The System
As we know, rating and ranking golf courses is purely subjective.
Assigning scores and numbers is impossible, which is why I rate courses purely based on how much I would want to play them again.
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Courses are assigned a rating of 0-8 which places them in one of the following brackets:
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The Zeros
The absolute cream of the crop, and the courses which you should travel thousands of miles just to play. A treat to play and when you finish there's nothing you would love more than to go back to the first tee. Picking them apart is almost impossible. Each of these courses holds a unique secret to golf and missing any hole on the course would be an error. Literally nearly perfect.
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The Ones
These are the elite courses which trips should be built around. They are some of the best golf courses on the planet and should never ever be missed given the opportunity!
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The Twos
Excellent golf courses which aren't far away from being elite courses. You could could create an awesome trip just on these courses alone, however there are elements which just leave them below the top tier. These courses should feature in all trips, and may well be some of your favourites!
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The Threes
Very good golf courses featuring some very strong elements, but are missing the brilliance of the top tiers. Threes will feature plenty of good golf holes, perhaps even some excellent ones, and although they may not be your favourite courses of your trip, you won't regret playing them in any way. If you're in the area you should certainly play them!
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The Fours
They are strong and good quality courses with some highly enjoyable aspects. They are definitely better than gap fillers and you'll have an enjoyable day playing them, but they'll leave you wanting more! Fours will probably feature a few things of note to write home about and they are well above average!
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The Fives
Good, passable golf courses that you will have an enjoyable day at, but probably won't be something you write home about. If you've got a day to spare, you can have a fun day out there and there will definitely be aspects of the courses you will enjoy!
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The Sixes
The average golf course. Courses that are playable but nothing special. They probably feature a few interesting holes amongst some ordinary. If you're here for a short time you'd be best to skip over these and travel to a course in one of the other tiers. That being said, throwing a couple of these in your itinerary will in no way ruin your trip.
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The Sevens
Probably courses you should only play if you absolutely have to play golf that day. You might be better off giving these a miss in your itinerary and travelling to another region.
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The Eights
Don't bother playing them unless it's a hit and giggle, preferably with multiple beers