How I Came to Know Tiger

An amazing thing happened to me several months ago, but I was hesitant to write about it due to the sensitive nature of the topic. However, after realizing the low-profile nature of this site, I now feel comfortable telling my story...

As a member of Shady Canyon Country Club in Irvine, CA, I try to work out in their 1st-class gym at least once a week. On one such morning, I was working out when none other than Tiger walked in!

Since it was very early in the morning and it was during the holidays, there was only Tiger and myself in the free weight section. He initiated a conversation with me when he sat down at a weight bench and said, "Morning." I reciprocated and then he asked me, "Hey Bud (that's not my name, but he could call me Alice if he wanted), you mind spotting for me here?"

Although my nerves disabled most of my motor functions, I managed to say, "Sure thing T." In knee-jerk reaction, I cringed at myself for being such a jackass to call the great Tiger by only his first letter. I mean, I just met the guy. What right did I have to call him anything else but "your royal golf highness"? I thought to myself, just act normal you imbecile. Once I composed myself, I dropped my 10 pound barbells and came to his aid.

We actually spent quite a bit of time working out together and talking. It turns out that we actually have a lot in common. The key icebreaker was the revelation that we attended rival colleges. He attended Stanford while I attended Cal. As we engaged in some playful trash talking, I realized that Tiger is a really cool and down-to-earth guy. He has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that had me in stitches.

After he was done working out he asked me, "Hey Bud, I have a tee time here at 10:30am, you wanna join me?" I felt like I had won the lottery. I looked around for cameras to check whether I was about to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher. When Mr. MILF didn't show up, I knew that it was legit. Unfortunately, I had to be at work by 9:30am to deliver a big presentation. There was no question what I had to do...I had to make that tee time.

After calling in sick and effectively tossing my career down the drain, I met up with Tiger at the cart loading bay. Noticing my bag full of Nike Blades glistening in the sun he quipped, "Nice irons."

"Well, I saw Michelle Wie playing with these and I just had to have a set of my own."

He flashed that world-famous Cheshire Cat smile and acknowledged, "That was a good one." After he put his wallet in his bag he continued, "So you wanna make it interesting?"

"Are you kidding me? You better give me at least 30 strokes a side!"

He laughed and asked about my handicap. I gave him a well-sandbagged figure and he said, "OK, how about I give you 10 strokes a side Bud?" Only 10 strokes! I usually shoot in the mid-90s on this course from the tips whereas Tiger would easily break 70. I figured I needed at least 14 stokes a side. I couldn't believe it, but Tiger was trying to hustle me!

But after some negotiating, I managed to extract 16 strokes a side! Satisfied, I said, "Well, what are we playing for?"

"You name it. I think I can cover it." I laughed as I pondered his offer. Considering that I was getting 32 strokes, I knew that I actually had a good shot at beating Tiger if I just played smart.

"If I win, how about I get to hang out with you for the next couple of days as your 'personal assistant'?"

He chuckled and remarked, "Don't you have a job to get back to?"

"Actually, I probably don't now!"

After some thought he said, "Well, I already have a couple of assistants, but I guess I could always use another. What do I get if I win?" I thought about it for a while, but what could I possibly give Tiger that would mean anything? He must have came to the same conclusion because he said, "Oh, don't worry about it, let's just play!"

I have always considered Tiger to be the primary member of my "dream foursome." So to actually play with Tiger is truly a dream come true. And the experience didn't disappoint. He is the most amazing golfer, period. To describe every incredible golfing feat that I witnessed during our round would fill a book. Let me just say that I was in awe all day.

On the final hole I needed a double-bogey to win by a stroke. I was nervous beyond belief, and the constant ribbing by the best golfer of all-time didn't help. But I managed to hack it around good enough for a bogey and a win! Ecstatic over my victory, I gladly offered to void our silly little wager. He would have none of it. He insisted, "A bet's a bet Bud. You won fair and square. Now let's go get some grub."

We cleaned up and then headed to the clubhouse for lunch. The hostess led us to a table that was occupied by two stunning blondes. Not just blondes, but identical blondes! I was shocked. Tiger could only laugh at my bewilderment and then introduced me to his wife, Elin and her twin sister, Josie. Could this be for real? For a moment I considered whether Tiger was so rich that he had bought a human cloning machine!

It turns out that the twin Swedes are both very sweet and almost too friendly. Surprisingly, I really hit it off with Josie. Unlike most women that are completely out of my league, she laughed at all my jokes and took a genuine interest in my stories.

After lunch, Tiger had to take care of some business at the GM PR office in Thousand Oaks. However, he called for a car to take us up to Beverly Hills for an extravagant shopping spree. He simply instructed us to call the number on the back of his Amex Black card when we were about 15 mins. away from our destination. Upon our arrival, two personal shoppers greeted us and escorted us to Rodeo Drive. I felt like a rock star shopping at the hippest boutiques accompanied by twin blonde bombshells!

After our shop-a-thon, we met up with Tiger at LAX. Straight out of a Puff Daddy video, our car pulled right up to a Gulfstream 550 private jet! Only then did I learn that we were to fly back to his Isleworth home. Things were moving so fast that I didn't begin to question what was going on. It was only on the plane that I started to think about my life back home. What would I do about my job, my car, my clothes, etc? I explained my concerns to Tiger and he said, "Don't worry about that stuff, Bud. Just hang out with us and everything will take care of itself. You can stay at my guesthouses as long as you want." I couldn't believe my ears as the stewardess was filling my glass with bubbly.

The rest is history. In a million years, I never would have imagined that my life could change so dramatically in such a short time from a chance encounter. I now have a new job as Tiger's personal financial manager. In short, I monitor Tiger's expenses on the road. As a result, I've become a full-fledged member of his entourage and I get to travel with him all over the world. The only bad part of my job is that I've also been designated the "dog-sitter". Tiger likes to take that damn border collie of his wherever he goes and I'm the one who has to take care of it. There's nothing more in the world that I'm allergic to than pet dander and I think that Tiger assigned me this responsibility on purpose to drive me nuts. But hey, we all have to make some sacrifices, right?

It's been quite a whirlwind adventure and I am rapidly becoming close friends with the World's #1. In fact, there's a realistic chance that I may become his future brother in-law. Yes, things are going fabulously with Josie and me. We're even discussing moving in together into one of Tiger's newly planned guest homes! My life has never been better. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pack my bags for my first trip to Augusta!

P.S. With all my travel and other obligations, I'll likely be completely offline for at least a week. So please don't be upset if I can't respond to your emails in a timely manner.

Ballybunion and Lahinch - Golfing in Ireland

My first trip to play golf in Europe was to Ireland about ten years ago. A friend who was born and raised in Northern Ireland arranged the trip and we went in late September. He is an aggressive type 'A' personality and we played about 12 times in 7 days. Ireland has 32 counties (26 in the Republic and 6 in the North). During our brief stay on the Island we drove through 20 of them while making a complete circuit of the country.

We started in Dublin, traveled South, then West, then North, then East before traveling south to Dublin again. We played five courses on the top 100 list (Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, The European Club, Lahinch and Ballybunion) and several others that are not (Ballyliffin in County Donegal, The K Club and Druids Glen).

I credit this trip for infecting me with the golf bug. I've been addicted ever since.

I have returned to Ireland many times on golf trips and played throughout the country including at Tralee, Waterville, Old Head, Portmarnock and Killarney. Irish weather in late September can be hit or miss. On this trip it was a miss. Wind like you cannot believe; rain; cold; damp. We usually played 36 holes each day and would then drive between 2 and 6 hours to the next course. Luckily, we had a driver to take us around. He was a farmer whose crops were awaiting harvest and he was doing this for spare income.

Having grown up in America I have a certain perception of what a hotel room is supposed to be like and what constitutes a meal. These were all shattered on my first trip. The first thing you grasp is that Ireland is basically still a third world country outside of Dublin. I in no way mean that in a derogatory or negative sense, but they have limited infrastructure. Things have certainly changed in the last 10 years as Ireland has joined the EU and become a massive beneficiary of roads and other projects, but the Irish countryside is still based on a centuries old agrarian economy.

Almost all the roads we traveled on were two lane roads with barely enough room for two small cars to pass. On a map, two locations appear to be 60 miles apart. In the States it would more or less take an hour to travel between them. In Ireland it would probably take the better part of three hours. I found it astonishing that most people we met on the trip had never left the county they lived in. Even with a driver and a map it was very difficult to get around. The road signs in each town only point the way to the next town. If you are looking for a town that is 15 miles ahead and pull into a gas station or a pub to ask for directions, you may as well be asking for directions to Des Moines.

There is also no such thing as a hotel chain or a recognizable brand name in Ireland. We stayed at B & B's or small country hotels throughout the country, most of the time in small villages where we were playing golf. In the United States you can stay at a Hyatt or Hilton or some other known brand. Not in Ireland -- everything is local, and it is great. What a refreshing break from the bland sameness that America has become. They may not be luxurious, but they have personality. The rooms are miniature, the showers alternate between ice water and scalding hot, there are no hair dryers and if you are lucky there are three channels on the TV. We have stayed at our fair share of "Marine" hotels that saw their best days in the 30s or 40s. Paper thin walls and no room service.

Although they lack amenities they make up for it in charm -- like a night porter making you toast and coffee at 5 am so you could have something to eat before a long drive. Or the owner fixing you sandwiches upon a late arrival.

On our first morning in Ireland we were introduced to something that has become a beloved part of our trips to the British Isles - the full fry. You have to understand we did not stay at 4 star hotels -- No Adare Manors or K Clubs for us. The first time you get the eggs, sausage, bacon, blood pudding, tomato, mushrooms, hash browns and toast you think to yourself, wow! This is not a country where you have a bowl of cereal with skim milk or a bagel.

I had been warned to bring plenty of wind breakers, turtle necks, sweaters, rains suits, many gloves and two pairs of golf shoes -- one to wear while the other was drying out. I used them all on that first trip, often times multiple times each day. It is not uncommon to experience all four seasons in a day in Ireland.

I fell in love with Ireland immediately. There is an understated simplicity to the place that I really liked. The countryside is spectacularly beautiful throughout. It is not uncommon to see a rainbow every day. There are rolling hills everywhere: more shades of green that you can describe; old stone walls that mark the farmers fields. Rounding the bend on a curved road we were once startled to see a farmer walking his cows down the middle of the road on their way to an alternate field. It is a timeless scene.

Ballybunion's lovely 12th hole

Although normally a Scotch drinker, while in Ireland I only drink only Guinness. Under U.S.D.A. regulations the Guinness that is imported into the U.S. must be pasteurized. The Guinness here is unaltered and it tastes different -- and better. One of life's simple pleasure is enjoying a pint of Guinness in Ireland served at the correct temperature after it has been properly poured.

I was also very surprised at how knowledgeable the Irish people were of the U.S., in particular U.S. politics. Even in remote villages you can engage in a discussion on a variety of topics.

Lahinch (ranked #73 in the world), in some ways is a cow pasture. One of the things you hear over and over that makes Pine Valley such a great golf course is that you can't see the other holes when you are playing the hole you are on. In fact you can on several holes, but the point is that you do feel a sense of isolation throughout the round.

The adventure at Lahinch begins on the first hole, which has a plateau green. Try stepping up to this first tee after flying all night with no sleep. Where do you aim again?

Welcome to Lahinch. The tricky first hole.

If there is a polar opposite to Pine Valley, it is Lahinch. My advice to you at Lahinch is be ready to duck at any time. It is wide open. The fourth, fifth and eighteenth fairways literally criss-cross, I kid you not. Talk about hazards in front of the green? How about the fourth hole named "Klondyke". It has a fifty foot sand dune in front of the green, making it a blind approach on a 400+ yard hole! The narrow fairway snakes through the dunes as seen below.

The tough fourth hole at Lahinch, "Klondyke"

The completely blind par three fifth, the "Dell" hole, pictured below, is reportedly the site of many a hole in one, sometimes with the minor assist of a caddie who gets a much enhanced tip.

The fabulous blind Dell hole at Lahinch

Look at the comments of those that have completed playing the top 100 golf courses in the world. Coincidentally or not, almost all had poor weather when they played Lahinch. Bottom line, Lahinch has bad weather. Having been there twice I can attest to rain and wind both times. The second and third holes, which are not really shielded by the dunes, play impossibly difficult in windy, rainy conditions. Wind in Ireland is different than where I live. It is not an exaggeration to say that you can play in a four-club wind at Lahinch.

Why is Lahinch on the top 100 list? It's hard to articulate, but it should be there. Like the Old Course at St. Andrews, Lahinch takes time to appreciate. It was designed by Old Tom Morris and Alister Mackenzie revised the layout in the 1920s. Despite all its shortcomings, Lahinch has an intangible quality that is unmistakably Irish. It is a cult course in the same vein as a Cruden Bay, North Berwick or Prestwick. Love it or hate it, but play Lahinch once and you will always remember it.

Listen to what some of golf's most knowledgeable writers have said about Ballybunion Golf Club (ranked #13 in the world). James Finegan calls it, "the greatest links I have ever played." Herbert Warren Wind said, "it is nothing less than the finest seaside course I have ever seen," and "like a Gaelic version of Pebble Beach." Tom Watson says, "I am now of the opinion it is one of the best and most beautiful tests of links golf anywhere in the world."

I am a fan of Ballybunion and agree that it is a pure links course. The first hole is a good starting hole, with an unusual hazard down the right hand side - a cemetery. The last time I played Ballybunion was two years ago and we had a 7:00AM tee time, the first group out. It was a brilliantly sunny, warm day and the round was very pleasant. My only criticism of the layout is that the 4th, 5th and 6th holes are all routed in the same direction, and all into the prevailing wind. This makes a total of 1,400 yards into the wind that can wear you down early in the round. I'm a bigger fan of routings such as Caroustie and Royal Portrush that have more change in direction. Despite this shortcoming, Ballybunion is a worthy entrant in the top fifteen courses in the world.

The serene dunes landscape of Ballybunion

I am also a fan of the second course at Ballybunion - the Cashen. It is a new course designed by Robert Trent Jones but looks like its been there a long time and is a fun and imaginative routing. Ballybunion has a new American style clubhouse that doesn't really fit the course or the surroundings. Despite these shortcoming, golf in Ireland can hold its own with golf in any region of the world.

Ballybunion's Website

Lahinch's Website

Gettin' Grouchy at Augusta National

Hootie and the Blowhards have a knack for controversy. Whether it's banning one of the best golf commenters of all-time or supporting sexism into the 21st century, the "Men of the Masters" just don't seem to get it. If you thought that our country couldn't be run any worse than it is now, just give Hootie the keys to the White House and let him work his magic. Hmmm, I always wondered what it would sound like if Foghorn Leghorn were president.

This year, the Masters will play on a newly lengthened Augusta National. Most observers see this as a desperate attempt to defend the historic course from the modern-day long hitters. So-called "Tiger Proofing", the only thing that it really accomplishes is to eliminate short-hitters from ever being competitive.

Master grouchy golfer Jack Nicklaus concurs:

I know what Augusta is trying to do. Whether they've gone overboard, I'm not sure. But they've eliminated a lot of guys who are able to do that. Could Tiger [Woods] do that? Or Ernie Els? Or Vijay [Singh]? Yes. Could Mike Weir or Jose Maria [Olazabal] -- one of those guys of moderate length -- could they do that? Probably not. That's the change at Augusta I have a hard time with.

But I think that Hootie et al would love to have you think that they modified Augusta solely to "Tiger Proof" it. They are a are a bit more clever and sinister than that. I believe that they lengthened Augusta to eliminate a future threat. Just imagine if you were Hootie or one of his henchmen. What would be the worst thing that could ever happen at your beloved Masters? It would be some girl donning the Green Jacket!

Unthinkable just a couple of years ago, the possibility of a woman competing in the Masters has been raised by the emergence of Michelle Wie. In fact, Wie has often stated that her dream is to play in the Masters someday. While she's a long shot at best to ever win it (let alone to ever get there in the first place), I think that Hootie wants to eliminate the possibility altogether. Hootie realizes that while he can't prevent her or any other female über-golfer from qualifying into the Masters, he can lengthen the course so that no female has a realistic chance to ever win it.

"Wie Proofing" may sound a bit absurd but it's about as absurd as most actions taken by the dictators of golf. Unfortunately, this last bout of mania could have the worst impact on my favorite golf event. That said, look for Tiger to win by 2 strokes.

Fix That Ball Mark Properly!

The more greens that you can hit, the better. However, balls landing on the green often leave marks that damage the green's root system. If these ball marks are not fixed, the affected turf turns brown and dies, takes weeks to regenerate, and infuriates your greenskeeper.

I make it a habit to fix as many ball marks that I find when I'm on the green. I really appreciate it when others do the same. However, I can't tell you how many times I see golfers fix ball marks incorrectly. More times than not, I'll see a well-intentioned golfer plunge his ballmark repair tool behind the ball mark and then pry it upward like he's trying to uproot a weed. I cringe because I know that such action only worsens the damage done to the green, prolonging the healing process. If done correctly, fixing a ball mark will start the healing process immediately, rather than weeks later.

Here's the correct way to fix a ball mark:

1. Use a ballmark repair tool to do the job most efficiently.
2. Insert the repair tool at the edge of the high side of the ball mark.
3. Push the tool forward from the edge of the ball mark toward the center. Do this around the edges of the indentation.
4. Do NOT insert the tool under the indented area and push up - a common mistake. Think of it as pushing turf in from the edges toward the center.
5. Tap down the repaired area.

Here is a good vidoe demonstrating proper ball mark repair technique:



GCSAA

Together, we can make golf a little less grouchy.

The World's Top 100 Golf Courses in 1939

We recently came across a post on Golf Club Atlas by Tom MacWood where he recently uncovered a golf magazine from 1939 where they asked a panel of leading writers and players to rate the top 100 courses in the world in 1939. It seems like rankings are not just a modern obsession. Below is the list as published and we have indicated the current world ranking next to it.

1. St.Andrews, Scotland...............currently ranked #6
2. Cypress Point, California........ ....currently ranked #2
3. Pine Valley, N.J..........................currently ranked #1
4. Pebble Beach, California.............currently ranked #7
5. Sandwich, England..................currently ranked #32
6. National Links, N.Y................currently ranked #20
7. Hirono, Japan............................currently ranked #35
8. Banff Springs, Canada.................not ranked
9. Royal Melbourne, Australia.........currently ranked #8
10. Foulpointe, Madagascar.............not ranked, course is gone
11. Augusta National, Georgia .........currently ranked #5
12. Timber Point, N.Y. ....................not ranked
13. Oakmont, Penn..........................currently ranked #15
14. Hoylake, England....................currently ranked #72
15. Newcastle, County Down..........currently ranked #10
16. Westward Ho!, England..............not ranked
17. Merion, Penn...........................currently ranked #14
18. Riviera, California...................currently ranked #36
19. Sunningdale, England............currently ranked #44
20. Bel-Air, California......................not ranked
21. Shinnecock Hills, N.Y............currently ranked #4
22. Portrush, Ireland....................currently ranked #12
23. Laksers, Illinois..........................not ranked, course is gone
24. CC of Havana, Cuba....................not ranked
25. Humewood, S.Africa..................not ranked
26. Seminole, Florida.......................currently ranked #22
27. Rye, England..............................not ranked
28. Knocke, Belgium.........................not ranked
29. Yale, Conn................................. not ranked

30. Gleneagles, Scotland...................not ranked
31. Le Touquet, France......................not ranked
32. Winged Foot, N.Y........................currently ranked #18
33. Pasatiempo, California.................not ranked
34. Muirfield, Scotland...................currently ranked #3
35. Walton Heath, England............currently ranked #82
36. Jasper Park, Canada....................not ranked
37. Portmarnock, Ireland..................currently ranked #40
38. Pinehurst No.2, N.C....................currently ranked #9
39. Prestwick, Scotland..................not ranked but should be
40. Birkdale, England.....................currently ranked #28
41. Lido, N.Y.....................................not ranked, course is gone
42. Ganton, England.......................currently ranked #62
43. Durban, S.Africa.........................currently ranked #70
44. Oyster Harbors, Mass..................not ranked
45. Ponte Vedra, Florida....................not ranked
46. North Berwick, Scotland..........not ranked, but should be
47. San Francisco, California.........currently ranked #27
48. St.Georges Hill, England..............not ranked
49. Garden City, N.Y.......................currently ranked #55
50. Deal, England..............................not ranked
51. Kawana, Japan............................currently ranked #80
52. Engineers, N.Y.............................not ranked
53. Swinley Forest, England...............not ranked
54. Brookline, Mass...........................currently ranked #33
55. Saunton, England........................not ranked
56. Bethpage, N.Y..............................currently ranked #30
57. Addington, England.....................not ranked
58. Lakeside, California.....................not ranked
59. Hollywood, N.J............................not ranked
60. Woking, England.........................not ranked
61. Wildhoeve, Holland......................not ranked
62. Royal York, Canada......................* currently ranked #95
63. Oakland Hills, Michigan...............currently ranked #25
64. Morfontaine, France.....................currently ranked #47
65. Brancaster, England.....................not ranked
66. Pulborough, England....................not ranked
67. Manor Richelieu, Canada..............not ranked
68. Royal Adelaide, Australia..............currently ranked #50
69. Hamburg-Falkenstein, Germany...not ranked
70. Olympia Fields #4, Illinois.............not ranked
71. Chiberta, France............................not ranked
72. Lawsonia, Wisconsin.....................not ranked
73. Los Angeles, California..............currently ranked #59
74. Maidstone, N.Y..........................currently ranked #60
75. East London, S.Africa....................not ranked
76. Carnoustie, Scotland.................currently ranked #26
77. Burnham, England........................not ranked
78. Scioto, Ohio..................................currently ranked #71
79. Capilano, Canada..........................not ranked
80. Hot Springs, Virginia.....................currently ranked #94
81. Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon.....................not ranked
82. Ballybunion, Ireland.................currently ranked #13
83. Porthcawl, Wales...........................not ranked
84. Liphook, England..........................not ranked
85. Knoll, N.J......................................not ranked
86. Tokyo-Asaka, Japan.......................not ranked, course destroyed in WWII
87. Maccauvlei, S.Africa......................not ranked
88. Kingston Heath, Australia..............currently ranked #21
89. Chicago, Illinois.............................currently ranked #31
90. Sea Island, Georgia........................not ranked
91. Alwoodley, England........................not ranked
92. Eastward Ho!, Mass.......................not ranked
93. Mid Ocean, Bermuda......................not ranked
94. Ville de Delat, Indo China...............not ranked
95. Zandvoort, Holland........................not ranked
96. Five Farms, Maryland....................currently ranked #91
97. Turnberry, Scotland...................currently ranked #17
98. Spa, Belgium.................................not ranked
99. Fishers Island, N.Y....................currently ranked #29
100a.Royal Worlington, England..........not ranked (9 hole course)
100b.Prairie Dunes, Kansas..............currently ranked #23

What Happened?

More than half the courses, 56, are not on the current list. Non U.S. courses took a big hit with 32 lost (Belgium lost 2, South Africa 3, Madagascar 1, Cuba 1, Canada 5, England 14, Scotland 2, Holland 2, Germany 1, Ceylon 1, Japan 1). What comes through is that technology has runied a lot of previously great courses. This is particularly true of the great courses of England and Scotland. Canadian courses also took a big hit which is a shame since they have some truly world class courses, but American courses have come to dominate.

1. The world's truly great courses stayed where they belonged:

St. Andrews (Old Course), Cypress Point, Pine Valley, Pebble Beach, The National Golf Links , Royal Melbourne , Augusta, Oakmont, Merion, Riviera, Sunningdale, Shinnecock, Royal Portrush, Seminole, Walton Heath, Portmarnock, Royal Birkdale, Ganton, Durban, Garden City, Bethpage, Kawana, Brookline, Morfontaine, Royal Adelaide, Los Angeles, Maidstone, Scioto, Baltimore (Five Farms)

2. Courses that are still great but new equipment has hurt them

Westward Ho!, England (ranked #16)
Rye, England (ranked #27)
Prestwick, Scotland (ranked #39)
North Berwick, Scotland (ranked #46)
St. George's Hill, England (ranked #48)
Deal, England (ranked #50)
Swinley Forest, England (ranked #53)
Addington, England (ranked #57)
Woking, England (ranked #60)
Burnham, England (ranked #77)
Liphook, England (ranked #84)
Alwoodley, England (ranked #91)
Royal Worlington, England (ranked #100)


3. Fell from greatness but still ranked

Hirono, Japan (fell from #7 to #35)
Sandwich, England (fell from #5 to #32) - also called Royal St. Georges
Hoylake, England (fell from #14 to #72) - also called Royal Liverpool

4. Fallen Angels - no longer on the list but many still worth playing

Banff Springs, Canada (ranked #8) - redesigned and remodelled
Bel-Air, California (ranked #20) - redesigned but still exclusive
Country Club of Havana (ranked #24)
Humewood, S. Africa (ranked #25)
Knocke, Belgium (ranked #28)
Yale, Conn (ranked #29) - a C.B. Macdonald design
Gleneagles, Kings (ranked #30) - designed by James Braid
La Touquet (ranked #31)
Pasatiempto, California (ranked #33) - A MacKenzie gem

Japser Park, Canada (ranked #36)
Oysters Harbor, Mass (ranked #44)
Ponte Vedra, Florida (ranked #45)
Engineers, New York (ranked #52)
Sauton, England (ranked #55)
Lakeside, California (ranked #58)
Hollywood, New Jersey (ranked #59)
Wildhoeve, Holland (ranked #61)

Manor Richelieu (ranked #67)
Olympia Fields, Illinois (ranked #70)
Chiberta, France (ranked #71)
Lawsonia, Wisconsin (ranked #72) - the Whistling Straits of the 1930s

East London, S. Africa (ranked #75)
Capilano, Canada (ranked #79)
Royal Portcawl, Wales (ranked #83)
Maccauvlei, S. Africa (ranked #87)
Sea Island (Seaside, ranked #90) - a Colt and Alison design
Eastward Ho, Mass (ranked #92) - still a gem today
Mid Ocean, Bermuda (ranked #93) - cape hole #5 is still one of golf's best

5. Sayonara - no longer in existence

Foulpointe, Madagascar (ranked #10)
Laksers, Illinois (ranked #23)
Lido, Long Island (ranked #41)- a C.B. MacDonald design
Tokyo-Asaka (ranked #86) - destroyed in 1941
Ville de Delat, Indo China (ranked #94)

6. Improved with Age

Shinnecock (rose from #21 to #4)
Royal Portrush (rose from #22 to #12) - redesigned by H.S. Colt in 50s
Winged Foot, West (rose from #32 to #18)
Muirfield, Scotland (rose from #34 to #3)
Pinehurst #2 (rose from #38 to #9)
San Francisco (rose from #47 to #27) - a fantastic Tillinghast course
Bethpage, New York (rose from #56 to #30)
Oakland Hills, Michigan (rose from #63 to #25) - partially redesigned
Carnoustie (rose #76 to #26) - and should go higher in my view!
Ballybunion (rose from #82 to #13) - hallelujah!
Kingston Heath (rose from #88 to #21)
Chicago (rose from #89 to #31) - another C.B. MacDonald gem
Turnberry, Scotland (rose from #97 to #17) - redesigned after WWII
Fishers Island, New York (rose from #99 to #29) - the first list got it right!
Prarie Dunes (rose from #100 to #23) - was still only a 9 hole course in 1939

* Name changed from Royal York to St. Georges's in 1946