Castle Stuart in Northern Scotland

We’re all familiar with America’s Greatest Courses — I mean, there will be a shake-up every now and then. You know, like Augusta dethroning Pine Valley for the No. 1 spot last year. Most of the courses that make Golf Digest’s Top 100 list are old (meaning many were built before you and I were born). But what about the best new tracks? Naturally, there are rankings for those, too. Jim Frank, a former editor of Golf Magazine, has compiled a guide to the top ten Best Courses of the Year.

Just the pictures — which Jim keeps referring to as “golf porn” — are worth a look. My favorite is the one above of Castle Stuart. Jim writes:

In northern Scotland, a few miles from Inverness and across the firth from legendary Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart accomplishes the impossible, looking as if it’s been on the land forever while being less than two years old.

Designer/developer Mark Parsinen spent months walking the land, looking not only for the ideal locations for fairways and greens but also judging the view golfers would have on every shot. It is that attention to detail—along with land heaven-sent for golf—that makes Castle Stuart memorable.

Mark that one for the bucket list.