Jim didn't mention it but I also swapped my 18th hole during my last pick, going from Harbour Town's finisher to Oakmont's 18th.
What a fun exercise this was!
I've only played three of these holes and it would have been a pretty crappy list if I limited myself in that respect. However, every course and hole listed here is one I have dreamed of playing so it's not necessarily a 'Best of' list but a true "Dream 18".
#1 St. Andrews (Old) 376 Yards Par 4 - Perhaps the most famous opener in golf
#2 Friar's Head 580 Yards Par 5 - A downhill, winding hole that plays away from the dunes. Ran has some great pictures of it on his review.
#3 Sagebrush 416 Yards Par 4 - One of the three holes I've played and it functions as a short, driveable par four from the member tees, as the prevailing wind is behind the player.
#4 Banff Springs 200 Yards Par 3 - The aptly named "Devil's Cauldron", perhaps the most stunning par three in Canada
#5 Royal Portrush 385 Yards Par 4 - Ran's review calls it one of the world's most inspiring holes and also one of the three best bunkerless holes in the world, high praise indeed.
#6 Riviera CC 175 Yards Par 3 - The second of the holes I've played, the 6th at Riviera is notable for the bunker in the middle of the green but it's the way the green is shaped that makes the hole more than a gimmick. Brilliantly designed.
#7 Cruden Bay 385 Yards Par 4 - Called one of the world's first great doglegs, the 7th at Cruden Bay has a great greensite perched above the fairway in between two huge dunes.
#8 Royal County Down 430 Yards Par 4 - Just a brute of a hole on the course I want to play more than any other in the world. I had to have a hole from RCD on this list!
#9 Turnberry (Ailsa) 452 Yards Par 4 - The most stunning hole on perhaps the most photogenic course in Scotland.
#10 Augusta National 495 Yards Par 4 - Another course that had to be represented on my list and the tenth seems like it would be a blast to play over and over again.
#11 Ballyneal 200 Yards Par 3 - A tremendously beautiful-looking par three and I'm counting the days down until I get to play it for the first time!
#12 MPCC (Shore Course) 588 Yards Par 5 - Just a stunning hole that plays downhill and usually into the wind toward the ocean.
#13 Pacific Dunes 444 Yards Par 4 - Perhaps one of the most gorgeous par fours in the game, playing right along the cliffside.
#14 Jasper Park 360 Yards Par 4 - An unbelievably scenic cape hole on Canada's most photogenic golf course.
#15 Cape Breton Highlands Links 540 Yards Par 5 - One of the best par fives in Canada on our country's best golf course, it plays downhill on a crumpled fairway with the ocean in the background.
#16 Cypress Point 231 Yards Par 3 - My first draft pick, perhaps a bit of an uninspired pick but it's got to be the world's most famous par three. I dream of the day I can try this golf shot!
#17 Royal Dornoch 405 Yards Par 4 - I'm a big fan of Lorne Rubenstein and I've read "A Season in Dornoch" countless times. This is one of the best holes out there from what I understand.
#18 Oakmont CC 485 Yards Par 4 - The last of the three holes I've actually played. I originally took Harbour Town's finisher but I switched it to one of the more historic finishers in the game. Just a brute of a hole with a tremendous green complex.
I only made the one switch at the end and there were only a few holes that I missed out on - I was hoping to get the 13th at Augusta and the 3rd at Royal County Down but both went quickly. I also was prepared to take Oakmont's 2nd hole before it was snapped up just before my pick in a later round but I'm more than happy with my backup selection there.
Very happy with the balance here -
OUTGOING NINE: Par 35 3399 Yards
INCOMING NINE: Par 36 3748 Yards
TOTAL: Par 71 7147 Yards
Thanks to Jim and everyone who participated!
Oh, and as for clubhouses - I'm going to take Redtail's (St. Thomas, Ontario) and combine that with The Hideout at Sagebrush, which will be my designated halfway house/flyfishing getaway.
