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Golf Magazine is a monthly golf magazine. One of the first "special interest" magazines of its kind, it was started in April 1959 by Arnold Abramson and Robert Abramson, the owners of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972.[2] Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018.[3] It was the world's most widely read golf publication from August 2006 to January 2007. The magazine is for golfers of all skill levels. Some features it includes are instruction from the top 100 teachers in America, interviews with famous golfers, tips on the best values for golf courses to go to on vacation, and an annual club test.
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Golf Magazine conducts an annual survey of experts to determine the best course in the United States and the world.
Top 100 in the United States
The best courses in the United States in 2020 were:
| Rank | Name | Location | Designer, Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine Valley | Pine Valley, New Jersey | George Crump/Harry Colt, 1918 |
| 2 | Cypress Point | Pebble Beach, California | Alister MacKenzie, 1928 |
| 3 | Shinnecock Hills | Southampton, New York | William Flynn, 1931 |
| 4 | National Golf Links of America | Southampton, New York | Charles B. Macdonald, 1911 |
| 5 | Oakmont | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | Henry Fownes, 1903 |
| 6 | Augusta National | Augusta, Georgia | Alister MacKenzie/Bobby Jones, 1933 |
| 7 | Sand Hills | Mullen, Nebraska | Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 1995 |
| 8 | Merion (East) | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | Hugh Wilson, 1912 |
| 9 | Fishers Island Club | Fishers Island, New York | Seth Raynor, 1926 |
| 10 | Pebble Beach | Pebble Beach, California | Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919 |
Top 100 in the world
Here are the top ten courses in the world in 2019:
| Rank | Name | Location | Country | Designer, Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pine Valley | Pine Valley, New Jersey | United States | George Crump/Harry Colt, 1918 |
| 2 | Cypress Point | Pebble Beach, California | United States | Alister MacKenzie, 1928 |
| 3 | St Andrews (Old Course) | St Andrews | Scotland | Nature |
| 4 | Shinnecock Hills | Southampton, New York | United States | William Flynn, 1931 |
| 5 | National Golf Links of America | Southampton, New York | United States | C.B. MacDonald, 1911 |
| 6 | Royal County Down | Newcastle, County Down | Northern Ireland | Tom Morris, 1889 |
| 7 | Royal Melbourne (West) | Black Rock, Victoria | Australia | Alister MacKenzie, 1931 |
| 8 | Oakmont | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | United States | Henry Fownes, 1903 |
| 9 | Augusta National | Augusta, Georgia | United States | Alister MacKenzie/Bobby Jones, 1933 |
| 10 | Royal Dornoch (Championship) | Dornoch | Scotland | Old Tom Morris, 1886 |
Many countries had courses in the top one hundred, including:
| Country | Courses |
|---|---|
| United States | 49 |
| Scotland | 13 |
| England | 11 |
| Australia | 8 |
| Ireland | 4 |
| Canada | 3 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Netherlands | 2 |
| New Zealand | 2 |
| Northern Ireland | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Mexico | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 |
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 | This section needs to be updated. (February 2015) |
Golf Magazine also conducts an annual test of some of the finest golf products available so that the golfer will be armed with the knowledge of which club is the best value. Winners in each category were:
| Club Type | Name | Manufacturer | Percent rating 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | r7 Draw | TaylorMade | 84 |
| Game-Improvement Iron 2 | 775.CB | Titleist | 83.3 |
| Hybrid | Baffler DWS | Cobra | 85 |
| Maximum Game-Improvement Iron 3 | r7 Draw | TaylorMade | 87.8 |
| Fairway Wood | Big Bertha | Callaway | 85 |
| Better-Player Iron 4 | Carbon CB | Cobra | 87.8 |
| Wedge | Vokey Spin Milled | Titleist | 89 |
| Putter | Black Series #1 | Odyssey | 86.7 |
Notes
- 1 Percent rating was determined by dividing points earned by the most possible points the product could have earned
- 2 The game-improvement iron category was tested only by golfers with a 7 to 15 handicap.
- 3 The maximum game-improvement iron category was tested only by golfers with a 14 to 20 handicap.
- 4 The better-player iron category was tested only by golfers with handicaps 10 and under.
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Golf Magazine also honours some of the best instructors in the business. On the emeritus list are:
| Name | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Ballard | Key Largo, Florida |
| Peggy Kirk Bell | Southern Pines, North Carolina |
| Chuck Cook | Austin, Texas |
| Manuel de la Torre | River Hills, Wisconsin |
| Michael Hebron | Smithtown, New York |
| David Leadbetter | Champions Gate, Florida |
| Eddie Merrins | Los Angeles, California |
| Dave Pelz | Austin, Texas |
| Phil Ritson | Winter Garden, Florida |
| Phil Rodgers | La Jolla, California |
| Craig Shankland | Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Dr. Jim Suttie | Naples, Florida |
| Bob Toski | Coconut Creek, Florida |
| Dr. Gary Wiren | West Palm Beach, Florida |
On November 1, 2011, Golf Magazine selected Rory McIlroy over Yani Tseng for its 2011 player of year. The magazine's editor, David Clarke wrote, “We are pleased to name Rory McIlroy as our inaugural Player of the Year.” Americans have embraced this young Northern Irishman, taking him into their hearts not just out of admiration for his amazing talent, but also for the grace he has shown in victory and defeat, his generosity of time with fans, and his commitments to causes beyond golf.”[4]
The McIlroy selection was heavily criticized by golf bloggers.[5] The #1 male player in the world at the time, Luke Donald, tweeted, "So rude and disrespectful of Yani. Whoever had final decision just diminished your magazine."[6]
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