[Jud_T]

Brings up an interesting point about us golf snobs....Is it really possible to find a real diamond in the rough without having heard much of anything about it?  I can't speak for the rest of the folks here, but at this point I essentially never go into a course blind anymore...

[Kevin Lynch]

Leatherstocking in Cooperstown.  

I try not to look too much at information about courses before I play them, so I don't develop preconceived notions.  However, when I saw the scorecard in the Clubhouse, I thought "At this distance, this is going to be an annoying target course where I have to hit irons all day."  

Boy was I wrong.  After seeing the mounding on the first green, I was smitten and it only got better as the day went on.  I spent the whole day visualizing the "technology" in use when it was built and just absorbing the "throwback" beauty.

[Jordan Wall]

For me, it was Olympia Fields North.

I knew it had held a US Open but beyond that hadn't read or heard much, if anything, about the course.  I went to the course thinking I would have have a fun round but in the end was blown away by how good it was.  There were several world class holes, and the entire course was just solid.  The routing was great, the diversity of holes was excellent, and there wasn't a single weak hole.

Given that it has held a major and is a parkland course, it doesn't surprise me that it gets no love here but anyways, it blew me away.  I thought it was fantastic and wouldn't hesitate to get back there.

[David_Tepper]

I had lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years and played golf here for 15 years before visiting the Meadow Club for the first time. I knew it was a well regarded course and I had a vague idea of where it was, but I had very little idea of the setting of the course or what it was like. Driving up the steep hillside from "downtown" Fairfax to reach the course did nothing to enlighten me.

Upon arriving at the course, I could see that, it was indeed, set in a large. open meadow, with barely a man-made structure in sight, aside from the clubhouse. The course was far more enjoyable than I imagined it might be. It is now even a better course than it was when I first saw it some 18-20 years ago.   

[Carl Johnson]

East Berwick (West Links) in 1975 because I knew next nothing about GCA and hadn't heard about the course. The golf tour company set up the arrangements. (Troon, Prestwick, Gleneagles, Blairgowrie, TOC, Carnoustie, EB-WL and Gullane #1). Very few golf books.

Edit 8/17:  Before the turn of the century I got internet access and a bunch of books (Doak, Steel, Finegan et al.) and even since I've had some reasonable expectations before I decide where to play. The top suprise was Juniper in Redmond, OR (Harbottle) after it moved across the airport. Santa Anita and Soule Park, Jasper and Pine Needles are honorable mention.

Pete, do you mean to refer to the west links course in North Berwick (home of the North Berwick Golf Club)?  Be that as it may, my best course with little or no expectations before hand has been, so far, the east links course (home of the Glen Club) in North Berwick.  Although not a major championship type of course, or what I normally think of as links-style course, we played the Glen Club as an "add on" on the first day we arrived from the US to play, among other courses in the area, the west links at North Berwick  and Muirfield.  Golf travel author Alan Ferguson had mentioned the Glen Club in his book, but still we were all very surprised by what an enjoyable experience it was to play.  Sea views were outstanding, and the course itself interesting without being overwhelming.  http://www.glengolfclub.co.uk.  More US (and other) citizens may have seen the east links than they are aware of.  Several years ago it was the site of two TV commercials.  One for a TV, a Sharp I recall, which showed TV views able to spot a ball in the rough when the tournament player could not.  The other was for an auto, in which the driver went through storms, etc., and ended up facing the Sea Hole, No. 13, although from the opposite side from which it is actually played.

[Tim Bert]

For me, it was Olympia Fields North.

I knew it had held a US Open but beyond that hadn't read or heard much, if anything, about the course.  I went to the course thinking I would have have a fun round but in the end was blown away by how good it was.  There were several world class holes, and the entire course was just solid.  The routing was great, the diversity of holes was excellent, and there wasn't a single weak hole.

Given that it has held a major and is a parkland course, it doesn't surprise me that it gets no love here but anyways, it blew me away.  I thought it was fantastic and wouldn't hesitate to get back there.

+1

I expected to be underwhelmed so I can't say I had no expectation but I really enjoyed OFCC North. The brief walking tour that I got of the South course led me to believe I might like it even more than North.

The other one that beat the expectation for me was Spanish Bay. I wouldn't say I love the course but I had heard enough about the course to go in with a low expectation and as a result I came out of the round with a good enough impression of the course to play it again... and again. It isn't a must play due to the quality of golf in the area, but I'd play it again a 4th time before I went back to Spyglass for a 3rd round. 

[William_G]

Pinehurst#8 by far, the hype is all about #2

[Bill_McBride]

Aiken Golf Club.

Agreed, Aiken was a huge surprise!

In the UK it would be a three way tie:  Portrush Valley, Elie and Lundin Links.

[Doug Wright]

Dooks, 1994. I think I realized then that I am very fond of quirk in golf course design.

In the US, I played a course in out of the way Warren, PA called Blueberry Hill (James Harrison & Ferdinand Garbin) without any expectations, and thoroughly enjoyed it then and on return visits. Again, that quirk thing with bells for blind shots beginning with the opening hole and other unique features.

PS Tim Pitner, re Royal Dublin I went there (also in 1994) with modest expectations and they were dashed...

[Scott Macpherson]

Might have just found mine last week....

DUFF HOUSE ROYAL GOLF CLUB in Scotland. (north of Aberdeen, East on Nairn)

An excellent MacKenzie course (are there any bad ones??)... I should have not been so surprised I guess.


scott

[Tim Pitner]

PS Tim Pitner, re Royal Dublin I went there (also in 1994) with modest expectations and they were dashed...

Doug,

We had different experiences, but . . . well-put. 

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Whistling Straits

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Just kidding...
Actually Western Gailes as a teenager the day after getting knoecked out of the British Boys around the corner at Barrasie.
I was really bummed out over my earlier than expected exit, went over to play and welcome to the world of Golf Architecture...I started to  appreciate what it was all about.
I had played The Old course the week before and to be honest could not understand what all the fuss was about...but whilst playing Western Gailes I started to understand.

[Chris_Clouser]

Of notable course, probably Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club the first time I went to Oklahoma to do Maxwell research.  I had not heard anything about it really, knew only a little history at the time, and their website was minimal at best.  Ironically I had high expectations for the other big course in OKC, Twin Hills.  Both were great courses but OKCGCC blew me away.  I was not expecting to find what I found there. 

In Indiana probably the one that really threw me for a loop was Coyote Crossing.  I had heard good things about it, but nothing that made me think it was anything special.  I played really well that day and it was gorgeous in the morning, but I was amazed at how subtle the use of the ground was throughout the course and how the course felt just laid out over it.  One of the top 10 publics in the state in my mind easily.  Probably to contrast that was my first visit to the Kampen course at Purdue in the afternoon and how disappointed I was in that visit. 

Good call on Maxwelton in Syracuse, IN.  It is a great hidden gem, not many of those these days on here, that often gets overlooked because people stop in South Bend or the Fort Wayne area and don't go in between.  My uncle lives near the course and he loves it.  I've only seen it once but liked it a lot.  The greens remind me a lot of another course near Seymour called St. Annes.  Great green complexes but not much else. 

[Jim Franklin]

Western Gailes is another good call. I really knew nothing of the place my first trip to Scotland and loved it.

[Roger Wolfe]

Mimosa Hills in Morganton.  I had zero expectations and loved it so much I ended up joining.  Still can't get enough.

[jim_lewis]

Another vote for Aiken Golf Club. When I first played it, I had never heard of it, and it had never been mentioned on GolfClubAtlas. I stumbled on it by accident and was blow away by its elegant simplicity.

Two other courses that I stumbled accross enroute to somewhere else, maybe not great but wonderful treats.

Youghal GC in Youghal, Ireland a small town on the southern coast. There were at least 4 or 5 times where fairways crossed.

Lakes Entrance GC in Lakes Entrance, Australia on the coast between Sydney and Melbourne.

I have no clue who designed either. Has anyone ever played either?

[Pete_Pittock]

Carl,
Thanks for finding my mistake on the west links.

[John Foley]

I'll pile on two - Leatherstocking & WildHorse

For years I drove down the NYS Thruway playing places along the way, never really thinking twice about Leatherstocking. When I fianlly found time to get there it was WOW. For all the great Emmett there, Weed did a great job in the renovation.

When I went and saw Sand Hills made sure to stop by WildHorse. for the price, it's the bestr value in the US - bar none.

A few others,

Newport Nationsal is very very solid - much better than expected

Crumpin-Fox - same - very suprised witht he quality.

RTJ Trail - As a whole there we're holes I liked & loved, but very very few that we're stinkers. Everyone who isinterested I tell them to go check it out. Well worth it.

[Ian Andrew]

Peninsula North
(Sandbelt south of Melbourne)

I got eight holes in and thought WTF, why has nobody said anything about this place before. I trusted Mike Clayton and was well rewarded for doing so. The golf course is not among the elite, but a damned site better than a few that I had heard of before. I really enjoyed it a lot and thought it was well worth the time.

[Steve_Lovett]

Ponce de Leon GC - St. Augustine, FL - Donald Ross circa 1915 - NLE unfortunately

[Jason Topp]

I forgot another one - Woodlands near Melbourne.  I had 1/2 day alone with the family visiting the zoo and read a bit about it in Michael Clayton's book.  I drove up to the course unnanounced and checked on whether it was possible to play.  I thought it was an incredible course that would be considered among the very best in any other location.  The short par four thread tells you a lot about the quality of the course but when you add a terrific set of par threes, one of the better par fives in the area and many other solid holes, it is a course worthy of a very high Doak rating - probably a 7.

[Jon Heise]

I grew up outside of Detroit and our family had a summer place on Black Lake, in the northern lower penninsula. We maybe golfed twice up there during my first 18 years. Fast forward to 1991, Chicago. Had played a bit by then and met a woman whom I became smitten with. She introduced me to a place where she "summered" while growing up, called Torch Lake. We went up there in August of that year and I was going to play The Bear because, well, it was designed by Jack Nicklaus. They were holding a tournament the day I wanted to play and somebody mentioned something about a relatively new public course called High Pointe designed by some "no-name" called Tim Duke or something or other. So off I went.... and went..... and went...... We ended up getting married and then got a place on Torch and when we had guests, I would always disappoint them when I discouraged them from going the The Bear or Treetops and took them to High Pointe instead. To a person, they all raved about the place. It became a staple of our time up there and continued to be so until it closed down last year. I hope is it premature to think about wishing it to RIP.

Torch Lake, gorgeous.  My grandparents live right there in Central Lake, I was actually there this past weekend.  A little place nearby called Antrim Dells could be my course for this thread...


BUUUUT, it's Tanglewood Park near Winston Salem, NC.  Had no clue it hosted a major ('74 PGA), just a cool, solid course.  It was my first round in NC, I loved the orange dirt, the massive bunkers.  Loved it.  I'll play it every time I'm within 100 miles.

[Chris Cupit]

I have two and both were the "second courses" at tournaments used for stroke play only:

The first was Round Hill in CT.  The main course was Stanwich, which aside from the cool logo--a witch riding a broom, I found completely boring and unappealing.  Round Hill was fun, quirky and what I think of as a fun place to play.  A few really interesting shapes/forms that just look old and weird.  A really long par 3 3rd? to a tiny green that played ridiculously hard, then some "easy holes", short par fives, severely sloped greens that forced you to actually think before you hit (#17)--just an up and down roller coaster ride that was fun.

Next was the second course to Royal Liverpool.   I must say that the previous year the second course at Royal County Down was an absolute goat track.  Truly, I do not understand how anyone could have decided to play that place but after that experience, I had zero expectations when I showed up at Wallassey.  (I'm sure I've mispelled the name and I apologize).  The first tee may have the ugliest back drop to start a round and the outward holes could get a little flat but the incoming nine had great holes tucked in among some really neat dunes.  A strong par 3 (15 or 16) tucked up mid way on a nob of ground in a dune.  Seventeen snaked around some more dunes and was a long tough par four and eighteen had a dramatic drive over some dunes to some really rumpled ground with the green tucked right in front of the clubhouse--really cool finish.  

[Donnie Luper]

The Quarry at Giants Ridge.

One great hole after another. Great variation of up, down, left, right. Superb green complexes and hit every club in the bag.

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