[PThomas]

1. Rivermont - hadn't really heard about it except on GCA, so went in thinking "Is it really as good as some GCAers say?"  It's even better...and also seems like a great , low key club to me a member at...kudos to Chris C

2. Mountain Ridge - this one I had heard more about, but I went there thinking "Okay, its probably another good Ross"...but it is really, really good Ross course...I think the greens there are in my Top 10 of most challenging greens that I've ever played...in a beautiful setting as well and the club has terrific food!  thanks to Patrick M for my day there

I'd LOVE to be a member at either place

[John Kavanaugh]

1. Rivermont - hadn't really heard about it except on GCA, so went in thinking "Is it really as good as some GCAers say?"  It's even better...and also seems like a great , low key club to me a member at...kudos to Chris C

2. Mountain Ridge - this one I had heard more about, but I went there thinking "Okay, its probably another good Ross"...but it is really, really good Ross course...I think the greens there are in my Top 10 of most challenging greens that I've ever played...in a beautiful setting as well and the club has terrific food!  thanks to Patrick M for my day there

I'd LOVE to be a member at either place

Paul,

I will pay 10% of your dues if you join Rivermont.  Time to pony up for something you love.

[Jason Topp]

Fallen Oak - I did not expect much other than cool looking bunkers.  The terrain is more interesting than I expected and the course is very good

Kinloch - I knew it was highly regarded but the information I saw on the course made me puzzled as to why.  It appeared to me as just another well maintained modern course.  I found it a much more interesting and engaging test than I expected despite miserable weather and horrible play.

[Ronald Montesano]

Biggest surprise...Yale-Grander scale than I anticipated.

Best surprise...The lesser-known Bethpage courses (Green, Yellow and Blue)

Unexpected surprise...Copake

[Kalen Braley]

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50105.0.html

[Bill Brightly]

Applebrook in Malvern, PA, designed by Gil Hanse. A really nice faux-links course that must be fairly unique in the Philly area. A blast to play.

[David Hendler]

Both courses at the Country Club of North Carolina. 

[Gene Greco]

Isn't this the truth?! I love every course there.

[Keith OHalloran]

I also played Rivermontthis year and loved it. I actually joined, and if I can get 9 more people to make the same offer that JakaB made, my decision will look even better!

[John Kavanaugh]

I was surprised by both Sand Hills and Awarri Dunes.

[Mark Saltzman]

Aside from the ones I mentioned in the earlier thread, Lester George's CC of Florida must be mentioned.

[David_Elvins]

 Lake Karrinyup.

If it was on the east coast of Australia it would be ranked in the top 1/2 dozen courses in the country. 

The fact it is in Perth sees it fly under the radar.  Hopefully a European Tour Event next year will change that. 

[Scott Warren]

Peninsula (North) was the course that most surprised me in what it delivered compared to what I expected.

A fantastic set of fours -- highlighted by 1, 4, 6, 12, 13 and 18.
Fun par threes -- especially 2 and 7.
Some fun reachable par fives at 3 and 5.

More here for those who are interested in the course:


And suffice to say given they're all named above, I think 1-7 is one of the best starting stretches in Australia.

The par three 2nd:


Hogsback fairway and diagonal drive at the 12th:


The short par four 13th -- great execution of a simple, clever idea:

[Tim Martin]

St. Georges and Huntington are both Emmet courses on the North Shore of Long Island that keep your interest from start to finish. Wonderful members clubs that have been restored beautifully. These two  don`t get their due because of the heavyweights out on the Eastern End.

[George Freeman]

Plainfield and Creek Club!

I was excited to play both, but I didn't know a ton about either, so expectations were tempered.  They both blew me away, especially Plainfield. 

[David Kelly]

Eastward Ho! - maybe scratch golfers could tear it up, especially with no wind, but to me even at 6400 yards the course has everything. 

[Mike Boehm]

Oakland Hills North.  I hadn't seen it in 15 years, since I was in high school.  I remembered it being a nice course and a little rough on my scoring average but really did not recall any specifics.  I walked away from it really impressed this year - a really fun set of greens, and a nice mix of par 4s.  It is not as tough as the South, but it is no pushover and serves as a great compliment.  One of the top courses in the Detroit area, and no one ever talks about it.

[PCCraig]

Geez, perhaps almost everything I saw for the first time in the State of Minnesota? Does that count?

I don't know what I was expecting when I moved to the State, but I've found the golf to be of really high quality. I didn't play much this year, but what I lacked in quantity I made up in quality...my local pleasant surprises:

Oak Ridge CC - I saw Jason Topp's club early in the season, in a 30mph wind, but the course is an awesome throwback with some really fun greens and fairway contours.

Keller Golf Course - This $35 muni north of St. Paul is a bit run down, but the two-time host of the PGA Championship, a Western Open, and a Tour stop for 30 years has some seriously interesting and fun holes (specifically #11-16). Richard Mandell is renovating the course starting next fall.

Minneapolis Golf Club - a very good parkland Park/Ross/Prichard layout, it's long & hard, but it's really interesting and features some neat greens. A course that doesn't get talked about much at all on here, but is just as good or better as 90% of the parkland type courses around the Chicagoland area.

White Bear Yacht Club - WBYC has a bit of a cult following here, and thanks to Tom Doak who raved about it in the Confidential Guide. I'm happy to report that the course is just as good as advertised, and the greens are really wild and fun. The par-4 12th is "all-world" in my book and you have to see the fairway contours in person in order to believe them. I played on a perfect fall day in November and had a blast.

Northland - If Ross has done a better routing, I want to see it. Just a super fun and neat golf course built on a very difficult property.

Town & Country Club of Saint Paul - Many would call T&C goofy, quirky, etc..., but I found it to be pure fun. Dating back to 1888 its a par 72 with 5 par-5's (including back-to-back-to-back on #15-17), 5 par-3s (including back-to-back on #2 & #3, and a par-3 18th), and about 5-6 blind shots thrown in for good measure.

Interlachen - For some reason I didn't expect much before playing (no idea why), but was blown away by the greens.

[Andy Stamm]

Southern Pines. I went expecting (really knowing) that I'd love it, but I was blown away. It greatly exceeded my high expectations, and in December was simply a fantastic place to be playing.

[Gary Daughters]

Arrowhead Pointe at Richard B. Russell State Park.

Great demonstration of what a relatively unknown architect can do with a great piece of property.  Who knew that such focused attention to strategy and variety can exist outside our roster of GCA greats?

[Tim Martin]

Eastward Ho! - maybe scratch golfers could tear it up, especially with no wind, but to me even at 6400 yards the course has everything. 

David-You would never get bored would you? Fun factor to the max with more humps and bumps than just about anywhere I can think of.

[Michael Goldstein]

I'll second Scott Warren's nomination of Peninsula North.

In the USA, Secession.  In China, Shanqin Bay.

[Mac Plumart]

Arrowhead Pointe at Richard B. Russell State Park.

Great demonstration of what a relatively unknown architect can do with a great piece of property.  Who knew that such focused attention to strategy and variety can exist outside our roster of GCA greats?

Agreed!

[Ed Brzezowski]

Lookaway in Doylestown Pa. Always heard mixed reviews that it was easy. Nice track with some beautiful holes  .Par fives a bit easy but the rest was a good test on a very windy day.

[Joel Zuckerman]

Played about 50 GC's I'd never seen before this year, which is about average for me.

The most pleasant surprises, as opposed to the higher expectations going in syndrome, include:

1--Kinloch (in New Zealand, not Richmond)
2- S&A and Hillside, in NW England
3--Old North State, The Cardinal, Olde Town Club and Quail Hollow in NC
4--Bear Creek on HHI
5--Creek Club @ Hammock Dunes--FL

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