Best Locker Room

[Tom Jefferson]

Wayne.........is there an alcove for the choir?

Tom

[james soper]

seminole
indian creek
adios
old memorial
wade hampton

[Cory Lewis]

Diamond Creek in the mountains in NC.

[Evan_Green]

For a "public" locker room, Sea Island is the nicest I have seen -although its not the most "public" public access course out there given you have to stay at the resort to play.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I will toss one in from the south. Champions is pretty good. I like Seminole best in US of those I have seen. Western Gailles in Scotland is none to shabby.

[Bill Gayne]

I'll second Sea Island for a resort locker room. Best resort lodge in America.

[Gerry B]

my list would include:

seminole - all world and a bartender
indian creek - seminole light
champions - great vibe and a bartender
merion - the showers
chicago golf club - old school at its best - would not change a thing
atlantic city - old classic stanford white design
capital club in melbourne - the shadow creek of down under

[Craig_Rokke]

I can't say what the best one was, although I like Merion's.
To me, the best ones often have higher ceilings that have an open-beamed or vaulted look, giving kind of a spacious, comfortable appeal to the locker room.

[Patrick_Mucci_Jr]

Wayne Morrison,

Is that an Addison Mizner design ?

[Adam_Messix]

Pat--

Maurice Fatio designed the clubhouse at Indian Creek.  He was the architect for many mansions in South Florida.  

[rgkeller]

Indian Creek by a long way.

[Pete Stankevich]

I'll put my vote in for New Haven CC (CT).  Whenever I walk in there, I think "this is a what a great golf club locker room should look like."

[Bill Wernecke Jr]

I have not been to Seminole -- sounds unbelievable.

I would vote for Milwaukee CC as the best traditional.  Even better than Pine Valley, Merion, and Aronimink, which are all special.  You have to see the half-timber trusses to believe it.

I would say Muirfield Village is the best of the new.  Fantastic views and lunch venue.

There should be a special category for most unpretentious.  Cypress Point is very good, but my vote would be Piping Rock.

[Mark Brown]

I thought Seminole was a bit over-rated. Loved the historic atmosphere at San Fran GC, Oakmont. Some of the glitsy new ones are a bit over done. I like the nostalgic, old shoe feel myself - rich in tradition and comfort

[Jason Topp]

The R&A - the upstairs lockers with a view of the first tee

[Terry Buchen]

For a newer course, Castle Pines has a great locker room with a large fire place, oversized lockers, the best milk shakes in memory and a bartender (Tom) that can remember your name, what you like to drink and when you last played the course even after only playing the course only once. The ambiance and attention to detail seems like you are in someones living room.

For classic courses, Seminole, Winged Foot, Merion and R & A are great.

Cheers,

Terry

[Brad Klein]

Terry, I'm surprised they let dirt bag, drooling, dungaree-clad demented greenkeepers like yourself into clubhouses at all. By my count, that is cause for an immediate two-point penalty in the locker room evaluation.

[Andy Silis]

Of courses I've played that have been built in the last 10 years East Hampton's is far and away the most impressive.

[Jim Sweeney]

If unpretentious at a top notch club was the criterium, one would be hard pressed to top Camargo- hardly bigger than my living room, half size lockers with plywood doors, a four top table with a bowl of peanuts and a bowl of goldfish crackers.

Also Shinnecock.

[Evan Fleisher]

For sheer interest and size, I'll throw Olympia Fields into the mix...and I also agree with GerryB on CGC (old school, baby!).

[wsmorrison]

Jim,

Well done.  Shinnecock's clubhouse may be the first, but it remains one of the very best.  No heat, no air conditioning but lots of charm.

[Craig Van Egmond]

Southern Hills locker room is pretty sweet and huge.

The locker room at Cypress Point was more my style.

[wsmorrison]

For understated in the US, does anything come close to minimalism like Gulph Mills?  No lockers, pegs for coats and a bench to sit on.  It is great, a little like N. Berwick as I recall.

[PCCraig]

I'll have to agree with the above poster on the "no heat-no air conditioning" rule. All the best old locker rooms I can remember have always been uncomfortably hot.

There is certainly a bias toward old-money clubs and their locker rooms, what I am more interested in now is novelty items, such as cog hill's pac-man game, that bring a little neat touch to the tradtional locker room.

Thanks for all the great responses.

[Brad Klein]

Fishers Island is very nice along these simple lines - throw your shoes under the chairs in the pro shop and go play golf.

Also love Mountain Lake. Next door is this sumptuous 5-star Colony House retreat with soft pastel colors and fancy dining. But adjoining the first tee is a 20 X 20 golf shop and behind it is a room with benches, some pegs, storage space for old shoes - very stylish leathers from the 1960s it would seem - and one lone attendant, one tiny bathroom. If they ever "upgrade" that place it would be a shame.