Seriously, I'd appreciate you and others explaining your reasoning for holding this course in highest regard. You, DK and JT are no slouches in my book.
Bogey
Bogey:
I played the course five or six years ago and it was not in very good condition. Hence my opinion could be the residue of fading memory or the joy of paying almost nothing for playing a course I found magical.
Nonetheless, I thought the place had incredibly interesting terrain used very well. Holes that stood out to me included the par four on the front nine with a green saddled within a couple of small hills, a short driveable par four set on a side slope with a very shallow green, a long par four on the back that allowed one to use the back of some diagonal hills to significantly shorten the approach and a terrific redan. I can't remember hole numbers at this point.
I recall the other holes as being very solid. Beyond the individual holes, however, I thought that the place was a terrific walk. It has a very expansive feel and I ditched the cart after nine holes when I realized it was not needed. There are a ton of very interesting land formations that are used in a way to make the course enjoyable but not an exersize in mountain climbing. The terrain is constantly shifting in both direction, slope and elevation. I thought the greens had the best combination of interesting contour without becoming a chore.
The two other Doak courses I would rate most highly have some drawbacks not present at Apache. For me, Pacific feels a bit cramped. Perhaps that feeling is due to the nature of the first and eighteenth holes. I find the green undulations a bit tiring after a while. Sometimes I want to have a manageable par if I have managed to hit a green in regulation.
Barnbougle carries the disadvantage of a largely straight out and back routing resulting in long series of holes in similar wind conditions.
When you add the plusses and minuses together of each course and imagine Apache Stronghold maintained in the manner it could be maintained, I suspect I would choose Apache first over those other options.