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."
