Colorado-based golf and country clubs make the grade in national rankings
By Gary Baines – 1/9/2025
The folks at Castle Pines Golf Club are doing their best to live up to the catchphrase that is printed on the club’s stationery and that appears on its website: “The Best Day of Golf in America”.
The picturesque club in northern Castle Rock, which played host in August to the 2024 PGA Tour Tournament of the Year (the BMW Championship), does indeed set itself apart in many respects. And so do a number of other private golf and country clubs in Colorado, at least according to recently released rankings by the Platinum Clubs of America for 2025-26.
In separate rankings, Castle Pines Golf Club was slotted in at No. 33 among the top golf clubs in the nation, while Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village was No. 33 among U.S. country clubs.
All told, two clubs in the Centennial State were among the 82 top golf clubs which made the Platinum Clubs of America grade — or honorable mention. Meanwhile, six Colorado-based country clubs were among the top 150 country clubs in the nation, with five in the state making the top 100.
These national lists are headed by clubs that are household names for golf fans. For instance, the top 10 from the golf clubs list includes Augusta National, Oakmont, Shinnecock, Merion, Pine Valley, Cypress Point and Winged Foot. And the country club list is headed by Congressional. That’s pretty much a golf course version of a Who’s Who in America — facilities that collectively have hosted dozens and dozens of major championships.
Focusing on Colorado, Castle Pines has been the site of 22 PGA Tour events over the years — 21 Internationals and one BMW Championship. Also on the Platinum Clubs of America’s golf club list — but as an honorable-mention selection — is Ballyneal in the northeastern Colorado town of Holyoke.
The clubhouse at Cherry Hills Country Club.
As for the country club list, Cherry Hills, which has hosted five men’s open-age major championships and 10 USGA championships overall, checked in at No. 33, as noted. Also making that list from Colorado were Maroon Creek Club in Aspen (75th), Roaring Fork Club in Basalt (78th), the Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock (80th), historic Denver Country Club (94th) and The Club at Ravenna in Littleton (149th).
Platinum Clubs of America rates golf and country clubs based on universal recognition, excellence in amenities and facilities, caliber of staff and professional service levels, engagement and commitment of membership, governance and prudent fiscal management, adapting to changing times, and overall experience.
Here are the top 10 on the Platinum Clubs of America Golf Clubs list, along with the Colorado selections:
1. Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.
2. Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J.
3. Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.
4. Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, N.Y.
5. Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.
6. Pine Valley Golf Club, Clementon, N.J.
7. Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif.
8. Aronimink Golf Club, Newton Square, Pa.
9. Caves Valley Golf Club, Owing Mills, Md.
10. Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Colorado Golf Clubs on List
33. Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock
Honorable Mention: Ballyneal Golf Club, Holyoke
And here are the country club top 10 according to Platinum Clubs of America, along with the Colorado selections:
1. Congressional CC, Bethesda, Md.
2. Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Fla.
3. The Vintage Club, Indian Wells, Calif.
4. Addison Reserve CC, Delray Beach, Fla.
5. Boca West CC, Boca Raton, Fla.
6. John’s Island Club, Vero Beach, Fla.
7. CC of Virginia, Richmond, Va.
8. Desert Mountain Club, Scottsdale, Arizona.
9. Medinah CC, Medinah, Ill.
10. Fishers Island Club, Fishers Island, N.Y.
Colorado Country Clubs on List
33. Cherry Hills CC, Cherry Hills Village
75. Maroon Creek Club, Aspen
78. Roaring Fork Club, Basalt
80. CC at Castle Pines, Castle Rock
94. Denver CC, Denver
149. Club at Ravenna, Littleton
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com