Here are a few of our own takeaways…
1. At the top, it’s no surprise that Augusta National punches well above its Rank of Ranks position, coming in at No 3 on the Bucket List ranking. In fact, the “I’ve seen it on TV so I wanna go there” sentiment (credit: Eric from The Fliers Club) runs throughout the Bucket List ranking. Other notables include Kiawah Island, Seminole (both of which perhaps benefit from some recency bias?), Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits and Riviera.
2. Not all US Open courses faired so well, and whilst Pinehurst seems to have cultivated a millennial-friendly brand (at No 8 on the Bucket List), we see other US Open venues fall short of their official ranking number – Oakmont, Merion and Brookline to name just three.
3. We don’t know where people have voted from, but it’s fair to assume based on web traffic that approximately two-thirds of users are UK-based. As such, we expected the courses outside of UK&I would generate more buzz and demand (especially given the impact of Covid-19), and those closer to home that are more accessible would slip down the Bucket List. That wasn’t the case – people still voted in their droves for Royal Porthcawl, Royal Lytham & St Annes, and Royal Birkdale. All fabulous courses which more than held their own against more exotic, far-flung venues like Hirono, Tara Iti or Santapazienza. In fact, that’s another observation – the term ‘Royal’ seems to elevate courses on the Bucket List in a few cases, with both Cinque Ports and Adelaide punching above their weight…
4. What about the ones that didn’t get the same love? Well, Crystal Downs (68th), Oakmont (28th) and Shinnecock (11th) faired worst when compared against their more official rankings of 18th, 7th and 3rd, respectively.
5. And how can we not look at the ‘Trump factor’ – Trump International (Aberdeen) finished 83rd on the Bucket List against a rank of 64th, and The Ailsa only managed 27th place on the Bucket List despite being rated inside the top 10 courses in the world according to the Rank of Ranks.
6. Unsurprisingly the top spot, for now, remains with Cypress Point… but perhaps a ‘Royal’ prefix for Augusta National might change that!
Any other surprises? Then please get in touch and let us know your thoughts!
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