GCA version of "Fifty Places to Play Golf before you Die"

[Matt Harrison]

I second both The Dunes Club and The Sheep Ranch for the unique experience.

Overseas, Brora and The Island are great links golf experiences.  Top 50 in the world, no, but great and a little under the radar.

[Ben Sims]

I would love to see Pasa on there.

But I'll be damned if the Jekyll and Hyde layout of Mare Island in the Bay Area wasn't cool as can be.  Great views, wind, cheap, a couple tee shots that you have to gnat's ass, and a couple where you can hit it backwards and still be in play.  I found it to be a rare find of fun, quirk, cheap.

[Michael Huber]

All I see in this thread is quality architecture with wonderful views.  If there are going to be 50 places, at least one or two of them have to be total stinkers.  Someone has to throw in one trump national  or sandpines or something.  All of the memories cant be positive, can they?

[Gib_Papazian]

Michael,

I believe I included Pasadera for comic relief and negative reinforcement. The same would go for Boulder City Golf Course - the single worst "in house" remodeling project in golf architecture history, even including Rees Jones debacles.

Bayley me lad,

I was referring to the walk between #15 and #16. I'll try to compose clearer prose for your discerning literary pallet next time. Let me just assure you that when it first opened, Eagle Point was wonderful in every measure and the bunkers were hardly the lifeless ovals you describe today. #2 is/was a terrific hole, as is/was #'s 15, 17 and 18.

In fact, Bobby Jones himself told later me over a cocktail that he had thrown his heart and soul into the project and it certainly showed to my taste.

BTW, be careful about trying to show up the fastball pitcher on the other team, unless you want some chin music.

Consider yourself warned.    

[Peter Pallotta]

Maybe too obvious a choice, but Redtail I'd like to see. It's the only course that's ever reminded me of original Quaker furniture. And then I'd want to play whatever people thought was the worst Flynn course.

Peter

[Dan King]

I can't believe there have been 54 posts in this thread and not one mention of The Machrie. By far the best course nobody has ever played, even with the overly pretentious "The." I went a few trips to Scotland before I ever played it, and I will never make that mistake again. Well worth the difficulty of getting there. Besides the course, it is also cool to go to the source of so many of Scotland's finest whiskys.

Cheers,
Dan King

There may be no better place to experience the true delights of a Scottish links than at The Machrie, a 116 year old wonder, located on the tiny Isle of Islay, sitting 15 miles off Scotland's west coast. The name may not have the panache of a Royal Troon, Carnoustie or St. Andrews, but this little known course contains more links character than all of the rest together.
 --David Brice

[Rich Goodale]

I have to break this into categories:

1.  Course I haven't played but I should:  Pine Valley
2.  Course that I have played but need to see at its peak:  NGLA
3.  Course that is as perfect as it gets but hasn't been mentioned here yet:  Kingston Heath
4.  Course that has multiple mentions already but will always be, regardless of where I live, my "home" course:  Dornoch

[Mark_F]

Port Fairy.

Not that great a golf course, but it overwhelms the senses like few others.

[Alister Matheson]

For me it has to be Brora   ( Tern Bay )

Theres no place like home   

Since Braid worked his magic nothing has changed

superb routing , hills, sleepers sticking out of the ground randomly, common grazing ,wind, gorgeous beach, fescue greens, electric fences ,witch,
crofters ,winter tees behind medal tees !, 2nd burn ,cattle, canal, dalchalm, clynelish.

[Dan Herrmann]

Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania-why this course isn't in everyone's top 100 is a mystery to me. If this club were in Philly it would be in the top 3. Arguably better than some of the usual suspects we are always hearing about.

Well said - LCC is one of the best courses I've ever played.

[Will MacEwen]

All I see in this thread is quality architecture with wonderful views.  If there are going to be 50 places, at least one or two of them have to be total stinkers.  Someone has to throw in one trump national  or sandpines or something.  All of the memories cant be positive, can they?

Furry Creek.  Tremendous scenery, yada yada yada.

[Garland Bayley]

...

In fact, Bobby Jones himself told later me over a cocktail that he had thrown his heart and soul into the project and it certainly showed to my taste.

...

Unfortunately he didn't observe modern environmental concerns, as Oregon environmentalists take great exception to filling in wetlands and piping the stream underground. I have to wonder if Jr. would have sent Swilican Burn through culverts.
 

[Rory Connaughton]

Enniscrone.  Both for the course and the local members.

[Jeff Tang]

The Dunes in Michigan, cool 9 hole track where your group may be the only one on the whole course.

[Scott Warren]

This thread inspired me to think what the 50 courses are that I want to have ticked off before they put me in the dirt and say nice things about me! Fun process. Hard to limit to 50, and in an effort to include lots of different styles of course some hard calls had to be made, but now I have a goal to chase!

[JR Potts]

Whoever nominated the Glen Club needs to be extradited.

Extradited???  More like stoned to death.

[Carl Johnson]

Have all you gcaers actually read "Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die"?  Subtitled: "Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Golf Destinations."    If you have not, here's a little background -- background that suggests any number of discussion points.

O.K., who are these "golf experts"?  Tom Doak nominates NGLA.  But another expert, The Donald, nominates Trump National Golf Club, Briarcliff Manor, NY.  And someone (just kidding!) named Alice Dye recommends the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (no conflict there either).

Notice that the title refers to "places to play golf," not golf courses, though admittedly it is better to play golf on something designed and built as a golf course.  Notice also that the subtitle refers to "destinations."  Having laid that out, Mark O'Meara's forward says, "What makes a golf course a place to play before you die?" illustrates just how many different ways people can appreciate the golf experience."  Mark says "golf course" -- not place to play golf, then concludes with a reference to the "golf experience."

What does the author say?  Well, he has a couple of pages of introduction, but if I had to choose a fragment: "Though this book collects fifty great golfing experiences, it by no means attempts to rank the courses discussed.  Such ranking is largely subjective, as the course that appeals to a golf course architecture critic might be unfathonable to an every-other-weekend player."

Also see my review on Amazon.com (find it yourself.)