Tiering 2026 LPGA Venues

Joseph LaMagna’s popular (and somewhat divisive) annual exercise of tiering PGA Tour venues got me thinking: What would the tiers look like with LPGA Tour courses? 

Naturally, your first thought of LPGA venues might not be the most positive, with places like the Club at Carlton Woods hosting majors in the past, but this exercise has proven that things aren't as dire as I originally thought, with some venues flying under the radar. There’s a severe lack of name recognition for a large number of LPGA venues. If the tour didn't add the tournament site names under the logos, a vast majority of fans wouldn’t have a clue where these events were played. But let me try to make some sense of it for you. 

I will be loosely following Joseph's evaluation process while looking at things through more of a women’s golf lens. The factors that make PGA Tour venues great don't necessarily apply for the LPGA. Here are some of the key factors I’m looking at for my own criteria: 

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1. Shot values – LPGA players’ dispersion patterns are drastically tighter in most regards to the men, massively tight fairways and small green targets don't present the same difficulty for ladies who hit nearly 80% of their fairways or 75% of greens. Venues that find a way to reward great ball-striking and not turn into putting contests move up the list quickly.

2. Challenge – Part of the issue with how accurate LPGA players are is finding ways to actually challenge them. Appropriately placed hazards that require shot-making decisions and interesting green complexes are more difficult to navigate than bludgeoning, 420-plus-yard par 4s.

3. Variety – It can get boring hitting nearly every fairway and green. Variety matters. Long holes, short holes, reachable par 5s, three-shot par 5s. Being deadly accurate doesn't mean the course has to be a rinse-and-repeat snoozefest.

One thing you won't find in any of these key factors is conditioning. There are quite a few LPGA tournament venues that have world-class conditioning, but at the end of the day, that really doesn't translate to the best venue for a golf tournament lacking quality architecture. 

Those familiar with Joseph's graphic will notice the absence of an elite venue section from mine. Unfortunately, there just isn't a venue that jumps off the page screaming elite, except for some recent U.S. Women's Open hosts (and the AIG Women's Open when it’s not at Woburn).

I know some will be shocked to see Evian Resort listed amongst the Cream of the Crop, but hear me out. The quirky, Steve Smyers-renovated venue provides a unique challenge to the ladies with tight, uneven fairways and small, sectioned-off greens that only reward properly played shots. As we've seen the past few years at the Amundi Evian Championship, the reachable par-5 18th seems to always provide some drama worth watching. Plus, if enough players are complaining and calling something unfair, maybe it is a major-worthy test. A notable theme amongst a few of the better venues is Donald Ross in both Mountain Ridge in New Jersey and Maketewah in Ohio, a new venue for the Kroger Queen City Championship that recently underwent a renovation by Brian Silva. 

The Chevron Championship went from the bottom of the barrel to almost the top with its move to Memorial Park. Yes, Memorial Park has the potential to be elite for the ladies, but I will reserve judgment until we see how this year's Chevron plays out before I evaluate any further. The Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek also has the potential to be more than a Great Test, but the move from match play to stroke play has the potential to be a bloodbath. Once again, I’ll wait to see how the course is set up before I really give it a proper grade. 

El Caballero gets enough of a Passing Grade in its first edition as host for the JM Eagle LA Championship, but if the event moved back to the recently renovated Wilshire Country Club, it would instantly jump to the Cream of the Crop tier. TPC Boston has the potential to be a great test for the FM Championship, but I think the setup approach needs to change on a few of the holes to really make it great. 

Some will be surprised to see the CME Tour Championship in the I Feel Nothing category, but who really wants to play a fake revetted bunker links-style golf course in the middle of a swamp? Outside the dangers, some of the bunker lips make Tiburón is a glorified putting contest for $4 million. It’s sad that the Toto Japan Classic moved away from Seta to the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course. It’s a great example of feeling nothing because I have caddied at Taiheiyo twice and can't recall more than one golf hole. 

My Mixed Bag co-host Meg Adkins thought this was going to be a very bottom-heavy list, and yes, there are a few venues that are Unfortunately a Golf Course. There’s Jian Lake in China at the Blue Bay LPGA, where the government took away a great oceanside par 3 and forced the par-5 18th to now feature a 90-degree dogleg fairway lined by palm trees. We won't even discuss some of the other green complexes there that make Evian’s look flat. My frustrations with Pelican Golf Club and the ANNIKA have been aired out on the Mixed Bag, and while the list of winners is strong, not even Caitlin Clark can save the fact that the course lacks any intrigue or soul. 

The good news is that things are moving in the right direction for the LPGA. The ladies can play nearly any golf course at around 6,500 yards. Countless quality golf courses have been outpaced by technology to host men's professional golf that would be well served to host LPGA events. Venues do matter, and under Craig Kessler's new leadership, I hope LPGA players' talents will be properly displayed and showcased at compelling venues that help drive attention to show just how good these ladies are.

If you want a deeper explanation of Matthew's course tiers or more women's golf coverage, check out the Mixed Bag Podcast.