[Brad Fleischer]

I am sure this topic has been discussed before but after a pretty heated debate tonight against the pros and cons of joining a club, publics never being able to match privates , and in my friends words "other than bandon there is not a public place worth planning a trip around that would match planning a trip around the top 100 or so private courses in america" Yes my friends have issues and I know they were just trying to get me going and it worked.

 So it got me thinking about a few things today but first what PUBLIC courses would you consider are worth planning a trip around. My friends disagree but I say it can be more than one area, for example a few hours drive from one course to the next as in a road trip. They say no road trip one course but they will cut me some slack to see what I can come up with. Now before we get into a private debate forget about the top 20 or so courses ,the once in a lifetime(well for me) courses that are private that most will never set foot on. (as im writing this I'm starting to think this is the wrong forum lol)  do you feel there are publics out there your willing to travel to in lieu of playing private courses first. I say there are what do you say??

I have my own list but would like to hear your thoughts and ideas before I say any of mine.

Oh and the dopes forgot all about pebble to, last time I checked it was a destination, expensive yes but still a destination.....  It's late and time for bed but looking forward to your thoughts.

Brad
 
remember not better per se but to plan a trip around....

[Mike Sweeney]

Cape Arundel - There is not much in Maine that is super private, but to see Travis greens it is worth it. If you are worried about a sub 6000 yard course do not apply.

Pebble Beach - Other than cost, there is really nothing to discuss, it is great. Huck and I like Spanish Bay, and Pasatiempo is awfully close to "plane worthy".

World Woods - They now have lodging on-site. Simply a great unique course for Florida.

Cuscowilla - Very good course, great accommodations, perfect guys trip place.

Tobacco Road - Similar to World Woods. Will GCAers still play it when The Dormie Club opens. 

Bethpage Black - Home of the Bomb Squad Golf golfer.

The Knoll (NJ) - If you don't have access to MacRaynor courses and you are in NYC.......

Montauk Downs - If you are a surfer, you head to Ditch Plains beach after the round. Probably not a "plane" course, but it is worth a drive.

I really love Wild Horse but I can't say I would travel THAT far for it.

[Sean_A]

Brad

I spose it depends on what you mean by travel.  If its a weekend round trip by car that opens a lot of doors to places I wouldn't mind seeing.  If it means getting on a plane from London, I can only think of two destinations I would organize a trip around - Bandon & Michigan (a bit of a cheat as my family is in the area).  In Michigan there are several courses I would like to see again or for the first time: LAKEWOOD SHORES, BELVEDERE, HIGH POINTE, ANGELS CROSSING, FOREST DUNES, SHEPHERD'S HOLLOW, ARCADIA & THE MINES plus a few others for sentimental reasons like NEW ROGELL & LESLIE PARK.  Lets face it, I could happily spend a while in Michigan playing golf and visiting folks. 

ST ANDREWS links trust courses have to top the list of any public destination.  If it weren't so expensive, I would visit more often.  

CARNOUSTIE and MONTROSE have a certain appeal though I admit I wouldn't centre a trip around these courses.  

PASATIEMPO - I have never been to California, but if I went it would probably be to the very greater San Fran area and I would try my utmost to see Pasa if I did visit.

Santa Fe/Albuquerque - I have long thought this a great area and I could even be persuaded to take a golf break there if I was already in the country.  

APACHE STRONGHOLD - Again, if I were in the area (and I have cause to be as a very old friend lives in Phoenix) this would be the one course I would make a big effort to see.

I don't have a lot of cause to be down LONGSHADOW way, but I could see trying to play golf in the general direction and I would certainly try to see this place.  Is it still open to the public?

I often visit N Carolina.  I could see making a road trip down to KIAWAH while trying to hit places like CALEDONIA, DUNES GOLF & BEACH and Love's BAREFOOT LANDING on the way.  Of course, I am always happy to play TOBACCO ROAD and SOUTHERN PINES as a solid back-up trip to any over-grandiose notions.  

I have always wanted to visit Cooperstown and if I did I would make a huge effort to see LEATHERSTOCKING (I think its public).  

If I knew of a few great publics around Toronto I probably would have already made the trip as I want to see the Hockey Hall of Fame.    

If I went back to Philly I would like to play LEDERACH again.  

The one course which gets missed out is LAWSONIA.  I can't see ever getting up this way - Wisconsin just isn't on my list of places I want to revisit- though it is lovely.  

Ciao




 

[Mike Sweeney]

The one course which gets missed out is LAWSONIA.  I can't see ever getting up this way - Wisconsin just isn't on my list of places I want to revisit- though it is lovely.  
 

It might even be ahead of Chicago Golf for me in term of looking at pictures from afar. Love the look of that place.

[Dan Herrmann]

Mike,
I'll certainly play Tobacco Road after Dormie opens because I don't think Dormie will be public, will it?

[John Kavanaugh]

If your friends like to gamble I would, and have, plan a trip around Rustic and Santa Anita near Los Angeles.  Los Angeles is heads and shoulders the best poker town in the world given the Commerce and other fine rooms.  If you like the horses you can not beat the home of the Breeders Cup with astoundingly fine Santa Anita G.C. next door.  At Hollywood Park runners will take bets on the ponies while you decide to raise or fold.  Flights are plentiful and cheap, In-N-Out Burgers abound and Vegas is the finest road trip in the world away.

[Anthony Gray]

  Pebble Beach...Whistling Straits...TPC Sawgrass...Pinehurst...Casa De Campo...All of Scotland...Northern Ireland


  Is Chambers Bayworth the trip?

 

[Jim Franklin]

The Quarry, Giants Ridge Minnesota.

[PCCraig]

The Charleston, SC area with Kiawah Island and the Ocean Course first.

Lawsonia is always worth a few hours drive at least once a year!

[Jeff_Brauer]

Jim,

Thanks!  I think the combo of three courses up in the Iron Range has made that more desireable than when there were just one.  90% of their play comes from over 100 miles away.

I am in the camp that I would go to a general area that had at least two or three courses.  I would call MB or HH more of a golf vacation with the intent to stay a week, whereas a road trip, I would want to combine 2-3 courses.

I have done the Wisconsin thing (On the way to MN, and would go again to add Erin Hills to the WS complex) Colorado within 100 miles of Denver has some good courses, most by Jim Engh.  You know, I could go on, but if I got the email alert on the cheap last minute airfares to a lot of cities, I could take advantage of it and probably find a few very good public courses, no?

My problem would be that I would still probably rather spend at least one day touring, if not playing, some of the old private clubs in an area to satisfy my interests.

[Philippe Binette]

Wild horse... It's a 10

[John Kavanaugh]

Wild horse... It's a 10

I hate to call bull shit so early but Wild Horse is not a public you travel for without a world class private in your back pocket. 

[Craig Van Egmond]

JK,

   I must be crazy then because I did drive way out of my way to play Wild Horse (twice) without any possibilities of playing Sand Hills. Ballyneal and others did not exist at the time. Awesome course.

   I used to drive 7 hours from Seattle to Bandon, back when there was only 2 courses and it was reasonably priced.

 

[John Kavanaugh]

JK,

   I must be crazy then because I did drive way out of my way to play Wild Horse (twice) without any possibilities of playing Sand Hills. Ballyneal and others did not exist at the time. Awesome course.

   I used to drive 7 hours from Seattle to Bandon, back when there was only 2 courses and it was reasonably priced.

 

Yes, but did you load your friends in the car and go to Wild Horse on a golf trip?  I'm not buying driving out of your way as the same thing as a trip.  I once detoured through Kiawah and Pinehurst on my way back home from Florida.

[Craig Van Egmond]

No way, my friends think this golf architecture stuff is crap.  There's no way anybody I know would do that. 

Now, start talking Myrtle Beach ...

[John Kavanaugh]

Me and three other guys jumped in a car and drove 13 hours to play Myrtle Beach.  As a matter of fact it was a two car caravan of eight golfers.  Well worth the effort as King's North was the jewel of the trip.  My hands got so sore that I had to buy two gloves...from the golf mind you.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Brad,
A trip along the various state owned golf trails comes to mind.

[Sean_A]

Reading a few posts here makes me realize that I am not a terribly hard core golf traveler.  Many want to spend all their time either on the course or getting to the next course.  I am nearly concerned as much by where I am going as to how good the golf will be.  In other words, I am not overly keen on golf trips which last more than 3-5 days - I get bored.  If I am on a trip lasting 3 or more days it will nearly always be because of the people I will get a chance to hang with and/or what else is available for me to see and do while on the trip.  For instance, I went to Philly last spring, but I would have spent 5 days there if I wasn't traveling with someone else I thought I wanted to spend time with.  The golf is great, but it wasn't enough to compel me to hang out in Philly for 5 days.  I spose the bottom line of all this is that I like to spend a significant amount of holiday time just hangin out, shootin the shit and meandering around interesting areas.  

My ideal trip would be about 10 days with minimal travel once at the destination and three or four games chucked in.  I can see it now, tucked into a lounge chair with a cigar in cheek, red ale in hand and a cozy blanket covering me as I sit watching the sun set over a broad horizon.... wondering whats for dinner.  Dog gone it, folks are right.  We are living in mighty fine times - yes indeed.

Ciao  

[Robert Emmons]

Pebble Beach
Bandon
Jasper
Banff
Highland Links

and I have

[John Mayhugh]

If you only took one or two golf trips per year, there are enough high quality public options to last for several years without any repeats.  I've played several of them but the list of places I want to make a trip to is just about as long.  Some are often expensive.  That's more the problem than anything else.  My lists w/o going too far into GCA geek-dom (thus leaving out Cape Arundel, Leatherstocking, Long Shadow, etc.):

PLACES I'VE PLAYED
Chambers Bay
Pebble, Spyglass, Pasatiempo - Any of these is worth a trip on its own
Torrey Pines - for the views if nothing else
We-ko-pa (either course) -  plenty of other good golf in Scottsdale
Wolf Creek - Nothing much like it.  Worth seeing once as you won't forget it.
Blackwolf Run - More for the River course than Straits
Bethpage (black or red)
Pinehurst #2
Caledonia, Barefoot Love, etc. in Myrtle Beach
The Ocean Course at Kiawah
World Woods Pine Barrens - If your buddies don't love this, get some new friends.

PLACES I THINK WORTHY OF A TRIP
Pacific Dunes or any of its neighbors - Hope to play here in 2009
Rustic Canyon - As JohnK pointed out, lots more to do on a trip there
Kapalua (or just about anywhere in Hawaii)
Paa-ko or Black Mesa
Wild Horse - I think I would make a trip just to play there, but agree most people wouldn't
Giants Ridge
Greywalls
Atlantic City CC
Greenbrier
Homestead
Tobacco Road
TPC Sawgrass

[Philippe Binette]

OK, so Wild Horse doesn't count, too remote make it not public....

If me and a friend leave one day, drive 8 hours, play one round in the evening at Wild Horse, sleep in North Platte, play another round in the morning and drive back home. It's still cheaper than one green fee and Pebble Beach???

[Chris Parker]

Pebble Beach
Bandon
Jasper
Banff
Highland Links

and I have

Robert, you beat me to the punch.  I was going to post Highlands Links as well.  Make sure you hang around the Ingonish area for a few days and soak it all in.

[Wade Whitehead]

There are two types of people in this world: People who would answer Primland (Highland Links) and people who haven't played it.

WW

[John Goodman]

If you only took one or two golf trips per year, there are enough high quality public options to last for several years without any repeats.  I've played several of them but the list of places I want to make a trip to is just about as long.  Some are often expensive.  That's more the problem than anything else.  My lists w/o going too far into GCA geek-dom (thus leaving out Cape Arundel, Leatherstocking, Long Shadow, etc.):

PLACES I'VE PLAYED
Chambers Bay
Pebble, Spyglass, Pasatiempo - Any of these is worth a trip on its own
Torrey Pines - for the views if nothing else
We-ko-pa (either course) -  plenty of other good golf in Scottsdale
Wolf Creek - Nothing much like it.  Worth seeing once as you won't forget it.
Blackwolf Run - More for the River course than Straits
Bethpage (black or red)
Pinehurst #2
Caledonia, Barefoot Love, etc. in Myrtle Beach
The Ocean Course at Kiawah
World Woods Pine Barrens - If your buddies don't love this, get some new friends.

PLACES I THINK WORTHY OF A TRIP
Pacific Dunes or any of its neighbors - Hope to play here in 2009
Rustic Canyon - As JohnK pointed out, lots more to do on a trip there
Kapalua (or just about anywhere in Hawaii)
Paa-ko or Black Mesa
Wild Horse - I think I would make a trip just to play there, but agree most people wouldn't
Giants Ridge
Greywalls
Atlantic City CC
Greenbrier
Homestead
Tobacco Road
TPC Stadium

I agree with most of this.  To it I would add the Dominican Republic and Cabo, as well as GB & I.  I have been intrigued by what I have read on this site about some of the publics in Indiana and other unlikely parts of the country.

I have not (and don't intend to) travel to Hawaii for golf.  I don't intend to travel to any other part of the Caribbean for golf outside the DR.  I doubt I would make a trip to Australia, N.Z. or Japan for golf.  Not that there's not great golf in those places.

[Kalen Braley]

I think Spokane area could work as a location if your already out west somewhere.

Between Indian Canyon, The Resort, and Circling Raven, thats some pretty decent golf

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