Most Impressive "created" Golf Landscape

[Ryan Farrow]

In the age of minimalism, I would have been willing to bet that a 100% created golf landscape would be one of the last projects to be considered when building a new course. But in China, none of that matters.

Certainly Whistling Straits & Shadow Creek are stellar candidates for most impressive...... but what else springs to mind? Either through an enormous earth move or landscape theme? Another candidate would be Bali Hai in Las Vegas with the Polynesian landscape theme.




I Bring this up because we are finishing our last course at Mission Hills, built entirely on lava rock, where we imposed a sand dune style golf course on the site. A little biased here, but I think it sells itself as well, if not better then Straits and Shadow Creek. Any other examples? Either well done, or abysmal failures?


Here are a few photos to get you thinking:

[Jeff_Brauer]

Ryan,

Not sure, but you raise an interesting point - we will have a whole country of golf courses based not on the scottish model but on the USA model.  And, not even the early USA model, which adapted the scottish model, but the late USA model, where almost anything goes.

Not sure what all of that means, but from what I have seen of China, you are correct that the culture demands a lot of artifical landscaping as opposed to taking what the land gives.  So, the traditions of golf there are getting off to an unusal start!

[Ally Mcintosh]

In my experience, Kingsbarns is the most impressive creation that I've seen.

[Tom_Doak]

Ally:

I agree that Kingsbarns is impressive, but it only works because it makes so much use of the coastal views it had.  There are very few holes where the sea view is not a big part of what makes the landscape exciting.  Contrast it with Kyle's next course, Dundonald, where he had the same shaping techniques but no sea view.

[Terry Lavin]

Of the courses I've played,

Shadow Creek
Whistling Straits
Calusa Pines

[Tom_Doak]

Ally:

I agree that Kingsbarns is impressive, but it only works because it makes so much use of the coastal views it had.  There are very few holes where the sea view is not a big part of what makes the landscape exciting.  Contrast it with Kyle's next course, Dundonald, where he had the same shaping techniques but no sea view.

Actually, the same should be true of Whistling Straits, but it makes less use of the lake as a landscape element and concentrates on bigger earthmoving.  I don't like it nearly as much, but the earthmoving would probably have more impact than Kingsbarns' if you took away the water from both.

[Steve Lapper]

No discussion of this subject would be complete without a strong mention of Bayonne GC. A brilliantly conceived "faux links" that plays fast and firm built atop a pile of dirt dredged out of the adjacent Bayonne Harbor, this course certainly defines this thread's subject.

I'll be playing Shadow Creek again this weekend (haven't been there for the past 6yrs), but I'm anxious to see how it compares to Bayonne for pure land creativity. They are apples and oranges, but both, IMHO, have set the standard for new "created" golf landscapes.

[PCCraig]

Chambers Bay is also very impressive, in fact, it blows away WS in my opinion in its shaping and natural surroundings.

[Bill Brightly]

No discussion of this subject would be complete without a strong mention of Bayonne GC. A brilliantly conceived "faux links" that plays fast and firm built atop a pile of dirt dredged out of the adjacent Bayonne Harbor, this course certainly defines this thread's subject.

Great call, Steve. I am still amazed by the startling contrast between industrial setting and links-look, depending on whether your gaze is up or down. Here are a few photos:

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

[Sam Morrow]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ally:

I agree that Kingsbarns is impressive, but it only works because it makes so much use of the coastal views it had.  There are very few holes where the sea view is not a big part of what makes the landscape exciting.  Contrast it with Kyle's next course, Dundonald, where he had the same shaping techniques but no sea view.

That's true Tom... but for me it's the most impressive because it was the first in GB&I to show what "could" be created from a relatively flat site (if not uninteresting because of the sea views).

We've had relatively few big budget earthmoving projects in GB&I...

But I'm sure there are better examples of "created" landscapes elsewhere... Unfortunately I've not had the opportunity to see them...

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

Lemme guess, hook 'em horns?

[Sam Morrow]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

Lemme guess, hook 'em horns?

No but it's easy to make a Tech crack. Before anyone complains I wore my Rawls Course shirt the other day.

[Dan Kelly]

Never seen 'em (or saw 'em), personally, but ... NGLA? (Lido?)

[Adam Clayman]

Chambers Bay is also very impressive, in fact, it blows away WS in my opinion in its shaping and natural surroundings.

You must not have viewed the course from above. From the walking track one can clearly see no tie-ins to the fairway contours from the faux dunes-like mounds along the hole's corridors.

[Gary Slatter]

How would the sacred BANFF SPRINGS rate?   Most of it was created on the bottom of a flat gravel river valley.  It also was partially built over a Donald Ross design.
IMHO the courses built in swamps are impressive creations - Harbourtown, TPC at Sawgrass, Doral
Kingsbarns is the most  impressive UK layout, probably highest rankings for created course...

[Jeff_Mingay]

Gary,

Good call on TPC Sawgrass. It should definitely be included on a list of the most impressive "created" golf landscapes. No doubt.

[Shane Wright]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

Lemme guess, hook 'em horns?

No but it's easy to make a Tech crack. Before anyone complains I wore my Rawls Course shirt the other day.

Bill - good call on the Rawls Course...I went back and played it for the 2nd time this February and still can't believe it is in Lubbock.  #3 is one of the better par 3's I have played.    Sam - Glad to hear you are not a Longhorn, but if know the STD locations, you were clearly hanging in the wrong crowds in Lubbock.  Any single male in the vicinity of Lubbock is highly advised to spend a little time at a football or baseball game. 

[Sam Morrow]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

Lemme guess, hook 'em horns?

No but it's easy to make a Tech crack. Before anyone complains I wore my Rawls Course shirt the other day.

Bill - good call on the Rawls Course...I went back and played it for the 2nd time this February and still can't believe it is in Lubbock.  #3 is one of the better par 3's I have played.    Sam - Glad to hear you are not a Longhorn, but if know the STD locations, you were clearly hanging in the wrong crowds in Lubbock.  Any single male in the vicinity of Lubbock is highly advised to spend a little time at a football or baseball game. 

Rawls really is good, one of the best in Texas. I actually didn't go to school at Tech, been to Lubbock twice, both times to play Rawls.

[George Pazin]

I love Rawls, it's my favorite public course I've played by a pretty sizable margin. Almost makes me want to go back to grad school...

EDIT: Thanks for the pix from your project, Ryan, looks pretty cool.

[Niall C]

Ally:

I agree that Kingsbarns is impressive, but it only works because it makes so much use of the coastal views it had.  There are very few holes where the sea view is not a big part of what makes the landscape exciting.  Contrast it with Kyle's next course, Dundonald, where he had the same shaping techniques but no sea view.

Sorry Tom, got to disagree. The difference between Kingsbarns and Dundonald is a good bit more than sea views. At KB, Philips and Parsinen created a landscape and threaded a course through it, and the impressive thing about it is that its only the odd peak outwith the course that gives a clue as to what the land was like before. Its the attention to detail that makes it work so very well as a built landscape.

At Dundonald some of the off fairway landscaping is quite crude and unfinished looking in comparison irrespective of the respective views of each course.

Niall

[Shane Wright]

I haven't been there, but the Rawls course by Tom Doak at Texas Tech must fall in this category as well.

The only landscape in Lubbock (aside from the course) are the STD clinics.

Lemme guess, hook 'em horns?

No but it's easy to make a Tech crack. Before anyone complains I wore my Rawls Course shirt the other day.

Bill - good call on the Rawls Course...I went back and played it for the 2nd time this February and still can't believe it is in Lubbock.  #3 is one of the better par 3's I have played.    Sam - Glad to hear you are not a Longhorn, but if know the STD locations, you were clearly hanging in the wrong crowds in Lubbock.  Any single male in the vicinity of Lubbock is highly advised to spend a little time at a football or baseball game. 

Rawls really is good, one of the best in Texas. I actually didn't go to school at Tech, been to Lubbock twice, both times to play Rawls.

Although I could not live there permanently, Texas Tech/Lubbock was a fantastic place to go to college, unfortunately, the Rawls Course had not been built yet.

There are many facets of the Rawls Course I absolutely love, whether it was in Lubbock or not.  It has really strong par 3's, very interesting greens, and very deceptive fairway bunkering.  My only knock, which is tough to avoid in Lubbock, is too much width.  You can basically drive it anywhere and be safe. 

[PCCraig]

Chambers Bay is also very impressive, in fact, it blows away WS in my opinion in its shaping and natural surroundings.

You must not have viewed the course from above. From the walking track one can clearly see no tie-ins to the fairway contours from the faux dunes-like mounds along the hole's corridors.

Thankfully you don't play the golf course from the walking track.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I vote Chambers Bay and Kingsbarns. both are incredible courses completely shaped by the imaginative hand of man.