What course was your biggest positive surprise in 2010?

[Terry Lavin]

This one is easy for me, since I just played Erin Hills for the first time yesterday.  I didn't have the greatest expectations because I had read too many "reviews" of the course.  Also, the fact that it has already received some substantial tinkering in its first few years of life led me to fear that it might be a bit of a mess.

Au contraire!  I just loved it.  I found it to be very much the equal of Whistling Straits in many respects.  I also found it more enjoyable and less "busy" to the eye than the Straits.  I mention WS primarily because of its proximity to Erin Hills, but the course that I kept thinking of when I played Erin Hills, surprisingly enough, was Bandon Trails.  Erin Hills is a big, muscular golf course on an entirely natural piece of property, much like Bandon Trails.  Also, you always know exactly where you are when you play this golf course.  It fits so wonderfully within the glacial moraine land that one could imagine the course having occupied this space for decades.  The same could be said for Trails.  If Bandon Trails were the only course on the Bandon property, it would be worth the trip.  It's that good.  Same for Erin Hills.  It would be worth a trip just to play it alone.

The course has just the right amount of quirk (#2 green, #15 hole and a cast of funky bunkers along the way), the right amount of elevation change and just the right vibe, perhaps because of the walking only restriction.  There were very few dull moments in the round and plenty of fun and surprises.  I highly recommend it.  A combo platter trip with the Kohler courses would be quite the treat.

[Larry Gavrich]

Cape Fear National in Leland, NC. (near Wilmington) --more sophisticated than his other designs north of Myrtle Beach. 

[PCCraig]

This one is easy for me, since I just played Erin Hills for the first time yesterday.  I didn't have the greatest expectations because I had read too many "reviews" of the course.  Also, the fact that it has already received some substantial tinkering in its first few years of life led me to fear that it might be a bit of a mess.

Au contraire!  I just loved it.  I found it to be very much the equal of Whistling Straits in many respects.  I also found it more enjoyable and less "busy" to the eye than the Straits.  I mention WS primarily because of its proximity to Erin Hills, but the course that I kept thinking of when I played Erin Hills, surprisingly enough, was Bandon Trails.  Erin Hills is a big, muscular golf course on an entirely natural piece of property, much like Bandon Trails.  Also, you always know exactly where you are when you play this golf course.  It fits so wonderfully within the glacial moraine land that one could imagine the course having occupied this space for decades.  The same could be said for Trails.  If Bandon Trails were the only course on the Bandon property, it would be worth the trip.  It's that good.  Same for Erin Hills.  It would be worth a trip just to play it alone.

The course has just the right amount of quirk (#2 green, #15 hole and a cast of funky bunkers along the way), the right amount of elevation change and just the right vibe, perhaps because of the walking only restriction.  There were very few dull moments in the round and plenty of fun and surprises.  I highly recommend it.  A combo platter trip with the Kohler courses would be quite the treat.

Ding ding ding. Along with Flossmoor I would have to agree with Erin Hills as a surprise this year. I made it up there for the first time this past summer and after reading the many negative reviews I didn't expect much...but I rather liked it alot. Not the greatest course in the world by a stretch, but it's a fun golf course and a steal at $160 compared to other public options in the area (Cog Hill at $160, Kohler Courses at $200-$300+).

[Sean_A]

Cape Fear National in Leland, NC. (near Wilmington) --more sophisticated than his other designs north of Myrtle Beach. 

Yes, this is one of those courses that has caught my eye in the past.  I don't know how, but I hope to get down there during one of my sure to be upcoming NC trips. 

Ciao

[Jud_T]

This one is easy for me, since I just played Erin Hills for the first time yesterday.  I didn't have the greatest expectations because I had read too many "reviews" of the course.  Also, the fact that it has already received some substantial tinkering in its first few years of life led me to fear that it might be a bit of a mess.

Au contraire!  I just loved it.  I found it to be very much the equal of Whistling Straits in many respects.  I also found it more enjoyable and less "busy" to the eye than the Straits.  I mention WS primarily because of its proximity to Erin Hills, but the course that I kept thinking of when I played Erin Hills, surprisingly enough, was Bandon Trails.  Erin Hills is a big, muscular golf course on an entirely natural piece of property, much like Bandon Trails.  Also, you always know exactly where you are when you play this golf course.  It fits so wonderfully within the glacial moraine land that one could imagine the course having occupied this space for decades.  The same could be said for Trails.  If Bandon Trails were the only course on the Bandon property, it would be worth the trip.  It's that good.  Same for Erin Hills.  It would be worth a trip just to play it alone.

The course has just the right amount of quirk (#2 green, #15 hole and a cast of funky bunkers along the way), the right amount of elevation change and just the right vibe, perhaps because of the walking only restriction.  There were very few dull moments in the round and plenty of fun and surprises.  I highly recommend it.  A combo platter trip with the Kohler courses would be quite the treat.

I agree Terry.  I haven't been there since the latest renovations, but personally I think it's the equal of Whistling Straights and I'd even give EH the nod given that it's very natural and WS is very unnatural. 

As for my personal surprise of the season it's Kingswood Golf Club in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.  Fun old Ross course which appears to be relatively untouched over the years and has some great elevation changes, creeks, etc, which are incorporated seamlessly into the routing.

[Matt_Ward]

Need to amend slightly what I posted previously ...

best affordable public = Wine Valley

best upscale public = Old Macdonald

best private = Clear Creek

Each of the above were just loaded with design details and great funt o play.

[Bruce Wellmon]

Camden (SC) CC.
I have lived in NC and SC my entire life. Sad to say the first time I played Camden was this year.

[Darren Gloster]

Big year for me as it was my first 12 months living in the U.S. (moved from Australia).  Had such an amazing trip in July this year, totally reinvigorated my love for the game, and the things that I think are important.

In order for me:

1.  Old McDonald.  Yeah yeah I had heard all the press and had been to Bandon once before, but was so different from what I expected.  Quite amazing to think that it is the same designer (plus others of course) built this course as its nearby neighbour.  When you play courses by the same designers you get a very similar feel, whether it be the greens, short fours, approach to risk reward etc.  Of course other influences had a dramatic influence on how OM turned out, but just staggered me that you could be creative enough to OM and have it nothing like anything else you have already designed.  As we played 14 on PD on day 2 of our Bandon trip and I looked out onto the flat section of OM and I just couldn't see what all the fuss was about.  24 hours later I was blown away, literally (played it in a 4 or 5 club breeze) and figuratively. 

2.  Ballyneal.  Had heard nothing about the course before committing to an event with 24 blokes I didnt know.  Great weekend, fantastic surprise.  Cant wait to soak it all up again some time.

3.  Sand Hills.  Possibly the best all round experience a man can have with his pants on. 

[Bill Hyde]

Sorry, I have two...

Forest Dunes, Roscommon, MI: Immensely fun, impeccably conditioned.

Chateau Montebello, Quebec: Stanley Thompson gem that's likely never been touched since the '20s.

[Criss Titschinger]

I don't get to play many of the high profile courses that others on this site do. So for me, it was the fact that The Trophy Club in Indianapolis not only met my very high expectations, but far exceeded them. Best public course I've played below World Woods (Pine Barrens).

Although, I'm going to Albuquerque in early November. And if the weather holds out, you better believe a trip to Black Mesa is in my horizon. 

[Mike Cirba]

Matt,

Are you naming biggest surprise or best course?

All,

Dan's reference to me saying Leatherstocking was my answer to what I thought was a question about biggest surprise EVER.  It still remains that to this day and knocked my socks off, no pun intended.

In 2010 so far I'd say my two biggest surprises were both from Donald Ross.

First, there were those incredibly wild greens at Mountain Ridge, followed by yesterday seeing what a wild routing and cool architecture there is at George Wright Muni in Boston.

Off to the ferry to Long Island hoping to find an even bigger surprise tomorrow.

[Bill_McBride]

Sorry, I have two...

Forest Dunes, Roscommon, MI: Immensely fun, impeccably conditioned.

Chateau Montebello, Quebec: Stanley Thompson gem that's likely never been touched since the '20s.

Agreed on Forest Dunes, a real sleeper in a trip that included Crystal Downs, Kingsley Club and Arcadian Bluffs.

[George Freeman]

Sorry, I have two...

Forest Dunes, Roscommon, MI: Immensely fun, impeccably conditioned.

Chateau Montebello, Quebec: Stanley Thompson gem that's likely never been touched since the '20s.

Agreed on Forest Dunes, a real sleeper in a trip that included Crystal Downs, Kingsley Club and Arcadian Bluffs.

That is a pretty solid northern MI trip Bill!

[Will MacEwen]

Sorry, I have two...

Forest Dunes, Roscommon, MI: Immensely fun, impeccably conditioned.

Chateau Montebello, Quebec: Stanley Thompson gem that's likely never been touched since the '20s.

Montebello is really underappreciated, in my opinion.  I played it several years ago, but was quite impressed.  It really flies below the radar.  I think it has been carved up somewhat (Ian Lindsay would likely be the man to ask).  Hard to believe it is not top 100 in Canada.

[Matt_Ward]

Mike C:

That's hard to say -- the quality of the courses needs to be segmented into different categories for me.

Wine Valley just knocked my socks off for a quality public course that is very reasonable in terms of rates and has all the elements that so many people talk about here on this site.

Old Macdonald did what few sequels can do -- go beyond the benchmark already set.

Finally, Clear Creek shows me that C&C still have plenty of design heft and when you give them a superb site of that caliber the results can be spectacular.

[John Foley]

That Bayonne is that good & Oak Hill West is waaaaayyy under-rated!

[Matt_Ward]

John:

Good mention / re: Bayonne.

Surprisingly, so many local people to Jersey don't have even have Bayonne among their top 5-7 picks in the state.

I like it a lot -- why it's not rated even higher amazes me.

[Tim Leahy]

Clear Creek and TPC of San Francisco(Stonebrae) were very good and I would jump at the chance to play them again.

[Carl Johnson]

Mimosa Hills Golf & CC in Morganton, NC.  This is a 1929 Donald Ross layout, restored somewhat by Kris Spence five or six years ago.  If they had the money and the interest in doing some tree management, it could be a super small town club course.

[Bill_McBride]

Sorry, I have two...

Forest Dunes, Roscommon, MI: Immensely fun, impeccably conditioned.

Chateau Montebello, Quebec: Stanley Thompson gem that's likely never been touched since the '20s.

Agreed on Forest Dunes, a real sleeper in a trip that included Crystal Downs, Kingsley Club and Arcadian Bluffs.

That is a pretty solid northern MI trip Bill!

One of the best ever, I just loved the golf up there.  Hard to believe that Arcadian was a distant fourth of the trip!

[Mike Cirba]

SEBONACK!!

Are you freakin' kidding me??

Thread to come in a few days.

[Shane Wright]

Like many other GCA members, I have had to evolve to quality, not quantity.  With diapers strewn about the house, quantity is likely not entering the equation for another 16-18 years.  So I have tried to creatively take advantage wherever possible. In some instances, it has even been the creativity of friends and family that granted some great opportunities.

One such great opportunity was the ingenius idea my brother came up with.  "I don't want to mess with the burden and responsibilities of 400 guests coming to our wedding, so I'm going to move it to a place where I know that it will be difficult for anyone to get to besides immediate family - IRELAND."

CORK GOLF CLUB - What a fantastic day.  I posted a tour of amateurish photos of CGC a couple of months ago. What a treat to get to experience a Mackenzie gem in Ireland.  The holes thru the rock quarry are probably in my top 5 sequence of holes I've played.  The tree and bunker work that Hawtree will be taking on is going to make this place incredible.  Most of the greens are subtle but very unique.  In my mind, always a good test of a course is if you can remember every hole after playing just one round and this was an easy task for me at CGC.  With many more trips planned to Ireland in the future, I will no doubt be making a return assuming they will have me.

BALLYNEAL - There is nothing I can say that hasn't been said.  But here is a summary of just about the most perfect day one could have.

 - early morning tee time - left a ball on the 1st tee for our fallen Gorseman - 10/28/76 - 3/14/10
 - 18 holes at Ballyneal - every hole different, every hole fun, every hole with options,   DID I SAY FUN?
 - casual and relaxed lunch as we watched the world cup - U.S. vs. England
 - 2nd half of the game watched up in the bar area with a couple of cold ones
 - walked 30 yards outside and teed it up again for another 18 holes - wow, the course only got better
 - Bocce ball on the center lawn after the 2nd 18 holes
 - Dinner and great conversation

I know, I know, this has absolutely nothing to do with golf architecture, but I don't care. It was one of the most fun days I've ever had on a golf course.  And I guess a big part of that was attributed to the fantastic architecture.

 

[Padraig Dooley]

Like many other GCA members, I have had to evolve to quality, not quantity.  With diapers strewn about the house, quantity is likely not entering the equation for another 16-18 years.  So I have tried to creatively take advantage wherever possible. In some instances, it has even been the creativity of friends and family that granted some great opportunities.

One such great opportunity was the ingenius idea my brother came up with.  "I don't want to mess with the burden and responsibilities of 400 guests coming to our wedding, so I'm going to move it to a place where I know that it will be difficult for anyone to get to besides immediate family - IRELAND."

CORK GOLF CLUB - What a fantastic day.  I posted a tour of amateurish photos of CGC a couple of months ago. What a treat to get to experience a Mackenzie gem in Ireland.  The holes thru the rock quarry are probably in my top 5 sequence of holes I've played.  The tree and bunker work that Hawtree will be taking on is going to make this place incredible.  Most of the greens are subtle but very unique.  In my mind, always a good test of a course is if you can remember every hole after playing just one round and this was an easy task for me at CGC.  With many more trips planned to Ireland in the future, I will no doubt be making a return assuming they will have me.

BALLYNEAL - There is nothing I can say that hasn't been said.  But here is a summary of just about the most perfect day one could have.

 - early morning tee time - left a ball on the 1st tee for our fallen Gorseman - 10/28/76 - 3/14/10
 - 18 holes at Ballyneal - every hole different, every hole fun, every hole with options,   DID I SAY FUN?
 - casual and relaxed lunch as we watched the world cup - U.S. vs. England
 - 2nd half of the game watched up in the bar area with a couple of cold ones
 - walked 30 yards outside and teed it up again for another 18 holes - wow, the course only got better
 - Bocce ball on the center lawn after the 2nd 18 holes
 - Dinner and great conversation

I know, I know, this has absolutely nothing to do with golf architecture, but I don't care. It was one of the most fun days I've ever had on a golf course.  And I guess a big part of that was attributed to the fantastic architecture.

Shane, You'll always be welcome back to Cork