Best Courses I Played This Year First Time

[Bob Jenkins]

Jeff,

Just read your post on Quilchena. I have been by the place, which is an ancient hotel and had a look at the course and from the area of the first tee, I cannot imagine it could be as good as you say. I will have to have a look next time.

Sagebrush is on the east side of Nicola Lake? I had the impression it was across the lake.

[Jordan Wall]

1) Thanks to Sean Leary, Aldarra Golf Club east of Seattle.

Bob Jenkins

Bob, that was a fun day wasnt it!

I too want to say thanks again Sean!

Also, Tumble Creek was amazing!
Sahalee was a cool experience as well!

Been a great year, and more to come next year!

[Jeff_Mingay]

Bob,

Sagebrush is immediately adjacent to the Quilchena course, on the Merritt side of the hotel, east side of the lake. Yes.

The Quilchena Ranch course isn't any good, really. But that's kinda what makes it neat. Plus, I haven't played anywhere else that interesting this year, yet!

I'm actually headed south to play Long Cove and Chechesse Creek Club for the first time in a few weeks. I'm thinking these two courses might top my Quilchena experience of earlier this year!

[Mark Chaplin]

In no particular order;

TOC
Royal Dornoch
Hoylake
Notts - Hollingwell
Royal Adelaide
Kennedy Bay, WA

[Andy Scanlon]

No particular order:

TOC
Dornoch
Turnberry-Ailsa
Muirfield
Prestwick
Merion East
Troon

[TEPaul]

"Myopia Hunt: An unexpected low profile course that I loved"

cary:

Would you mind explaining exactly what you mean by Myopia being "low profile"?

I believe I know what you mean but want to be sure. I went to Boston this fall for the express purpose of really analyzing what I call those old fashioned "natural landform" greens (particularly Myopia and Essex).

I'd very much like to see some greens done like that again. If one can find really good natural green sites and just use them as they are one really doesn't need to be concerned about things like tying them in naturally because they already are.  

[Anthony_Nysse]

  Pine Tree Golf Club-A fantastic, old Dick Wilson design that requires alot of aerial approach shots in the Florida winds.
 
  Capital City-Crabapple-A unique Fazio design with a good set of greens and some very good risk/reward holes. (#5, #7, #12, #16)

   East Lake-Just a pure golf course where everything is out in front of the golf and it's your own fault if you make a mistake.
 
   Olde Farm-Surprised this Bobby Weed course isn't talked about more because it really promotes the traditions of golf and is golf course that has some very unique features because of the type of membership and low play. If you ever get a chance to play there, play "cross country" (#2 tee to # 16 green! Awesome!)

Tony Nysse
Sr. Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Mike_Cirba]

In looking back, I was remiss in not adding...

Bristol Harbor - This obscure upstate NY course by RTJ Sr. (but mostly Rees) is a beautiful routing and some of the most natural holes I've ever seen from this father and son duo.   The roly-poly, bunkerless 17th is worth the price of admission, the green complexes are varied in size and shaping, and interesting internal contours abound.   One of those courses (like Arcadian Shores and Montauk Downs) that has me wondering why Rees hasn't built more superb courses that trusted what the land offered.

[Robert Emmons]

Jasper and Banff on the Canadian swing

Sebonack on long Island

All wonderful...RHE

[Tom Huckaby]

Jeffersonville - I'm not sure that Donald Ross knew how good this course was, but there isn't a single shot out there that isn't fun and interesting.  (DOUBLE OOPS - Does it count if I say that I played it for the first time with Kyle Harris and Doug Braunsdorf this year?)  

Mr.Cirba - you have some 'splainin to do... what the hell was that course you and I played where we started in the fog, not that many years ago...

[Cory Lewis]

Merion East & West-West is an all time hidden gem.

Gulph Mills-4 wonderful Maxwell greens and a superb Ross routing.

TPC Sawgrass-Dye at his best

Schuykill-great Ross course in the mountains.

Holston Hills-A wide open Ross layout with some of the best fairway bunkering I have seen in a Ross design.

[Matt MacIver]

Bandon 3 were simply amazing

Black Mesa & Paa-Ko Ridge were so cool

Caladonia's greens were a blast; True Blue was closed & I missed Bulls Bay

Musgrove Mill was a delight (thanks DB)

2007: my first Scotland experience -- 11 greats in 8 days!  

[Andy Troeger]

Played some really enjoyable courses this year...among the highlights...

Long Cove and Harbour Town--two great courses a couple miles apart, two different styles, one great designer!

Crystal Downs and The Kingsley Club--not much I can say that hasn't been said before. Both among my favorites.

Black Mesa, UNM South, Pueblo de Cochiti, and Twin Warriors (and Paa-Ko Ridge last year)-- New Mexico really does have some great public golf courses. Paa-Ko and Black Mesa are absolutely fabulous, and the other three are all worth playing too. With the exception of TW, the others are all great deals too.

The Golf Club--best course I've played.

Wolf Run--really hard, but really fun. I played 36 and only 3-4 balls (while playing one mediocre round and one good one). At least for me, makes you want to try to raise the level of your game to match the course.

[Matthew MacKay]

In chronological order:

Kiawah Ocean - what a way to break from a winter slumber

Harbour Town

Long Cove

Chechessee Creek - my favorite of the SC swing

Dakota Dunes - unbelievable land south of Saskatoon

Wolf Creek - Whitman's first solo - can't wait to see the fourth 9 added

Blackhawk - Top 15 in Canada, IMO

Pasatiempo

Monterey Peninsula Dunes - thanks again Bob

Pacific Grove - with the new wife

Pebble - better than expected - as BCD says, if you don't have a great experience at Pebble it's because you're thinking of your wallet

San Fran GC

Mt. Bruno - maybe the best set of greens I've seen in Canada

CC of Buffalo - awesome Ross, fabulous par 3's

Rosedale - one of few Ross designs in Canada - good routing but details need some work - had my first Hole-in-One on the 9th, a 278 yard Par 4!

[Gary Slatter]

This thread made me realize that for the first time in 40 years I did not play a course that I hadn't played before! Sadly I say that, although I did play a lot of fine courses, again.  
Do older golfers (like me) prefer returning to old haunts?  That would explain people going to Doral every year. Maybe when I go to Scotland in May, we'll try a new course (new to us). Probably not, how can you refuse an old favourite?
 
Any suggestions how to read The Greatest Golf Courses in Scotland and Ireland without hurting myself?  Happy Thanksgiving!

[Eric_Terhorst]

Cary,

You are truly an inspiration to us all.  

This year, I have GCAers to thank for my best first-time golfing experiences:

David Tepper, a long-time pal who brought my attention to the GCA site and Ballyneal, and who steered me correctly through a (brief, unfortunately) trip to Scotland by recommending St. Andrews (New) (vastly underrated) and North Berwick (justifiably revered).  

Dan Moore, who introduced us all to Spring Valley, an undernourished but hidden-gem-quality Langford/Moreau in Salem, WI, and who recommended to me a visit (which I've repeated several times) to Oak Grove, a beautiful, expansive course in Harvard, IL, designed by one Steven Halberg (what else can he claim?).

Various posts here, which informed me of Lawsonia Links, French Lick, and Tim Liddy's work at Sultan's Run (Jasper, IN), and  Harrison Hill (Attica, IN.

All of the supporters here of Carnoustie, which I loved  .

I expect I'll need to say thanks again next year as I get to visit We-Ko-Pa and Talking Stick early in '07!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Andy Troeger]

Eric,
 Glad to read your post re: Sultan's Run. Its so out of the way that I always wish more people would get the chance to play it. I went down for the first time in awhile in October and its maybe even more fun to play than I remembered!

[mike_malone]

 The Old Course--N.Berwick--Plainfield--Yale--Lederach-Musselburgh Links

[Chris Kane]

The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Prestwick
Swinley Forest
The Addington
Cruden Bay

...among others

[Mickey Boland]

TOC
Royal Dornoch
Brora
Carnoustie

[Brian Joines]

By my standards, this has been a pretty good year so far. These courses were definitely highlights.

Tobacco Road
Pinehurst #2
Lost Dunes
The Fort
Angel's Crossing

[Phil McDade]

...while waiting for heaping portions of both smoked and regularly cooked turkey, along with the turkey soup and turkey sandwiches tomorrow...

I have to second the selection of Spring Valley in Salem, WI. A true cultist's course, it was the scene of a semi-GCA outing this fall thanks to Dan Moore. A wonderful Langord/Moreau design that abandoned its bunkers years ago, but still stands up to the challenge, largely through its severely sloping and speedy greens. Some may view it as Lawsonia Lite, but the course stands on its own merit, and has greens that -- at least on my first visit -- were considerably tougher to putt than any visit I've had at Lawsonia. Don't be put off by the low green fees here; the course (aside from the teeing areas) stays in very good shape, and has more interesting architectural features, and much more fascinating greens, than many courses charging three-to-four times as much.

[Greg Tallman]

Sadly I too find myself in the position of not having played a course new to me in the past year.

Probably the first such occurrence in the past 30 years. OPh well here is to 2007.

By the way walked a course under construction today here in Los Cabos and while it will not be up for any awards I will say that the green complexes are some of the most unique and entertaining you'll ever find on a design by this firm or anywhere for that matter. Wild might be an understatement. Should be fun when open this coming spring.  

[Kyle Henderson]

Black Mesa (NM): Wow

Rustic Canyon (Moorpark, CA): Played a little too soft, but a welcome breath of fresh air

The Heritage (Wake Forest): Consistently engaging with the occasional weak point

Castlewood CC Hill Course (Pleasanton,CA):an old classic with some holes that are real gems

Mountain House (East SF Bay, CA):$25 with cart... the best dollar for dollar. But don't look for it on any best of lists. It would be a push over for the professional player, but its a hoot even in a 35mph wind and you have lots of short game options.

[Bob_Huntley]

My thanks go to Mike Sweeney, Geoffrey Childs and Dan Taylor for my first visit to Yale and Fishers Island.

Bob