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. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. 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.
Top 100 courses 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 2024-25 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 Pebble Beach Pebble Beach, California Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919 10 Los Angeles (North) Los Angeles, California George C. Thomas Jr., 1927
Top 100 in the world Here are the top ten courses in the world in 2025-26:
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 Royal County Down (Championship) Newcastle, County Down Northern Ireland Old Tom Morris, 1889 5 Shinnecock Hills Southampton, New York United States William Flynn, 1931 6 National Golf Links of America Southampton, New York United States C.B. MacDonald, 1911 7 Royal Melbourne (West) Black Rock, Victoria Australia Alister MacKenzie, 1931 8 Augusta National Augusta, Georgia United States Bobby Jones/Alister MacKenzie 1933 9 Oakmont Oakmont, Pennsylvania United States Henry Fownes, 1904 10 Sand Hills Mullen, Nebraska United States Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 1994
Annual Club Test 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. As of 2025, the Magazine no longer provides a "rating" nor does it rank each club. Golf Magazine thoroughly reviews all the newest club models on the market with the help of player testers. In the end, it groups the best clubs for 2025 into categories to make your purchasing choice easier. The below table summarizes the type of clubs as well as the categories for each tested for each: +Type of Golf ClubCategories AssessedDriverForgiveness, Speed, Shot Correction, Slower Swinger Speeds, Low Spin Drivers.IronsGame Improvement, Better Player, Players Distance, Super Game Improvement Elite Irons.Fairway WoodsSpeed, Forgiveness, Slower Swing Speeds, Low Spin.HybridsForgiveness, Playability, Shot Correction, Slower Swing Speeds.
Top 100 Teachers in America 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
2011 player of the year selection
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.”
The McIlroy selection was heavily criticized by golf bloggers. 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."
See also Kingdom magazine
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