[Tony_Muldoon]

Skibbereen golf club Ireland.

Easy after playing some of the greatest links courses in the world I had ZERO expectations. I went back 3 times and it was a great little walk.


Brad

Brad please tell me more, I'll be in the area in 3 weeks time and you make it sound intriguing.

The reference to furze (gorse) suggests free draining ground but the routing doesn’t look that imaginative.

http://www.skibbgolf.com/news/the-course/course-map/             






Played Chigwell the other evening and was most pleasantly surprised.

[Dub_ONeill]

My choice in this category would be Cork Golf Club which has been much discussed here recently.  It was added to a trip to Ireland just because it was on the way from Shannon to Kinsale on the day we arrived when we could not get an early time at Lahinch.  We had zero expectations or information about it.  It turned out to be a wonderful round of golf at an interesting place.  It seemed a perfect "members' course" that you could enjoy day in and day out.  I would love to go back and play it again someday.

[Fred Yanni]

For me - Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, CT - I was unemployed last summer and I was playing the last few holes at Yale and caught a group.  I told them I was looking for affordable public places in CT to play - one guy said, go check out Shennecossett.

Went up 2 days later with no tee time, was told in pro shop to join 3 older gentlemen who just hit their tee shots.  Ran to the first tee and hit it.  The 3 gentlemen were in their late 60s or early seventies and grew up caddying at the course.  I got the full history of the place and the hotel that used to be there.  Man I wish I had a tape recorder that day or a better memory.

It was by far the best random pairing in my history of playing.  A perfect day on a great course with first class company.  A must play along with Yale if your are in the great state of CT.  (and Fairfield if you have connections...)

[Matthew Petersen]

For me it would be Southern Dunes in Maricopa, AZ. As I've become more familiar with this site, I understand that it actually does have a pretty good reputation and gets some decent ratings. But the first time I played I knew nothing about it except that it was in Maricopa, which is not an auspicious recommendation. The course sits out in the middle of nowhere with the strong scent of cattle being the most dominant feature. The land is dead flat hardpan--it looks like a terrible place for golf. But they dug out a very nice golf course there. The first time I played it, when I got to the second tee I was just floored.

[Matthew Petersen]

Good thread idea...

I'd have to think much deeper to come up with my all-time favorite, but this past week I played the TPC Scottsdale course that I previously had heard some very negative opinions about, so my expectations were pretty low, and after the awful first hole they were even lower.

By the end, I thought it was mostly terrific....very enjoyable and very playable for the average golfer, with a built in ability to ratchet up the challenge and risk scenarios for the pros and top players.

Throw in a really good set of green complexes, much less Penality (if that's a word) than one finds on most of the desert courses, a terrific set of closing holes where one can gamble or play conservatively, and I left wishing I had time to play more, even at 110 Degrees Fahrenheit.

An interesting choice. I played there with a friend this weekend; it was his first round there, though he has been to the tournament many times. The front nine at the course is really not memorable and by the time you reach the ninth it seems like a place you could lose interest in completely. But the back nine is really good, and the 15-17 run is especially thrilling, even when you don't have a stadium full of people ready to judge your shot on 16.

[Rory Connaughton]

Lebanon Country Club, in Lebanon Pennsylvania.  Lebanon is a Findlay design. Relatively short, the majority of the course is surrounded by an old stone wall that reminds me of New England.  There are some terrific par threes, a few quirky fours and some stout fives.  The stretch of 11-13 is played over some terrific ground.  11 is a par 4 with a hogs back. Second shot plays downhill to a green that runs away with fall offs on all sides.  12 is a longish 3 played from an elevated tee to an elevated green guarded on the left by the stone wall referenced previously. 13 follows a medium length par 4 down into a flood plain and back uphill to a two tiered green benched into the slope.  It is an awfully fun place for a day of golf.

[Mac Plumart]

Dismal River...

Everyone says bad things about this course, so I had low expectations.  But I guess the rennovations have been successful as the course was a bundle of fun with amazing shots and interesting putts.  It is one of my favorites.

[Padraig Dooley]

Greenore in Greenore, Co. Louth

I'm playing it at the moment, played it for the first time last year. It's at the end of the road, next stop is the docks at Greenore Port. Golf has been played there since 1896, it's fun to play, plenty of interesting shots, holes to note include 6, 7, 14. 6 is a downhill 125 yard par 3 over a pond, 7 is a par 4 which might be better played with an iron first and then a wood second shot and 14 is a par 3 around 145 called pigs back played from one pigs back to another.

The club isn't too far from either Baltray or Royal County Down, around 45 minutes. I think anyone would be very pleasantly suprised playing Greenore as a side when playing either of it's two more storied neighbours.

[SB]

A few years back when I was in Fresno visiting family, my brother in law and I were anxious to get out of the house so we got a twosome at Riverbend Golf Course north of town.  Borrowed my dad's clubs and headed out in my tennis shoes on about 2 minutes notice.  I was totally blown away, as I thought every hole was interesting, and there were some very unique holes that were truly outstanding.  I haven't been back since, so I'm not sure if I would have such a great opinion now that I know what to expect.

[BVince]

Yale...

I thought it was just another NE Collegiate golf course until I showed up.  It changed they way I would look at golf for the rest of my life.  One of the best experiences for a young GCA dreamer.

[Paul Jones]

Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores, AL.  I played a few other courses in Gulf Shores and was disappointed.   Therefore, my expectations were not that high on my way to play Kiva Dunes.  I fell in love with that course and played it again this year when we went back to Gulf Shores.

It is a huge step above the others in that area - IMO.

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