Best Courses I Played This Year First Time

[Bill_McBride]

Pasatiempo. I remember reading about how great the back nine was. After playing it now I understand!

   My favorite nine holes in golf.

[fred ruttenberg]

Cape Kidnappers
Kauri Cliffs
This was a more exciting pair than Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes.
Wairakei
Paraparaumu-a fine course but not in the same league of the best in the British Isles
Myopia Hunt-great
Cape Brenton Highland-blows away the other Stanley Thompson courses

[David Stamm]

Pasatiempo. I remember reading about how great the back nine was. After playing it now I understand!

   My favorite nine holes in golf.

Bill, so far, my fav. 18.


1. Rustic Canyon- I finally got see what all the fuss is about. Then I understood. Can't wait to go back.

2. Sandpiper- Very fun Bell, jr. course.

3. Pauma Valley- Solid RTJ sr. course.

4. Paiute (Wolf Course)- Very good Dye course. Some typical and not so typical Dye features. Wonderful setting on the desert floor.

5. Wawona- Very fun 9 holer in Yosemite Park. For some reason hearing a bear roar along the 3rd hole sticks out in my mind!

6. Arizona National(Formerly known as the Raven at Sabino Springs)- Some good holes and pretty solid collection of par 3's. Tremendous views of the city.

7. Vistoso- Course was damged due to flooding, but had some fun holes.

8. Tucson National- Not the among the best, but it was really unique to play a parkland course in the middle of the desert. Some goofy mounding behind greens, but there were a few fun holes, and 18 is a very demanding hole.

[PThomas]

in no particular order:

Crooked Stick
Lawsonia
Ekwanok
Ballyneal
The Golf CLub
Erin Hills
Butler Nat
Forest Dunes
Rolling Green
Stonewall
Bandon Trails
Sand Hills
Wild Horse
Beverly
Skokie
Black Mesa
U of NM
CA GC
Preserve
Black Sheep
Prairie Dunes
Franklin Hills

[Allan Long]

It was a pretty lean year for first-time courses, but hands down best course: Tumble Creek.

Others in no particular order:

Sahalee, Broadmoor (West), Broadmoor (Mountain), Ridge at Castle Pines North, Red Hawk Ridge.

[Jason Topp]

My favorite new course this year:

Golden Valley Country Club - Minnesota

It beat out several other courses I enjoyed and played for the first time this year:

New South Wales
Newcastle
TPC Sawgrass
Southern Dunes
StoneEagle
Rustic Canyon
The Palms
The Plantation
Bighorn Mountain
Paa-Ko-Ridge

To me, Golden Valley exemplifies nearly everything that is fun about golf:

 - short interesting par fives
 - par threes that vary greatly in distance and shot requirements
 - Big advantages to turning certain tee shots one way or the other;
 - difficult sloped putting surfaces that require one to choose between going at the hole or leaving an uphill putt
- playable for all levels of player
- natural rolling terrain
- short green to tee walks

[Raphael_Larson]

Not a huge list, but memorable nonetheless...

Pinehurst #2
Pasatiempo
Teeth of the Dog

If I get three first time courses of similar caliber each year for the next three decades, I will have done quite well.  

[Chris Kurzner]

Not in any particular order:

Oak Hills (San Antonio)
Preston Trail (Dallas)
Chickasaw CC (Memphis)

Bandon Trails (okay, I played this last year, too, but didn't appreciate it until playing it the second time)

[Jason Mandel]

1.  Atlantic City Country Club- It's part Doak, part Flynn but them together and that makes for one fantastic golf course  Can not express how happy I am this place is now open to the public.  I look forward to playing there for many years to come, as long as the casino's don't get greedy and sell the place for houses...

2.  Bulls Bay- Enough has been said about the course in the last month or so, but if anyone gets the oppurtunity to play the course, jump on it.  A truely fantastic course from start to finish and a living legacy to Mike Strantz.

Jason

[Garland Bayley]

The Reserve Vinyards - North
Astoria Country Club
Rustic Canyon

[Jonathan Cummings]

Jason M. - ACC and BB are both wondeful courses - I completely agree.  At one time they were both kind hidden gems.

Jason T. - you would put Golden Valley in front of Sawgrass or New South Wales??  That is mighty strong stuff and certainly bucks the trends of the ranking panels..

JC

[Ted Kramer]

Woodcrest - Lots of fun, Shot makers course, Many dog-legs, Interesting greens, Can still see some Flynn in the course.

Bulle Rock - Super solid test, some very strong par 5's (#2, #11), great finishing hole.


I didn't play a lot of golf this year, but Woodcrest and Bulle Rock were great to play. I'm very happy to have played them and would gladly play either one again.

-Ted

[Andy Doyle]

Not a lot of new courses this year (nor much golf period), but this one's easy:

Kapalua Plantation

How much fun is it to smash one drive 200 yards, then swing easy on another and watch it roll 385?  I wouldn't have believed it was possible to 4-putt 3 times and thoroughly enjoy myself.

Andy

[Jason Topp]

Jason T. - you would put Golden Valley in front of Sawgrass or New South Wales??  That is mighty strong stuff and certainly bucks the trends of the ranking panels..

JC

Jonathan:

For my personal preferences, yes.  

TPC Sawgrass
1.  Has extremely narrow fairways on par fours so your tee shots largely are attempts to hit it down the middle.  

2.  While there are not as many forced carries as I expected, there are still a number of them.

3.  I'm not a fan of Dye's very steep mounding, which comes into play on a few holes.  

New South Wales is an incredible setting and has a number of fantastic holes, but, based on one round, also has a large number of mundane holes (3, 4, 5 (beautiful but not much to it), 9, 10, 18).  Thus, for the golf itself, I prefer Golden Valley.  

I would, however, rather take a trip to play New South Wales (because of the setting) and TPC Sawgrass (because of the tournament history and memorable holes).

[Doug Wright]

Not much new this year (vs Scotland 2005) but some great experiences at:

Ballyneal ('Nuff said)
Pradera (Latest of 5 Engh courses I've played and I think the best)
Minneapolis GC (Great Ross greensites and fast, sloping greens, some terrific par 3s, ongoing tree removal has it moving towards Minikahda but I still prefer Minikahda)
Capitol Hill (Senator) (This was the linksiest of the 6 courses we played on the RTJ Trail and I think the best, really fun greens)
Grand National (Links) (The last RTJ Trail course we played and left a lasting impression--attractive and challenging)
The Raven at Verrado (Surprisingly good Tom Lehman design in the West Valley; a lot of width and good use of the terrain)

[Mitch St. Peter]

Bethpage Black - First tee-time of the day from the tips.  One of the great "cathedrals" in golf

Plainfield - nothing but fun Ross

Country Club of VT - if you can get up here during foliage season, it is unreal.  One of the most scenic golf courses I've played anywhere

Inverness - with all the negative stuff I've read about it, it was by far the most fun i've ever had shooting 92.  Memorable bunkering

[Mike Benham]

in no particular order:

Crooked Stick
Lawsonia
Ekwanok
Ballyneal
The Golf CLub
Erin Hills
Butler Nat
Forest Dunes
Rolling Green
Stonewall
Bandon Trails
Sand Hills
Wild Horse
Beverly
Skokie
Black Mesa
U of NM
CA GC
Preserve
Black Sheep
Prairie Dunes
Franklin Hills

Paul -

Obviously, this is only your Top 22 List of Best Courses I played this year for the first time ... and I am shocked that Callippe Preserve did not make the list, you do realize that it is in the 6th Best Public Access Course in California?

How long is your list of courses that weren't new to you that you played this year?

What is your golf travel budget / green fees for the year?

Mike

Ps:  How many rounds did you squeeze in this year?

[PThomas]

Calippe was pretty good Mike, just not as good as those I listed

I played a lot at my home club too

no formal budget for golf...a lot of travel this year obviously, more so than normal, some due to invites from some very nice people, I took my wife to Vermont for a fall weekend, nice romantic guy that I am (although it developed because i had airlien tickets that were expiring soon, I must admit), a family vacation to MI, had to take one of my kids out east for a seminar....

I probably played about 75-80 rounds this year

[Craig Van Egmond]

My year of firsts can be summed up in two words: Sand Hills!!!    

[Michael J. Moss]

Damn, I wish this question was asked last year. 2005 was a very good year! (I can’t help myself! Here goes: Sand Hills, Bandon Trails, Friar's Head, Newport)

My 2006 list: Best Courses 1st time played

1.) Merion - East (lived up to high expectations. Only disappointment: played members’ tees as our host was literally afraid of playing time exceeding four hours – Big Brother is watching!)

2.) Philadelphia Cricket Club – Flourtown Course –  underrated Tillinghast. Wonderful 18th hole.

3.) Yale – perhaps the boldest greens of all the Golfweek “Classic” category courses I’ve played. Lived up to the billing – a great antique, not fully understood by today’s rank and file that should have greater influence on designers today.

4.) Cape Arundel – Played it on back to back days. Used my Sun Mountain Speed E push cart on this one and Yale. This walk was easier! What fun! Remarkable set of Travis greens set on an intimate parcel that shows you how good a course can be on a small property. Took lots of digital pics of the greens. Will post them (eventually).

[mark chalfant]

Pasatiempo

Pradera

Hidden  Creek

Shadow  Isle

Monterey Peninsula


honorable  mention

Montclair  3rd-4th nines
New Haven
Tamarack (Banks)
 

[Bob_Huntley]

Mark,

Surely you jest, whatever ever happened to that place in Pebble Beach?

Bob

[Jfaspen]

Decent year in GCA for me.

Highlight was the Kings Putter.

Made contact with one Jason Topp and set up 36 holes in the middle of the desert for the first day I was there.

Met Jason (after about 5 hours of sleep and 10 hours of travel) in the lobby of our hotel..  
1st hole at Escena.. I tee one up and slice it out of bounds.. Jason kindly gives me a mulligan and I ended up better from there.

Escena was a good course, esp for the $.  Neat green complexes.

The Reserve Club was very cool.  They were averaging about 5 rounds per day when Jason and I strolled up.  My memory of that day is the pro coming out to us on our 36th hole of the day in 115 degree heat asking us what the hell we were doing.  Our response "playing our 36th hole of the day!!!"  I birdied it

The KP courses each very good in their own way.  I liked The Palm.. But I loved the Plantation for the course and the club.  Stone Eagle was incredible from a construction and isolation standpoint and I hope I get another shot at that course sometime.

Overall, meeting the GCA group was my GCA highlight of the year.. From seeing Jason at 5am to talking wine with Peter P. to speaking of life on the Penninsual with Mr. Huntley, the trip never dissapointed.

Also enjoyed Tidewater in Myrtle Beach, Black Forest, Forest Dunes, and the University of Michigan Golf Course.

Was hampered by a wrist injury from March until June and then didn't play much until september.

Decent year.. More potential for next year.

Jeff

[William King]

The Best:

RTJ Grand National Links, Cambrian Ridge Canyon/Sterling
Nob North (Cohutta, GA)
Ga National (McDonough, GA)
Heron Bay (Locust Grove, GA)
Summer Grove (Newnan, GA)
Northstone Club (Huntersville, NC)

The Rest:
RTJ Capitol Hill the Senator, Cambrian Ridge Loblolly
Reynolds GC (Reynolds Ga, not lake oconee!)
Chapel Hill CC (Douglasville, GA)
Sugar Creek CG (Decatur, GA)
Tannehill Nat (McCalla, AL)
Columbia Point (Richland, WA)
Horn Rapids (Richland, WA)
Canyon Lakes (Kennewick, WA)
White Oak (36 holes, Newnan, GA)
Windemere (Cumming, GA)
Blue Ash GC (Blue Ash, OH)
Blacklick Woods (Columbus, OH)
The Links @ Groveport (Groveport, OH)
Rocky River (Concord, NC)
Highland GC (Conyers, GA)
Highland Creek (Charlotte, NC)
River Forest (Forsyth, GA)
Olde Atlanta (Suwanee, GA)

[Gene Greco]

1. Monterey Peninsula (Strantz)
2. Eastward Ho!
3. Sebonack
4. Ballyneal
5. The Gallery (Tucson)
6. Gulfstream (Florida)
7. Stanford University
8. Timber Point