How Many Courses Have You Played Multiple Times?

[Jeff_Brauer]

On the "Does the Course Matter" thread Adrian Siff, Tom Doak and I posted some comments about multiple plays of the same course.

I started to total up my play, arbitrarily selecting 25+, +10, 5, 2 and 1 time each.  Only my home club, the public course I frequented as a kid in Chicago and a few of my own designs where I have playing privileges topped 25 plays.

Only about a dozen of my own designs where I have playing privileges topped 10.

Only about a dozen courses around DFW or my childhood home of Chicago topped 5.

Less than two dozen courses around the world got 2 plays, including all the famous Open Scottish courses, SFGC, Riviera, Seminole, Royal Melbourne, (played all the others once while in town) World Woods (Pine Barrens), Hazeltine, Shoreacres, Colonial, Dallas National, Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, Sand Hills and some others I probably can't recall right now, both famous and unfamous.

All but a few of my own designs got at least one play! (Actually didn't get invited to the grand opening of a few!)

I imagine I have played well over 200 courses, including 70 of the top 100 or so.  I guess I would love to jet set around the world playing the top courses, but as for most, life intervenes!  And, even for a gca buff, if you are a golfer, 95+% of your rounds are played squeezed into your daily routine, not as a special trip.

For that matter, it just seems no matter how good a couse might be, given the cost and time, the second playing often goes down in percieved value, doesn't it? Maybe its because we don't want to spoil the special memories of our first trip there?

[Tim Nugent]

Jeff, the only time you played Shore Acres was that time with Ken, Bob and me? Really?  That was ages ago.

[Jeff_Brauer]

SA is on the two play list.....

[Jamie Barber]

Price is the main factor for me. I've only courses I've really played a lot are the ones where I'm a member. Just can't afford green fees to visit a lot of others (on top of my annual membership), so tends to be just once or twice per year.

[Yannick Pilon]

Interesting post Jeff,

Makes you wonder how many so-called "raters" actually play a course they rate more than once?  I am pretty sure the percentage must be pretty low.

How much does that say about the whole rankings things? 

YP

[Carl Nichols]

Whenever I plan a golf trip, I try to play the better courses on the itinerary at least two times.  So on a recent trip to Ireland, we played Royal Portrush, RCD, and County Louth twice, and the other courses once.  [Ideally we would've played everywhere twice, but there simply wasn't time.]

I've only played four courses more than 25 times -- the muni I grew up playing, the private course at which I worked in high school, the course in my college town, and the place I currently belong.  My greater-than-10 list isn't much longer; it probably only includes a few other courses in Connecticut where I grew up, a club my parents joined when they moved to the Midwest, and 1 or 2 courses here in DC (in part because of member-guest invites).

[Tom_Doak]

Yannick:

Since most people use the ratings to decide which courses they ought to go play once or twice in their lives, it is sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.


Jeff:

My list would not be that much different than yours.  The only courses I've played more than 25 times are Sterling Farms (where I grew up), the Cornell University course (if I got to 25 rounds there), Crystal Downs, High Pointe, and Pacific Dunes.

The main difference would be that I've had the opportunity to play a bunch of great courses 5-15 times over the years.  These would include Royal Melbourne, St. Andrews, North Berwick, Dornoch, Ballybunion, Royal County Down, Lahinch, Pine Valley, Merion, Shinnecock, National, Sand Hills, Pebble Beach, and Cypress Point.  Plus the ones we consult on -- Garden City and Chicago Golf and San Francisco and The Valley Club probably the most.

I've played all of my own courses at least once ... Charlotte and Quail Crossing and St. Andrews Beach only once, Lost Dunes and Stonewall and Cape Kidnappers probably the most, after High Pointe and Pacific Dunes.

Being familiar with those great courses certainly helps, but I wouldn't put too much stock in it, otherwise I would have to conclude that all the Tour players are clearly more qualified to design golf courses than any of us other guys.

[Tim Nugent]

Jeff, my bad.  I find if a course has merit, I will play it at least twice.  One play just doesn't give me enough information.  Especially around the greens because the contours aren't evident from the approach.  Luckily, I have a knack for remembering holes so there can be some time lapse.  I find it amazing that a golf buff like you would have a course out there that you have not played -if for no other reason than to satisfy your curiousity as to "how does it play?"

Yannick - I often wondered this myself.  They should be required to walk it the first time.  I wonder how you can rate something when you hit a bad shot and can't play the hole as intended.

[Matt Bosela]

Just did a quick tally myself:

25+ plays: 1
10-24 plays: 2
5-9 plays: 9
2-4 plays: 27

The only course I've played more than 25 times is my home course.  The two others I've played more than 10 times are prominent public access facilities in the Niagara Region where I live.

Overall, I've played more than one round at 39 of the 94 total courses I've played (41.5%).  That might be a bit higher than average but I assume that's because I'm not as well travelled as most - slowly getting there

[Rick Shefchik]

It's hard to imagine playing a pricey out-of-town destination course more than twice (maybe Bandon would be the exception, given two or three visits and two or three trips around your favorite course on each visit.) When my wife and I played Pebble Beach, we shot the works and played it twice in three days. I'm still surprised we were able to justify the expense to ourselves, though I'm not sorry now that we did. I feel like I know the course better than I would have if we'd played it only once.

Not counting Minnesota courses, most of the top courses I've played have been, by necessity, one-visit notch-on-the-belt sorts of experiences: TOC, Cypress Point, Sand Hills (four or five rounds in one weekend visit), World Woods, Coeur d'Alene, RTJ Grand National, Ventana Canyon, Talking Stick, Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, Black Mesa and Wild Horse come to mind. I'd love to play all of them more often, but I don't see it in the cards.

The one exception for me is Sutton Bay. It's a destination course, and it's pricey, but it's close enough to the Twin Cities that I've made trips there several times, played multiple rounds each day, and grow to enjoy and admire the course more with each playing. There's a familiarity factor with any course that increases your appreciation for it (if it's any good at all), and the better the course, the stronger that factor becomes. I can only imagine how great a course like Pine Valley or Merion becomes with multiple plays.

[Jud_T]

Of the GCA Adjusted top 300 I've played:

Once: 26
Twice: 13
3+: 6

[Matthew Petersen]

I've played somewhere in the neighborhood of 160 courses, and it looks like about 75 are on the list of only having played once. Those are largely divided into three pretty distinct camps:

1 - Some are "once in a lifetime" destination courses. Courses in Hawaii or other destinations where--even if I returned to the destination--I might well choose to play another of the premier courses in that area.

2 - Some are good courses relatively in my area that cost enough that I have not been able to revisit them after the first time of "checking them off the list."

3 - Finally there are courses I played simple because I like to play many different courses, but the course was not interesting enough that I have a particular motivation to go back.

Thus there are 75+ courses I have played more than once and the vast majority of those would be courses I have played 5+ times. There are a few that I may have only played 2-3 times but most of those are near cousins to the Category 2 courses above where circumstances or a good deal have allowed me to play more than once, but will never allow me to play there consistently.

[Sean_A]

I think I buck the trend a bit as I tend to keep going back to the courses I like and are either cheapish or offer a good out of season rate.  I have been doing links trips every year for close to 20 years so I have seen many of those great courses more than once - sometimes as many as a half dozen times.  The bottom line is, most of the really well known courses I have seen only once is because I wasn't terribly impressed.   Of the ones I have seen once, Prestwick, Ballybunion, Lahinch, Royal Aberdeen, Old Town and Merion are the only ones I really would like to see again. 

I would say there are likely 100 courses I have seen more than once.  50 I have seen at least three times.  20 I have seen 12 times.  12-15 courses I have seen essentially countless times. 

Ciao

[Jud_T]

Shiv,

Kemper 25+ times?  Either you're dating yourself my friend or have a serious masochistic streak.....

[George Freeman]

Trying to figure out what I've played 10, 5, 2 and 1 times is a lost cause.

Courses I've played 25 times for sure that I can think of:

Branch River CC
Cherokee CC
Blackhawk CC
Arlington Lakes (NLE)
Rob Roy (NLE)
Mount Prospect GC
Rolling Green (in Illinois)
Kemper Lakes
Butterfield
Biltmore
McHenry
Shoreacres
Bob O' Link
Itasca CC
Medinah #1 and 3
Crystal Lake CC
Lake Shore CC
Sunset Ridge
Evanston
Westmoreland
Wilmette GC
Winnetka GC
Dubsdread
Pine Meadow
Point O' Woods
Village Links of Glen Ellyn
Thorngate


Good Lord, little wonder I can barely bring myself to play this game anymore.  I've played way too much golf...and the sad thing is that there are probably more that I can't think of...

Dave,

That is a lot of courses with > 25 rounds!  Impressive!  I think I'm at two...

What's your opinion of Point O'Woods having played it at least 25 times??  I'm still trying to form an opinion after my one play last summer...

[John Moore II]

I've played 7 courses more than 25 times, 3 I have been a member of, 4 I was an employee. I can only think of one off hand that I've played more than 10 times, but less than 25, that was my school home course as a HS freshman. Courses I have played 5 times would be a lot of the courses I played while in HS competitions, Tobacco Road, and maybe one or two others. Courses that I've played only once or twice fall into several categories: bad golf, long distance travels, private memberships or OK course, but not as good as other options.

[Bob_Huntley]

Dave,

I wrote to Mike Benham and Tom Huckaby that I didn't want to do this, but after your impressive list I couldn't resist.

Pebble Beach          100+

Cypress Point          100+

Riviera                    100+      Was a Member

Nchanga                 100+            "

LACC                       40+

[Ryan Admussen]

Dave,

I wrote to Mike Benham and Tom Huckaby that I didn't want to do this, but after your impressive list I couldn't resist.

Pebble Beach          100+

Cypress Point          100+

Riviera                    100+      Was a Member

Nchanga                 100+            "

LACC                       40+

Hard to top that!

[Brad Tufts]

I have to go look this up...my total courses played are up to about 525.

Off the top of my head, most plays:

Tedesco CC, MA           500?      member
Ralph Myhre, VT           75-100   home course while at Middlebury
Salem Municipal, MA      50-75     practice course in high school (9)
Myopia Hunt Club, MA    40-50    worked there for 14 months
Taconic, MA                 25         college rival course
Va-Jo-Wa GC, ME          25ish     parent's summer spot
Indian Ridge CC, MA      20ish      worked there
Essex County Club, MA   20ish     lots of tournaments
Neshobe GC, VT           15-18     near Midd
Hanover CC, NH            15+       Nike golf camp in HS, wife went to Tuck Biz School
                 

[Scott Warren]

As with the 36-hole day at CPC and Pebble with Harvie Ward, I suspect Bob H is the winner!

[Matt_Ward]

I've played a number of courses multiple times but the leader for me is Bethpage Black -- 200+ rounds over a time frame of 35 years.

And despite what Phil Young believes, the existing 18th hole is still a dud.

[David Kelly]

Dave,

I wrote to Mike Benham and Tom Huckaby that I didn't want to do this, but after your impressive list I couldn't resist.

Pebble Beach          100+

Cypress Point          100+

Riviera                    100+      Was a Member

Nchanga                 100+            "

LACC                       40+

Bob,

I would be interested to know how many times have you played The Old Course?

[Tim_Weiman]

Tom Doak,

Up until this point I've always respected your taste in golf courses, but seeing that you have only played St Andrews Beach once, I've lost all respect.

Don't you know something really good when you see it?

[Jon Heise]

Ive got my city's course that I've played 50+, the course I worked at in college and still mooch rounds at 150+, another two or 3 of the "value" courses I'll play a lot, 25+ each...

Ive played ~150 total courses.  There's probably a dozen or so that Ive got 10 rounds in each, the rest are 1-2 plays each.  Maybe 100 or so I've played like that.

[Bob_Huntley]

Dave,

I wrote to Mike Benham and Tom Huckaby that I didn't want to do this, but after your impressive list I couldn't resist.

Pebble Beach          100+

Cypress Point          100+

Riviera                    100+      Was a Member

Nchanga                 100+            "

LACC                       40+

Bob,

I would be interested to know how many times have you played The Old Course?

David,

It is about 70 + or -


Bob