From an Airbus A320...

[Alex_Wyatt]

Flying back from Florida yesterday afternoon, our flight took a rather strange approach to JFK.  We actually seemed to fly pretty far out on Long Island and then work our way back. So, I look out the window and see a golf course and my first thought was Wow, that looks really good!

What did I see and why did it look so good? First, there was a lot of openness. Not very many internal trees.  Second, there seemed to be a great variety as far as the shapes of and placement of hazards.  Third,   I didn't see much in the way of water.  Fourth, the green to tee walks looked very short.

Anyway, as I looked around at the course and figured out where it was, it occurred to me was the place was Garden City GC, which is of course a great course. But it just struck me as interesting that its quality was apparent almost immediately from 15,000 feet when I had no idea what it was.

[John Kavanaugh]

Alex,

When flying over Long Island what are the odds of seeing a bad course...

[Dave_Miller]

Alex,

When flying over Long Island what are the odds of seeing a bad course...

John:
Slim and none and I don't think slim ever was in Long Island
Best
Dave

[Tim Gavrich]

When flying into LaGuardia recently, I saw the Creek Club from above.  That island green is really something!

[Kyle Harris]

When flying into LaGuardia recently, I saw the Creek Club from above.  That island green is really something!

Tim,

You're right... as I think it's an island fairway.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Some years ago, flying into JFK we came in over Shinnecock and NGLA and flying out from JFK last summer we went straight over Yale, which I had played the week before.

Flying in and out of Heathrow you can be lucky enough to go over any number of fine courses, I went out over the Berkshire and Swinley Forest a few weeks ago flying to Rome.  Quite often you get a grandstand view of Stoke Park (Poges) and Burnham Beeches.  If you fly in from the east (as you usually do) you may see Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace etc but you will very certainly fly over Royal Mid-Surrey and may well also spot Richmond Park's two public courses, Roehampton and perhaps Dulwich and Sydenham Hill.

Most approaches to Manchester are over the Peak District and I know where I am immediately we break out beneath the clouds because I know all the courses, but they are not more than locally known.  However, if it is clear when you take off westwards for the States you go out over Knutsford, Mere and Heyrose - nothing special yet - but (depending on which side of the plane you are sitting) you may well also spot Royal Liverpool, Wallasey and all the north Wales courses - Pretatyn, Maesdu, North Wales, Conwy, Bull Bay, Holyhead - or if you are on the other side of the plane West Lancs, Formby, S&A, Hillside, Birkdale....

Question:

Which is the greatest airport in the world in terms of golf courses seen on approach or take off?....

[ForkaB]

Prestwick is hard to beat.  If you are lucky, the last 4-5 miles of your approach will take you over, in rough order--Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes, Barassie, the three Troon Municipal courses, Portland, Old Troon and Prestwick.  It was this way when I arrived in Scotland for the first time in 1978.  The plane broke through the clouds sat sunrise and the land along the shore looked like a petri dish or the dark side of the moon.  It was love at first sight.....

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Not bad Rich, not bad at all.

[Mike_Cirba]

Oftimes coming home to Philadelphia while waiting landing clearance the plane will do a few circles of the region, usually passing right over Clementon, NJ.  

[ForkaB]

Not bad Rich, not bad at all.

Thanks, Tiger.  It was even good enough for me to go back and correct the tyops!

BTW--well done vs. Stanford last night.  Geaux Les Tigresses!

[Tim Gavrich]

When flying into LaGuardia recently, I saw the Creek Club from above.  That island green is really something!

Tim,

You're right... as I think it's an island fairway.  

Oh, I beg your pardon.  I had always thought that it was the island green of a par three (the 11th, I had heard).  Perhaps I heard wrong.

[James Bennett]

Rihc

The story I heard of the person flying into Scotland and asked what the water feature below was (I am showing my complete lack of Knowledge here - I don't know whether that should be Edinburgh or Glasgow for this story).  The reply:

"thats the fourth"

"geez, that is a mighty carry for a tee shot.  Must be a tough course!"

Of course, it was the Firth of Forth.

James B

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Flights out of Liberty International (Newark, pronounced Noork)   usually head west, and one can see Plainfield, Baltusrol, Canoe Brook, the Essex County municipal/E. Orange GC.  Might catch a glimpse of Fiddler's Elbow.  

Coming back from Atlanta last year, the plane followed the Delaware very roughly, and from my seat, I was able to see Bedens Brook, Cherry Valley, Jasna Polana, Princeton CC, and Springdale, part of Mercer Oaks GC (Mercer Cty, NJ muni)

[Bill_McBride]

Tim, the 11th hole at the Creek is the island green Biarritz, playing from as much as 220 yards and as few as 110.  Between the 11th green and the beach is the 10th fairway, a very short par 4 hole which in effect has an island fairway, as the left edge is beach (ask John Bernhardt!) and the right edge is the lake that surrounds the 11th green.  It's a wonderful setting at the far eastern edge of a great golf course.

[Voytek Wilczak]

Approach to Midway from NYC has got to take the cake in the sheer number of courses you see down there:

Winnetka
Skokie
Lake Shore
BobOLink
Sunset Valley
Exmoor
Old Elm
Briarwood
Green Acres
Willow Hill
Sunset Ridge
Glenview Park
Chick Evans
Willow Hill
Deerfield Park District
Arboretum
Royal Melbourne
Arboretum
Kemper Lakes
Inverness
Lake Zurich
Biltmore
Twin Orchard
Barrington Hills
Highland Woods
Fox Run
.......

I'm gonna stop before I list all 200-odd courses Chicago has...


 

And yes, I did use Google Maps to name them, although on my many flights to Chicago I was wondering why all I see through the window are golf courses.

[Kyle Harris]

When flying into LaGuardia recently, I saw the Creek Club from above.  That island green is really something!

Tim,

You're right... as I think it's an island fairway.  

Oh, I beg your pardon.  I had always thought that it was the island green of a par three (the 11th, I had heard).  Perhaps I heard wrong.

Tim,

I didn't know about an island green par 3 there. We both could be right.  

[Bill_McBride]

Kyle, see above - the island green is indeed at the Creek, #11.

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle, see above - the island green is indeed at the Creek, #11.

Yup, I read that. I didn't know about that, just an island fairway. Course looks so fascinating.

[Dan Herrmann]

If you're approaching Philadelphia from the west and seated on the left side of the plane, you'll fly right over French Creek and the Stonewalls in Elverson, PA.