Invitation only. No application process. Fewer than 300 members at most. The clubs where Augusta National looks almost accessible by comparison.
The full ranking
Invitation only. No application process. Fewer than 300 members at most. The clubs where Augusta National looks almost accessible by comparison.
Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, USA)
The most famous golf club in the world, home to the Masters Tournament since 1934. Membership is by invitation only and the list has never been made public.
Cypress Point Club (Pebble Beach, USA)
Alister MacKenzie's 1928 masterpiece on the Monterey Peninsula, with oceanside holes that are among the most photographed in golf. Membership is deliberately kept to around 250 and newcomers require a unanimous vote.
Pine Valley Golf Club (Pine Valley, USA)
Consistently ranked the top course in the world, a severe test of match play cut through New Jersey pine forest and sandy wastes. There is no application process: you are invited or you are not.
National Golf Links of America (Southampton, USA)
Charles Macdonald's 1911 tribute to the great holes of Scotland and England, built on the South Fork of Long Island. One of the five founding clubs of the USGA, with roughly 300 members who reside across the country.
Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Black Rock, Australia)
The composite course drawn from Alister MacKenzie's West Course and Alex Russell's East Course, consistently ranked the finest outside North America and the British Isles. Guest play is by member introduction only.
Loch Lomond Golf Club (Luss, Scotland)
A Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish design set against the Highland scenery of the bonnie banks, with the 17th-century Rossdhu House as its clubhouse. More than 500 member-shareholders purchased the club in 2011 to preserve its privacy.
Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, USA)
Donald Ross's 1929 design on the Florida Atlantic coast, where Ben Hogan spent 30 days each spring preparing for the Masters. Eisenhower, Ford, and Kennedy all played here; Hogan called it the only course he could play every day.
Hirono Golf Club (Miki, Japan)
Charles Hugh Alison's 1932 layout on land once owned by a feudal warlord, widely considered Japan's finest course and one of Asia's most exclusive private clubs. Guests may only play if accompanied by a member.
Chicago Golf Club (Wheaton, USA)
Founded in 1893 by Charles Blair Macdonald, it is the oldest 18-hole course in North America and one of the USGA's five founding clubs. The course helped codify the rules of golf for the American game.
Muirfield (Gullane, Scotland)
Home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest verifiable golf club in the world with records dating to 1744. The Open Championship has been played here 16 times, most recently in 2013.
Ranked across 3 sources: GOLF Magazine 14 Most Exclusive; Billionaire.com Top 10; Your Golf Travel · Fairway Tours. Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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