I say it every time I see one of these rankings without it being included, but...WHERE is Mountain Ridge CC(Ross/NJ)? There is just no way this course should be listed outside of the top 100 Classical Courses in the US.
I've always heard that Mountain Ridge won't allow raters on the course. Anyone know if that is true? Are there other courses that entirely refuse to accomodate raters?
Hell of a question, one I'm sure Kavanaugh will jump on when he sees it. From my perspective as a fairly inactive GD rating panelist, I'd say it's darn clear that MANY private clubs won't give us the time of day. I can just imagine the response asking for access at Cypress Point or Augusta, for example. But I gather that's not what you're asking - that you want to know if there are any clubs that actively PROHIBIT rating panelists from playing their courses? I think there are some of those too, but I can't recall which. Maybe Bear's Club in Florida? Friar's Head, at least at one time?
I'd find that to be pretty cool, in a we don't give a shit about ratings kinda way.
TH
Tom:
Yes, that is my question. Its been awhile since I was in Jersey. But my impression was that Mountain Ridge relishes excluding raters. I thought that was part of the aura of the place. Basically a "screw you" approach. But I may be wrong. Hopefully some of the current NJ guys can answer definitively.
Ed
As usual, my memory was more wrong than right. Here is an excerpt from an 8/9/05 SI-Golf Plus article by Alan Shipnick:
" The oft-told yarn around New Jersey is that Mountain Ridge is so private that it will not allow marauding raters to sully its fairways. This urban legend has only added to the well-cultivated mystique of the club, which is often described as the most underrated course in Jersey (except by Ridgewood members, who still consider it overrated).
It turns out that Top 100 raters are welcome at Mountain Ridge. Sort of. "We have had a couple of raters out this year," says Steve Wolsky, the club's general manager. "If someone calls us, we'll usually let them play if they're legitimate. But we certainly don't court the course raters like a lot of the other clubs do." "
Actually, this article contains an interesting comparison between Plainfield, Ridgewood, Somerset Hills, Mountain Ridge and Baltusrol, and includes comments by Tom Doak on CBD, Raynor, Ross and Tilly. I tried to attach a copy of the full article as a pdf, but it was too large for this site. Send me an IM if you would like a copy.
Ed