[Anthony Gray]

  What was it?

  Anthony

[Tom_Doak]

If you don't have them frequently, you are not visiting the right courses.

[Garland Bayley]

I was a kid that didn't play golf, but would tag along with my dad when he played cow pasture pool in well, cow pastures. Eventually we moved to Lewistown MT, and he went to play at Bill Diddel designed Elks Country Club. That was my first WOW. I walked it many a times without playing it. Five years later I got mollydooker clubs for Christmas and played for the first time shooting 85 for nine holes in a snowstorm in early spring.

EDIT: It's been a long time, but as I remember it, this is #6



I believe this must be one of the courses Bill did during the time he was trying to build interesting/challenging courses without bunkers.

[JESII]

Arriving in the driving area on #2 at Royal New Kent Monday of July 4th week in 2000...

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have a lot of wow moments. The first was watching my 6 year old son make his first birdie. Two others were standing on the fifteenth tee at Cypress point and the fourth at Royal County Down.  I can still can feel the goose bumps. 

[Tom_Doak]

I was a kid that didn't play golf, but would tag along with my dad when he played cow pasture pool in well, cow pastures. Eventually we moved to Lewistown MT, and he went to play at Bill Diddel designed Elks Country Club. That was my first WOW. I walked it many a times without playing it. Five years later I got mollydooker clubs for Christmas and played for the first time shooting 85 for nine holes in a snowstorm in early spring.

EDIT: It's been a long time, but as I remember it, this is #6



I believe this must be one of the courses Bill did during the time he was trying to build interesting/challenging courses without bunkers.

Garland:

I didn't realize Bill Diddel worked as far west as Montana.

But, how the hell do you play that hole from the forward tees?


Anthony:

To be fair, one of my all-time goose bump moments was the first time I got to the fourth tee at Cruden Bay, with the little fishing village across Cruden Water on the left.

[jeffwarne]

spoiled rotten-chronologically

1.my first round was at Augusta CC-golf was the wow-played every day after that.
(didn't realize the course was a wow but I think such courses breed a love of the game)

2.following spring visited ANGC for Masters practice rounds as birthday present $5,$5,$10 dawn to dusk all three days.
Got a ticket from someone leaving Sunday and saw Jack sink it from 40 feet on 16 en route to win.
WOW

3.Playing in high school and local events the public course Augusta GC next to the airport(of Turboe GCA thread fame-aka-The Patch) where I learned the ground and wind game so valuable in later links play.

3.Royal County Down(although my cherry was popped on repeated plays of Waterville)
leading to an annual visit or two  overseas in search of more wow moments-of which there are many.

4.The greatness and depth of the courses in the Metro NY area,many/most of which had never heard of nor sought out yet had the opportunity to play in events.  (top 100 UK website could do 50 in this area that are noteworthy)

5.Gweedore-of all places-really discovering how fascinating and fun a 200 yard wide naturally maintained "fairway" with scattered rock outcroppings could be with the combination of WIND and greens where angles matter, proper line selection and execution critical, yet absolutely no fear of losing a ball.
Playing golf rather than steering the ball.
Don't know why this course tugs at me as I'm sure many would think me crazy to recommend it for 4-5 holes

[Garland Bayley]

I didn't realize Bill Diddel worked as far west as Montana.

But, how the hell do you play that hole from the forward tees?

Cornish and Whitten credits him with Lewistown Elks in 1948, Meadowlark CC in Great Falls in 1949, and remodel of Havre Elks in 1950. At that point his migration west apparently ends.

I suspect 45 years ago when I was there the play from the forward tees was over the trees. In 1948, the trees may not have existed (if they even existed 45 years ago).

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Standing on the first tee of TOC for the very first time - I took a 3-iron for safety and in those days could guarantee to hit a medium iron in to the green. I started 5-4-3. I'll leave it there - it's been downhill ever since.

[Ben Sims]

Four-putting the 8th green at Pasa and thinking that there was something to all this architecture stuff.  Reading the course history in the clubhouse after the round and seeing that a dude named Doak had restored the place.  Looked at Borders when I got home that day and found a book by that guy, turns out he a had a "linksy" course at resort in Oregon.   Three weeks later, after returning to the states after a 10-day trip overseas, I celebrated my final combat mission in a C-17 (that's what I thought.  Ha!) by going to a small town called Bandon.  Three days later, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up.

PS--That day at Pasatiempo, I also asked my girlfriend's dad if I could marry his daughter.  Who knew Pasa would be the catalyst to all kinds of changes?  Funny, that "life" thing.

[Alex Miller]

Age 8 or 9 my family was driving up to San Francisco and we did the 17 mile drive. I was only a year or two in to golf but I'd already heard of Pebble Beach, seen pictures everywhere and played it on video games. I didn't know about CPC or many other courses at all, but I knew about Pebble.

So while we're on the drive I convince my family, none of whom were golfers, to stop at the lodge so we could walk around. We didn't have enough time to go out on to the rest of the course, but we walked out behind 18 green and while looking out at Stillwater Cove and the hole I turned to her and said, "Mom, this is most famous hole in golf."

Not sure if my facts were necessarily correct, but I was wow'd by the place. I was a weird kid.

[Garland Bayley]

...I was a weird kid.

Exactly what has changed since then?

You going to KP this year?

[Zack Molnar]

When I went to Pebble, my friend and I snuck out onto the 15th tee at CPC as the sun was setting, and I was in complete awe. I had read tirelessly about the course and seen countless pictures as it was(and still is) my favorite course. But nothing could do justice to the scene before us. It absolutely blew Pebble out of the water. I have seen nothing to even come close to that. My next step is to secretly sneak out and hit a shot next time I'm out there 

[Mac Plumart]

If you don't have them frequently, you are not visiting the right courses.

BOOM!!!!  What a great quote.  I'm stealing that one!!

My biggest wow moment was 16 at The Old Course.

Other memorable moments, 16 at North Berwick.  15 at Old MacDonald.  Seeing Pinehurst #2 in 2010 and then again in 2011.  Mullen, NE.  #1 green at NGLA.  11 at Shinnecock.  17 at Harbour Town.  Playing Tallgrass.  Playing Reunion.

Perhaps we could flip the script as well...1-5 at Haig Point.  Inverness Fazio holes and Hills tweaks.  The Classic Club.  GCofGC Creekside.

[Alex Miller]

...I was a weird kid.

Exactly what has changed since then?

You going to KP this year?

No, not this year. Last year was awesome though and I'd love to 2013 if it is in California.


Does the course really play that much of an influence with you guys though? For instance a couple weeks ago I was able to reach a par 5 into the wind in 2 that I previously had thought was unreachable with 2 perfect shots. I was honestly overjoyed and in shock that I was able to do this and the architecture didn't have too much to do with it, though I like the course well enough.

[Garland Bayley]

No, not this year. Last year was awesome though and I'd love to 2013 if it is in California.

...

Dan King has promised us the central California coast for 2013.

[Anthony Gray]

  Seeing the R and A from the road for the first time.

  Watching JT swing.

  Caddying at Harbor Town

  14 th green at Cruden Bay

  Whales at PB

  5th at  Teeth of the Dog

  13th at PAC Dunes

  Golfing with an UCLA great

  Sunset at Cape Kidds

  Banquet before Seminole

  7th at PB in the pitch black

  Anthony

[Joe Stansell]

Second shot, Bandon Dunes #4. Very memorable. I think I literally said, "wow!"

[Garland Bayley]

Second shot, Bandon Dunes #4. Very memorable. I think I literally said, "wow!"

Hmm, your view must not have been blocked by the dune. When the birdie ran in, I literally said, "wow!"

[Link Walsh]

Second shot, Bandon Dunes #4. Very memorable. I think I literally said, "wow!"

+1

[William_G]

[Garland Bayley]

WOW! I didn't know I had to carry it that far!

Gray

[Tim Gavrich]

Probably the first time I saw True Blue, which was a couple years before I first played it.

[Ben Jarvis]

In hindsight, Tom is correct - wow moments should be frequent and are.

My "wowest" of wow moments came when standing on the 15th tee at Cypress Point. That's right, the 15th, not the 16th, the 15th. It is the most beautiful setting I have had the pleasure or gazing at. All I wanted to do was to sit down and just admire the moment forever. I feared hitting an awful shot while be so awe-struck by the view. Fortunately, I stuck it to 6ft to the front left pin. It is this moment that has given me that lasting impressions of the greatest day of my golfing life.

[Pete Blaisdell]

Got a few that come to mind.

  --Making my first par when I was 7 at Sullivan GC (NH) N.LE. I was hooked ,still am.
  -- Teeing it up at Pleasant Valley with Ted Williams (my hero) , Jack Burns and Frank Malzone in '75.
  -- Watching Mr. Hogan hit balls at Seminole.
  --Playing the Country Club for the first time.
  --Crossing the road and walking on the 15th tee at Cypress.
  --Playing Winged Foot West the first time when I was a pretty good player (4) and shooting 87 and thinking I'm not as good as I thought I was.
  -- Heading to my car at Seminole late afternoon after playing 36 and running into Billie Joe Patton who said , Let's play nine.
  -- Not having hit a ball for 13 months for medical reasons, making 2's on the back to back par 3's at Pacific Dunes this past July. Felt pretty good on the next tee.
  --Standing on the first tee at Newport at the semifinal match of the US Am with half of Rhode Island watching Tiger and good friend Mark Plummer tee off. My first taste of officiating at that level. Could not breathe. Just kept thinking--Don't &%$# this up!!

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()