Your Last Ten

[Terry Lavin]

Old Elm
Chicago Golf
North Shore
Knollwood
Medinah #1
Dunes Club
Shoreacres
Beverly
Olympia Fields South
Hinsdale

[Jud_T]

Old Elm
Chicago Golf
North Shore
Knollwood
Medinah #1
Dunes Club
Shoreacres
Beverly
Olympia Fields South
Hinsdale

And the winner is...Hinsdale! Seriously Judge, what are your thoughts on Medinah #1?

[Terry Lavin]

Course One allows the word "fun" to be uttered when talking about golf at Medinah. I'm a fan.

[Pete Garvey]

Cabot Links
Cabot Cliffs
Merion
Idle Hour
Oakland Hills
Valhalla
Camargo
Cassique
The Straights
The Irish

[Brian Hilko]

Old Elm
Chicago Golf
North Shore
Knollwood
Medinah #1
Dunes Club
Shoreacres
Beverly
Olympia Fields South
Hinsdale

Terry,


What did you think of the work and new tees at Old Elm? It is now my favorite place to play in Chicagoland. Your list is the only list I have seen Hinsdale mentioned with those courses .

[Mark Saltzman]

Minchampton (Old) (5)
Painswick (6)
Swinley Forest (6)
Cleeve Hill (5)
Kington (7)
Huntercombe (6)
Bond Head (North) (3)
Fenway (7)
Winged Foot (West) (6)
Sleepy Hollow (8 )

[Sean_A]

Mark

I am somewhat surprised by the 6 rating for most Swinley.  I think its a bit low, but not outlandish so. However most GCAers go ga ga over Swinley.  I am also surprised by the 6 for Painswick because I thought you were big into width...which Painswick has practically none of.


Ciao

[Mark Saltzman]

Mark

I am somewhat surprised by the 6 rating for most Swinley.  I think its a bit low, but not outlandish so. However most GCAers go ga ga over Swinley.  I am also surprised by the 6 for Painswick because I thought you were big into width...which Painswick has practically none of.


Ciao

I wouldn't say I'm big into width, but I think it's fair to say that width often goes part and parcel with quality golf.  Painswick was fun, quirky and outlandish... as expected, and I loved it.   

[Michael Goldstein]

Kington above Winged Foot West.
Most people - even those on this site - would say you are mad.
I haven't played Kington but if I could play one of the two courses tomorrow I think I'd be in agreement.

[Nigel Islam]

Course One allows the word "fun" to be uttered when talking about golf at Medinah. I'm a fan.

Judge,


I am playing Medinah #1 Tuesday, so this is good to hear!

[Mac Plumart]

Olympia Fields North
Chicago Golf Club
Rivermont
Bandon Dunes Resort (all of them)
Mayacama
Kiawah Ocean
Ansley Golf Club
Hidden Creek
Galloway National
The Golf Club

[Mark Johnson]

Shattuck (NH)
Windham Country Club (NH)
Sky Meadows (NH)
Nashua (NH)
Vespers (NH)
Scottish Highlands (NH)
CC of Jackson (MI)
Bent Creek (MN)
Windsong Farm (MN)
Glenmore (VA)

[PThomas]

#2
Mid Pines
Pine Needles
Forest Oaks - sad how far this former tour stop has fallen
Linville
Diamond Creek
Sedgefield
Charlotte CC
Mt Prospect
Lakeland Ohio

[Joe Fairey]

it's been an interesting year....

Yeamans
Sage Valley
Pine Needles
Eagle Point
Bulls Bay
ANGC
Greenville CC - Chanticleer
3 Creek Ranch
Catamount Ranch
Maroon Creek

[Ryan Coles]

Just got back from a trip to England and these were the 12 courses I played (in order):


West Sussex
Broadstone
Yelverton
Mullion
Perranporth
Trevose
St. Enodoc
Westward Ho!
Saunton East
Burnham & Berrow
Bath
Huntercombe


The only course I might skip if I did the same trip again was Mullion but even it had a few pretty good holes as you got towards the water.

David


The course that sticks out in that company is Bath. I know it as a nice enough course but not really a course that anyone would include on a travel itinerary.


I'm not sure how much involvement Colt actually had beyond going to school nearby.


What did you make of it?

[Keith OHalloran]

Joe, way to slip ANGC in the middle there. Very nonchalant! 
Always act like you have been there (especially when you have)

[Keith OHalloran]

Minchampton (Old) (5)
Painswick (6)
Swinley Forest (6)
Cleeve Hill (5)
Kington (7)
Huntercombe (6)
Bond Head (North) (3)
Fenway (7)
Winged Foot (West) (6)
Sleepy Hollow (8 )

Mark, can you talk about Winged Foot West? I am not sure what your standards are, but I thought it was better than a 6.

[Andrew Lewis]

Breaking out of my Chicago rut, I recently returned from a trip to Ireland with two other GCA'ers in which we played exactly ten courses-- and managed to meet another GCA'er for dinner and pints in his hometown (cheers, Patrick!).

We knew the quality would be of the highest degree.  But we were not prepared for the incredible variety -- both from course to course and within a given course -- and prevailing "heroic" nature of the layouts.  The latter point proved very relevant in the five matches one of the others and I played with hickories...Royal County Down from 6300 yards with 100-year-old clubs is quite the test!


I had read very little on the courses prior to traveling over, and now greatly look forward to sifting through older threads in the coming weeks as a way of locking in memories of a fantastic trip.


The list, in reverse-chronological order:


-Portmarnock
-The Island
-Royal Portrush, Valley
-Royal Portrush, Dunluce
-Royal County Down, Championship (x2)
-Co. Louth
-Lahinch, Old
-Dooks
-Ballybunion, Old (x2)
-Tralee

[Tom_Doak]

Shattuck (NH)
Windham Country Club (NH)
Sky Meadows (NH)
Nashua (NH)
Vespers (NH)
Scottish Highlands (NH)

I've walked four courses in New Hampshire the past two days and they were all much more interesting than I expected.  You missed all the good ones!

[Jud_T]

Breaking out of my Chicago rut, I recently returned from a trip to Ireland with two other GCA'ers in which we played exactly ten courses-- and managed to meet another GCA'er for dinner and pints in his hometown (cheers, Patrick!).

We knew the quality would be of the highest degree.  But we were not prepared for the incredible variety -- both from course to course and within a given course -- and prevailing "heroic" nature of the layouts.  The latter point proved very relevant in the five matches one of the others and I played with hickories...Royal County Down from 6300 yards with 100-year-old clubs is quite the test!


I had read very little on the courses prior to traveling over, and now greatly look forward to sifting through older threads in the coming weeks as a way of locking in memories of a fantastic trip.


The list, in reverse-chronological order:


-Portmarnock
-The Island
-Royal Portrush, Valley
-Royal Portrush, Dunluce
-Royal County Down, Championship (x2)
-Co. Louth
-Lahinch, Old
-Dooks
-Ballybunion, Old (x2)
-Tralee

Lewis,


Lose the political correctness and show us your course grades and impressions! Furthermore, how did the architecture play into your hickory match victory?

[Sean Leary]

Shattuck (NH)
Windham Country Club (NH)
Sky Meadows (NH)
Nashua (NH)
Vespers (NH)
Scottish Highlands (NH)

I've walked four courses in New Hampshire the past two days and they were all much more interesting than I expected.  You missed all the good ones!

Did you make it to Bald Peak?

[BCowan]

Port Huron GC
Orchard Lake CC
Radrick Farms
Bloomfield Hills
Red Run
Sylvania CC
UofM
Lookout Mtn
Sweetens Cove
Holston Hills

[Tom_Doak]

Did you make it to Bald Peak?

I did ... though sadly I did not have time to play that morning.  What a beautiful place it is!  In fact, all four courses I saw in New Hampshire exceeded my expectations by varying degrees.


Last ten I actually played [updated from last month]:

Chambers Bay, WA
Tumble Creek, WA
Gamble Sands, WA
Wine Valley, WA
Valley of the Eagles, Alaska

York Golf & Tennis, ME
Rutland CC, VT
Hooper GC, NH
Lake Sunapee, NH
Belgrade Lakes, ME
Northeast Harbor, ME


I am up to 54 rounds this year ... I cannot remember the last year I played that many rounds of golf.

[Sam Andrews]

My last 10, not counting my home course. Seem to be a few "Royals" in there...


Royal St George’s
Royal Ashdown Forest
Woking
Royal Worlington
Chart Hills
The Addington
Kingswood
Ashridge
Littlestone
Royal Cinque Ports

[Sam Morrow]

Walden 3 times
Woodlands CC Panther Trail 1
Northgate 6 times