Golf Digest
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Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Advance Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Advance Publications also publishes the more specialised Golf for Women, Golf World and Golf World Business.
Since 1985 Golf Digest has produced biennial rankings of "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses". The courses are voted on by a panel of several hundred golf experts. Pine Valley Golf Club has topped the list every time except in 2001, when Pebble Beach Golf Links came first. The magazine also produces lists of the best new courses, the best golf resorts and the best courses in each U.S. state. Before the "Greatest" rankings were introduced in 1985 Golf Digest produced lists called at different times America's 100 Most Testing Courses and America's 100 Greatest Tests of Golf. The top ten on the 2005-06 list, published in May 2005, was as follows:
- Pine Valley Golf Club - Pine Valley, New Jersey
- Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia
- Shinnecock Hills Golf Club - Southampton, New York
- Cypress Point Club - Pebble Beach, California
- Oakmont Country Club - Oakmont, Pennsylvania
- Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, California
- Merion Golf Club - Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- Winged Foot Golf Club - Mamaroneck, New York
- National Golf Links of America - Southampton, New York
- Seminole Golf Club - Juno Beach, Florida
The magazine also compiles a list of the leading courses outside the United States. This is created using information from national golf associations, plus votes by the same panelists supplemented by some additional ones with international knowledge. In 2005 the most represented countries were Scotland and Canada with thirteen courses each in the top 100. The top 10 were:
- Old Course at St Andrews - St. Andrews, Scotland
- Royal Melbourne Golf Club - Melbourne, Australia
- Royal Portrush Golf Club - Portrush, Northern Ireland
- Royal County Down Golf Club - Newcastle, Northern Ireland
- Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Dornoch, Scotland
- Muirfield - Gullane, Scotland
- Ballybunion Golf Club - Ballybunion, Ireland
- New South Wales Golf Club - Sydney, Australia
- National Golf Club - Woodbridge, Canada
- St. George's Golf and Country Club - Islington, Canada