Best Forested Course

[JSPayne]

I agree with most on this site that the old-school traditional links style courses are a blast to play and often provide the most diversity of golf shots, which makes it understandable that many of the newer "I gotta play that" courses being built recently (i.e. Ballyneal, Sand Hills, Chambers Bay) follow that trend.

However, as much as I feel there are many courses that have become overran by flavor-of-the-month-greens-committee tree plantings, there are still some gems that exist out there that are naturally forested and a blast to play.

What's your favorite?

Personally, I know Augusta has quite the forest, but still seems pretty open in regards to what I'm looking for....my favorite to play that comes immediately to mind is Poppy Hills. The cypress forest is both unique and beautiful and plays an integral part of that course's strategy.

[Phil Benedict]

Pine Needles and for that matter Pinehurst #2 have lots of trees but they are well away from the playing corridors.  If you hit into the trees you can usually find your ball because the is no undergrowth and have a chance to recover.  There are a few holes where the trees are part of the course strategy, such as PN #10 where it is possible to cut the dogleg.

[wsmorrison]

The best forested course in the world is Pine Valley.  There are a few too many trees, but it is the best.

RIP, J.O.

[Tim Leahy]

Olympic Club.
Or for the best of sand and forest, Spyglass Hill.

[Mike Erdmann]

Pine Valley and the Cascade Course at the Homestead.

[Bill Shamleffer]

I would think that among the ranked courses, the trees come in to play more so at Harbor Town and Olympic.  Is this an accurate statement?

What courses can others think of where the trees affect play even more so than at Harbor Town or Olympic.

[Ben Stephens]

I have played Harbour Town, it is very tight - if you are on the wrong side of the fairway trees will block your route to the green.

In England I can name a few but Kings Lynn in Norfolk (by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas) is (excuse the expression) bloody tight! I have also played Woburn - Marquess, Dukes and Duchess the latter is the tightest of the lot.

In Scotland I used to play often at Downfield in Dundee - one of the Open qualifying courses for this years Open. The first 14 holes are really good but it is let down by the closing holes. Blairgowrie (Rosemount and Lansdowne) also comes to mind

[Andy Troeger]

Harbour Town was one that I've played that comes to mind as one where the trees really come into play. Point O'Woods would be another that's got a lot of big old trees that affect the majority of the holes.

Quite a few courses I like have a fair amount of trees but I don't know that I'd go so far to call them forested: The Golf Club, Wolf Run, Castle Pines, Blackwolf Run River, Tullymore, even Lost Dunes. Most of them have significant trees on some part of the property but also have holes with very few or no trees at all.

[Kalen Braley]

Ha!!!  This is too easy...

Gotta be the Jans....  

[Forrest Richardson]

Thank you all. Finally, a thread about my courses.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

I was thinking the same thing...

Look! From deep out of the Forrest, Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NOOOOOO! It's Forrestman!

Who disguised as a mild-mannered golf architect from a Metro Center Architecture firm, fights a never ending battle for life, liberty, justice, and to get those son of a bitches to change the name of that mountain back before all political correctness runs amuck!

[Forrest Richardson]

Due to global warming, the mountain has melted.

[Doug Ralston]

Oh!;

So YOU are the Forrest who is Art's sidekick?

Hills/Forrest! Yep.

Doug

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Due to global warming, the mountain has melted.

How do you know this? Are you sure it wasn't from the sun's reflection off of that house with the silver metal roof? ? ? ?

A death ray from the Starship Enterprise doesn't come close to the power output from that roofing material! It's been known to have melted small scorpions in the blink of an eye...

[Adam Clayman]

Definitely the Hideout.

[Forrest Richardson]

Thank you Adam — but you need to check out Las Palomas, too!

I think I will put to use the favorite architectural line, "...my next one."

[Roger Tufts]

Nobody has mentioned Sahalee?

Wait, you are talking about best use of trees right? Not, "best course in forest setting"...

[Mark Pearce]

The Berkshire and Swinley Forest (there's a clue in the name) are both well wooded, so as to speak.

[bbarkley]

FOREST Highlands (Weiskopf/Morrish) in Flagstaff is a great example of a well routed forested golf course. Fun to play, beautiful scenery, lots and lots of trees.  One of my personal favorites.

[Mike Hendren]

This one:

[Doug Ralston]

Hate to have to break it to you, but I enjoyed quite a lot Art Hills' North Woods course 'Red Hawk'. Very smart design with lotsa challenge, extremely beautiful forest background, animal life out the wahzoo [including, I think we saw some actual red hawks], and a group of foxxes so friendly you can hand feed them.

Michigan is the place to golf!

Doug

[Andy Troeger]

FOREST Highlands (Weiskopf/Morrish) in Flagstaff is a great example of a well routed forested golf course. Fun to play, beautiful scenery, lots and lots of trees.  One of my personal favorites.

2nd that one!

[Ken Fry]

This one:

Mike,

Where is this course?

Ken

[SPDB]

Ken -
The Honors Course, in Tennessee

[BVince]

I think a great classic forrest course is Bethpage Black because the forrest well defines the landscape without overcrowding the holes.

A nice modern example of a great wooded course is Kinloch G.C. in VA.  On this course there is room to miss hit a shot without being over penalized by trees.