Pinehurst (.)

Top Rank: Golf Magazine Smiles on Carolina Courses

By Shane Sharp,
Contributor

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Since Golf Magazine began ranking the “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” back in 1996 (and every two years hence), the Carolinas have been well represented in this working man’s guide to the best public and resort courses in the U.S.

The 2002 list just hit the streets, and the Tar Heel and Sandlapper states account for 11 of the 100 venues. Not too shabby, but also what one might expect from a region that is home to “Golf Town U.S.A. (Myrtle Beach), the “Home of American Golf” (Pinehurst Resort), and the omnipresent Harbour Town Lighthouse (Hilton Head).

The Sandhills dominated among Carolina regions by placing four courses in the Top 100. Pinehurst Resort's famed No. 2 Course came in at No.4, down two spots from 2000. Bucolic Pine Needles vaulted from 35th in 2002 to No. 28, continuing its steady march up the charts since breaking in at No. 96 in 1996. Pinehurst No. 4, redesigned by Tom Fazio, debuted at No. 63, and Pinehurst No. 8 slipped 16 spots to No. 79.

The Grand Strand was represented by its usual triumvirate of courses: Caledonia at No. 32, the Dunes Club at 36, and Tidewater at 85. Few courses in the Top 100 You Can Play have had as mercurial a trip as Tidewater. The Ken Tomlinson designed layout on the Intracoastal Waterway in Cherry Grove Beach debuted in 1996 at No. 62, shot up to 39 in 1998, slipped to 47 in 2000, and is now in danger of falling out of the rankings all together.

From the department of redundancy department, the Ocean Course at Kiawah and Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head held steady at No.'s 12 and 13, respectively. The two Pete Dye designed stalwarts rarely deviate more than one or two slots every two years - a testament to the staying power of their designs.

The Links Course at Wild Dunes Resort outside of Charleston, S.C. landed in the rankings for perhaps the last time. The course that once launched Fazio's star in 1980 has slipped from 23rd in 1996 to 93rd in 2002. The final Carolinas course on the list was the lone representative from North Carolina's esteemed mountain layouts, the Linville Golf Club at No. 38. The classic Donald Ross designed course opened in 1924, and debuted in 1996 at No. 45.

Golf Magazine senior editor Brian McCallen refers to the last three years of the century as the Golden Age of public golf. And rightfully so, as 24 new courses made their way on to the list this time around. Pinehurst Resort's No. 7 Course and Pinehurst Plantation are two Carolinas courses that have fallen out of the rankings over the past eight years. The former, however, could reappear following an eminent remodeling by Rees Jones.

The Elevator: Our Take on the Rankings

What is going on at Wild Dunes? Dropping 70 spots in eight years is no small feat. Did the folks at Wild Dunes offend some industry pundit? Did the 24 new courses on the list this year simply knock the wind from its resort golf sails? Probably not. When Wild Dunes opened the Links Course in 1980, billboards were erected throughout the Holy City announcing the arrival of the “world renowned architect Tom Fazio.” Twenty years ago, Tom was not nearly as well known as his uncle, George, but Wild Dunes’ owners had a marketing strategy, and it worked.

And part of the strategy was inundating readers and editors of Golf Digest and Golf Magazine with advertisements for the resort. In other words, Wild Dunes said its Links Course was one of the best resort facilities in the country, and industry experts took them at their word. Over time, more and more writers and critics made their way to the resort, only to find that a) Wild Dunes is an impressive resort course with a solid set of finishing holes, but b) is not the 23rd best course you can play. Call it a reckoning, if you will.

No. 2 falls from No. 2 … is there reason to panic in Pinehurst? Er, no. Ross’ masterpiece is still the same tightly woven design punctuated by turtleback greens it has always been, though a playing last spring by GolfCarolina.com revealed less than perfect course conditions. As for the two spot free fall … what’s a course to do when a track like Tom Doak’s Pacific Dunes comes along, and Rees Jones pulls off a remarkable face lift at Bethpage that had the PGA boys salivating.

Prediction: look for host course No. 2 to climb back into the No. 3 spot as the 2005 U.S. Open approaches. As for Pacific Dunes, if you’ve even glimpsed the course in a magazine, you know its there to stay. More from Pinehurst … the No. 7 course could return to the list after Rees Jones works his magic, but for now, No. 4 is a capable pinch hitter. Tom Fazio not only remodeled the Ross original, he redesigned a number of holes to stretch the course to almost 7,000 yards. The result? For our money, it’s the best course (gasp) at the resort.

Sizing up the Grand Strand rankings Golf Magazine’s rankings have been incredibly accurate in tracking the on-again, off-again lifestyle of the Tidewater Golf Club. When Tidewater first opened in 1989, it was a daring example of how bentgrass greens could flourish in the hot, humid southeast. Moreover, the course was built on the last, great piece of property in the Grand Strand. Deservedly, Tidewater peaked at No. 39 in the 1998 rankings after it was outfit with new A-1 bentgrass greens. Just three years later, a lack of rain, a lack of tender loving care, or whatever “lack of” you want to chalk it up to, led to the demise of the famous putting surfaces.

Much to the chagrin of architect Ken Tomlinson (who according to our sources was beyond livid), the course’s ownership and management ripped out the bentgrass and installed TifEagle Bermuda greens in July.

Unless Tidewater experiences a Bermuda grass Renaissance in the next two years, it is in danger of falling out of the rankings entirely. The Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (at left), darling of the local media, continues to hold steady in the low 30's. Credit goes to the staff, both maintenance and marketing, because you'd be hard pressed to find a blade of grass out of place at this Mike Strantz designed museum of a golf course. The Dunes Club, the Robert Trent Jones designed course that put Myrtle Beach on the golfing map over 40 years ago, is still doing pretty good for itself based on reputation. But as more Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits and Cuscowilla's surface, look for the venerable layout to drop off dramatically. Looking for a new Myrtle Beach dog in the race for 2004? Golf Magazine named the Grande Dunes Golf Course designed by Roger Rulewich as a "Top Ten You Can Play" for 2001, and its back nine along the Intracoastal Waterway is strong enough to cast it for consideration.

Harbour Town, the Ocean Course, are the Dick Clark's of the Carolinas These two controversial Pete Dye designs are as steady as Tiger Wood's hands during a clutch putt, as both hover around the No. 10 to No. 13 range every two years. What's their secret? For one, each is recognized as a benchmark in golf course design. Harbour Town Golf Links is often credited with ushering in the age of modern target golf, and the Ocean Course at Kiawah is regarded as one of the few, great American seaside links courses. But the courses also get pumped up rep's because they host professional golf events. Harbour Town has been home to the Heritage of Golf PGA stop since 1969, and the Ocean Course was the site of the Ryder Cup's "War by the Shore" in 1991.

August 21, 2002

Shane Sharp is vice president of Buffalo Communications, a golf and lifestyle media agency. He was a writer, senior writer and managing editor of TravelGolf.com from 1997 to 2003.