Press Release

For Immediate Release November 14, 2017

Many old names, some new names in the Western Golf Alliance golf course rankings

"Where You Can Rip It" 2018 honors 100 public-access western golf courses

BOTHELL, Washington. Today, the Western Golf Alliance 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.

Without a lot of new course openings happening in the U.S., many of the changes in the rankings this year have to do with varying course conditions and experiences as individual courses.

"After years of creating our rankings, this evaluation period was probably the most contested among our members in history," said Peter McGarry, WGA president. "In many regions, the ranking debates boiled down to changing conditions, pricing, and off-course amenities like staff and range facilities."

The one area in the country that best represents this was Washington state. In the "Emerald Portlandia" region, Chambers Bay dropped from a prohibitive #1 course in 2016 to 4th in 2018, exclusively because of terrible green conditions that still plague the course. Meanwhile, as the exception that proves the rule, the most significant new course in the west - Gamble Sands - immediately became the top course in the Evergreen State region.

"We use both objective scoring and subjective analysis and debate in creating these rankings," explained Mark Taylor, chairman of the course ranking task force. "As a result, we can take into account year-to-year variations and collaborate together to create the best assessment of the local public golf courses in each region," said Taylor.

In the past, the "Where You Can Rip It" golf course rankings have been quoted by The Golf Channel, and referenced on numerous industry websites including Worldgolf.com, Golfchannel.com, and Golf.com. The 2016 rankings we viewed by over one hundred thousand golfers during the past 24 months, and have been quoted in at least two dozen news articles. In the past, realtors have used the rankings to promote the quality of homes on or near ranked courses, and at least one golf course cited the rankings in documents used to establish the financial value of their business.

"We are proud of our continued commitment to rate public-access golf courses in the western U.S. for the benefit of all golfers," concluded McGarry. "This is our mission, to promote the great game of golf, and to serve all golfers, and we take that mission seriously."

The WGA updates the Where You Can Rip It rankings biennially. The 2018 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/.

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