Top 20 Golf Courses: International

1. St Andrews (Old Course), Scotland
It goes without saying that the Old Course is venerable, teeming with history, yet it remains a vibrant magnet in this university town, rife with other golfing possibilities, including the new St Andrews Links Golf Academy, which has state-of-the-art technology to dissect swings in detail that would make Old Tom Morris’ head swim. The big news in town is that the seventh course under the Links Trust aegis will open for play this summer. The new Castle Course was routed by Bandon Dunes designer David McLay Kidd. 011-44-133-446-6666, www.standrews.org.uk

2. Ocean Course, Los Cabos, Mexico
This Nicklaus course at Cabo del Sol is considered Mexico’s best (although his 27-hole Palmilla Golf Course is also outstanding, and aligned with the dreamy One&Only Palmilla resort). Seven Ocean Course holes play along or have the green site at water’s edge, particularly the closing trio. The 16th has been pushed back to the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach, and the back-to-back par-3s at six and seven are being redone to bring the ocean more into play. (877) 703-4394 or 011-52-624-145-8200, www.cabodelsol.com

3. Ballybunion (Old Course), Ireland
Another Old Course, another magnet, and Ireland’s strongest pull for the traveler. It existed in relative obscurity until the late Herbert Warren Wind wrote about its beauties and challenges in a 1971 New Yorker article, and the secret was out. Tom Watson visited in 1981 and was smitten for life, and it was this five-time Open Champion the club turned to in 1995 to touch up the course. Some say Ballybunion’s Cashen Course, a 1982 Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, is the equal of the Old Course. Some suggest this is blasphemy. 011-353-68-27146, www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie

4. Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course, Canada
It’s no hardship to wait for a few elk to trot across the fairways here; few golf settings can compare with Alberta’s Canadian Rockies vistas. (866) 441-1414 or (403) 762-2211, www.fairmontgolf.com/banffsprings

5. Carnoustie (Championship Course), Scotland
It’s the Open Championship year for Carnoustie, the first since Jean Van de Velde made a hash of the 72nd hole in 1999. Beginning July 19, Tiger will attempt to win his third straight title and match Young Tom Morris. 011-44-1241-853789, www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk                                  

6. Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club, Canada
Such are Whistler’s degrees of elevation that it might pay to tote both golf clubs and skis. Golfers can elevate their game at Canada’s only David Leadbetter Academy. (800) 606-8244 or (604) 938-8000, www.fairmont.com/whistler

7. Gleneagles (King’s Course), Scotland
The luxury resort with it all, including three and a half courses (counting the par-3 Wee Course). The King’s Course is the main draw; the PGA Centenary Course hosts the 2012 Ryder Cup. Consider a Glenmor home rental on the grounds for an extended stay. (866) 463-8734 or 011-44-1764-662231, www.gleneagles.com

8. Ocean Club Golf Course, Bahamas
Playing privileges on the Tom Weiskopf seaside course are open to guests at the One&Only Ocean Club, Atlantis, and Cove Atlantis, which opened in March. In January, the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational sprinkles stardust over the course. (242) 363-6680, www.oneandonlyresorts.com

9. Teeth of the Dog, Dominican Republic
Pete Dye is clearly readers’ favorite, with six courses on the list. He did a seven-month do-over here on perhaps his most famous, and the new Dog barks at Casa de Campo to the tune of 475 more yards. (800) 877-3643 or (305) 856-5405, www.casadecampo.com.do

10. The K Club (Palmer Course), Ireland
Readers apparently didn’t hold the course to fault for the drubbing the U.S. took here in last year’s Ryder Cup, putting it in the top 10 for the first time. 011-353-1601-7200, www.kclub.com

11. Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland
The Westin Turnberry Resort, both brawny and bonny in its offerings and seaside vistas, is tuning up for the Open Championship in 2009, the first since Nick Price hoisted the Claret Jug in 1994. Players will discover a score of new bunk-ers blooming. 011-44-1655-331000, www.turnberry.co.uk

12. La Cana Golf Course, Dominican Republic
Golf is exploding in the D.R., with a sheaf of new courses opening. Corales, a seafront course designed by Tom Fazio, will debut next year at the Puntacana Resort & Club to complement this testing P.B. Dye routing. Also make an effort to play the new Nicklaus course, Punta Espada, at Cap Cana (www.capcana.com). (888) 442-2262 or (809) 959-2262, www.puntacana.com

13. Dundonald LINKS, Scotland
The second of three planned courses of the exclusive Loch Lomond Golf Club, Dundonald is a Kyle Phillips design near Troon in both distance and inspiration. 011-44-1294-314000, www.dundonaldlinks.com                                             
                                          
14. Valderrama Golf Club, Spain
The fourth course on the list by Robert Trent Jones Sr. (putting him second only to Pete Dye in readers’ favor), is this San Roque track with the endlessly debated merits of the 17th hole. 011-34-956-791-200, www.valderrama.com

15. Muirfield Links, Scotland
In a monumental nod to modernity, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers now lets visitors check tee time availability online! But mind that outside play is open only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 011-44-1620-842123, www.muirfield.org.uk

16. Royal Troon, Scotland
There are actually three courses at Troon — a nine-hole par-3 track, the Portland Course, and the Old Course, where eight Open Championships have been held and where the shortest hole in the entire rota, the Postage Stamp eighth, may be golf’s most beguiling par-3. 011-44-1292-311555, www.royaltroon.co.uk

17. The Green Monkey, Barbados
Easily one of Tom Fazio’s best, a visually spectacular playground at the Sandy Lane Resort, where Tiger and Elin Woods tied the knot. (866) 444-4080 or (246) 444-2000, www.sandylane.com

18. Doonbeg Golf Club, Ireland
Barely a year old, the cottages and suites at The Lodge at Doonbeg come with preferred tee times on the Greg Norman-designed links, as well as the new White Horses Spa. (866) 366-6234 or 011-353-65-905-5602, www.doonbeggolfclub.com

19. Cruden Bay (Main Course), Scotland
To give potential passengers a destination, the Great North of Scotland Railway commissioned Old Tom Morris to route a course that opened in 1899, though redesigned in 1926 by Tom Simpson. Both Toms did well indeed. 011-44-1779-812285, www.crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk

20. Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand
Back on the list is this otherworldly Northland course running along cliffs overlooking Matauri Bay in truly spectacular fashion. The luxurious new spa in the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is almost gilding the lily. 011-64-9-407-0010 www.kauricliffs.com             


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