Courses that grow on you

[Jordan Wall]

Lets try this one again. 

I mentioned earlier there are just a couple courses that continually grow on me each time I play and see them.

These same courses present something new each time I play and see them.  Little bounces, breaks on a green, and subtle nuances that make them fun and exciting each time out on them. 

Seattle CC stays interesting every round despite that I have played it over a hundred times.  Each round offers something new and diverse.

This is a key feature to a great golf course, because great golf courses never get old and add new substance each round.

What are courses for you guys that grow on you guys round after round?
What makes them exciting each round?
What do you feel this feature adds to a golf course?
Is this a feature found only on great golf courses?

[Jeff Doerr]

Jordan,

Only played it once so far, but Wine Valley will be than kind of course.

Cheers, Jeff

[Patrick Kiser]

Jordan,

This one's easy for me...

Lincoln Park.

I did not care for the place initially, but I kept coming back again ... and again.  The green fee being low helped   .

Not necessarily exciting, but just about always entertaining and challenging.  It comes from not knowing where the drive could roll to on the fairway on several of the holes (4th a great example).  It comes from taking advantage of the wind on certain holes and "going for it" (11th).  It comes from the 17th tee.  Plenty of other things as well (blindness for instance).

It never gets boring despite its poor shape.  Humps, bumps, uneven lies, wind, fog, quirk, etc.  I love it.

Found only on great courses?  I'm not so sure, but I would think it's most certainly an element of great courses.

[Kalen Braley]

Indian Canyon in Spokane, WA.

Every time I go back I play many holes differently, usually involuntary due to my left, right, left, right, military style golf. But its always, always tons of fun.   And thats not even bringing up how much of a blast the greens are to play and figure out....

[Lou_Duran]

Keith Foster's Texas Star in Euless (near D/FW airport) that's rugged and brutally difficult comes to mind.  Swore I would never go back after the first time.  Got talked into playing it again a few years later, found a few good shots, and liked it a bit.  Subsequent playings resulted in considerable admiration for the course's demands.  This thread reminds me that I need to get out there soon. 

[Kirk Gill]

The replies on this thread show me that what you're talking about, Jordan, is present on a lot of golf courses. It's something that I just love about GOLF. I even like how some greens tend to be slower than others on the same course because of the microclimate that surrounds them. Learning those little things is something I like about the game. Of course, maybe the subtlety and intelligence behind these features is what separates the better courses from the lesser ones.....

[Sean Leary]

Diablo CC in the Bay Area.

[Niall C]

For me it has to be Carnoustie. You would think a course with its pedigree and history that it would be love at first sight but not at all. Carnoustie is about the least scenic links in Scotland. It also lives up to its brutish reputation. Frankly the first time I played it I was gubbed long before the finish.

Despite that I dusted myself down and went back, and have gone back several times since. Each time I have been closer and closer to puting in a solid performance. Hopefully one day I'll have enough in the tank to do the finishing 3 holes justice.

Niall

[Tom_Doak]

This should be true of any good course with even a little bit of local knowledge.

In short, most of the golf courses built between 1920 and 1935, and maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the courses built since.

[jim_lewis]

It takes a pretty astute observer to recognize the greatness of Pinehurst #2 and The Old Course  on the first visit. Unfortunately, many never do, largely because many play them only once. Carnoustie was another good call.

[Kenny Baer]

Cuscowilla was that way for me.  The 1st time I played it I thought it was way overrated; but now after the 10th plus play it is in my personal top 10.  There is nothing not to like about it (maybe the finish but that is a whole different topic) and I wonder what I was thinking when I first played, how could I not love it.

[Carl Nichols]

Kenny:
Have you found something to love about 14?

My nomination would be Columbia Country Club, in Bethesda, MD.  The first time I played it, I think it was tricked up and rinky-dink. Now, after 10-15 plays, some recent work they've done, and a better understanding on my part of golf course design, I think it's a cool course that is a whole lotta fun to play. 

[Tim Leahy]

Diablo CC in the Bay Area.

Sean, what is it about Diablo CC that you like? The NCGA has a private club event scheduled there but I overlooked it because I have never heard anything about the course until you just mentioned it.

My choice for courses that grow on you is Torrey Pines South, pre US Open. The first time I played the course I was disappointed because of what I thought could have been done there. But after several rounds when I lived in the area I came to appreciate much of the subtle elements of the course. I haven't played it post US Open but I am sure I would still like it.

[Shawn Arlia]

Any course with interesting green contours. As the pin moves around, so does the strategy of the hole. Maybe a high cut shot to get close to the pin tucked behind a bunker one day, while a low runner works on the same hole the next day. We have a course here in Cleveland called Mannakki. Its a Donald Ross course and it has some very interesting greens that change the way you attack the hole day in and day out.