re: What makes a golf course great?

A few characteristics are options off the tee, true "risk/reward." one side of the fairway provides a good look at the flag whereas the other side brings in a bad angle to the green. This let's more people hit the fairway, but allows for a great recovery shot or a bad score depending on aggression of the player.

Things like centerline bunkers that can influence the player mentally to take a certain line

Good green complexes.

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For those of you that follow golf course architects, which ones do you consider the best

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Mackenzie, Maxwell, Raynor, Tillinghast, Maxwell, Macdonald, Ross, Coore Crenshaw, Doak, among others.

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what qualities make you think they're the best?

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Everything described above and not moving a shite ton of land to build neighborhoods around the courses