The new kids
The Old MacDonald course in Bandon, Ore.
The annual list of Golfweek’s Best New Courses isn’t the biggest list we publish, but it might be the one that provides the best barometer of the golf industry and the broader economy.
Only a few years ago, scores of courses merited consideration for this list. These days, as the development pipeline has slowed to a trickle, we have far fewer candidates from which to choose. That’s reflected in the size of this list: A year ago, we capped it at 40 courses; this year, it’s 25.
This dynamic is forcing course architects to spend more time chasing business in less-developed golf markets, particularly across Asia. Still, we continue to see some very good – and occasionally transcendent – work being done in the U.S.
That’s best reflected by the top two courses on this list, Old Macdonald and Patriot Golf Club, which debuted earlier this year at Nos. 3 and 48, respectively, on Golfweek’s ...
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2006: Starting on top of the heap
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2005: America's Best - Recent designs offer worthy impressions
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2005: Orlando - North end a practical, peaceful locale
Even in peak season (January-April), golf on the North side barely ranges north of $110.
2002: A golf playland in the Georgia hills
Lake Oconee is now being trumpeted as a “golfer’s paradise,” a dream destination.
2001: Newcomer Kinloch a welcome throwback
Old Dominion has a newcomer on its hands that’s already being talked about – rightly, in this reviewer’s judgment – as the state’s best course.
