What is Top 22 Picks?
Top 22 Picks is a voting-based ranking platform for public-access golf courses. Instead of star ratings and long reviews, golfers use a limited number of votes to build a real ranking — the courses they'd pick first.
Top 22 Picks is built around a simple idea: rankings beat reviews when you're trying to answer one question — where should I play next?
Primary actions:
- Vote in your state's Election Leaderboard
- Build your own Top 22 list
- Compare your list to the consensus leaderboard
Why rankings beat reviews
Reviews are useful for specifics (pace of play, greens, service). But most review platforms aren't designed to produce a credible "top list."
Common failure modes:
- Star inflation: most places cluster between 4.2 and 4.8, so "best" becomes meaningless
- Review spam and extremes: angry outliers and promotional posts distort signal
- No trade-offs: a 5-star rating doesn't force you to choose Course A over Course B
- Not travel-friendly: you don't want to read 200 comments to decide where to book a tee time
A ranking forces a choice. And choices produce a clearer signal than opinions.
What "Top 22" means (and why the constraint matters)
The "22" is deliberate — it's the number of starters on a football field. Top 22 Picks is about the starters, not the bench: the courses that belong in the real "best of" conversation. Limiting votes creates stronger signal because it forces prioritization.
When votes are unlimited, everything gets a like. When votes are scarce, people save them for what they truly value.
This produces:
- More meaningful separation between courses
- Less noise from casual clicks
- A stronger consensus over time
What we focus on
Top 22 Picks emphasizes public and public-access golf — the courses golfers can actually book and play.
That includes:
- fully public courses
- daily-fee and resort courses that allow public tee times
- public-access private clubs where access is realistic (when applicable)
How to use Top 22 Picks
1) Vote in your state's Election Leaderboard
Your vote helps shape the consensus ranking in your state. Leaderboards update as golfers participate. Browse all states or view Florida's leaderboard.
2) Build your own Top 22 list
Top 22 Picks also lets you create your personal list — your favorite courses, in your order.
3) Compare your list to the crowd
You can compare your list against the consensus leaderboard to see where you align — and where you disagree.
This is the point: not everyone likes the same courses for the same reasons. But the consensus is a useful baseline.
What Top 22 Picks is not
- Not a traditional review site
- Not pay-to-rank
- Not "one expert's opinion" — it's a crowd signal