The Best of 2023
Recognizing the best in golf and the luxury lifestyle, the annual Kingdom List honors our panelist and staff favorites from 2023—from the top new courses and gear to the finest hotels, restaurants and hidden gems.
Golf Courses
From the Caribbean to New Zealand, our favorite new (or renewed) places to play.
The Lido
Golf historian Peter Flory’s intricate, computer-aided hole re-creations conspired with Tom Doak’s architectural prowess to bring The Lido back from the dead—albeit in central Wisconsin, nearly 900 miles away from its original location on Long Island.
Hotels & Resorts
The top new places to stay for golfers, race-car drivers, beach lovers, war historians and everyone in between.
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
One of Mexico’s most stunning coastal sites finally has a hotel to match. Set just north of Manzanillo on the Costalegre, the private 3,000-acre peninsula of Tamarindo is a glorious blend of wild jungle, rugged mountain and soft-sand beach.
Food & Drink
From limited-edition bottlings to hard-to-get tables, we present our most tasteful discoveries from 2023.
Klein Jan, Tswalu Kalahari
A wild dining experience is ensured at this surreal and spectacular restaurant on a 280,000-acre private reserve in South Africa.
Gear & Style
The tools, tech, fashions—and butlers—that pushed our game forward in 2023.
Abacus Rain Gear
You can make allowances on certain pieces of golf attire, but rain gear isn’t one of them. “Abacus makes the sleekest, high-quality outerwear,” Annika Sorenstam says, adding that it not only looks good but keeps you perfectly dry.
Game Changers
The people who have made the most significant impact in golf, one way or another, in 2023.
Stephen Curry
Roger Steele pays tribute: “Steph Curry’s commitment to being an advocate for—and growing the game of golf in—underserved communities is inspirational.
Hidden Gems
Personal favorites of our panelists, these lesser-known courses might not grab the headlines, but they deserve appreciation for their own special merits.
Southern Pines
Southern Pines GC opened in 1906 and offers an early Donald Ross design that is open for public play. Claims Larry Olmsted: “This course may be better than Pinehurst No. 2, and is at worst the second-best course in this golf-mad region.”
Ones to Watch
People, places and events that we will be talking about, teeing off at and tuning in for in 2024.
Ludvig Aberg
Sweden’s Aberg, 23, turned professional in the summer, won for the first time in the final qualifying event for the European Ryder Cup team, and earned a captain’s pick to the Ryder Cup, where he went 2-0.
The Panelists .
Golf Channel correspondent Alexandra O’Laughlin
10-time major champion Annika Sorenstam
Senior golf course architect Brandon Johnson
Golf course designer David McLay Kidd
PGA Tour caddy Geno Bonnalie
PGA National Resort director of golf Jane Broderick
Mixologist and bartender Ivy Mix
Golf and lifestyle journalist Larry Olmsted
Golf influencer and content creator Roger Steele
