Wilmington (South)

US South Atlantic Division Best in State Rankings 2020 Four months after embarking on our Best in State revisions with a survey of the Pacific Division, we’ve reached the other side of the country. After reviewing eight states in the South Atlantic Division – Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia – we’ll head north along the eastern seaboard in our final two editions until all the remaining states have been re-appraised. But first, we reassess the standings in the southwest portion of the country, in an area extending to almost 300,000 square miles with a population of more than sixty million people. Sixteen courses are listed in our US Top 100 (and six of these make the cut in our World Top 100) so it’s obviously a very strong golfing region which has prompted us to add another 35 layouts, bringing the total number of South Atlantic courses in our rankings up to 440. We start our latest re-evaluation process in Delaware, the second smallest state in the United States. Delaware The 18-hole Bidermann layout at Winterthur replaced the South course at Wilmington Country Club as the state No. 1 two years ago and it holds onto that position in the new chart. Redesigned in the mid-1960s by Dick Wilson, who added nine holes to the original nine set out by Devereux Emmet in Henry Du Pont’s private estate forty years earlier, the course also operates as the golfing retreat for members of Vicmead Hunt Club, which amalgamated with Bidermann to form the one sporting club in 1977. Bidermann Golf Course Two miles southwest of Bidermann, as the crow flies sits the course at Fieldstone Golf Club, rising three places in our listings to #3. Designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry when they were working together in the late 1980s, this layout occupies a rolling property imbued with plenty of movement across a landscape that’s dotted with old rock walls and stone ruins, many of which were incorporated into the design. Fieldstone Golf Club Rank/ Click the link to see full details of our latest Delaware Best in State rankings Florida The top six courses in the Florida Top 100 – all of them residing in our US Top 100 – stay in the same place, so the No. 1 course in the Sunshine State continues to be the old layout at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach. Host venue for the Walker Cup next year, this 1920s Donald Ross design has been renovated several times since then, most notably by Brian Silva then Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw in recent years. Seminole Golf Club Regular contributor Mark White told us earlier this year: “Seminole is brilliant in its routing, taking advantage of the high dune ridge on the far side of the course and a smaller ridge nearer the beach. Much like Muirfield, it moves in all directions… the greens have slopes, tilts and a few mounds. They are not overly undulated and often break less than one sees from a closer putt, but often break more than one sees from a lengthy putt… most of the fairway bunkers offer an excellent chance to reach one’s target however greenside bunkers can be very deep.” There are 12 new entries for Florida and the highest of these, arriving at #30, is The Moorings at Hawk’s Nest in Vero Beach. Described by our correspondent Marc Bender as “the best course in Florida I had never heard of,” it’s a Jim Fazio design that opened for play in the mid-1980s, one of two 18-hole courses operated by the Moorings Yacht & Country Club close to the Intracoastal Waterway on the eastern seaboard. The Moorings at Hawk's Nest Marc continues: “I was shocked at what a solid and balanced test of golf this wonderful course represents… the elevation changes and use of the land is excellent [and] the green complexes are perfectly fitting for the length and difficulty of the holes… the bunkering and use of coquina areas create great playability, even if you spray the ball a bit on the course.” The biggest climber in our Floridian standings is the course at High Ridge Country Club in Lantana, soaring an incredible forty-five places to #37. It’s a late 1970s tree-lined layout from Joe Lee which underwent an extensive renovation in 2001 and then a complete redesign in 2010 by Jupiter-based Kipp Schulties, who built new greens, cleared acres of vegetation, added length to the course with new tees, along with introducing new sandy waste areas and renovating bunkers. High Ridge Country Club Click the link to see full details of our latest Florida Best in State rankings Georgia The course at Augusta National Golf Club retains its No. 1 status in the state of Georgia, a position it’s held since we started our Best in State rankings in 2012. Home to one of golf’s four majors, the invitational Masters Tournament, it was rather surreal to see the course staging a more subdued autumnal version of the event without spectators just the other week, following the early season postponement of the competition due to the current covid crisis. Augusta National Golf Club The aforementioned Mark White sent us this a few months ago, after he’d finally got his invitation to play here: “some people criticize Augusta National for its changes such as adding length, trees, and even a short first cut. None of these changes have diminished the choices that one must make on the course. It remains a course of strategy due to the greens. This is a golf course that one starts at the green position and tries to work their way back to the tee to determine the side of the fairway they want to play to as well as where they want to land their ball on the green.” The highest of fourteen new Georgian entries is the Gil Hanse-designed layout at Ohoopee Match Club in rural Tattnall County which crashes into the chart close to the summit at #3. Built on part of an estate once used for onion production, this new development features a total of twenty-two holes that can be grouped together to form anything from a 5,610-yard par 69 fun track to a 7,319-yard par 72 championship-style beast. Ohoopee Match Club Our US Correspondent Fergal O’Leary visited last year and was enthused by what he found: “The simplicity and natural presentation of the course is the epitome of minimalism. The teeing grounds have no signs or markers, just some subtle platforms to tee off. The scorecard has par 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 holes, which further highlights how ‘par’ is just a concept and nobody cares what you shot – it’s all about winning your match! Hence one of the underlying philosophies of the club’s existence is to facilitate match play.” The most impressive move upwards is made by the Plantation course at the Sea Island Resort on St Simons Island, advancing twelve rungs on the ladder to #19. This is a track dating back almost a hundred years, to when Walter Travis first laid out nine of the holes. Dick Wilson then added another nine in the 1960s before Rees Jones completed a renovation in the late 1990s. Davis Love and his brother Mark have recently carried out another significant upgrade, with the results of their endeavors clearly apparent to those watching the RSM Classic last week on television, when the first two rounds of this PGA Tour event were shared between the Plantation and Seaside courses. Sea Island Plantation course Click the link to see full details of our latest Georgia Best in State rankings Maryland The leading five courses in the Maryland listings stay as they are, meaning the East course at Baltimore Country Club (better known as Five Farms) is still top of the pile in the Old Line State. This layout, opened in 1926, has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments down the years, the most recent of which was the Senior Players Championship from 2007 to 2009. Keith Foster was called in a few years ago to conduct a restoration of this A.W. Tillinghast classic, softening some of the greens in the process, but they’re “still treacherous after the changes” according to Tom Doak. Baltimore Country Club East Course The only new chart entry comes in at #17 and it’s the Herbert Strong-designed course at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville, which plays to an unconventional par of 73, featuring four par fives on the inward half. With seven creek crossings, this is a demanding track that has largely flown under the golfing radar of many for a long time now. Ed Ault revised the course a couple of times in the 1960s and 70s, but perhaps a revision by another architect might now be in order to address the back nine par ratings? Woodholme Country Club Moving six positions up the table to #23 (only two spots lower than it was back in 2014), Eagle’s Landing Golf Course near Ocean City is a Michael Hurdzan design from the early 1990s that weaves around the salt marshes bordering Sinepuxent Bay and Assateague Island. Regular contributor M. James Ward commented last year: “there’s enough hole variation to keep one’s interest front and center. Yes, there are some pedestrian holes – mainly on the par threes – however Eagle’s Landing proves this bird can certainly fly.” Click the link to see full details of our latest Maryland Best in State rankings North Carolina We’ve expanded our North Carolina rankings so it now becomes the fourth state – after California, Florida and Texas – to feature a Top 100. The status quo applies to the top three positions in the new chart so Donald Ross’s No.2 course at the Pinehurst Resort maintains its No. 1 billing. The USGA recently announced its intention to establish a new equipment-testing facility, museum/visitor center and office at Pinehurst by 2023, declaring the resort as its first “Anchor Site” and awarding it the hosting rights for five US Open Championships between 2024 and 2047. Pinehurst No. 2 Course Peter Wood, another of our regular reviewers, remarked a few months ago: “the course now looks and feels like Ross had imagined it. And it is a terrific test of golf, with the main defense being the beautifully groomed crowned greens. A shot just feet from your target can trickle off the green in positions that test even the best of short games… you have to be very good to hit approach shots accurately enough to keep hitting and staying on greens, and very, very good to recover when you inevitably miss a green.” Rocketing twenty-two places upwards into the top half of the table at #49, the Nicklaus course at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington comprises two nines (Marsh and Ocean) which were introduced in 1990 plus a further nine holes (Pines) added in 2001. Fairways are routed discreetly around a substantial residential development, bordered on one side by the Intracoastal Highway, at a 45-hole facility that also boasts an 18-hole Pete Dye track. Jefferson Landing The foremost of a raft of new entries is the 18-hole layout at Jefferson Landing, which now arrives at #58. Built in the early 1990s, the course was recently renovated by Kris Spence, who refurbished the bunkers, replaced the tees, upgraded the fairways and reworked the green surrounds in a major revamp that matched a multi-million dollar update of the clubhouse, lodge and other accommodations. Click the link to see full details of our latest North Carolina Best in State rankings South Carolina The Ocean course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort is still our No.1 in South Carolina. Best remembered for the infamous “War on the Shore” Ryder Cup matches in 1991, the course came to national prominence again when it hosted the PGA Championship in 2012 and it’s due to stage the 103rd edition of this event next year. Co-designed by Pete and Alice Dye, the Ocean course is renowned as a tough track, and that’s even the case before the breezy Atlantic winds begin to blow. Kiawah Island Ocean Course A reviewer summarized his playing experience a few months back by writing: “the clubhouse is wonderful with lots of Ryder Cup memorabilia… the staff are extremely welcoming and breakfast on the balcony overlooking the 18th was superb… if you are not a pro do not play from the back tees [as] I guarantee you will not enjoy your round… we are all single figure [handicap] golfers and played off the 6,475-yard tees which were a great test but still offered birdie chances.” The most significant progress in the new listings is made by the course at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, rising nine spots from where it entered the chart two years ago to our new #3 position. Described in a post at the end of last year as “pristine and first class,” with “not enough superlatives to describe the facilities, the service (and) the beauty” of the place, Congaree is one of Tom Fazio’s best designs, bracketed with the likes of Estancia Club, Shadow Creek and Wade Hampton. Expect to hear a lot more about it in times to come. Congaree Golf Club There are only two new entries for South Carolina and the first of these is Old South Golf Links in Bluffton at #42, which Clyde Johnson designed in the 1990s. Our rater Adam Tomasiello summed things up here rather well: “Old South features thought-provoking and varied architecture, is priced affordably, and, most importantly, keenly and uniquely highlights the environs, without having to play through neighborhoods. As if this feat were not impressive enough, Old South allows players to experience three unique natural settings: open parkland pasture, live oak marine forest, and intra-coastal waterways all come into play throughout the round.” Old South Golf Links Click the link to see full details of our latest South Carolina Best in State rankings Virginia The Old Dominion chart has a new No. 1, with the course at The Olde Farm in Bristol moving up one place from the runner-up slot to take over at the top. Set out by Bobby Weed in 2000, the course is rated his best solo design by Tom Doak, who worked with Weed when he was starting out in the business at Long Cove on Hilton Head Island forty years ago. It’s a minimalist, lie-of-the-land layout which brings Sinking Creek into play on several holes, with one or two semi-blind shots thrown into the mix along the way. The Olde Farm A review posted three months ago had this to say about the course: “this continues to be the standard that I rank courses by. Due to its small membership and exclusivity it gets little play. The practice facility is outstanding with its spacious range and wooden baskets full of range balls. The clubhouse is small and quaint and the staff first class. The three times I have been fortunate to play The Olde Farm it has been in perfect shape… if you ever get the invite to play DO NOT pass it up. If you do, contact me and I will take your place.” The highest entry from four chart newcomers is the course at Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, appearing at #7. Founded in 1894, the club became only the ninth to join the USGA after it was formed the same year. Donald Ross redesigned the club’s original course before Howard Toomey and William Flynn reworked the layout when additional land was acquired in 1919. Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design company has just completed a remarkable renovation of the course, bringing it into the future by winding the clock back a hundred years to the club’s Golden Age roots. Washington Golf & Country Club The most noteworthy move in the new chart is made by the Birdwood Golf Course at the Boar’s Head Resort outside Charlottesville, which is up seventeen places to #26. Home course for the men’s and women’s golf teams at the University of Virginia, Birdwood has only re-opened after a major upgrade by Davis Love III to offer bent grass greens, rough seeded with blue grass and fescues, and some new holes on new land; all of these components combining to give the layout a different look and feel. Birdwood Golf Course Click the link to see full details of our latest Virginia Best in State rankings West Virginia The course at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport heads our West Virginia chart for the 5th successive edition of these state rankings. Built on a former coal mine in the hill country of Harrison County, it was naturally going to be called something like “Coal Ridge” until the family developing the site obviously thought there was more marketing benefit to be gained from naming the layout after its illustrious architect. Pete Dye Golf Club Reviewers in the last few months commented: “the mining heritage of the club’s property and past ownership is celebrated throughout… Pete Dye (the club) is a visual feast, and quite a golf course to boot… (the course) works extremely well because Pete Dye himself did not opt to throw everything into the mix. West Virginia carries the State slogan of ‘Wild Wonderful’ – that’s entirely appropriate for this engaging and memorable layout.” A new entry at #8 is the course at Guyan Golf & Country Club near Huntington, where Herbert Strong set out eighteen holes for the members in 1922. The club hosted the US Girls’ Junior championship in 1977 but it’s probably best known as the home club of Bill Campbell, one of the finest amateur golfers to ever play the game. Bill, who won both the US Amateur and US Senior Amateur titles, as well as participating in eight Walker Cups, also held the office of USGA president then captain of the R&A during the 1980s. Guyan Golf & Country Club The Woodhaven course at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels (up three to #9) eases into the West Virginian Top 10 for the first time. The last of three highly-regarded 18-hole layouts to be developed at this resort in 2010, the Woodhaven has quickly evolved into the most engaging, and certainly the most difficult, of this trio of courses. It was laid out by Tom Clark, who did an incredible job considering the budget was pared back after construction started, which meant the course had to be completely seeded, greens downsized and cart paths narrowed, in addition to carrying out cutbacks on drainage and irrigation lines. Click the link to see full details of our latest West Virginia Best in State rankings Next up, the three Mid-Atlantic Division states of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

US South Atlantic Division Best in State Rankings 2018 Our Best in State biennial re-ranking exercise for the United States of America reaches the halfway stage with this news release for the eight South Atlantic states of Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. In this revision, we’ve expanded four of those state charts so there are now four hundred and five different courses featured across this geographical region, almost double the number listed in our inaugural 2012 state listings three editions ago. In the last few months, we’ve processed the Pacific, Mountain, East South Central and West South Central Divisions and, before the summer is over, we’ll have updated the standings for states in West and East North Central, the Mid-Atlantic and New England Divisions. But first to matters in hand and The South Atlantic region which has seventeen courses currently occupying positions in our US Top 100, making it one of the nation’s strongest golfing territories. We start in Delaware, the second smallest state in the USA with a population of around one million. Delaware Located an hour’s drive north of Dover, the state capital, lies the small town of Greenville in New Castle County, where the Bidermann course displaces Wilmington's South course as the number 1 golfing layout in our First State rankings. Redesigned by Dick Wilson in the mid-1960s, the Bidermann course sees less than ten thousand rounds played on it during the year, hence there’s no need to allocate tee times for a membership numbering fewer than three hundred. The only new entry in the state chart arrives at number 14 and it’s a mid-1980s design from Algie M. Pulley at Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club near Bethany Beach which has recently had its fairways and approach areas successfully converted to Latitude 36 bermuda grass. The club has also increased the size of its short game practice area, allowing more players to hone their chipping and putting skills. Rank/ Click this link to see full details of our 2018 Delaware Best in State courses. Florida The Sunshine State is a golfing powerhouse, with the top half dozen tracks in Florida also ranked nationally. The state Top 100 is headed by the Donald Ross-designed course at Seminole in Juno Beach, where two of our well-travelled correspondents paid a visit last year. Javier Pintos, our Argentina correspondent, called it both “special” and “charming” with David Davis, our International Correspondent declaring it “one of the best routed and most interesting courses in the world”. The two older, more established tracks at Streamsong, the Red and the Blue, ease up one place in the new table to number 3 and number 4 but it’s the Gil Hanse-designed Black course (the first of nine new entries at number 6) that’s causing a stir since it opened last year. Our US Consultant Fergal O’Leary has played the course, calling it a “gigantic piece of golf minimalism of enormous scale (where) fairways, waste areas and greens are amongst the biggest I’ve seen… the sheer scale of the property is a lot to comprehend”. Two other tracks make impressive upward moves in the upper echelons of the new state listings and they’re situated right next door to each other in Hobe Sound. Tom Fazio’s 18-hole design at McArthur Golf Club enters the Top 10 for the first time with a seven-place rise to number 9 and Bobby Weed’s recent renovation of the Medalist Golf Club course leads to a Top 20 debut after a climb of six places to number 18. Michael Jordan is currently building a new course near Hobe Sound called Grove XXIII, paying homage to the number 23 he wore for most of his basketball career. Tom Doak was considered for the project, but the NBA legend selected Bobby Weed who will stay on site to supervise the design process which is due to complete in 2019. We expect Grove XXIII to feature prominently in our 2020 Florida rankings. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 Florida Best in State courses. Georgia Still the number one track in the Peach State standings, Augusta National Golf Club is regarded by many as an elusive golfing shrine, the one place – apart from the Old course at St Andrews – they would most like to play, given the chance, which is a lot easier said than done because invitations are very few and far between. Some might say its lavish conditioning represents much of what’s wrong with golf in the modern era but we’re sure such critics will be glued to their television for four days when the Masters tournament comes around every April. On the southeast perimeter of the course, across the other side of Rae’s Creek, lies Augusta Country Club (up five to number 8) which was formed in 1897, way before its more famous near neighbour was ever thought about. Once a 36-hole facility, the club now operates an 18-hole layout (formerly called the Hill) that was redesigned by Donald Ross in 1927. Brian Silva carried out a remarkable restoration here early in the new millennium and this work is only now being fully appreciated. The Crabapple course at Capital City Club (at number 17) is the highest of ten new Georgian entries as we extend the state chart to a Top 50. A Tom Fazio design from 2002, the course sits on a property some twenty-two miles north of the club’s other 18-hole Brookhaven course, located next to Atlanta National Golf Club in Milton. The Crabapple made a big impact the year after opening when it hosted the 2003 WGC-American Express Championship which Tiger Woods won by two strokes from three other players. We are keeping a watchful eye on Gil Hanse's new layout at Ohoopee Match Club, which is due to open later this year on land formerly used for growing onions – it's sure to make a bold statement in our 2020 rankings. According to Hanse, who was interviewed by Golf Course Architecture; “the course is going to be a ton of fun to play, and owner Michael Walrath founded the club to foster the experience of match play. We have tried to design a course that will feature a lot of half par holes and some expansive hazards. The sandy site is conducive to that and we are excited about what we have cooked up.” Click this link to see full details of our 2018 Georgia Best in State courses. Maryland The top three places in the Old Line State listings remain the same as last time so the East course at Baltimore Country Club is still the state number 1. Laid out by A. W. Tillinghast in 1926, the course – known locally as Five Farms – has hosted many prestigious amateur and professional events, including the 1928 PGA Championship, the 1932 US Amateur, the 1965 Walker Cup and the 1988 US Women’s Open. Keith Foster completed a well-received restoration of the course in 2015, reviving much of the original design intent. The first of three new entries appears at number 15 and it’s The Links at Perry Cabin near St Michael’s in Talbot County. The course was originally built by Andy Dye in the 1960s but it fell on hard times and closed in 2015. The rebuilt layout is another Dye family production and this time it’s a collaboration between P.B. Dye and his parents Pete and Alice Dye, featuring a brilliant Biarritz green on the par three 7th and an iconic island green on the par three 17th. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 Maryland Best in State courses. North Carolina The fabled No.2 course at the Pinehurst Resort in Moore County sits atop our chart for the Tar Heel State, which we’ve now increased in size to a Top 75. Designed by Donald Ross in 1907, the layout was tweaked on an almost continual basis by the old master right up until he died in 1948, and Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s recent renovation has breathed new life into an old golfing masterpiece that certainly looked at its very best during both the US Open and US Women’s Open in 2014. Regular contributor M. James Ward had this to say about the course last year: “Pinehurst #2 is one of those few ‘must’ plays for the architectural cognoscenti. If one can secure permission, it pays to walk the course prior to any round and really see the manner in which the ‘small details’ all add up… #2 is number one in my book for any design student to view first hand. If the opportunity allows to play enough rounds the discerning elements will only add to your enjoyment in playing this iconic layout.” Another couple of Donald Ross tracks enter the Top 10: Roaring Gap Club thunders up the listings from number 12 to number 6 and Mid Pines Club advances nine places to number 8. Our aforementioned raters Fergal O’Leary and David Davis visited Roaring Gap independently not so long ago and they mentioned there was “plenty of charm about this massively underrated course” located on “a great and interesting property” whilst another of our top reviewers, Richard Smith, played Mid Pines Club just a few weeks ago, when he said: “In Contrast to modern designs, which seek to intimidate the golfer while actually allowing for quite a bit of room for most shots, designer Donald Ross accomplished the opposite here. Relatively benign and open holes actually require very precise placement to play the hole properly.” The highest new entry at number 23 is the Elk River Club in Avery County, positioned at an altitude of 3,500 feet above sea level in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the ski resorts of Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain. Despite the fabulous mountain scenery that surrounds the layout, the fairways actually occupy quite flat terrain and the course had the distinction in 1984 of being the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Course to open in North Carolina. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 North Carolina Best in State courses. South Carolina The Palmetto State has had another handful of courses added to its ranking chart so we now highlight the Top 80 layouts in South Carolina. The Ocean course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort retains its status as the number 1 course in the state and many consider it to be one of Pete Dye’s best designs. Opened just in time to host the 29th edition of Ryder Cup matches in 1991, the Ocean course is one of five 18-hole layouts within a fabulous resort that offers ninety holes of championship golf in a stunning location overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Three courses make noteworthy progress inside the new table’s Top 10 positions. At number 4 (up three places) there’s the Robert Trent Jones Snr-designed layout at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, site of the US Women’s Open in 1962, which has been providing a stiff test for golfers since it first opened in 1948. Hard on its heels at number 5 (up six spots) comes the much-revered (and much-revised) layout at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, where many top architects – Gil Hanse the latest – have had a hand restoring the course back to its 1895 origins. And at number 7 (up six places), the course at Chechessee Creek Club near Okatie is a Coore & Crenshaw design – described by one reviewer as “a tour through nature” – that’s adopted a rather low profile since it debuted in 2000. The highest newcomer on the South Carolina chart emerges at a very commendable number 12 and it’s the result of a philanthropic project developed between the small settlements of Ridgeland and Grays in Jasper County by a couple of high-end private golf club owners in The Carolinas. The course at Congaree Golf Club is a Tom Fazio layout set within a vast site that was once nothing other than a rice plantation and the architect has routed the fairways around an old plantation house, stables and courtyard, affording a painstakingly preserved 19th century ambiance equivalent to, as one recent reviewer wrote, being “invited behind the curtains to witness a land where time has no meaning”. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 South Carolina Best in State courses. Virginia We’ve added another ten courses to the Old Dominion chart to form a state Top 50 which is still led by the Kinloch Golf Club in Goochland County at number 1. Designed by architect Lester George in conjunction with Vinnie Giles, the US Amateur champion in 1972 (who also won the British equivalent three years later), the course exhibits something of a split personality as the front nine is routed through forested terrain with the back nine laid out around an enormous 70-acre lake. The most significant leap up the listings is made by the newly upgraded 18-hole layout in Albemarle County called Full Cry at Keswick Hall, soaring eighteen places to number 7. The original course dates back to 1949 though Arnold Palmer upgraded this layout in the early 1990s. When the property changed hands in 2012, Pete Dye was called in to redesign the course and he’s added more than a thousand yards to the length while simultaneously changing the par on more than half the holes. The new entry to make the biggest impression in this chart is Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg (new at number 14) where Willie Park Jnr arrived in 1922 to set out a course for the club which Fred Findlay eventually completed seven years later. Modifications have been made since then, of course, most appreciably in 1964 when holes were re-sequenced due to the construction of a swimming pool and in 1981 when Rees Jones carried out some work. Donald Ross and William Flynn's historic legacies at Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington are currently being renovated as is Mike Stranz's layout at Royal New Kent. It remains to be seen where these rejuvenated courses will land in our 2020 rankings. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 Virginia Best in State courses. West Virginia The courses in the top five positons in the Mountain State chart remain as they were before this latest reappraisal took place which means the 18-hole layout at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport remains in the number 1 slot. Situated in the hill country of Harrison County, the course is laid out on the site of an old coal mine so there are various reminders of the property’s former use dotted around the layout. Opened in 1994, it actually took all of sixteen years to get the project off the drawing board and into play! The only West Virginian new entry is the Woodhaven course at Glade Springs in Raleigh County, replacing the Greenbriar course at the Greenbriar Resort which is currently closed for reconstruction by Phil Mickelson’s design firm. The Tom Clark-designed Woodhaven is the toughest of the three 18-hole layouts at a fabulous 54-hole resort in Daniels, due to the undulating, forested nature of the terrain that the course is set out on. Click this link to see full details of our 2018 West Virginia Best in State courses. We’re always happy to receive feedback when we update our US Best in State charts so feel free to let us know what you think of these eight listings. Is there perhaps a course that shouldn’t have made the cut or maybe there’s another which is due a position in one of the state tables? Whatever you’re thinking, please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of this page to share your thoughts with us. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Rollout of US Best In State Rankings Continues Twelve more Best In State rankings completed as Top 100 Golf Courses US state rollout continues 12th March 2012 This the second update on the continued rollout of the US Best In State rankings. Twelve further US states now join the original eight (as detailed in our earlier news item) bringing the total up to twenty completed states. To find out more about our Best in State rankings please navigate to our dedicated US state pages by clicking on the following links for the twelve latest states added to the Top 100 website: Connecticut Best In State Golf Courses (Top 15) Delaware Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Georgia Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) Maryland Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Massachusetts Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) New Jersey Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) New Mexico Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Oregon Best In State Golf Courses (Top 20) Rhode Island Best In State Golf Courses (Top 10) Texas Best In State Golf Courses (Top 40) Virginia Best In State Golf Courses (Top 25) Washington Best In State Golf Courses (Top 15) The Top 100 Team If you are passionate about your home state’s golf courses and would like to help us further develop this initiative, then please send an email to info@top100golfcourses.com. We’d love to hear from you.