Classic woodland courses

[Jim Sweeney]

Harbour Town, among modern examples?

[RDecker]

If memory serves I'd say Sahale is pretty much about the trees.

[Phil McDade]

Boat of Garten, deep in the Highlands, is a truly forested course designed by Braid (I don't have specifics when the course opened). It's cut out of a forest of silver birches, and -- although short at a par of 70 and @ 6,000 yards -- has considerable architectural merit. The course doesn't have too many trees used as overt strategic elements -- carries, things to negotiate around in fairways -- but the trees add to the feeling (quite legitimately) of the Boat being a tight, tight driving course. The course has several good doglegs, and a great variety of short, medium and somewhat lengthy par 4s, so the ability to shape a shot (and think about risk/reward play with driver vs. something else on the short par 4s) brings the trees into play quite often. They are quite close to the fairways, and to be in them means a sure loss of stroke, as the only play out is often sideways. A very good course that from its original intent took advantage of trees for some of its strategic importance.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Nice to see this old chestnut resurface after a couple of years.  One I should have thought of is Royal Belgique at Tervuren, just outside Brussels.  It was laid out (Simpson, I think) in an old Royal hunting park, beside the national arboretum, and many species of wonderful trees adorn the golf course.  Whether these were planted after the course was laid out I cannot say, but a great many of them seem to be of considerable age.  The hunting lodge is now a most attractive clubhouse.  Altogether it's a lovely golf course.