10 Courses to play for the rest of your life

[John Kirk]

Stanford
Pasatiempo
Cypress Point
San Francisco
Ballyneal
Stone Eagle
Kinloch
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Dunes
Pumpkin Ridge

Home is where the heart is.

[Tom Huckaby]

John Kirk - same caveats, same question as posed to the young but very astute Ryan Simper on the first page of this... why nothing in the UK or Ireland?  I can't believe you've never been there... So is this really all about home for you?  If so, well, good on you, my friend.

TH

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Pine Valley
Myopia Hunt
Cypress Point
NGLA
Fishers Island
Yale
Pacific Dunes
H.C.E.G.
Royal Dornoch
Tobacco Road

2nd Ten:

TOC
Shinnecock
Merion
Pebble Beach
Royal County Down
Carne
Seminole
Chechessee
Maidstone
North Berwick West

3rd Ten

Ballybunion Old
Cape Kidnappers
Royal Portrush
Troon
Oakmont
Lahinch
Sand Hills
Colonial in Ft. Worth
L.A.C.C. North
Augusta National

[Gib_Papazian]

Mike,

Firstly, are we talking about the same Del Rio? You are probably thinking of the one in Modesto, not Brawley.

Is that right?

Del Rio in Brawley is a short, extremely quirky match play course in the Imperial Valley between San Diego and Yuma, AZ.

In the winter, they overseed only the  greens and tees, leaving  the bermuda fairways dormant. The playing surface is great; most of the holes demand endless creativity  around the greens and on approach.

Super-long par-3's, short par-4's, risky par-5's . . . . it is just a personal favorite dear to my heart, that's all. A 60-something  player oftens beats younger, better sticks because brains is 90% of the trick at Del Rio and most of the holes move one way or another.

Bombers tend to take lots of ugly ugly numbers. In qualifying, I will only hit driver maybe 4 or 5 times the whole round. Of course, you can, but if you miss, you die.

[Robert_Ball]

Of the ones played and leaving room for my upcoming trip to Long Island...  

Chicago GC
Pasatiempo
Rustic Canyon
Desert Forest
Spyglass
Palmetto
Pacific Dunes
Barona

-Robert

[John Chilver-Stainer]

This is based on personal enjoyment

Machrahanish – I could live there
North Berwick – quirk
Brora – the sheep fences
Royal Dornoch - everything
TOC – the atmosphere
Muirfield – the Par 3’s and bunkers
Royal Troon – the postage stamp
Gleneagles – Kings – Dinkies Den
Kilspindie – the seashore holes
Southerness – seaside golf

Since JKW added another 20 I’m putting down a few nostalgia courses that noone here have probably heard of but for nostalgia’s sake would be fun to play now and then.

Sannox, Isle of Arran
Balmore, Nr Glasgow
Fort Augustus
Braids Nr.1
Kingussie
Dunbar Nr.2
Boat of Garten
Gullane Nr. 2

[Allan Long]

Granted, not my top-10, but 10 given the variety that would make this list.

Cypress Point
Sand Hills
Prairie Dunes
Yale
Rustic Canyon
Riviera
Tobacco Road
Harbour Town
Homestead (Cascades)
Kapalua (Plantation)

And 3 that I haven't played, but am sure would make the cut:

NGLA
New South Wales
Pacific Dunes

[Mike_Golden]

Here's mine:

-Bethpage Black
-NGLA
-Cypress Point
-Pasatiempo
-Lake Merced GC (as much for the members as the golf course)
-TOC
-Bandon Dunes (haven't played the other ones so can't comment)
-Talking Stick North
-Pinehurst #2 (just to be able to figure out the greens and have a decent score occasionally)
-SFGC  (just love the fog and cypress trees of NorCal, just like our beloved Redanman )

If you give me a wild card, I'd probably pick a Raynor course because I really enjoy playing the different variations of the template holes-the only one I've played, though, is Bellport GC, but I'm sure Yale would easily make it on this list.

[Jason Topp]

10 outside the usual suspects that I have played (in geographic groupings rather than any rankings):

USA

1.  New Richmond GC (Wisconsin) - stopping point for tour members on the way to the old St. Paul Open (presumably from Chicago).

2.  Kino Springs (Arizona) - not a very good course but is on a former ranch of a western movie star isolated in the mountains near the Mexican border.  It feels like you could play it while riding a horse.

3.  Wachusett  (Mass)(? can't remember the name, the Ross course in Worcester) - pleasurable Donald Ross

4.  Classic at Maddens (MN) - I think it is a terrific course that does not seem to be liked as much by those on this site that have played it.  

5. Waveland (IA) - my childhood course.

6.  Oak Ridge (MN) - my current course.

Ireland

7.  Dooks - maybe not of the hidden variety, but a pleasure to play.

Scotland

8.  North Berwick - definitely not hidden, but a pleasure to play

9.  Crail

Australia

10.  Woodlands

[Geoffrey Childs]

In no special order are the 10 courses to keep me interested in the game and that offer a balance of fun, challenge and masochistic self-torture

Yale
NGLA
Sand Hills
Cypress Point
Merion
Friars Head
The Kingsley Club
Winged Foot East
Royal Dornoch
Cruden Bay

[Gib_Papazian]

Mike Golden actually makes a fine point on Raynor. Westhampton rates a mandatory inclusion on my list. It has all the components of an ideal everyday golf course:

Quirk
Visual interest
Playability for all levels
Walkability
Architecture to encourage the ground game
Intimacy
Cool landform features
Intrinsic gravitas
Complex putting surfaces and green complexes
Challenging without being stressful

Looking over this list, I'm also going to add Chechessee Creek . . . . it is everything I could ever want day-to-day.

In some measure, the quality of intimacy seems most important the older I get.

 

[Tom Huckaby]

All these lists with all these great private clubs are fantastic and all, but I think at least for me, I need to get this back into reality.  So here's my Top 10 courses I'd love to play the rest of my life, that I might have an actual chance of really playing more than once in a great blue moon thanks to the wonderful benefactors I know or the golf-related “jobs” I have.

1.  Santa Teresa GC - a great man in here said home is where the heart is.  I hate it, I love it, my name's still on the trophy so I'm gonna continue to want to come back.

2.  Rustic Canyon - close enough to home, and although Tommy somehow thinks I hate it, he's just needling and that’s cool.  I don't take my family group to courses I hate.  It's a perfect venue for that battle, and it's really a perfect venue for golf period.

3.  Kapalua Plantation – golf really isn’t meant to be much more fun than it gets there.

4.  Pacific Dunes – no description necessary.

5.  Castlerock GC (NI) – somehow, some way, I’m gonna have to find a way to my cousin’s club every few years.

6.  Royal County Down  - and as long as I’m over there, I can’t be deprived of this.

7.  Pebble Beach – some things are worth splurging on.

8.  Pacific Grove Muni – so I don’t have to splurge.  But if the price there gets over $60, it gets deleted.

9.  Bayonet – so I can still prove to myself that when I think I’m good, I still suck.

10.  Black Mesa – a man does need a little desert/mountain golf in his life.  I thank Ryan for reminding me this.

So there.  Give me those 10 and I’d pine away for some of the greats, but I’d be in my own world and well… those are some damn good courses and if I can’t be happy there, I’ve gotten way too spoiled.

TH

[ed_getka]

Gib,
   Nice to see you posting here. We missed you out in the desert. Del Rio sounds like a great future TKP site.

[Tom Huckaby]

Ed - please.  While of course it is nice to see Gib posting again, let's not get crazy.  We've already been to the desert on a horse with no name.  You do understand where Brawley is, right?  If not, check a map.  Going there would mean the death of the event.  So let's not give Gib any ideas.

 

[Alan Carter]

Let's go along with the following, in no particular order.

Cypress Point
Bethpage (Black)
Shinnecock
Pacific Dunes
Pebble Beach
Muirfield Village
Oakmont
Olympic Club (Lake)
St. George's (Toronto, Canada)
Oakland Hills (South)

[ed_getka]

Tom,
  I lived in San Diego for years, I know exactly where Brawley is. Please note Gib pointed out he goes in the winter.

[Scott Coan]

Certainly can't match some of the pedigrees of most on this site but I would still have a bloody good time roaming these tracks for the rest of my days:

Northern hemisphere:
Hatherly GC (where I grew up)
Myopia Hunt
Brae Burn
Mid Ocean
Kiawah Island

Southern hemisphere:
Paraparaumu Beach
Cape Kidnappers
Royal Melbourne West
Kingston Heath
Barnbougle Dunes

[Tom_Doak]

I've thought about it on a slightly different take:  twelve courses, one for each month of the year, and all courses where I wouldn't mind playing every day for a month.

January:  Portsea, Australia [a nice friendly warm up month]
February:  Barnbougle Dunes [before the equinox winds!]
March:  Royal Melbourne [in the wind!]
April:  Pacific Dunes [in full bloom]
May:  Royal Dornoch [in full bloom]
June:  National Golf Links of America
July:  The Old Course St. Andrews
August:  Swinley Forest [with the heather purple]
September:  Crystal Downs [after the rough thins out]
October:  Cypress Point [hopefully it's dried out]
November:  Teeth of the Dog, Casa de Campo
December:  Cape Kidnappers

[Tom_Doak]

Wow, I just realized I could do a pretty good job of covering 12 months on our own courses:

Jan:  Stone Eagle
Feb:  Barnbougle Dunes
Mar:  St. Andrews Beach
Apr:  Pacific Dunes
May:  Stonewall
Jun:  Ballyneal
Jul:  High Pointe for now, Rock Creek when finished
Aug:  Sebonack
Sep:  Tumble Creek
Oct:  Black Forest for fall color
Nov:  Lost Dunes
Dec:  Cape Kidnappers

Sounds like a calendar.

[Troy Alderson]

1. any golf course in Scotland.
2. any golf course in Ireland.
3. any golf course at Bandon Dunes Resort.
4. any mom and pop golf course.
5. the golf courses hosting the majors for the year.
6. any golf course I am invited to.

Really though, I would have to say...

Pacific Dunes
Machrihanish
The Old Course
Kinzua golf course
John Day golf course
Cypress Point
Pasatiempo
Kingsley Club
Old Head golf links
Erin Hills, once it is done

I have only played Pacific Dunes.

Troy

[Ian Andrew]

I'll pass on the other eight.

National Golf Links of America and the Old Course.

Why?

1. Because I will continue to learn something about architecture every day

2. because I can bat it around till I get old a still have a reasonable chance to make a par here or there.

3. Because both courses are walkable even as I get old

4. because both are fun to play and the holes can be played an infinate amount of ways. I would never get frustrated or bored no matter what the state of my game is.

[Ash Towe]

The ones I have played in no particular order-
Kingston Heath
Royal Melbourne West
Barnbougle Dunes
Muirfield
St Andrews Old
Wairakei
Alwoodley
Hillside
Royal Birkdale
Cape Kidnappers

[Glenn Spencer]

The Ocean Course
Huntington CC
Canterbury
Garden City
Worcester
Myopia Hunt
Crooked Stick
Merion
Mid Ocean
The Country Club-Brookline

[Tim Bert]

I've only just begun to play some of the highly acclaimed courses over the last few years, so my list is rather personal and largely meaningless to most on here:

1. Pacific Dunes (I said largely meaningless, not entirely meaningless)
2. Bandon Dunes (It's conveniently located to the first one on the list and fun to play as well, so I could save some commute time)
3. Pinehurst #2 (I'm getting to the meaningless part, I promise)
4. Banff Springs (nothing like bagpipes playing in the background while you crank one off the 15th tee)
5. The Senator at Capitol Hill - Amongst all the artificial mounding, I found something I really enjoyed
6. Wintonbury Hills - Wish I would have had a few more years to play this one before moving from CT
7. Edmund Orgill Golf Course (one of the first courses I ever played; fun and easy to mix in some low scores)
8. Rolling Meadows (shot my best score ever there, and plenty of demons to conquer)
9. Some course I haven't yet played in Nashville (Because I live here and I haven't yet found the local course that is going to keep me coming back for more)
10. Gillette Ridge - I'd play it once a year to remind me just how much I appreciate the other 9 courses on the list

My list is subject to change in about 3 weeks, at which time I expect I will have 2-3 new candidates for consideration.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Merion (East)
Jeffersonville
Reading Country Club
Bethpage Black
Bethpage Red
Huntingdon Valley
Rolling Green
Makefield Highlands
The Club at Morgan Hill
Schuylkill Country Club

Kyle,

  I'm noticing a glaring omission here...