Golfweek’s Best Municipal Courses

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May 8, 2013 | 10:47 p.m.

Golfweek’s Best: Municipal Courses (2013)

Bethpage Black could present problems for even the most skilled of golfers.

Location
Opened, Architect(s), Avg. rating


1. Bethpage State Park (Black)

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast - 8.03


2. Chambers Bay

University Place, Wash.

2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton - 7.66


3. Butterfield Trail

El Paso, Texas

2007, Tom Fazio - 6.46


4. Torrey Pines (South)

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell - 6.18


5. TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)

Scottsdale, Ariz.

1987, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf - 6.01


6. Arrowhead Pointe

Elberton, Ga.

2003, Robert Walker - 5.98


7. Highlands of Elgin

Elgin, Ill.

2010, Keith Foster, Art Schaupeter - 5.97


8. Pinon Hills

Farmington, N.M.

1990, Ken Dye - 5.97


9. Olympic Course at Gold Mountain

Bremerton, Wash.

1996, John Harbottle - 5.94


10. Indian Wells Golf Resort (Players)

Indian Wells, Calif.

2007, John Fought - 5.81


11. Wintonbury Hills

Bloomfield, Conn.

2003, Pete Dye, Tim Liddy - 5.78


12. TPC Harding Park

San Francisco

1925, Willie Watson - 5.77


13. Bowes Creek

Elgin, Ill.

2009, Rick Jacobson - 5.74


14. Soldier Hollow (Gold)

Midway, Utah

2004, Gene Bates - 5.74


15. Sleepy Hollow

Brecksville, Ohio

1925, Stanley Thompson - 5.70


16. Presidio

San Francisco

1921, Herbert Fowler, Tom Simpson - 5.70


17. Torrey ...

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May 24, 2012 | 9:24 p.m.

Golfweek’s Best: Municipal Courses (2011-12)

Bethpage State Park's Black Course is getting a new green on No. 15.
Golfweek Staff

Location
Opened, Architect(s)
Avg. rating


1. Bethpage State Park (Black)

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast

8.00


2. Chambers Bay

University Place, Wash.

2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton

7.76


3. Butterfield Trail

El Paso, Texas

2007, Tom Fazio

6.41


4. Pinon Hills 

Farmington, N.M.

1990, Ken Dye

6.28


5. Torrey Pines (South)

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell

6.21


6. TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)

Scottsdale, Ariz.

1987, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf

6.09


7. Highlands of Elgin

Elgin, Ill.

2010, Keith Foster, Art Schaupeter

5.99


8. Olympic Course at Gold Mountain

Bremerton, Wash.

1996, John Harbottle

5.95


9. Arrowhead Pointe

Elberton, Ga.

2003, Robert Walker

5.90


10. Memorial Park

Houston

1936, John Bredemus, Baxter Spann

5.88


11. Indian Wells Golf Resort (Players)

Indian Wells, Calif.

2007, John Fought

5.84


12. TPC Harding Park

San Francisco

1925, Willie Watson

5.80


13. Wintonbury Hills

Bloomfield, Conn.

2003, Pete Dye, Tim Liddy

5.74


14. Torrey Pines (North)

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell

5.73


15. Thunderhawk

Beach Park, Ill.

1999, Robert Trent Jones Jr.

5.68


16. Laurel Hill

Lorton, Va.

2005, Bill Love ...

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May 11, 2011 | 4:15 p.m.

Golfweek’s Best: Municipal Courses (2010-11)

No. 25 Desert Willow – Firecliff
Golfweek Staff

Year opened, designer(s), Rater's average


1. Bethpage State Park – Black

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast - 8.10


2. Chambers Bay

University Place, Wash.

2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton - 7.76


3. Butterfield Trail

El Paso, Texas

2007, Tom Fazio - 6.56


4. Piñon Hills

Farmington, N.M.

1990, Ken Dye - 6.24


5. Torrey Pines – South

La Jolla, Calif.

1957, William F. Bell - 6.21


6. TPC Scottsdale – Stadium

Scottsdale, Ariz.

1987, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf - 6.09


7. Arrowhead Pointe*

Elberton, Ga.

2003, Robert Walker - 5.90


8. Indian Wells Golf Resort – Players

Indian Wells, Calif.

2007, John Fought - 5.90


9. Highlands of Elgin*

Elgin, Ill.

2010, Keith Foster, Art Schaupeter - 5.86


10. Memorial Park

Houston

1936, John Bredemus; Baxter Spann (1996) - 5.85


11. Soldier Hollow – Gold

Midway, Utah

2004, Gene Bates - 5.83


12. Olympic Course at Gold Mountain

Bremerton, Wash.

1996, John Harbottle - 5.80


13. Laurel Hill

Lorton, Va.

2005, Bill Love - 5.78


14. Haggin Oaks – MacKenzie

Sacramento, Calif.

1932, Alister MacKenzie - 5.75


15. TPC Harding Park

San Francisco

1925, Willie Watson - 5.74


16. Wintonbury Hills

Bloomfield, Conn.

2003, Pete Dye, Tim Liddy - 5 ...

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May 11, 2011 | 3:36 p.m.

Talk of the towns

No. 1 Bethpage State Park – Black
Martin Kaufmann

Rankings list: Golfweek’s Best: Municipal Courses (2010-11)

Municipal Courses list looks a lot like last year’s list, with the top six courses remaining unchanged. 

Arrowhead Pointe crashed the party at No. 7. That eastern Georgia layout leads a list of nine courses that weren’t on last year’s list. The newcomers include Neshanic Valley, at No. 48, which returns after a year’s absence.

The Black Course at Bethpage State Park, which has hosted two U.S. Opens in the past nine years, remains a formidable force in the Golfweek’s Best rankings.

Aside from being No. 1 on the Municipal list, it’s No. 1 among public-access courses in New York, and No. 21 on the Classic (pre-1960) list.

The list includes two other major-championship sites: Chambers Bay, which hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur and is scheduled to host the 2015 U.S. Open; and Torrey Pines – South, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open.

Municipal golf historically has been positioned as a low-cost, no-frills alternative to privately operated courses. That’s changed in recent years. Twenty-eight of the 50 courses were built since 1995, and many of those are positioned in the marketplace as ...

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May 6, 2010 | 9:36 a.m.

Marvelous munis

Butterfield Trail, No. 3 in Golfweek's Best Muni Courses 2010
Martin Kaufmann


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It will come as a surprise to no one that the Black Course at Bethpage State Park once again occupies the top spot on Golfweek’s Best Municipal Courses list for 2009-10. The A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece, which Rees Jones buffed up a decade ago, last year played host to its second U.S. Open in seven years.

The runner-up to the Black again this year is Chambers Bay, the University Place, Wash., links that will play host to the U.S. Amateur this summer.

What might come as a surprise is the strong debut by Butterfield Trail, a Tom Fazio design near the El Paso, Texas, airport that supplanted Torrey Pines’ South Course, another U.S. Open venue, at No. 3. Torrey Pines, in fact, this year got bumped two spots to No. 5, one notch below Piñon Hills, a 20-year-old Ken Dye design that put tiny Farmington, N.M., on the golf map.

Butterfield Trail is one of three newcomers to this list, joining Washington County Golf Course (No. 35) in Hartford, Wis., and Ol’ Colony (No. 49) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

One of the things that is striking about this ...

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May 6, 2010 | 9:32 a.m.

2010 Golfweek’s Best Municipal Courses

Golfweek’s Best: Municipal Courses (2009-2010)


1. Bethpage State Park (Black) 8.07

Farmingdale, N.Y.

1935, A.W. Tillinghast; Rees Jones (1998)


2. Chambers Bay 7.61

University Place, Wash.

2007, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton


3. Butterfield Trail* 6.33

El Paso, Texas

2007, Tom Fazio


4. Piñon Hills 6.18

Farmington, N.M.

1990, Ken Dye


5. Torrey Pines (South) 6.18

San Diego

1957, William F. Bell


6. TPC Scottsdale (Stadium) 6.13

Scottsdale, Ariz.

1987, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskopf


7. Indian Wells Golf Resort (Players) 5.95

Indian Wells, Calif.

2007, John Fought


8. Memorial Park 5.88

Houston

1936, John Bredemus; Baxter Spann (1996)


9. Olympic Course at Gold Mountain 5.83

Bremerton, Wash.

1996, John Harbottle


10. Harding Park 5.83

San Francisco

1925, Willie Watson


11. Wintonbury Hills 5.72

Bloomfield, Conn.

2003, Pete Dye, Tim Liddy


12. Thunderhawk 5.71

Beach Park, Ill.

1999, Robert Trent Jones Jr.


13. Shepherd’s Crook 5.70

Zion, Ill

1999, Keith Foster


14. Laurel Hill 5.67

Lorton, Va.

2005, Bill Love


15. Torrey Pines (North) 5.66

San Diego

1957, William F. Bell


16. Indian Wells Golf Resort (Celebrity) 5.63

Indian ...

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May 8, 2009 | 1:58 p.m.

2009 Golfweek’s Best Municipal Courses