Your Best 36 Hole day

[Ron Csigo]

Winged Foot West and East

[Bill_McBride]

On a purely objective analysis of course quality, Machrihanish and Dunaverty isn't the best 36 hole day I've had...but I can't think of a more enjoyable one.

Bill McBride,
Just once we've gotta get you playing 36 in one day at two different courses

Just reminded, Mid Pines and Pine Needles at the 2005 Dixie Cup!

That is so easy, they across the street from one another!  That is a very easy walking 36 holes on two courses.

[Pete_Pittock]

Would like to do Royal County Down/Portmarnock and Barnbugles before I hang it up.

[Joe Bausch]

Any day I can play 36 holes of golf is a great day.

[Bob_Huntley]

Just remembered and Pat Mucci will have me keel-hauled for forgetting it, played NGLA and Shinnecock back in 1976.

Bob

[Tim Bert]

All of my best 36 (and more) hole days have been played on one course.  I've done several of the better two course combos but none of them have been as satisfying as spending a whole day at one venue, with close friends and/or kindred souls.

+1

I've enjoyed some mighty fine combination days, but the best is playing a favorite course 2 or 3 times in a day.

Pacific Dunes
Ballyneal
Sand Hills
Kingsley

I had a mighty fine 36 hole day at my former home courses last summer as well.  Shot 79 on each course in the same day - the only two times I broke 80 all year.

[Tim Bert]

Just thought of something interesting... to me, at least.

I have only made 4 eagles in my entire golfing life.  All 4 have come on a day when I played the hole in question more than once on that same day.  3 of them were on 36 hole days and one of them was on a 9 hole course on a day I played 18.

[ChipRoyce]

Tie:
 Naira / Cruden Bay
 Pacific Dunes / Bandon Trails

[Morgan Clawson]

National in the am and Shinne in the pm on a bright sunny day.

Amazing!

[Bill McKinley]

Bumping this topic to boast about my latest experience. Shinnecock in the morning, lunch with two great long time members, followed by an afternoon at The National Golf Links of America. I don't know how I could top it. Sheer perfection.

The macho Shinny with all its US Open challenge and its constant change of direction routing that makes sure you'll get some uncomfortable wind directions and the ever-present handsome clubhouse on top of the hill, always watching over the proceedings. The unparalleled interior view from the 13th tee. The iconic 7th, 9th, 16th and 18th. The fescue. The unforgiving fairway bunkers that seemingly draw your attention with hopes of skirting them and yielding a simpler approach. I'm not sure but Shinnecock may be the perfect championship venue..

Then we have The National. What can I say? We all know that it's the enchanted journey. Looking around as you stand on the first tee, you can't help but smile and get that giddy feeling of anticipation. Straight ahead, the gorgeous stately clubhouse, to your left, the 18th green, the giant flagpole and the views to Peconic Bay, to your right, the windmill. Ahhhhh, the windmill. You get glimpses of it when playing Shinnecock in the morning, but now it's right in front of you. The Alps, #3, head scratching brilliance. What a green complex!! Redan, Short, Bottle.  But after you hole out on the 13th, Eden, you turn around and start making your way back up to The Windmill. Enchanted journey? Yes sir!! Cape, Bottle, mind blowing Punchbowl. Then you're there. Standing on the tee at 17, the windmill now at your back, but the clubhouse and the view of the Peconic right in front. Does it get any better than this you may ask? Well if it does, I want to go there too! 

36 at Shinny and NGLA, yeah that's a day I'll remember for a long, long time.

[Jason Thurman]

I can't compare to that, but I've had a few good ones.

Going to Kohler a few weeks ago and playing the Straits and River in one day was pretty good. Certainly qualifies as the Toughest 36 Hole day that I've played.

Tobacco Road and Pine Needles qualifies as the Best Played 36 Hole Day that I've logged. I was an 11 handicapper at the time and shot 83-77, with the 77 at Pine Needles matching my personal best 18 hole score. I was pretty satisfied that evening.

The Best 36 Holes of Golf in one day belongs to The Prairie Club. Dunes in the morning, Pines in the afternoon. The 5 hour drive back to my client in Lincoln that evening flew by in one big daydream replaying the shots from earlier that morning.

[Thomas Dai]

Muirfield, in the days when you could still play your own ball for all 36-holes, plus the lunch in between rounds sitting at those long, long tables.

All the best.

[Rich Goodale]

All of my best 36 hole days were played over one course.  Mad dashes from the 18th at course A to the 1st at course B never hit the spot, at least for me.

[Ben Jarvis]

Love this thread!!

I've had a few crackers over the last few years - some of the best ones that spring to mind:

Swinley Forest off first thing for a 3 hour round, a lengthy lunch and another quick round in the avo on a deserted golf course - perfection! I've done this with a number of GCA'ers now - Ben Jarvis, Ron Csigo, Dave Herrick, Greg Taylor, David Elvins etc.

Brian - you beat me to it!

Swinley was my first experience of golf in the UK. I couldn't have asked for a better day to kick off what was a memorable two weeks. It was a combination of the golf course, the lunch, the weather and of course the company, which made the day what it was.

My two other choices would be Pebble/Spyglass with my father and Royal Melbourne West/Kingston Heath with GCAer Anthony Fowler.

[Mark Pearce]

All of my best 36 hole days were played over one course.  Mad dashes from the 18th at course A to the 1st at course B never hit the spot, at least for me.

This.

Winners for me Swinley Forest, Muirfield, RCP.  All three combine great courses with great clubs.  A recent very enjoyable visit to a course in the US with a couple of GCAers confirmed this for me.  breakfast, lunch and 36 holes at the same club with a very good course and a real club atmosphere is always a winner.

[archie_struthers]

 


Portstewart morning Portrush afternoon

[Michael Goldstein]

In the past year - 36 foursomes with the Dinner match society at Sakonnet. 

Or Jack's Point in the morning followed by lunch, a flight back to Wellington and after seeing friends a solo round at Paraparaumu Beach teeing off at 6pm.

[David Whitmer]

Like many have already said:
any two rounds at Bandon Dunes
Ballyneal
Muirfield, with a great lunch in between rounds
Dornoch
Castle Stuart

I'll also add:
Double Eagle / The Golf Club
The New Course, followed by lunch in the R & A Clubhouse, then The Old Course, followed by drinks in the R & A Clubhouse
East Lake / Atlanta Athletic Club
Shoreacres / Skokie

[jeffwarne]

Four times around The Goat is hard to top, unless you go 5.

[J_ Crisham]

So far it would be NGLA and Sebonac although this Friday should be solid: its Milwaukee CC and Blue Mound . Then a few Old Styles to celebrate afterwards. Last Summer it would be a morning at Somerset Hills and a memorable afternoon with the great one at Mountain Ridge.

[Mac Plumart]

36 at The Golf Club is my favorite way to spend a day playing golf.

No hustle bustle, relaxing and ideal environment, interesting and challenging course, great food between rounds, all the while surrounded by good friends.

[William_G]

too many to rank, 36 in a day is always great   

[Jonathan Stewart]

Tomorrow I'm doing Donald Ross at French Lick (Hill Course) in the morning then Pete Dye course in the afternoon, but my favorite was probably two summers ago when I did recently restored Pinehurst No. 2 followed by Mid Pines.

[jonathan_becker]

I've had some great days of going around twice at the same course, but for different courses I'll nominate

Friar's Head / Shinnecock (see Sheehy's post)

Royal Melbourne / Kingston Heath

The Golf Club / Scioto

[Terry Lavin]

I can't compete with some of these amazing combo platters, like Shinny and NGLA or Friar's Head and Shinny.  I'd need to be resuscitated if I ever pulled those off, but I've done okay here in Chicago.  I particularly like playing Butler and Beverly ("the Killer B's) on the same day.  I've also enjoyed North Shore and Shoreacres on the same day.  Then we turn to 36 at the same facility.  There's the Olympia Civil War, North vs. South, which I've been lucky enough to stage a couple times at LACC as well.  I used to belong to Olympia, Flossmoor and Beverly at the same time, with all three clubs being on the same street, if more than 12 miles apart and I've played every possible combination on the same day, including the "King of Western Avenue" tour where we played 36 and stayed overnight at Olympia and then did the Beverly/Flossmoor combo the next day.  

Pinehurst 1 and 2 on the same day is awfully nice, even if #1 is Lilliputian in scale by comparison to #2.  One cannot diminish the magnificence of Pebble Beach and Spyglass on the same day.  And, not for nothing, 36 at Bandon Dunes, in any combination, is something to stir the golfing senses, that's for sure.  My particular favorite would be the morning round at Pacific Dunes and the afternoon on the Trails, with a little wind break provided by the majestic pine and cypress trees.