How Many Courses Have You Played Multiple Times?

[Jaeger Kovich]

25 : Quaker Ridge (employee)
Pelham CC (employee)
Millbrook (highschool home course)
Silo Ridge (highschool alternative course)

15-25: 3 (all public)

5-15: 6 - solid mix including The Ocean Course, and Queenwood

2: 15ish (about 10 top 100s)

total - nearly 100

[Pat Burke]

Kind of interesting topic.  Playing for a living for awhile, and just being around golf my whole life. the courses with the most rounds were my home courses  Deal (NJ), Friendly Hills (CA), Coto de Caza (CA), TPC  Summerlin, and The Bridges had big numbers.
Lots of courses with 10-30, including Pebble, CPC, Riviera, and many of the usual suspects from tournament golf.
Proud of getting 13 rounds on TOC around the '95 Open, greatest experience in my golf life.
10-15 rounds at a lot of Australian greats, and I only wish there were more.

[Adrian_Stiff]

I reckon about 7 courses I have played 25 times
Probably about another 20 I have played 15 times, more the regional courses where you might play once a year
The main 60% I have only played once, quite a few 2s and 3s.

In the USA I have never played a course twice.

Of my designs there are 4 courses I have never played, but thats more to do with the fact I hardly play now.

Another statistic; I think I have only paid a green fee about 10 times. Everything has been as a courtesy, or in a match or in a competition.

[Kevin Pallier]

Only 2 courses over 25x (one being my home club and I'd hazard a guess around 500x) and I've been playing for close to 20 years.

Mr Huntley - CPC 100+ !!! hell yeah I'm jealous

I wonder what Pat Mucci's multiples are ?

[Jud_T]

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.

Matt,

Just wondering what your best score on the Black was? I played it once in an outing in 95 degree heat with perhaps the worst hangover of my life and was happy just to finish!  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

At various times I have been a member of

Lilleshall Hall
Highgate
Coombe Wood
Bramall Park
Conwy
Wilmslow

Obviously I've played all of these more than 25 times!

I reckon I've also played TOC more than twenty-five times and I'm probably not far off that tally at Royal Troon. Sandiway 25+.

Royal County Down is certainly more than 10, Warrenpoint more like 20.

Royal Liverpool will be 10+, ditto Royal Birkdale.

Beau Desert and Delamere Forest certainly 10+

Royal Mid Surrey 10+

Alwoodley 10

Ganton 10+

Silloth on Solway 10

Prestbury 10+

Hexham 10ish

Seaton Carew ca 10

Cavendish 10+

Fulford 10+

Overseas The Meadow Club tops the list with 5+, while Kennemer, Noordwijk and hilversum are each at 4. El Saler is 3, but two of thiose rounds were in one day.

[Scott Warren]

I just tallied mine and was surprised by the repeat plays:

1: 56

2-4: 42

5-9: 9

10-24: 4 (NSWGC, Royal Cinque Ports, Horizons, Ashlar)

25+: 4 (Lower Portland [NLE], Windsor, Springwood, Penrith)

The 25+ courses would be:

Lower Portland: 500+
Windsor: 500+
Springwood: 200+
Penrith: 40-50

[Jim Franklin]

25+
Baltimore CC East
Baltimore CC West
Pine Valley
Sand Hills
Mt Pleasant GC
Greenspring Valley
Elkridge

[Cory Lewis]

of the 600 plus courses I've played the only ones I've played more than 25 times are the courses I worked at or the courses that I grew up playing, total of about 15 I think.  The ones I have played only once total at least 500.

[Matt_Ward]

Jud:

I've had my share of low scores at BB (and some high ones too) -- but one of the best moments came in '84 during a USGA Pub Linx qualifier -- 150 guys for five (5) spots -- in the metro area there is a rule that anyone failing to break 85 is not permitted to play the second of the 18-hole rounds.

Only 38 broke 85 to return and only 8 actually broke 80. I finished with a 78 and then followed up with a 75 to finish second. In that round -- I birdied both the 12th and 15th holes.

Keep in mind, unlike the groomed surfaces you see at BB now -- the playing conditions then were more elastic and it was not uncommon to play out of footprints in bunkers and to have some of the most demanding cuppy lies you could ever imagine.

The course was also more wild and the rough was in plenty of spots as high as one's waist.

[Ash Towe]

Like most people I only get to play the great courses once on my trips.   However in recent times I have tried to play some courses more than once at the expense of getting to the next track.  I have found this to be a valuble exercise but at the expense of seeing something new.

[Mike Cirba]

With due respect to Jeff and the valid reason for asking the question, I'm wililng to bet that one simple truth is at play here;

The more total courses someone has played, the smaller percentage of those courses will be multi-play courses.

When I was young, and had played perhaps 10-15 courses, I'd say 80% of them I'd play multiple times and 50-60% a ton of times.

Over the years, with travel and the desire to seek out and play varied courses, I'm betting that only about 10% of courses I've played, I've played multiple times, and maybe 5% of them over 25 times.

There is only so much time.....unfortunately.

[John Moore II]

With due respect to Jeff and the valid reason for asking the question, I'm wililng to bet that one simple truth is at play here;

The more total courses someone has played, the smaller percentage of those courses will be multi-play courses.

When I was young, and had played perhaps 10-15 courses, I'd say 80% of them I'd play multiple times and 50-60% a ton of times.

Over the years, with travel and the desire to seek out and play varied courses, I'm betting that only about 10% of courses I've played, I've played multiple times, and maybe 5% of them over 25 times.

There is only so much time.....unfortunately.

I agree with that 100%. When I was younger and had less money than I do now, my golf was limited to certain places, so I played them a great many times. Now, I have a little more cash, a little more time, so I can have more variety. Just as an example, when I was working in Pinehurst, I certainly played my 'home' courses all the time, but there was little need to play courses down there more than once given the variety I had at hand.

[cary lichtenstein]

The courses I have played more than 25 times:

Pebble Beach
Spyglass
Cog Hill #5
Doral
Dorado Beach-both courses
Pastiempo
Olympic
Lakota Canyon
Pierre in Acapuco
Green Acres CC
Bryn Maur
Admirals Cove
Ritz in Jupiter
Johnaton's Landing Fazio and Hills Courses

[Richard Hetzel]

I bet I played the original Fort Jackson, SC golf course over 200+ times while stationed there in the early 1990's. Better yet, I NEVER took a cart!

Also in Columbia, SC, I have played Linrick GC over 25 times.

In Cincinnati I have played Avon Field and Royal Oak CC (both courses where I used to work) well over 25 times. I can honestly say I HATED each and every round at Royal Oak CC, what a terrible gofl course, but I digress.

I can't think of any other golf courses here in the Cincinnati area that I may have played over 25 times. Several CLOSE to that (Coldstream CC maybe) but most likely not over 25. If I wasn't so OC about playing NEW golf courses right not there would be many on my 25+ list....

[Matt_Ward]

Richard:

Read your comments on LinRick -- when I was a student at USC I played there no less than 25 times. Interesting public course -- always liked the double-dogleg par-5 16th hole.

[Mark Chaplin]

Played over 25 times;

Poult Wood - local municiple
Nevill
Lamberhurst
Rochester and Cobham
Langley Park
Royal Cinque Ports
Royal St Georges - the only one I haven't been a member at.

Multiple plays;

Knole Park
Rye
Wildernesse
Newquay
Royal Blackheath
Thorpeness

[Ian Andrew]

Jeff B,

100+ rounds
3 clubs - member at each

Out of My Current Clients

25+ - 2 clubs
10+ - 11 clubs
5+ - 8 clubs
1 to 3 - 8 clubs
I was surprised to find out there were 5 I have not played

Current Top 100 Multiple Plays

10+ - 2 courses (St. Georges and Highlands Links)
4x -1 course
3x - 4 courses
2x - 11 courses

[Richard Hetzel]

Richard:

Read your comments on LinRick -- when I was a student at USC I played there no less than 25 times. Interesting public course -- always liked the double-dogleg par-5 16th hole.

Matt,

Linrick was cheap because while I was in the Army, I went to USC as well and they gave me the USC student disount rate. I believe that 14, 15, 16 and 17 and amongst the TOUGHEST (and silliest) 4 golf holes that I have EVER played out of 265 golf courses.

I once played with an older gentleman (he was one half of the "Lin-Rick") and he told me all about the course, and I believe that he said they used some prison labor during construction. The course was named after 2 guys who started the Richland County Recreation Dept. and by spitting their last names they came up with "Linrick". They also (mid 1990's at least then anyway) used prisoners for the course maintenance there. Not unusual to see those guys doing the traps in orange jumpsuits while playing a hole.

[Michael Taylor]

The courses I have played more than 25 times:

Pebble Beach

So you have spent $12K on green fees at Pebble Beach?

[Kyle Harris]

The courses I have played more than 25 times:

Pebble Beach

So you have spent $12K on green fees at Pebble Beach?

Not if he played it in the 1960s.

[Jud_T]

I've probably only played 1 course more than 25 times. It's where I was a member for 9 years, so at say 40 rounds a year that's about 360 rounds.  This is the true test of GCA IMHO-If you still find the course fun and interesting after that many rounds.  I didn't and that's one of the reasons I'm no longer a member....So to tie in another thread-Yes the course matters...

[TEPaul]

Very interesting question and frankly one I've never considered but I'm glad it was asked and I can consider it.

It makes me realize just how different my career in golf may be. Over-all I very rarely played recreational golf (frankly not even that much at my own club); it was all pretty much tournament related in one way or another. For that reason, even though I'm not very good at statistics of this type, I might say that the majority of the courses I've played (which is considerable) have been multiple times---like more than say 10 or 15 times.

That's because most all of them have been multi-day tournaments and multiple times at many of them over the years. I think it also may be one of the reasons I can't stand the idea of paying green fees, particularly exorbitant green fees (as I recall paying so few of them). Either that or I really am just a cheap Quaker.

Does it or did it help my architectural understanding of courses or architecture generally that I've played so many courses multiple times? I'm not too sure about that but I suppose so particularly after I got interested in golf architecture about 2/3 of the way through my playing career.

[Kalen Braley]

You know your life is good when you don't even have to mention MPCC on a list like that.

Very nicely done Sir. Bob! 

[George Freeman]

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,

Impressive indeed!  How many years do those figures cover?  I ask b/c I'd love to know how Cypress Point, Pebble, Riviera and LACC have changed over what is presumably a good amount of time.

Also, Nchanga:  I did a quick google search and it appears that this course is in Africa.  Very cool!

Thanks in advance,

George