Top campus golf courses

[Bill Shamleffer]

Golfweek has posted a new ranking of their top 30 campus courses.

http://www.golfweek.com/news/2011/sep/07/2011-golfweeks-best-campus-courses/

Of course one could argue that these courses should be ranked differently, or some of these courses do not belong on this list, or what is a "campus course".

Instead, what I would like to hear is what other campus courses have you seen or played that you would consider as quality courses.

The goat track at my alma mater (A. L. Gustin at the University of Missouri) is a fun course with a lot of personal great memories, but I do not think too many people would advise it worthy of making a trip just to play it.

So share some "campus course" recommendations (or stories).

[David Cronheim]

Golfweek has posted a new ranking of their top 30 campus courses.

http://www.golfweek.com/news/2011/sep/07/2011-golfweeks-best-campus-courses/

Of course one could argue that these courses should be ranked differently, or some of these courses do not belong on this list, or what is a "campus course".

Instead, what I would like to hear is what other campus courses have you seen or played that you would consider as quality courses.

The goat track at my alma mater (A. L. Gustin at the University of Missouri) is a fun course with a lot of personal great memories, but I do not think too many people would advise it worthy of making a trip just to play it.

So share some "campus course" recommendations (or stories).

I've always found Springdale at Princeton to be quite a fun little track. Also, can't help but comment on the list itself - Duke, UNC, and Michigan seem a little underrated. Michigan suffers from the fact that it's a parking lot for football games in the fall, which doesn't help the rough too much.

[Joe Stansell]

I've only played one course on the list -- Palouse Ridge, which is on the campus of Washington State University. But just across the border, in Idaho, is the University of Idaho Golf Course, which I played frequently during my undergrad years. It managed to hold my interest. The course is relatively short but there is literally not a flat lie anywhere. It may be one of the hilliest courses ever designed.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Numbers 1 and 2 are correct. 

[Chris Roselle]

The college I played collegiate golf at, Spring Hill College (Mobile, Ala), had a nice public course on the campus.  The school was at the top of the hill and the golf course was at the bottom.  While not world-class, it was great to have a place within walking distance of my apartment (the 14th tee was just outside my front door) to practice and play all year round.

[David Harshbarger]

I've only played one course on the list -- Palouse Ridge, which is on the campus of Washington State University. But just across the border, in Idaho, is the University of Idaho Golf Course, which I played frequently during my undergrad years. It managed to hold my interest. The course is relatively short but there is literally not a flat lie anywhere. It may be one of the hilliest courses ever designed.

The U of I course was, I believe, the home course of the Pullman High School team, on which I was the 13th of 12 men in 9th grade.  I well remember descending from the nicely heated clubhouse out into the wind, rain, and chill of April afternoons, down onto the course, and the long ascent back on the final holes.

[PCCraig]

University Ridge well above U Michigan and the Warren Course? I can't imagine Yale getting knocked out of the #1 spot anytime soon.

[Mark Hissey]

The University of Maryland course should be on that list.

[Tom_Doak]

I think Yale is a great course but I don't know if I would say it was "on campus".

[Bill Seitz]

I think Yale is a great course but I don't know if I would say it was "on campus".

Well, for that matter, neither is University Ridge or the Warren Course or the Orange and Blue courses at the University of Illinois (the last two being rightfully excluded from this list).  Though I imagine the land is probably owned by the universities, which would presumably make them campus properties, though not attached to the main campus.  As opposed to, say, Kampen, which is right across the street from the football stadium at Purdue.  But yeah, they should have titled the list "Best University Courses".

[David Cronheim]

I think Yale is a great course but I don't know if I would say it was "on campus".

As a Cornell alum, I've always felt the farther one gets from New Haven, the better. So I give the course extra points for being farther away.

[Howard Riefs]

I think Yale is a great course but I don't know if I would say it was "on campus".

Well, for that matter, neither is University Ridge or the Warren Course or the Orange and Blue courses at the University of Illinois (the last two being rightfully excluded from this list).  Though I imagine the land is probably owned by the universities, which would presumably make them campus properties, though not attached to the main campus.  As opposed to, say, Kampen, which is right across the street from the football stadium at Purdue.  But yeah, they should have titled the list "Best University Courses".

"Campus" is certainly a misnomer. UW's University Ridge isn't even located in Madison. Rather, it's 11 miles from the center of campus in Verona.

And, while it's a solid course, I can't see it being ranked ranked ahead of the Warren Course or Michigan, as Pat noted.

[Phil McDade]

I think Yale is a great course but I don't know if I would say it was "on campus".

Well, for that matter, neither is University Ridge or the Warren Course or the Orange and Blue courses at the University of Illinois (the last two being rightfully excluded from this list).  Though I imagine the land is probably owned by the universities, which would presumably make them campus properties, though not attached to the main campus.  As opposed to, say, Kampen, which is right across the street from the football stadium at Purdue.  But yeah, they should have titled the list "Best University Courses".

"Campus" is certainly a misnomer. UW's University Ridge isn't even located in Madison. Rather, it's 11 miles from the center of campus in Verona.

And, while it's a solid course, I can't see it being ranked ranked ahead of the Warren Course or Michigan, as Pat noted.

Howard's correct -- URidge is far away from campus, but it is owned and operated by the university (also home to a first-class cross country course on land that originally was set to be a second course). Here's a thread on URidge; I'm not its biggest fan, but can't judge against the merits of others on the list because I haven't played them. I will say URidge has excellent practice facilities, if one is judging on the difference it can make for the home golf team.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,38431.0.html

[Morgan Clawson]

The University of New Mexico course is only 2 minutes from the rental car pick-up and drop-off at the airport.

Accordingly, it can be a good course to throw into the mix if you have a 1pm departure or so.

It's different from most NM courses because it is a parkland layout.

[Scott Szabo]

The Eisenhower courses (Blue and Silver) at the US Air Force Academy are great as well, although I'd place the Blue miles ahead of the Silver, although I know Mr. Sims will disagree with me on that.

[Mark McKeever]

Villanova. 

Mark

[Carl Johnson]

I played the Duke U. golf course (definitely would qualify as on campus) several times in the late 1960s when I was a student there (J.D. 68).  http://golf.duke.edu/  Although a Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design, and only about 10 years old at the time, I remember it as pretty ratty.  I played it again twice in the 1990s after it had been revamped by Rees Jones in 1988.  It was in much better condition then than it had been in the 60s.  I can't say how it should rate among other college golf courses, but it is clearly a good course and open to the public at reasonable rates.  It is definitely worth a play if you are in the area, but not a course to make a special trip for.  Condition today?  I can't say.  Haven't been there in 12 to 15 years.

Another "campus" course I am familiar with is the Oberlin Golf Club, which I ocassionally played as a student there in the 1960s (Oberlin College [Ohio], A.B. 64).  http://www.oberlingc.com/.  Interestingly, although I think it is fair to characterize this course as at least in part "on campus" -- the original 9 holes are on property leased from the College by the Club, and are immediately adjacent to other College property -- it is less affiliated with the College now than when I was there, I understand.  It's operated as a private club, and I am not sure if any public play is allowed, or how much access general students have (although the golf team plays there).  When I was a student we could play most any time very inexpensively.  Although not in the "great" category, I remember it as a very good small town course that I felt lucky to have access to.  The downside is that during most of the school year the weather (just a little southwest of Cleveland) was miserable -- not good golf weather.  The only thing of interest, remotely related to the course, was when several of the golf team members came back from the All Ohio College golf tournament at Firestone one year laughing about an Ohio State player named, uh, Jack Nichlaus, as I recall . . . laughing because Jack was so far out of everyone else's golf universe.    

[Shane Wright]

The goat track at my alma mater (A. L. Gustin at the University of Missouri) is a fun course with a lot of personal great memories, but I do not think too many people would advise it worthy of making a trip just to play it.

So share some "campus course" recommendations (or stories).

Bill, I've got 100+ rounds in at Gustin from back a number of years when we lived there.  It is a really fun course.  The men's club there has some seriously good golfers.  As goofy as some of the holes are, it remains a ton of fun. There are definitely a zillion options on at least 7 or 8 of the holes.  The best round I've ever had on any course was from the first time I played Gustin.  I had no idea where any of the trouble was and I just bombed it past everything.  I never had the cajones to play the course the same way again, and of course, I never sniffed the same score.

[Bill Shamleffer]

The goat track at my alma mater (A. L. Gustin at the University of Missouri) is a fun course with a lot of personal great memories, but I do not think too many people would advise it worthy of making a trip just to play it.

So share some "campus course" recommendations (or stories).

Bill, I've got 100+ rounds in at Gustin from back a number of years when we lived there.  It is a really fun course.  The men's club there has some seriously good golfers.  As goofy as some of the holes are, it remains a ton of fun. There are definitely a zillion options on at least 7 or 8 of the holes.  The best round I've ever had on any course was from the first time I played Gustin.  I had no idea where any of the trouble was and I just bombed it past everything.  I never had the cajones to play the course the same way again, and of course, I never sniffed the same score.

Shane:

Great to hear from a fan of AL Gustin.  I went to Mizzou in the mid-1980s before they put in an irrigation system.  I am a big fan of the course, but I know it is not for all tastes.

You are correct about the many options the course offers.  I never did figure out how to play #7.

I spent the summer of 1986 working at The Country Club of Missouri when Rich Poe was still the head pro there and the golf coach.  I still played more rounds at AL Gustin then I did at CCMO.

[Tom Kelly]

Sorry if this comment is going abit off topic but having finished university in England only a few years back now and having played a bit of Golf for the University team during that time this list makes me feel quite sick...

It makes me feel nauseous because it drives home how poorly university sport is treated on this side of the pond compared to the US. I do not know of one university in Britain which has its own golf course let alone one worth visiting. The list of architects attached to these uni courses seem unbelievable to me.....Mackenzie, Ross, CB Macdonald, Raynor, Dye, Coore & Crenshaw, Doak!!!

If you play in a uni team over here you may if lucky enough get a reduced rate membership at a local course and unless your at St Andrews Uni (or Oxford or Cambridge whom I am sure they will play at a decent track) most of those courses are pretty poor. The best I knew of other than St Andrews was where I went, Birmingham where after some complaints to the uni and talking during my second year we managed to get a reduced rate membership at Edgbaston, a Colt course and we played our matches at another Colt course Little Aston. Though we were only allowed to play at Little Aston during matches which meant we hardly knew the course therefore it defeated the object of home advantage! This doesn't sound too bad, but unfortunately due to the uni year we only played Edgbaston during the winter when it was pretty much a swamp as the drainage was poor to say the least. So even though it was a decent enough track we always saw it at its worst and I am fairly sure it wouldn't get anywhere this US campus list on condition alone.

Most other unis that I visited played at very poor courses, for instance Loughborough who regularly challenge for the BUSA (NCAA equivalent) titles played at a local course called Park Hill, a very poor overly long modern course built on poor clay based land. To put it in perspective the standard green fee at Park Hill is £28 for 18 holes.

Even though it seemed I was fortunate with the courses I got at Birmingham the set-up of the team was another matter. I went there partially due to the fact the uni ran a degree in conjunction with the PGA, a "Golf Management" course for prospective teaching pros who want a better background in the golf industry and business. Although I did not take this degree it meant there was a good amount of decent golfers (all of handicap 4 or below) at the uni so I assumed the golf team would be run well. As it turned out the captain was picked by people putting themselves forward for the position. Usually only one person, a final year student put themselves forward and then he ran the teams himself with some help from a few friends. This generally resulted in the captain picking his mates. There were golfers of +1 or +2 on scholarships from the EGU who didn't play in the teams as the captain didn't know them or they were fed up of the pathetic approach to the games, yet guys of 3 or 4 regularly played. The 3rd team I played for until I got fed up (I was put in the 3rd team after coming 3rd in the start of year "trial"....it made no sense!) was run by one of the captains friends who played off 4, lost nearly all of his matches yet refused to drop himself from the team!

There were no coaches or help from the PGA nothing. This was the case even though Golf was one of 4 'Focus' sports at the uni and Birmingham managed to top the BUSA league tables whilst I was there......allegedly we were a top sporting university with this set-up. The football (soccer) team won the league with the final league winning game being played in front of maybe 100 or so people, not the 60,000 70,000 or even 100,000 you get at NCAA American Football or Basketball matches!

Having visited a friend who was on the golf team at Purdue and seeing the Kampen facilities I am certain we would get laughed at if we were in America with this sort of approach.

Sorry for the rant as most of you probably don't care but I just wanted you to know your guys and girls playing uni sport in the US are as luck as hell!

Perhaps I should have practiced a bit more as a kid and tried to get a scholarship out there....?!

[Tom_Doak]

It makes me feel nauseous because it drives home how poorly university sport is treated on this side of the pond compared to the US. I do not know of one university in Britain which has its own golf course let alone one worth visiting.

Thomas:

I think most university golfers in the U.S. would trade their deal in a heartbeat for the deal given to students at the University of St. Andrews!  And that's available for ALL students, not just the golf team.

Also, one of my current interns was at Cambridge last year, and the Oxford and Cambridge golfers have a ridiculous deal -- practically every weekend, some old alum is inviting them to play all the best courses in the UK.  On top of their memberships at Royal Worlington & Newmarket!  Trust me, no university in the U.S. has a deal that good.

[Sean_A]

Tom

You aren't joking!  Oxbridge golf is basically a golf jolly many weekends in season playing superb courses for free, eating and drinking like kings without a care in the world.  The only match that matters is the Varsity Match.  Then again, Oxbridge golfers aren't hoping to be tour pros.  Just take a gander at Oxford's site.

http://www.ougc.com/

Finley, Duke, Radrick Farms, Duke, Karsten and New Mexico aren't particularly noteworthy.  Very few of these courses are something I would consider making a trip for.  In fact, Yale may be the only one with the UofM course being one I would always want to play if in town. 

Ciao

[Tom Kelly]

It makes me feel nauseous because it drives home how poorly university sport is treated on this side of the pond compared to the US. I do not know of one university in Britain which has its own golf course let alone one worth visiting.

Thomas:

I think most university golfers in the U.S. would trade their deal in a heartbeat for the deal given to students at the University of St. Andrews!  And that's available for ALL students, not just the golf team.

Also, one of my current interns was at Cambridge last year, and the Oxford and Cambridge golfers have a ridiculous deal -- practically every weekend, some old alum is inviting them to play all the best courses in the UK.  On top of their memberships at Royal Worlington & Newmarket!  Trust me, no university in the U.S. has a deal that good.

I did say "unless your at St Andrews Uni or Oxford or Cambridge".

The deal at St Andrews is crazy I know and very special but is only there becasue of the historical situation of St Andrews formerly being a council owned course etc etc which I am sure you know about.

I would have loved to take advantage of the offer but they didn't offer the degree I wanted to do at the time and although a very good university it is relatively small so they don't offer a very wide range of degree courses.

While Oxford and Cambridge are near impossible to get into for the mere mortal such as myself coming from a state run school.

Elsewhere in British universities the state of golf is very very poor.

[Scott Warren]

Tom D,

At RCP we host both the Cambridge and Oxford golf teams each year and I don't believe that for the couple of days' golf, drinks and meals their hand ever goes in their pocket! As you say, it's not a bad set-up.

Thomas K,

An undergrad at Oxford or Cambridge pays US$4,000-6,000 a year. An undergrad at Yale or Harvard pays in the mid-$30,000s. If the British universities were to start charging an American fee structure, I'm sure they could build some golf courses.

[Tom Kelly]

Tom

You aren't joking!  Oxbridge golf is basically a golf jolly many weekends in season playing superb courses for free, eating and drinking like kings without a care in the world.  The only match that matters is the Varsity Match.  Then again, Oxbridge golfers aren't hoping to be tour pros.  Just take a gander at Oxford's site.

http://www.ougc.com/

Ciao

I realise this but it is a major exception to the rule, not many people are lucky enough to get into Oxbridge yet alone then the sports teams unless of course your Daddy went there....