Best 4 Adjacent Courses By Different Designers

[Doug Sobieski]

You know what they say about Muirfield Village - eighth best in the world but only fourth best in Columbus.

Brad:

Hard to disagree with that one!!!!  

But since the course is perpetually torn up for some reason or other, how can it be compared to anything? If it was ever fully playable, it may move up to third  

[igrowgrass]

Bandon with its 3 world class courses by different designers led me to wonder about areas with 4 such courses.  I first thought of Long Island with Shinnecock, NGLA, Seth Raynors Southhampton Golf Club and now Seabonack basically right next to each other.  

Are there any other areas that have 4 courses of this caliber by different designers in such close proximity?  Any better than the 4 cited?  

Couldn't you technically consider their to be 4 courses at Bandon, and who gets the credit of the design of Sheep Ranch?

[Tyler Kearns]

Couldn't you technically consider their to be 4 courses at Bandon, and who gets the credit of the design of Sheep Ranch?

Tom Doak?

[Wayne Freeman]

Wouldn't Maidstone fall into that great group in the Southampton area?

  I think the best grouping all told is in the Monterrey area-  Spyglass and Ford Ord are hard to leave off that list.

[Dan Moore]

"Southampton-Shinnecock-NGLA-Sebonack are adjacent (i.e. adjoining in a series) but don't fit the bill of separate designers owing to Raynor's involvement."

What was Raynor's design involvement at NGLA?  If he was the engineer and did not participate in the design process; I would factor out Raynor completely.  I've always considered NGLA a Macdonald course and not Macdonald/Raynor.  Am I wrong?

Doak in the Confidential Guide lists Macdonald as the "Course Architect."  Raynor is not mentioned in his review.  I do not see anything in either of the George Bahto interviews on this site that would indicate Raynor was involved in the design.  

[Dan Moore]

So far one vote for Monterey as the best area with 4 courses by different architects.  I might lean to St. Andrews.  Some interesting choices for a long weekend.  How does Raynor's Southhampton rate, I don't hear much about it?

[Tim Gavrich]

I know that Pinehills Jones and Pinehills Nicklaus (Plymouth, MA) aren't any great shakes, but one crosses Old Sandwich's entry road when one walks to the tee of Nicklaus 1.  Waverly Oaks (I wanna say Brian Silva) is just down the road (if you let the Highway 3 go, the Jones Course and Waverly Oaks have adjacent bits).  I've never had the priviledge of playing, much less seeing Old Sandwich, but does its brilliance trump that of the other three relatively mediocre tracks (though I can speak for interesting holes on both Pinehills courses)?

[Brad Klein]

Gee, I almost forgot, but having Tim post reminded me of another area with closely packed courses of impeccable world-class quality: all within walking distance with virtually no need to remove your shoes to play all five:

Tumble Brook (27 holes)
Hartford GC (27 holes)
Wampanoag
Wintonbury Hills
Gillette Ridge

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Kiawah Island has at least four courses that are rated 4 stars or better by Golf Digest. One would think that the Ocean Course plus any three other courses woould put the property at or near the top of any list. In addition to Dye, aren't there courses by Nicklaus, Fazio, and Watson? Probably a few more architects as well, so the criteria of the question is met.

Here's what we have on the Island:

The Ocean Course (Dye) (GD 5 star)
Osprey Point (Fazio) (GD 4 star)
The River Course (Fazio) (which I happen to like better then Cassiuque) (Private)
Turtle Point (Nicklaus) (GD 4 1/2 star)
Cougar Point (Player) (actually one of his better courses which, of course, is like claiming you're the tallest midget) (GD 4 1/2 star)
Cassique (Watson) (Private)
Oak Point (Johnston) (GD 3 1/2 star)