Complementary 9-hole Courses?

[Carl Johnson]

Not sure if my caption is clear enough.  In any case, I've recently posted about two old small town 9-hole courses in western North Carolina (USA) - Old Fort Golf Course and Lake Lure Municipal Golf Course.  The courses are about 24 miles apart, with estimated drive time of about 45 minutes between them on two-lane rural roads.  Both courses have golden age architectural character.  I think it would be fun to play a combined 18 on the two courses, with lunch in between at a local restaurant.

There must be other good, closely situated 9-hole courses that would be fun to combine in one day.  Any suggestions? . . . from all around the world?  (Or, is this not a worthy idea?)

[Jason Thurman]

The word you wanted is complementary. Complimentary means free, or something that tells you nice stuff.

Architects on the forum: Why haven't any of you designed a course that has speakers scattered around that tell players nice things during the round. I'd love to hear "You're very handsome" every time I skull a shot out of the bunker.

[Carl Johnson]

The word you wanted is complementary. Complimentary means free, or something that tells you nice stuff. . . .

Thanks professor  .  Duly noted and caption corrected.

[astavrides]

altadena and eaton canyon.  pasadena, ca

[David_Tepper]

In San Francisco, there is a 9-hole par-3 course in Golden Gate Park and the 9-hole par-36 Gleneagles course in Maclaren Park. The former is on the ocean side of town and the latter offers acouple nice views of the bay. Both are well worth playing.

[Mike Sweeney]

Mink Meadow and Edgartown Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard has to be a leader in the clubhouse.

[Mark Johnson]

Mink Meadow and Edgartown Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard has to be a leader in the clubhouse.

I think i got you beat.

On the south shore of Kauai,   there is Kukuiolono municipal nine.  an old school course on top of a mountain.  $9 on the honor system with some incredible views.

Then drive to get a plate lunch at any one of 5 or 6 places.   Then head to the Kiele Waikahe nine at Kauai Lagoons.   While no great views here, the course plays much more like a parkland course than your typical Hawai target golf course.

Here is a video of Kukuiolono.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUjiU4thHw

[Mike Sweeney]

Here is a video of Kukuiolono.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUjiU4thHw

Mark,

Nice try. We have Bill Clinton, Obama, and Quint: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S41Kplsbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7DhWDAqzPw

PS. I am hoping that Obama will retire soon!

[Carl Johnson]

Here is a video of Kukuiolono.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUjiU4thHw

Mark,

Nice try. We have Bill Clinton, Obama, and Quint:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S41Kplsbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7DhWDAqzPw

PS. I am hoping that Obama will retire soon!

Nice.  O.K., so much for the politics; let's get back to the subject at hand.  

[Tim Gavrich]

You could do this three or four times over in Connecticut.  Let's see...

- Lake Waramaug CC --> Sharon CC (Played both in high school matches; both gush old-timey charm.)
- Highfield Club --> Litchfield CC (Haven't played either but have heard very good things about both.)
- Fenwick Golf Course --> Pine Orchard Yacht & CC (Fenwick is a slice of heaven; I've heard good things about Pine Orchard)

Tony Pioppi would have better input than I, but there you go.

[Ross Harmon]

Culver Academies and Maxinkuckee CC are each a 9 hole classic and just under a mile apart. 

[Matthew Sander]

Pottawatomie Golf Course (St. Charles, IL) and Downers Grove GC (Downers Grove, IL). It is about a half hour, give or take, between the two.

Tour of Downers Grove - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,45309.msg992119.html#msg992119

[Bill Seitz]

altadena and eaton canyon.  pasadena, ca

Used to work at both of them. One year at Eaton Canyon, five at Altadena. Both owned by the county and managed by DC Golf.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Carl,
You could spend a few days doing that in Litchfield County, Ct., where there are a dozen 9-hole courses in an area of around 20x45 miles.

[Tim Gavrich]

Carl,
You could spend a few days doing that in Litchfield County, Ct., where there are a dozen 9-hole courses in an area of around 20x45 miles.

Wow, I completely forgot about Hotchkiss in my post. Mea culpa, Jim; I've been away from CT for too long!

The Sharon CC/Hotchkiss double would be absolutely splendid.

[Rich Goodale]

Back when they were both simple and idyllic 9-holers, (1970s) Johnny Miller proclaimed that you could play a great US Open then combining Bodega Harbour and Sea Ranch.  It was a very noble (if quixotic) thought.  That being said, for the standards of those days, he was not very far off the mark......

[Jim_Kennedy]

Carl,
You could spend a few days doing that in Litchfield County, Ct., where there are a dozen 9-hole courses in an area of around 20x45 miles.

Wow, I completely forgot about Hotchkiss in my post. Mea culpa, Jim; I've been away from CT for too long!

The Sharon CC/Hotchkiss double would be absolutely splendid.

Tim,
I'm not saying there isn't one, but I don't know that I've ever found another area as compact as Litchfield County that has so many 9 hole courses.

[Michael Moore]

Carl -

The coast of Maine is littered with top secret nine-hole golf courses. I offhandedly mentioned a boat tour to Mike Sweeney in the winter of 2006 and he insisted that we bring it to fruition. My initial itenerary of Megunticook - North Haven - Tarratine - Castine proved a bit too ambitious so we settled on the middle two and made it islands only. http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,25025.0.html

Still my favorite golf trip by a very wide margin.

[Rich Goodale]

Creeping nearby, but not actually into Michael's territory, I'd nominate the golf courses that I played most in my teens--Candlewood and Cape Ann near Ipswich.  The fact that Updike played them when I was there meant nothing to me then and even less so now.  Any sort of golf is magic when you are young and it is a New England summer, or as  "The Jamies" famously said....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUvXw8cWDi4

[Tim Gavrich]

Carl,
You could spend a few days doing that in Litchfield County, Ct., where there are a dozen 9-hole courses in an area of around 20x45 miles.

Wow, I completely forgot about Hotchkiss in my post. Mea culpa, Jim; I've been away from CT for too long!

The Sharon CC/Hotchkiss double would be absolutely splendid.

Tim,
I'm not saying there isn't one, but I don't know that I've ever found another area as compact as Litchfield County that has so many 9 hole courses.

You'll get no argument from me there. You could design a dozen-nine or so "golf trail" starting at Green Woods, I guess, and swinging out to Sharon and Hotchkiss and zigzagging down to Candlewood Lake Club. I've played too few of those courses.

[Doug Lindahl]

+1 for Edgartown and Mink Meadows.


Edgartown is one of my all time favorites.  The golf course is fun and there is rarely anyone there.  I also sighted Edgartown as having one of the best small clubhouses (shacks) anywhere.  The funny thing is that the membership could probably build the Taj Mahal if they wanted to.
 
And since we are already in Edgartown, why not just head over to Chappiquiddick and play the unnamed course over there.  Last time I was there,  there was a coffee can to put your greens fees in. Not very refined as far as agronomy is concerned, but definitely a unique experience.

[Phil McDade]

Two old-fashioned, largely untouched 9-holers from the Golden Era, in southeastern Wisconsin, in a pretty corner of the state -- Country Club Estates and the Eagle Springs Resort courses.

Country Club Estates, an original Bendelow, opened for public play not long ago, that I think is one of the better 9-holers in the state, near the Lake Geneva resort area:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39987.0.html

Followed by a leisurely, 30-minute drive through the kettle moraine country to the old Eagle Springs Resort and its 9-holer, one of the oldest courses in Wisconsin, and its famed Volcano 2nd hole par 3:



http://www.eaglespringsgolfresort.com/history

[Jason Thurman]

Damn it, Phil! You've got to post pictures like that BEFORE I move out of Wisconsin so that I know about these backwoods 9 holers with volcano greens. Instead, I played Tumbledown Trails and Bergamont (TWICE!), like a moron.

[Phil McDade]

Jason:

Those are two of the better 9-holers in the state, in my estimation. Some great old-fashioned architecture. I have a picture thread of another one (sort of) coming up soon.

[Rees Milikin]

Not sure if my caption is clear enough.  In any case, I've recently posted about two old small town 9-hole courses in western North Carolina (USA) - Old Fort Golf Course and Lake Lure Municipal Golf Course.  The courses are about 24 miles apart, with estimated drive time of about 45 minutes between them on two-lane rural roads.  Both courses have golden age architectural character.  I think it would be fun to play a combined 18 on the two courses, with lunch in between at a local restaurant.

There must be other good, closely situated 9-hole courses that would be fun to combine in one day.  Any suggestions? . . . from all around the world?  (Or, is this not a worthy idea?)

Carl, I played Old Fort and Lake Lure and came away extremely impressed with them, especially the greens at the Lake Lure course.  The courses are only 24 miles from each other and only just outside of one of the best cities in the Southeast, Asheville.  (I will add a photo tour of both very soon, along with a little history of both)

Two other impressive 9 hole courses that just so happen to be 24 miles apart are Sweetens Cove Golf Club and The Course at Sewanee (The University of the South).  These two courses also happen to be just outside of one of the best cities in the Southeast, Chattanooga.

Pretty coincidental that these sets of complimentary courses share so many similarities and I would highly recommend that anyone in these areas make time to play them.

Also, I recently read Anthony Pioppi's book, To the Nines.  It has given me a greater appreciation for 9 hole courses and their importance to the early & continued spirit of the game.

Does anyone have any complimentary 9 hole courses they would like to share?