The Crump Cup is the premier mid-amateur tournament in the United States.
Andrew Price won the 99th annual Crump Memorial Tournament at Pine Valley Golf Club in Pine Hill, New Jersey. He defeated Jimmy Ellis of Atlantic Beach, Florida, 2 and 1, on Sunday.
Price, of Lake Bluff, Illinois beat Bradford Tilley of Easton, Connecticut, who was the medalist in stroke play and top seed, in the morning semifinal round, 2 and 1. Price, who posted 4-over 148 in stroke-play qualifying, took down Evan Beck in the first round and then Matt McClean, both by a score of 1 up.
Jamie Slonis of Sewell, New Jersey defeated Gene Elliott of Norwalk, Iowa, in 19 holes to win the Senior Crump Cup.
Gregor Orlando defeated Greg Nurse, 1 up, to win the second flight and Taylor Wood beat former Tour pro and reinstated amateur Bobby Wyatt, 4 and 3, in the third flight.
The Crump Cup is the premier mid-amateur tournament in the United States. Pine Valley is ranked second in the latest Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list.
Architect Jay Blasi explains what makes Cypress Point Club special in his rater’s notebook.
Editor’s note: It’s not quite a seismic change in the Golfweek’s Best rankings, but this year Cypress Point in California has passed Pine Valley in New Jersey as the No. 1 Classic Course built in the U.S. before 1960. It’s a matter of decimal points as the top courses jostle each other for position on the various lists, and that’s the case with Cypress Point and Pine Valley as well. In 2023, Pine Valley was No. 1 with a 9.62 average rating, and Cypress Point was No. 2 with a 9.60 average rating. When our lists were extracted from the Golfweek’s Best database this year, Cypress Point averaged 9.62, while Pine Valley came in at 9.60. Below, golf course architect Jay Blasi – who works with Golfweek as a rater advisor and contributes occasional stories – shares his thoughts on Cypress Point and how it stacks up using our Golfweek’s Best rater criteria.Â
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Cypress Point long has been known as one of the most beautiful and exclusive golf courses on Earth. Golfers from around the world have seen the breathtaking photos in magazines of the coastline stretch and dreamt of playing the course.Â
Visitors to the Monterey Peninsula cruise through the golf course on 17-Mile Drive to within a few feet of the 15th tee, where the Pacific Ocean crashes hard against the rugged coastline. But only a tiny fraction of golfers will ever play the course. Those who do should understand that while the famed coastline holes are wonderful, it is the totality of the journey that sets Cypress Point apart.
For those guests lucky enough to get the invite, the anticipation is overwhelming. Turning into the driveway and past the sign that reads “CYPRESS POINT CLUB – MEMBERS ONLY” is a seminal moment in any golfer’s life. Players beaming with excitement meet at the tiny golf shop bursting with merchandise. It is a feeding frenzy as each player loads up on logo gear for themselves as well as every golf buddy they have ever met.Â
After the order of play is set and the caddies are introduced, it is time to hit the first tee shot – one of the scarier propositions in amateur golf. Here you are in the shadow of the golf shop, no warm-up, and you must tee off over 17-Mile Drive. The next four hours offer perhaps the greatest walk in golf.Â
No. 9 at Cypress Point Club in California (Photo by Martin Miller/MillerBrown)
The journey is like a nature stroll starting with a trek to the dunes on Nos. 1-3. From there you head inland to the forest for Nos. 4-7, then wander back into the dunes at 8 and 9. After looking out to the sea from the dunes, you dip into the forest at 10 and 11 then start a thrilling march out to the sea through the dunes at Nos. 12-14.Â
From No. 14 green, players cross the famed 17-Mile Drive and walk 85 yards overlooking the Pacific Ocean before arriving at the 15th tee. Nos. 15-17 all play along and over the rocky coastline with seals or sea lions as sleepy onlookers. The 18th plays from the coastline back into the forest uphill toward the clubhouse.Â
Most golfers know that Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed Cypress Point, and many know Marion Hollins was the developer. However, few know that before MacKenzie was hired, Hollins had engaged Seth Raynor – famed designer of such revered layouts as Chicago Golf Club, Fishers Island, Yale and Yeamans Hall – to design the course. Raynor’s sudden death in 1926 opened the door for Hollins and MacKenzie to become perhaps the greatest developer/designer team of all time.
Following is how I have rated Cypress Point in the 10 categories that Golfweek uses for each course. The hundreds of raters who help compile Golfweek’s annual best-of course lists look at 10 topics, then give each course an overall ranking. Each category is assigned a rating of 1 through 10, then a course is given a non-cumulative overall rating.Â
No. 18 at Cypress Point Club in California (Photo by Martin Miller/MillerBrown)
1. Routing: 9 (on a scale of 1 to 10) The way the course weaves through the dunes, forests and coastline is a master class in routing. Had the 18th hole turned left instead of right and finished below the clubhouse with the coastline as the backdrop, it would undoubtedly be the best routing in the world.
2. Consistency with original design: 10 Over the past 10 years or so the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw has worked with the club to ensure the course is presented in line with its origins.
3. Overall land plan: 9 The clubhouse is situated where it can look over the ocean without taking away frontage from the course. The maintenance facility is discreetly hidden amongst the forest. Homes on the perimeter of the course don’t detract from the beauty.Â
4. Greens and surrounds: 8 With a mix of sizes, shapes and contours, each fits beautifully into the varied landscape. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the uber-skinny ninth set within the dunes almost perpendicular to the line of play.Â
5. Variety and memorability of the par 3s: 10 The long 16th over the ocean to an isthmus is often considered one of the top par 3s in the world. Its little brother, the coastline-hugging 15th, might be more loved as it plays only about 130 yards. The inland one-shotters at 3 and 7 make great use of the biggest dune on the property.
6. Variety and memorability of the par 4s: 9 The drivable ninth is one of the better short 4s around. The stretch of 11-14 – all playing west and each moving from left to right – sounds repetitive, but each is a brilliant use of natural landforms.Â
7. Variety and memorability of the par 5s: 7 MacKenzie broke the rules at CPC with three par 5s in the first six holes, including back-to-back at Nos. 5 and 6. A draw off the tee will help at 2, 5 and 6. The bunkering on No. 5 in the forest is some of the most beautiful you will find.
8. Tree and landscape management: 9 The team at CPC has gone to great lengths to restore dune scapes and manage forests. The cypress and Monterey pines add to the allure as players weave from one landscape to another.Â
9. Conditioning: 9 Jeff Markow, the longtime superintendent at CPC, has the golf course and grounds better than ever leading up to the 2025 Walker Cup. The playing surfaces are firm and true, while areas off the fairway are beautiful and playable.
10. “Walk in the Park” test: 10 In March of 2022 I was lucky enough to join my good friend, Jason Bruno, for a day at Cypress Point. He even had me invite my dad to join us, something I had been trying to do for 20-plus years. As we walked up the 13th fairway heading towards the Pacific, I asked my dad, “So, what do you think?” He replied “I’ve been playing golf for almost 70 years, and this is my favorite round of golf ever.”Â
Overall: 9.3 One of the greatest golf courses in the world. The breathtaking beauty of the setting and the brilliance of the routing may be unmatched in the game. If ever given the chance to play Cypress Point, the answer is always, “Yes, I’m available.”
Justin Thomas had the perfect reaction to his buddy making an ace.
Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas were known for their wild spring break golf trips at Bakers Bay that featured the likes of Jordan Spieth and Smylie Kaufman in their younger years. You know, when Snapchat was all the rage back in 2017.
According to a signed pin flag by the players in the group, Fowler aced the par-3 third hole from 182 yards out with a 7-iron, and the hole-in-one was captured on video and shared on social media on Thursday morning.
🚨 #NEW — Here is video of the Hole in One Rickie made at Pine Valley yesterday. 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/MsqmcvzqGu
— Rickie Fowler Tracker (@Rickie_Tracker) April 25, 2024
Rickie and JT are no strangers to aces, they’re professional golfers after all. But you just have to love the reaction on the tee box, jumping and screaming like a couple of amateurs at the local muni. Pro golfers, sometimes they’re just like us.
Hagestad added another prestigious trophy to his recent haul.
PINE VALLEY, N.J. – Stewart Hagestad is having a September to remember.
Hagestad added the prestigious Crump Memorial Tournament to his recent haul of trophies Saturday, defeating defending champion Stephen Behr Jr. in a playoff at Pine Valley Golf Club.
Hagestad, 32, was a member of the U.S. side that won the 49th Walker Cup at the Old Course in St. Andrews on Sept. 3. Then he claimed the U.S. Mid-Amateur championship on Sept. 13, at Sleepy Hollow in N.Y., winning the title for a third time, 3 and 2 over Evan Beck.
Stewart Hagestad kisses the Robert T. Jones, Jr. Memorial Trophy after winning the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Hagestad’s Crump Memorial began in dramatic fashion with a hole-in-one at Pine Valley’s famed par-3 10th hole (known as the Devil’s Asshole) as he posted rounds of 71-72 and tied for third in 36-hole stroke-play qualifying. (Beck earned medalist honors with a pair of 68s and a 36-hole total of 4-under 136.) Tropical Storm Ophelia forced the tournament committee to shorten the weekend match play to 18 holes of stroke play to determine the champion. All non-championship flights were canceled.
Hagestad shot 3-over 73 in difficult conditions at Pine Valley, ranked No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list. He made par at the first hole, the first playoff hole, to secure the win over Behr of Alpharetta, Georgia, and claim the 98th Crump Cup.
Matthew Sughrue of Arlington, Virginia, shot a 1-under 69 to win the Senior Crump Cup. Bob Royak of Alpharetta, Georgia, finished second with a 74.
Our inaugural list of best par-3, short and non-traditional courses in the U.S. includes a bit of everything.
What makes a great short course? We posed that question to our huge network of course raters to establish the first Golfweek’s Best ranking of non-traditional courses in the United States.Â
We included par-3 courses as well as short courses that might have a few par 4s and even par 5s. Some are crazy, over-the-top fun meant to be played barefoot with a cold drink in hand. Others are more traditional in their design. They might be at an elite private club, or they might be a muni down the street. There might be 18 holes, or there might be only six — who cares when you’re having a blast?
Basically, they all fit the bill of not being a traditional-length, traditional-par course. And just like the best short courses, we threw out some of the rules used for rating traditional courses and asked the raters to submit one overall score for each course based on how much they enjoyed the design and the environment. Those individual ratings were then combined to form one average rating, which is listed for each course. Each course had to receive a minimum number of 10 votes, and there are several other great short courses that likely will make this list when they receive enough votes. We received nearly a thousand ballots in all for this inaugural list.
The Cradle at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina (Courtesy of Pinehurst Resort)
And as for how we decided which courses fit the bill: All of these would be shorter than 2,700 yards if they were nine holes, compared to a traditional course typically being made up of nines measuring 3,100 to 3,800 yards. Short courses, particularly the public-access variety, are the most welcoming of all golf — everyone can take their shot.Â
And there’s more to come. Streamsong Resort in Florida is adding a new short course this fall called The Chain, and the newly renovated Cabot Citrus Farms (formerly World Woods) in Florida also will have one named The 21 when the resort opens in December. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, already home to one of the best short courses in the world, is adding another. There’s no end in sight for fresh additions.
One note: Many courses have also added large putting courses, but those are not included on this list.
For this list, we included each course’s rating on a points scale of 1 to 10. We also included their locations, the designers, the year they opened, the number of holes, the total length and the par. At the end of each entry, the letter “p” indicates a private club, “d” indicates daily fee and “r” indicates a resort.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Two years after Pine Valley Golf Club admitted its first female members, the USGA announced that a Curtis Cup would be staged there in 2034. The club has previously hosted two Walker Cup matches in 1936 and 1985.
“We are committed to bringing our championships to the finest golf courses in the country, and over the last several years, that commitment has only strengthened for our women’s championships,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “That is why, on the eve of a monumental first U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, this is a fitting and historic announcement for the Curtis Cup and the USGA.”
Francis Ouimet captained the 1936 Walker Cup Match at Pine Valley that saw the U.S. sweep Great Britain and Ireland, 9-0. It was a closer affair in 1985, with Team USA claiming a 13-11 victory.
The Curtis Cup is comprised of two teams of eight female amateur players, one from the USA and one from GB&I. The format consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition. The USA leads the overall series, 31-8-3.
Golfweek’s experts have ranked the Top 200 courses built before 1960, such as Augusta National, Pebble Beach and more.
Are you a big fan of Golden Age golf architecture? You’re in the right spot. Welcome to the Golfweek’s Best 2023 list of the Top 200 Classic Courses opened before 1960 in the United States.
The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings. The top handful of courses in the world have an average rating of above 9, while many excellent layouts fall into the high-6 to the 8 range.
To ensure these lists are up-to-date, Golfweek’s Best in recent years has altered how the individual ratings are compiled into the rankings. Only ratings from rounds played in the past 10 years are included in the compilations. This helps ensure that any course in the rankings still measures up.
Courses also must have a minimum of 25 votes to qualify for the Top 200 Modern or the Top 200 Classic. Other Golfweek’s Best lists, such as Best Courses You Can Play or Best Private, do not require as many votes. This makes it possible that a course can show up on other lists but not on the premium Top 200 lists.
Each course is listed with its average rating next to the name, the location, the year it opened and the designers. The list notes in parenthesis next to the name of each course where that course ranked in 2022.
After the designers are several designations that note what type of facility it is:
Golfweek’s Best 2023: The top private golf courses in each state.
Want to find the best private golf courses in each state? You’re in the right spot, and welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2023 list of top private layouts as judged by our international panel of raters.
The hundreds of members of that ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Editor’s note: The Golfweek’s Best 2023 rankings of top 200 Modern and top 200 Classic Courses will be released June 19.
New Jersey’s private courses shine as brightly as any state, with Pine Valley leading the way.
New Jersey is famous for its private golf clubs, with each of the top 15 on Golfweek’s Best list of private courses in the state ranked among either the top 200 modern or classic courses in the United States. Pine Valley Golf Club tops the list in the state, as well as being No. 1 on the Golfweek’s Best ranking of classic courses built before 1960 in the U.S.
But don’t discount the state’s public-access offerings. There are plenty of solid offerings that don’t require an initiation fee.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960 (c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.Â
For 100 years, the Crump Cup has been played at Pine Valley, and yet the tournament and the host club remain a mystery to many.
For 100 years, the Crump Cup has been played at Pine Valley, and yet the tournament and the host club remain a mystery to many. The course, despite maintaining its #1 ranking for decades, is unknowable to most, even more so since the tradition of allowing spectators for the Crump Cup final Sunday matches has been suspended.
But for those invited to play in the George A. Crump Memorial Tournament, it is a treasured opportunity to go behind the curtain and experience a place that most will never see, in a tournament with a set of traditions and playing conditions that make it unlike any other event on the amateur schedule. The tournament is September 22-25.
Here are 10 things you might not know about what might be the best tournament in amateur golf:
1. The tournament dinner is held after two rounds of stroke play qualifying are played to determine five match-play brackets (three mid-amateur brackets of 16 players and two senior brackets of 8 players). Since only those in the top flight have a chance at the overall championship, one of the past Crump Cup traditions has been to honor these 16 players by sitting them together at a broad table facing the rest of the players. At this table, Pine Valley flags have been laid out at each place setting, with each player awarded a flag corresponding to his match play seed (e.g., the 3rd seed receives a flag from the 3rd hole) and the next day’s opponents seated next to each other for dinner.
2. There is a 10-hole short course at Pine Valley that is sometimes used for consolation competitions for those who don’t make match play. Eight of the ten holes on the short course are replicas of approach shots on the main course.
3. There are probably fewer eagles made at the Crump Cup than in any other major tournament. The reason? It is almost unheard of to have an eagle putt. There are only two par 5s on the course, both stretching over 600 yards, and both requiring an aerial approach. Two of the par 4s, the 8th and 12th, are at times technically driveable, but the targets are so tiny that it almost never happens. So approach shot hole-outs are pretty much the only way to put two circles on the card.
4. There is no out of bounds at Pine Valley, and all structures on the course are considered through the green. So if a competitor finds his ball behind, in, or on top of one of these structures, he will not get relief. Carlton Forrester found this out at the 2012 Crump Cup, when his second shot on the long par-four 4th found the clubhouse roof, from which he got up-an-down for an all-world par.
5. The practice facility is on the opposite side of the property from the clubhouse, and so warming up before the round requires a scenic car or cart ride of nearly a mile, snaking between the 9th and 5th/6th holes, across the 7th fairway and through the woods. Like many courses built in the early 20th century, Pine Valley did not have a dedicated practice area, and so the club eventually built one (which is, not surprisingly, world-class) where it had the available land.
6. Unlike most other mid-amateur and senior majors, the Crump Cup moves its dates every year. One of the main considerations is avoiding a conflict with the U.S. Mid-Amateur, and so over the last 20 years we’ve seen the tournament start as early as September 9 and conclude as late as October 3.
7. The Rules of Golf as they pertain to bunker rakes do not apply at the Crump Cup, because Pine Valley does not have bunker rakes. So if a player finds himself in one of Pine Valley’s numerous sandy areas, which range from tiny little scrapes to sprawling wastelands, he is in a true hazard from which escape is not guaranteed. This is part of the reason why during the stroke play qualifier, players who have found the infamous “Devil’s A**hole” bunker on the 10th hole have been known to re-tee rather than risk playing a shot from the deep pit and seeing the ball roll back into a footprint or worse.
8. While the way to secure an invitation to the Crump Cup is more nebulous (you don’t ask for one, and there are no applications or open qualifiers; they will find you if they wish to invite you), the way to get un-invited is much more clear-cut. Two consecutive years of missing match play is usually a one-way ticket out of Pine Valley, as is the rarer but not unheard-of display of unbecoming conduct. The Crump Cup is a tournament for gentlemen, and players are on their best behavior on and off the course.
9. Caddies are required during the Crump Cup, and on a course where being 15 feet above or below the hole can be a 2- or 3-shot difference, a Pine Valley caddie is invaluable. A round at the Crump Cup is full of fearsome hazards, tricky reads and strategic decisions (many a player has laid up at the par-3 5th and won the hole), and success is always a team effort.
10. The tournament’s namesake, George Arthur Crump, never made it to opening day. Crump was the visionary behind Pine Valley and put everything he had into designing the course that would become No. 1 in the world. He lived on the property year-round, initially in a tent and later in a bungalow constructed near the present site of the 5th hole. He consulted with some of the great golf course architects of the day, including Harry Colt, George C. Thomas, Walter Travis and A.W. Tillinghast, and the result speaks for itself. But Crump tragically died in 1918, a year before the full 18 holes were completed. The George A. Crump Memorial Tournament was started in his honor in 1922, and 100 years later he was inducted into the New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame.
