Top 100 Clubhouse - Golf Podcast · Top 100 Golf Courses

Episode 100: Top 100 Golf Courses Rankings Update

December 21, 2025·43 min·2 clips

That's the best thing about these rankings—it stimulates debate.

James Henderson and Jasper Miners discuss the Top 100 Clubhouse podcast's rankings expansion and evolution. The hosts reflect on their unexpected North London road trip to Hadley Wood, a course receiving architectural attention from young shapers Clyde Johnson and Brett Hochstein. The episode's main content centers on the upcoming New Zealand and Australian rankings, with significant controversy around St. Andrews Beach ranking higher than traditionalists expect in the Melbourne sand belt. The hosts explain a major methodology shift: moving from top-down ranking cascades to bottom-up approaches, where local panelists vote on county/regional courses first. This expanded approach brought in 78 contributors for GB&I rankings (compared to 10 previously), including expatriate golfers who play courses yearly but don't live there. The discussion illustrates how this inclusive methodology has elevated unique courses like Arrowtown. The episode balances ranking philosophy (stimulating debate, not just clickbait) with practical golf course evaluation criteria and the debate between conditioning-focused traditionalists and architects who value uniqueness over presentation.

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