green up using soil from an irrigation pond nearby. Mid Ocean Club 8th hole - image courtesy of John Sabino Subtler, the “Valley” at Seth Raynor’s Blue Mound Golf and Country Club is more akin to NGLA’s standard than many realize. For one, No. 6. is named “Strategy”... and to further confuse matters, the course has a hole named “Valley” at No. 14 (which is not linked to any template). Finally, the geography is not nearly as dramatic as the examples at NGLA and Mid Ocean (but the downward tee shot and upward approach remains). The ideal tee shot is less risky, but the player must have their distance measured. There are three bunkers, evenly distributed, that jut in from the left fairway. The player’s goal is to choose a landing area between two of these (or aim to drive the full 335 yards to the green), which will provide the best angle of approach. The first fairway hazard on the right appears about 200 yards out. Those who truly muff their tee shot and land in the right of this bunker will be fully blind to the green. Those who land in the fairway or in the left portion of the hazard will not be fully blinded, but another deep bunker at the green’s front-right will block their view to certain sections of the green (which is contoured to mimic its inspiration at NGLA). Playing to the right will always create some challenge during your approach; how much challenge is determined by your execution. The green is more geometric in a classic Raynor style, and is surrounded by “moat” bunkers at the rear, left and right. Blue Mound Golf & Country Club 6th hole - image courtesy of Jerry Rossi As “Valley” is not a popular template per se, it is not replicated frequently and—when it is—the architects may simply be following the lay of the land. One example is at a more modern Long Island classic. Like at NGLA, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw open Friar’s Head with a drive down into a valley and back up to a green on a plateau. In this case, a drive down the left risks running into the treeline protecting the driveway. Although the angle is not necessarily better than that from the right, it will involve less of a forced carry than the approach from the other side. The waste area on the right of the hole continues up the hill and almost touches the green, creating a muddling effect that confuses the player where the hazard ends and the green begins. Those approaching from the left will not need to be as nervous about the approach, as they have very little sand to carry. Friar's Head 1st hole - image courtesy of Fergal O'Leary MAYBE... MAYBE NOT There is another template that could easily be misconstrued for a “Valley.” The “Knoll” concept is built around playing up to a green perched at the top of a hill, and many examples of this template also involve driving down into a valley before playing up to that green (although a downward tee shot is not necessary for a true Knoll). Consider, for example, No. 13 at Piping Rock Club. This hole features a play down into a valley, and then back up the green atop the Knoll. Unlike a “Valley,” however, there is not necessarily strategy from the tee box when considering a Knoll. Almost all emphasis is on the player’s trusting their distance during the uphill approach, whereas Valleys put at least equal emphasis on placement of the tee shot to determine the difficulty of the approach shot. Of course, sometimes a gut check can be just as telling. How high is the green perched, and how steep is the rise? A Knoll typically rises higher at a more aggressive slope to the green than a “Valley.” Piping Rock Club 13th hole - image courtesy of Jon Cavalier @LinksGems The “gut check” test comes into play with at least one Seth Raynor entry as well. No. 13 at the Country Club of Charleston shows some similar features to a “Valley,” including a drive down from a ridge and an arc of bunkers along the right (which appears like it might have a blinding intent). However, does the green really rise high enough to satisfy the “Valley” requirement? Do the fairway bunkers truly muddle the approach? As we say, “maybe, maybe not.” More damningly, the strategy from the tee is different from a true “Valley.” In this case, the ideal approach angle is from the right, actually encouraging players to hit toward the “blinding” bunkers. Within a typical “Valley,” shooting toward these blinding bunkers would result in a less ideal angle of approach, while a different set of hazards would serve to threaten more aggressive tee shots down the left.
R is for Road ORIGINAL Even the most casual tour follower is familiar with the original Road Hole, the penultimate challenge at The Old Course, which often serves as the deciding test during competitions, such as when Seve Ballesteros parred the hole to Tom Watson’s bogey during the 1984 Open. The hole begins with some quirk, almost unthinkable in today’s naturalistic age: The player must drive directly over the hotel (formerly railway sheds) at the corner of the dogleg. This artificial blind shot influences the hole’s peak drama, which occurs upon approach. Those who trust their line across the roof will have the “best” angle to the narrow front-right to back-left green (which is still a very demanding shot, even with an ideal angle). Those who play safe to the left of the fairway have very little chance of rolling a long approach past the notorious pot bunker that guards the front of the green. Even poor shots from the ideal angle will potentially funnel down into its maw. Although the name of the hole stems from the street named Old Station Road, which runs immediately behind the green, the term “Road Bunker” traditionally refers to the deadly pot. St Andrews Old Course 17th hole - courtesy St Andrews Links Trust An interesting note from the hole’s history is its transition from par 5 to par 4. This occurred during the lifetime of the hole’s original architect, Allan Robertson. A distinguished competitor, Robertson never once carded a birdie at Road after it became a par 4. The ultimate lesson is that regardless of par, whether a short 5 or a long 4, a Road hole must offer some incentive for trying to reach the green, and punishment for those who stumble in that task. Ben Crenshaw believes that “the reason the Road is the hardest par 4 in the world is because it is really a par 5.” OTHER INTERPRETATIONS C. B. Macdonald naturally brought the Road concept to the United States, and his first stab came at Piping Rock. The 8th green is considerably larger than that of its predecessor, and front pins are much more attainable for players who don’t have an ideal approach angle, as this Road bunker leaves the front two-thirds of the green more open, with the front protruding forward out of the bunker’s reach. Macdonald pulls one trick from his bag by making the front a more intimidating target. Similar to his Narrows or Double Plateau templates, a fairway bunker short of the green blocks the player from seeing how much room they have to land and run up, creating a new source of tension for approach into this Road hole. The late George Bahto knew more about templates than anyone and his assertion (documented beautifully in The Evangelist of Golf) that No. 8 at Piping Rock is one of the finest Road examples is irrefutable. Piping Rock 8th hole - George Bahto collection Macdonald’s admiration for No. 17 at St. Andrews is best displayed in the title of his Road hole (No. 7) at the National Golf Links of America. Although the Old course gave us classic templates such as the Eden, Macdonald chose to name NGLA’s Road “St. Andrews.” This variant on the hole is a short par 5 (but, at 478 yards, it could work as a long par 4 for longer hitters). Although he doesn’t seek to emulate the blind tee shot at The Home of Golf, he does place a large waste area along the right corner of the dogleg; those who can carry the cape get the best look at the green for a potential eagle attempt. Those who choose to take the safe route get an easier passage to the green than at St. Andrews, with wide fairway landing areas. Although the original Road can make even pitches tough from the front, Macdonald did not crown his green to guide poor chips into the namesake bunker. This, and many Road holes to come, feature bunkers at the back of the green, in place of the title “road.” NGLA 7th hole - image courtesy of Jon Cavalier @LinksGems Many takes on the Road, particularly from Seth Raynor and Charles Banks, did not require a dogleg carry from the tee. Their most effective variants, such as the one at Long Island’s North Shore Country Club, still requires a test of skill (or power) from the tee. The best approach into this green will come from the plateau on the right of the fairway, while shots that fail to peak may roll leftward toward a sizable fairway bunker. The original Road is tough to green in its own right, but the North Shore version slopes from front to back, which makes stopping the ball at the correct spot on this deep green a nuisance. Tom Doak has proven especially keen on the Road concept among modern designers, and his version at Cape Kidnappers (No. 14 called “Pimple”) may be the most daring. The back tees come in at 348 yards, but those willing to tee it forward can make this a drivable variant of Road. The green is near identical to Road specifications, and its front is directly in line with the tees. That shot first requires carrying a chasm separating the tees from the fairway, as well as the pair of bunkers short of the green on the right side. Reaching the green demands a laser-guided shot, as any sort of fade will roll right down into the chasm. As with the debate between “Long Par 4” and “Short Par 5,” a drivable 4 lives up to the exciting matchplay requirements of a Road. Cape Kidnappers 14th hole - courtesy John Sabino MAYBE...MAYBE NOT Although Old Station Road runs alongside the original Road Hole, the holes most frequently mistaken for “Road” only include that element of the original. One such example is the closer at Royal Worlington & Newmarket, which is a reasonably misleading case. On one hand, the player must choose an appropriate line from the tee during this dogleg right, while avoiding the field on the right (in line with a true Road). The similarities end after that. No “Road” bunker exists, and Golf Links Road itself bisects the fairway about 40 yards short of the green. Although this could make for daring strategy from the tee (carry the dogleg 260 yards and bounce up to the green?), it is not a Road hole. Royal Worlington & Newmarket 9th hole - courtesy RW&N GC Although some Road holes prove themselves worthy without a dogleg, some are lacking. We’ll be as bold as to suggest that Macdonald’s No. 4 at St. Louis Country Club doesn’t meet his own demanding standards. We’re not bothered by the “Reverse Road” nature of the green, which opens at the front-left and travels back-right around the Road bunker, but we would argue there is not enough difficulty along the left fairway to punish those who fail in seeking out the best angle of approach. If these bunkers were to jut out more into the fairway and sit closer to each other, potentially creating a landing area where players must carry the first and stop short of the last, this would be an ideal solution. But the spirit of the original Road lies in it being one of the most intimidating holes in professional golf. St Louis CC 4th hole - image courtesy of Jon Cavalier @LinksGems The No. 2 hole at Lost Dunes in Michigan displays Doak again putting unique spin on classic concepts. As with Macdonald’s “St. Andrews,” Doak’s dogleg right involves carrying a large bunker complex at the corner to find the ideal angle into the green. There is no Road bunker, however. Rather, two large native mounds rise to block view of the back two-thirds of the green for those who are not in prime approach position. It’s possible that these hazards do too much to deter an attempt at the green, however. Although it is never wise to attack the Road Hole from the left, the option remains open. And, in the case of Ballesteros, glory awaits those who can pull off the heroic shot. Would Seve have taken the shot if he could not even see the green? Doak’s Lost Dunes innovation is an intriguing one, but perhaps goes a touch too far to be a true Road. Lost Dunes 2nd hole - courtesy Lost Dunes Golf Club
