Panelist: Masa Nishijima, Japan
Bio: Sixth person to have
completed play on the entire Golf
Magazine Top 100 Courses in the
World list, Masa began serving as a courseranking
panelist in 1991. He has written for a
variety of Japanese golf publications since
1989 and has served as a design consultant
for several courses in Asia. He is also author of
the award-winning book, Analysis of a Golf
Course, which was released in Japan in 2005.
"This lay-of-the-land course from Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore is a very good test, full of classic concepts. The green complexes are very interesting and include great contouring, and the bunker shaping by Jeff Bradley is excellent. I call him Mr. Sand Man. The scale is just right and fairway angles from the tee boxes are well done."
Panelist: Beth Daniel, Florida
Bio: LPGA Tour Hall-of-Famer
with 33 victories, including the
1990 LPGA Championship. Played
for the U.S. in a record-tying eight
Solheim Cups.
"Cypress Point gives you the best of everything a course can give. The design is great and so is the variety. You get tree-lined holes, sand dunes and magnificent ocean views all in one golf course. I can't think of any other course like it."
Panelist: Laurence Lambrecht, Rhode Island
Bio: One of the world's
most highly regarded golf
photographers, perhaps best known for his
depictions of the Irish coastal courses. Has
published his own book, Emerald Gems, and
contributed to numerous other awardwinning
books and magazines.
"It plays like a links, hard and fast, with sandhills, fescues and a different wind every day. I liked the old-style walkability and the interesting green sites. It's not overshaped — it's as if [architect Tom]Doak found the holes, rather than designed them. It reminds me of a Scottish or Irish course in the high plains of the Colorado desert."
Panelist: Tom Crow, Australia
Bio: Founder of Cobra Golf and
former Australian Amateur
champion. He created the
"Baffler" utility wood, and he
holds the amateur course record at Royal
Melbourne West, a 63.
"To me, the Composite Course stands by itself, but both the East and the West are excellent strategic courses on their own. The West is the better known, but the East enjoys the same rolling Victorian terrain, and Alex Russell (who designed the East) literally worked for Alister MacKenzie when they built the West. Together, they prowled and plotted the four paddocks that would eventually yield both courses, so he knew what MacKenzie wanted."
Panelist: Peter Oosterhuis, North Carolina
Bio: An announcer for CBS since
1998 and a regular on The Golf
Channel. Played on six European
Ryder Cup teams from 1971 to 1981, where
he recorded a record-tying six singles
victories, including wins over Arnold Palmer
and Johnny Miller. He won the Canadian Open
in 1981, and was twice a runner-up in the
British Open (1974, 1982).
"With Nanea, you have to start with the unbelievable setting on the western slope of the Big Island (Hawaii). It's a huge course from the back tees and reading the greens is a challenge, because they're built on the side of a mountain. There are no homes and the views of the ocean are awesome. The feel of the place is unique. You feel like it's just you and the golf and nothing else."
Panelist: Tom Doak, Michigan
Bio: Has designed (along with his
Renaissance Golf Design Inc.
team) more than two dozen
courses, five of which rank among
Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World
or U.S. Also an accomplished author,with
three books and countless magazine articles
to his credit.
"No golf architect would have the guts to build a 6,000-yard course today, but Harry Colt did, and Swinley Forest might be his best work. There is just a single par 5 and it is a great one — but by throwing out the normal quota, Colt was able to include six strong two-shotters, more than many championship courses can claim. The result is the Audrey Hepburn of golf courses — charming, petite, beautiful and the envy of all."
Panelist: Terry Jastrow, California
Bio: Medalist at the 1966 USGA
Junior Amateur in a field that
included Lanny Wadkins, Tom
Kite and Andy North. Best known, however, as
one of the finest sports-television producers
and directors.A winner of seven Emmy
Awards, Jastrow has been the executive
producer, producer and/or director of 68
major championships.
"Sunningdale presents itself as a joyful walk in the English countryside where one encounters 18 unique and sporty holes that challenge every aspect of your game.For good measure, its younger adjoining brother, the New Course, is an excellent course as well. I would submit that no club offers such an enchanting golfing combo as does Sunningdale."
