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With nearly 400 golf courses of every type imaginable, I’ve always thought of Arizona as one of the true strongholds of the game. We’ve got some wonderful tracts designed by the best architects in the world, right?
Apparently this is not true if you read Golf Magazine, and only a tad better than average if you subscribe to Golf Digest.
Golf Magazine recently released its “Top 100 Courses in the U.S.’’ and Arizona had one course – Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree (No. 78) – among the elite. Arizona did a little bit better in Golf Digest, where the Canyon Course at Forest Highlands (No. 45) and Estancia (No. 81) made “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.’’
Actually, I was surprised that Desert Forest made Golf Magazine’s list, but to its credit the pioneer of private desert golf that dates back to 1962 has made it every year since the magazine started rating courses in 1979. Perhaps it’s a “tradition.’’
There were no surprises when it came to Forest Highlands and Estancia, two other clubs that are highly private and quite pristine. But if anything, I thought there were a few other Arizona layouts like Mirabel, Troon Country Club and maybe a course or two at Desert Mountain that might have been recognized, too. And what about our acclaimed public courses like the 36 holes at Troon North and We-Ko-Pa?
It’s discouraging, to say the least. Still, is this really how we rate among the nation’s best tests of golf? Or are golf course ratings purely “political’’ and mired by “freebies,’’ as often alleged?
Since Golf Digest’s list of raters remains a secret, I had to go to the guy who wrote the story for Golf Magazine, which actually published its list of “experts.’’ As it turns out, Golf Magazine scribe Joe Passov lives right here in the East Valley, which was convenient.
“Yes, there’s going to be a lot of happy people when we release the ratings, and a lot of unhappy people, too,’’ Passov explained. “You know that going in.
“If anything, (rating courses) is really just a grill-room exercise, or a subjective formulation done by our (ratings) panel, so there’s not really a lot of pressure on me when I write the story explaining our picks. I can always point the finger at them.’’
I’ll give “Travelin’ Joe,’’ as he is known on the Internet, credit for dodging bullets with style and grace. And he’s right, this is a collective decision arrived by a panel of 100 members that represent 15 countries.
Why are 36 of those “foreign’’ raters casting votes for American courses? Well, for one thing Golf Magazine also does a “Top 100 Courses in the World’’ poll, and, hey, these international observers play a lot of golf, too.
So are these experts jaded by free golf and other freebies given to them on their visits? According to Travelin’ Joe, “No.’’
“First of all, we’re the only golf magazine that actually prints the name of our panelists,’’ Passov said. “And our panelists tend to be extremely well-connected in the golf world and well-traveled, so they don’t need Golf Magazine to get on the courses. They don’t need the ‘booty,’ either.’’
I can buy that (pun intended). So who are these people who rate courses? As it turns out, we’ve got five panelists who live right here in Arizona in Passov, Marvin French, Gary Hart, Peter Oosterhuis and Tom Weiskopf. But where we lose some of that local bias is in the fact that there are 16 raters in the Western U.S. and 34 raters from the East.
Yep, that ol’ Eastern bias in golf apparently runs deeper than just the U.S. Golf Association. It penetrates the course ratings, too. Toss in the foreign factor, and Arizona’s courses probably don’t get visited as much as other candidates on the other side of the country.
So I asked Travelin’ Joe if such a bias existed. “That’s a good question,’’ Passov said. “In the old days when I did ratings for Golf Digest, I detected a bit of East Coast bias, meaning the panelists probably didn’t get out to Arizona as much to see the newer courses. . . . But I really can’t answer that question.’’
So what makes a great course?
“We have a few generally accepted notions about what greatness is all about,’’ Passov said. “First and foremost, it entices you. Some do it with beauty, some do it with difficulty, and some do it with variety.
“The very best combine all three of those attributes.’’
I would agree. But I would also argue that Arizona has a lot more than one or two courses that meet those criteria.
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