Best place for a golf course that is OFF LIMITS?

[Voytek Wilczak]

... for a golf course, that is..

Central Park, Governor's Island, Yosemite, you get the drift.

What is it?

[Jim Thompson]

Camp David

[JR Potts]

The Grand Canyon.

[George Pazin]

There are a ton of gorgeous dunes up on Cape Cod that is (probably rightfully) off-limits. I think it's called the Cape Cod National Seashore or something like that.

I don't like canyon golf so I'm vetoing the Grand Canyon.

 

There are also countless miles of coastal California and Oregon that is beyond gorgeous.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

There is a golf course at Yosemite:

OVERVIEW

Yosemite's Wawona Golf Course was the first regulation course in the Sierra Nevada when it opened in 1918 -- and has provided golfers challenging but rewarding rounds ever since. It was designed by Walter Fovargue to blend seamlessly into its spectacular surroundings.
Beautiful Hazards

Set near the historic Wawona Hotel, this golf course alternates between meadows and narrow fairways lined with ponderosa pine and incense cedar trees. At least, if you find yourself in the rough, it'll delight your senses. The mule deer that regularly graze on the fairways are added rewards.
Choose 9 or 18 Holes

The nine-hole, par-35 course measures 3,050 yards and includes two par five holes and three par three holes. Different tee positions per side provide a par 70, 18-hole format. Golfers of every level enjoy the rolling terrain, variety of challenging holes and tranquil setting of this historic course.


This course is one of only four organic golf courses in the United States and is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. No pesticides are applied to the course and only reclaimed gray water is used for watering the greens.

It's open daily spring to fall, weather permitting. The greens fee for nine holes is $18.50, for 18 holes $29.50.  Cart rentals for nine holes is $15.00, for 18 holes is $24.50.


Golf at Camp David? Yes, President Eisenhower, strange as it may seem, had a par3 built on the grounds so he could practice between rounds at Burning Tree and Augusta National.

[Adam Clayman]

ANGC?

I bet they could have one heck of a great course on that land.

Central Park? That is an awesome idea.
The city can mandate, and sell, thier own reduced flight ball. How about all the caddy jobs? Secondary markets for lost balls? The revenue stream would be endless, selling them back their own golf balls. Hoo hAhhAAAA. Robert Mosses would do it!

[David_Tepper]

There is some wonderful dunesland on the California coast south of the Pigeon Point Lightouse and north of Ano Nuevo (near Gazos Creek). I believe it is in San Mateo County. It is bona-fide linksland. It is also part of the state park system. No chance!

[Jonathan McCord]

There is an unbelieveable amount of GREAT land for golf courses that is off limits.  Some which is justified.  The one that comes immediately to mind, is Ludington State Park and Nordhouse Dunes on the western shore of Michigan.

This land blows Arcadia away, which is about an hour and a half north of Ludington.

Some Pictures of the Land.

Infinite Possibilities for Golf Holes


Big Sable Point Lighthouse - Green site just below lighthouse against dune

[Mike Benham]

There is some wonderful dunesland on the California coast south of the Pigeon Point Lightouse and north of Ano Nuevo (near Gazos Creek). I believe it is in San Mateo County. It is bona-fide linksland. It is also part of the state park system. No chance!

This first link takes you to the point in which David speaks of:

Ano Nuevo


While this link takes you to 1972 photos of the dunes in the restricted Vandenberg AFB property:

Vandeberg Dunes

[Randy Van Sickle]

I second George's observation about the Cape Cod National Seashore.  The "provincelands", located about 5 miles north  of Highland Links are amazing.  Many on this board comment about Highland Links being as close to pure links golf in the U.S. as one will find.  If you ever make it to Truro, take the extra time to travel just a bit further north to see this remarkable landscape.  It is the closest I have ever seen to true linksland in the U.S. (a comment which I have heard about so many other places, only to be disappointed when I finally see the property in question).

The provncelands are very close to the real deal, at least from what I have seen in my travels in Scotland and around the U.S.  If I can cop a photo of the area, I will post it.

[Randy Van Sickle]

To follow up briefly, the provincelands property is part of a national park, it is in Massachusetts, and it is near the sea.  Not a chance anything will ever be developed there.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Well, My Yachats property as well as some stuff near Tillamook would be exceptional. Now way it can ever be built on though. the Yachats property is more akin to the topgraphy on the Old Course. Lots of micromovement with tons of character.

The land just North of Coos Bay is probably better property then Bandon as a whole.

Benham had to show my Guadalupe/Vandenburg stuff that is really good further inland.

[Randy Van Sickle]

Part of the provincelands:

[Tim Leahy]

The dunes between Fort Ord and Monterey Bay could be used for some awesome golf. Too bad there is so much unspent ordinance burried there and the Cal. Coastal Authorities to deal with.

[Bill Gayne]

If Tim Weiman was still around he'd probably say Inch on the Dingle Peninsula and after seeing Inch Strand I would tend to agree with him. On the other side of the Dingle Peninsula is Kilshannig Cross which is also a great stretch of links land. Doak and Coore/Crenshaw were supposed to build but I assume it got stopped before getting started.

[Tim Bert]

I posted a link to Google Earth that had some "off limits" place right near 17 mile drive.  It looked like awesome land for a course ala CPC.  There are multiple people here familiar with the land I'm talking about, though I can't come up with the name of the area at the moment and my search was not successful.

[Ryan Farrow]

For desert golf I will nominate South Mountain in Phoenix.

[cary lichtenstein]

Most of Colorado is off limits just beyond the roadways around Glenwood Springs, The canyon between Glenwood and Vail.

The Dunes just north of Jupiter Hills CC

Brice Canyon

The tip of Cape Cod , the Dunes Area

The moon

[Sean_Tully]

There is a golf course at Yosemite:

OVERVIEW

Yosemite's Wawona Golf Course was the first regulation course in the Sierra Nevada when it opened in 1918 -- and has provided golfers challenging but rewarding rounds ever since. It was designed by Walter Fovargue to blend seamlessly into its spectacular surroundings.
Beautiful Hazards

Steve-

The course at wawona was actually a Harold Sampson design. Sampson was involved with the work at Del Monte and Pebble Beach(he was the first pro at PB) at the time and he could not get away so he had his friend Fovargue oversee the construction of the course. When Fovie took off for the orient he sold his stake in his golf shop to Harold Sampson.

I have been doing some research on Sampson and got that info from a book about Feather River Inn that he also designed.

Tully

[Andy Doyle]

The dunes between Fort Ord and Monterey Bay could be used for some awesome golf. Too bad there is so much unspent ordinance burried there and the Cal. Coastal Authorities to deal with.

That's the area I thought of, too:

Close to Seaside:
http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=200508214&mode=sequential&flags=9&year=current

Further north:
http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=200508162&mode=sequential&flags=9&year=current

Wouldn't a golf course work better than this?
http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=200508139&mode=sequential&flags=9&year=current

Andy

[Kirk Gill]

I've always thought that great courses could be built on top of the two table mountains in and around Golden, Colorado. The land on top of the mesas is rolling in character, there would be plenty of wind blowing off of the mountains, and the cliffs would provide excellent risk-reward opportunities.........were the town of Golden not down below. Raining balls down on the populace would be......frowned upon.

Here is a url to a conservation site dedicated to preserving these treasured Colorado Landmarks.

http://www.tablemountains.org/

If you look at the mesa pictured on the right (South Table Mountain), you'll see a promontory sticking out that would provide an amazing greensite. There's probably room up there for a teeing area as well, although the combination of  being hit in the head by someone's errant approach followed by the inevitable fall to one's death might make such a setup.......unfeasible.

[Tom_Doak]

Bill G:  The Kilshannig Cross project was never "stopped" for environmental reasons, it just never got off the ground financially.  There were plenty of willing investors but nobody wanted to take the chance until the permits were in place, because there was a fair chance it wouldn't go through.  It's still possible something will happen there someday, but it's a very complicated deal.

[Kyle Harris]

Given strip mining and logging allowed / enabled by the U.S. Forestry Service, I fail to see why any national park should be considered off limits for a golf course.

Mark

Mark,

National Forests and National Parks exist for two reasons. The former being under the auspices of the Forestry Service for the purpose of correct use of the natural resources and the latter being for the correct preservation.

I would imagine that a compelling argument for a golf course on US Forest land would meet with approval.

[Doug Ralston]

Obviously those of us who love mountain golf would build on MT Cammerer, on the north end of the Smoky Mountains. The overlook with it's 3500ft drop down to Cosby, TN would be perfect for a long par-3 [say 420yd and a 2600ft drop]. Only problem would be digging your ball out of the green, and repairing your ball mark.  . You could design about any length of par-5 along the Appy Trail, with the green on the crown next to the fire tower.

I guess it would have to be cart golf though ....... sorry.

Doug

[Buck Wolter]

This is a slam dunk -- how much great undeveloped coast line must there be in Cuba -- hopefully soon within the limits.

Second place would be Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

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