For Immediate Release November 2, 2009
The Western Golf Alliance releases 2010 golf course rankings
"Where You Can Rip It" 2010 identifies best courses for public access golf
BOTHELL, Washington. The Western Golf Alliance today published its biennial ranking of golf courses. Designated as the "Where You Can Rip It" rankings, this effort identifies the best public access golf courses in the western United States.
The Where You Can Rip It rankings identify 100 great golf courses. The courses were evaluated within the nine regions of the WGA, with members subjectively assessing the quality, playability, and overall value of each course. Members then nominated courses and discussed the merits of each. Finally, within each region they selected and ranked the 11 best courses.
"As a regional golf club, we play thousands of rounds every year at public access golf courses," explained Peter McGarry, WGA president. "As a golf club without real estate, and thus no affiliation with any course, we are uniquely positioned to assess golf courses in the western U.S."
In some cases, the Where You Can Rip It rankings have changed significantly since 2008. One of the most significant changes occurred in the Greater Las Vegas region. Between the bankruptcy of some resorts, and the public simply being priced out of the high roller courses, famous names like Shadow Creek, Reflection Bay, and Wynn dropped significantly in the rankings, some even falling off the list. "Simply stated, these courses no longer represent a reasonable value for public players," said Mark Taylor, chairman of the course ranking task force. "Some visitors will want to spend the money to play these courses, but your average golfer, playing with his usual foursome, cannot even get onto these tracks, and would get a much better bang for the buck by playing 72 holes at one of the other courses, than paying over half a grand for one round," continued Taylor.
Other regions that saw some noteworthy changes over the past two years include both Western and Eastern Washington. In Washington, five new top-ranked public courses opened between 2007-09, and other traditionally solid locations either made major facelifts or received an influx of attention from their parent companies ... and corresponding attention from our members. While the headline course in this flurry of activity is Chambers Bay - home of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open - the other courses are outstanding in their own right. This activity created some major moves on the rankings.
Additionally, the Arizona Unlimited region saw significant movement. At the top of the list, some of the major players (We-Ko-Pa, Troon North) either added courses or made significant changes to their courses. In the middle of the rankings, WGA members simply tried - and liked - different courses this year.
"We are very confident that our ranking provide great insight that golfers will appreciate when deciding where to play" concluded McGarry. "As part of our mission to promote the great game of golf, we hope this public service is well received by all."
The WGA updates the Where You Can Rip It rankings biennially. The 2010 rankings are available at this web site.
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About the Western Golf Alliance: The Western Golf Alliance is the premier golf organization in the United States. The WGA exists to further the greatness of this grand sport of golf through the improvement of golf play by its members, the promotion of golf rules, etiquette, and tradition, and the ability to gather together from time to time for golf events and tournaments. The regional organization spans five western states, and is organized into nine geographic regions. Further information is available at http://www.westerngolf.org/.
© Copyright 2009, Western Golf Alliance, LLC. All rights reserved
