Best Course Never to Hold a Major

[Dale_McCallon]

One of the popular discussions for golf media types is to argue who is the best player never to win a major.  Until this year, Lefty was the clear winner in this field.  I guess after the Masters though, this has become a bit more muddied.

But what about best course never to hold a major?  I guess the easy answer is Pine Valley.  Some other popular picks might be Seminole, Sand Hills, Cypress Point.  So how about two picks.  One well known course, and one maybe under the radar.  Like it or not, the PGA has taken their championships to some lesser known layouts (Valhalla, Shoal Creek, Kemper Lakes).  So where are some of the other hidden gems.  Don't worry about logistics, membership policy, etc. just name a course where you would like to see the big boys play.

Best Known:  Cypress Point--I'm sure I'll never get to play it, so it would at least be nice to see it on TV.  The pictures alone make the hairs on my neck stand up.  And if my wife could go back to Carmel for the shopping, I could probably get her to come along for the tourney!

Less Known:  Honors Course--I know to archie nerds like us, the Honors may be well known, but ask the average golf fan and they wouldn't have a clue what you are talking about.  Great course, and I guess I'm just biased for anything below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Really unknown:  Miller Golf Course, Murray KY--My home course.  Not worthy of hosting any type of tournament except the traditional 4 man scrambles for charity, but I would like to see the pros make mince meat out of a course that some times drives me crazy.

[Mark Brown]

Best Known: Crystal Downs, Pete Dye GC, San Francisco GC Long Cove

Least Known: Wolf Run by Smyers in Indianapolis, Princeville

[Gerry B]

Redanman just won the prize - game, set ,match.

if we are talking about existing courses :

here are a few to peruse - many of the usual suspects included - but many too short by today's standards:

Tier 1
Pine Valley
Cypress
San Francisco
Seminole
NGLA
LACC
Crystal Downs -from what I have heard
Pacific Dunes

Tier 2

Fishers Island
Maidstone
Quaker Ridge
Spyglass
Somerset Hills
Sand Hills
Shoreacres
Friars Head

UK
Royal County Down (i don't believe they ever held an Open there but Portrush did)

and a bunch of others in Scotland for a start

[Wayne Freeman]

The USGA has wanted to hold the Open at Los Angeles CC for years and years and I think they ask the club again every year only to receive the same answer---NO.  The membership has apparently turned down millions but just doesn't care. A sleeper and another public track that could fill the bill would be the Bayonet course at Ford Ord in Monterrey, Calif.

[Dale_McCallon]

Wayne,

Great pick listing the Bayonet Course--really a good course.  Do they still hold a Nationwide Event there?

[James Edwards]

Mark,

Long cove isnt a 'major' course in my book.... IMHO

[Wayne Freeman]

Dale-  they held a Nationwide event there early Oct. 2003, but not this year.  They have had qualifying for the U.S. Open there though.    

[Scott_Burroughs]

Kiawah (Ocean)

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Kiawah (Ocean)

We're working REALLY hard to rectify that oversight...  

[Mark Brown]

James: Long Cove has some back tees that most people have never noticed and if the greens are firm the contours could raise some hell. The greensites there are outstanding. I'd like to see them try to drive No. 5. Doak, P.B., Bobby Weed and a couple other architects worked on it together. Plus 3 inches of Bermuda rough can cause a lot of problems. Remember Shoal Creek in 1990(?) They had markers all over the place.

[Robert Kimball]

Actaully, the Honors Course has held a Major.  I believe that they played the US Am there in the late '80s/  

Also, I think it is in the bylaws that there will only be amateur tournaments at the club.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

On this side of the pond, I think only Royal County Down would be an obvious candidate, but even there the infrastructure isn't up to it.  I have seen the Kingsbarns name mentioned in this context - but I've no personal experience.  I don't think there would be many objectors if the R&A put Portmarnock's name in the hat.