[Ben C. Dewar]

Not great courses, but fun courses.

I was thinking of this when I was looking back at my pictures from The Equinox in Vermont.  A fun course, not overly challenging, but enough to hold my interest.  Good holes, with a variety of shots I needed to hit.

I would not rank it as a top course, but I would certainly go back to play it again.

Which ones?

[John_Conley]

Lagoon Legend - it's nowhere near as hard as I was led to believe.
Mystic Dunes - had a blast and can't wait to get back.
Fred Richards GC - 9 more holes with Dad, didn't know if I'd ever get that chance again.

[THuckaby2]

Outside of some true greats that I ought not to list lest Mike Cirba shoot me (though he's one to talk)... a course I'd call fun, but not necessarily great, that I played this year is El Dorado in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  This is chalk-full of cool architectural features, has some very neat oceanside holes, and well, was just a blast to play.

Outside of that, there have been MANY fun golf experiences at home and elsewhere for me.  It's been a great year and it's just gonnna get better.

TH

[Ben C. Dewar]

John,
Happy hear from you, I am interested in Mystic Dunes, I think I might get there this winter at some point.

Tom,
Have heard good things about El Dorado, so I am happy to know you liked it. I have yet to make it to Los Cabos, but that is on the list as well.

[THuckaby2]

Ben - if you do make plans to go to Los Cabos, send me an email.. I've been twice in the last 4 years and thus I can give all sorts of advice, both for golf and non-golf... I've played all the courses down there except the private Querencia course that was on TV last night - Shell WWOG - and that looked fine to me.  I thought I heard Tommy Naccarato screaming though as they praised Fazio... did anyone else catch this?

TH
tom.huckaby@clorox.com

[Slag_Bandoon]

 Pacific Dunes. I know you intend for this to get away from the greats but it is a load a fun.  I only wish I had a 'golf-ball-cam' so I could see every roll and bounce that occured.  

[THuckaby2]

Slag - Pacific Dunes falls under "great" for me.

But total agreement re the fun factor... we had a blast.

This was with three of my college buddies who don't "get it", also...

Hmmmmm.....

TH

[Slag_Bandoon]

 but, here's one that gets little air play...

Gearhart Golf Links on the northern Oregon coast.  109 years old and looking great (9 of'em that old anyway).  Fairways of luck and disaster.  Balls that roll and bounce.

[Bob_Huntley]

Eldorado at Cabo San Lucas is fun as are the Mountain and Arroyo nines at Palmilla. The only drawback to the fun part is the tab, for Mexico, US$214.00 seems a bit much.

[THuckaby2]

Mucho correcto, Senor Roberto.  Golf es muy expensivo en Cabo.

But... off season prices aren't that bad... they compare favorably to California, anyway.  I paid app. $110 for El Dorado and Palmilla in July.  Weather was quite comfortable, also...

TH

[aclayman]

I Ponied 45 american to play Cimmaron in Cathedral City, yesterday.
I think the tag at the end was exactly what you quieried, FUN.
This atypical desert course (John Fought) was chocked full of great looks and even some chip shots that reminded me of Links 2000 version of TOC. The one shoters had decent variation and there were a couple of good solid golf holes per nine. The resort style wide fairways gave all abilities options off the tee but for long knockers the looks were somewhat repetitious. Almost all approach shots were slightly uphill and well bunkered. They're all multi-tounged, almost Mackenzie meets Ross look with white sand. Not a tree on the property, made this vista filled, airplanes takeoffs and landings against the mountains course, a repeteable expenditure, just not at retail. ($100) FUN

[John Bernhardt]

It was a year of great course for me but i agree that pacific dunes is so fun as was Prestwick and always TOC. Pacific grove fell into that area for me too.

[TEPaul]

Gulf Stream
Pacific Dunes
Maidstone
NGLA
PVGC
Portrush
Portstewart
County Down
Malone
Oakmont
Beaconsfield

The most interesting to play due to ideal, and I do mean ideal "maintenance melds"; Royal County Down and Oakmont.

[THuckaby2]

TEPaul:  none of those are considered "great"?  You do have high standards!

Just giving you a hard time.

And John, slap me upside the head for forgetting Pacific Grove Muni - this year was the first time in a few years I had gone back there.  If that doesn't count as "fun" than nothing does.

TH

[Henry Sims]

For a course to be considered "fun", the weekday green fee should be less than $50.

[Matt_Ward]

Can't disagree with Pac Dunes being listed. Also would include the other following new courses that opened this year and were really fun:

Wolf Creek at Paradise Canyon (NV)
Lost Canyons / Sky Course (CA)
Arcadia Blufss (MI)

The Kingsley Club (MI)
Carnegie Abbey (RI)

The last two are private ... sorry!

Regards,

[Adam_Messix]

To me, a "fun" course is one that usually is not long or difficult enough (I would qualify that a Maidstone is both long and difficult enough) to be considered one of the very best, but it has many interesting and challenging holes.  

Deepdale - with it's wild greens
Biltmore Forest
Highlands CC
Old Town Club
Frog Hollow
Cherokee CC - Knoxville
Palm Beach CC
Rolling Rock Club

[TEPaul]

Oh, I didn't see the first post of not great but fun. Oh well great courses can be fun too! Then maybe I'll say Beaconsfield.

[Ben C. Dewar]

TE,
I played Oakmont in June and agree completely, it was fun, I was just going for a different angle.

A couple of more I thought of were Cataraqui in Kingston and the Dye Course at PGA Village.

Both met my criteria.

That Pacific Dunes made so many lists makes me feel sick I let the season pass without going out.

Adam,
What was the Palm Beach CC like?

Great posts.

[ForkaB]

New Friends

--Olympic-Ocean
--Pacific Grove
--Pajaro Valley

Old Friends

--Aberdour
--Dornoch-Struie
--Sea Ranch

[Paul Turner]

Painswick!

More fun per unit distance than most.

[Doug Wright]

I have to say that as I near the close of my first year of GCA-itis several of the golf courses I played this year were more fun than they would otherwise be due to the knowledge and insight I've gained here. Also, I found that some of those that I'd played "before GCA" were more fun and interesting "after GCA,"  Others, however, were probably LESS fun because I applied a more critical eye to them and found them lacking.

With that in mind, two of the more fun courses I played this year were:

Talking Stick North (C&C) I liked it "before GCA" and liked it even more "after GCA."

Minikahda (Ross). Same comment, but perhaps moreso due to my increased knowledge of the Ross features.

I also gained a new appreciation for my home course (Denver CC) and thus had more fun there this year too.

Courses that I found to be less fun were:

TPC at Heron Bay (McCumber)Pretty bland, but it's a TOUR stop, so what's the surprise? The flattest greens I've ever seen.

TPC at Eagle Trace (Hills) There's a reason the TOUR moved to Heron Bay--it's well-nigh unplayable in the wind. Artificial, plastic golf.

[ForkaB]

Paul Turner

WE ARE NOT WORTHY!!!!!!!

[SteveC]

In no particular order:

Yeaman's Hall; Cherokee Plantation; Fisher's Island; The Creek.

Oozing with character and shot values. Like Old Milwaukee Beer, it doesn't get any better.

[GeoffreyC]

Two fantastic Donald Ross courses fit the bill perfectly. They are both more than fun, however, they are TOP rate golf courses

Siwanoy CC, Bronxville, NY
Metacomet CC, Providence RI

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