Stumbling across something of real merit that nobody has ever heard of is one of the game's greatest thrills. I've got a fairly impressive resume, but am bored stiff singing the praises of Merion or PV because there is no way to mount an argument to the contrary.
How hot is Keira Knightley? Is she an 8.75 or a 9? The answer is "who gives a shit?" The point is that she's ridiculously hot and trying to split hairs and ascertain whether she is sexier than Emma Stone by cutting them into little categories comparing tits, legs and lips is every bit as ridiculous as taking two bands and comparing the individual players instead of their music - which is a matter of taste anyway.
I'm much more interested in finding the next Eagle Point or Crosby National - excellent golf courses that somehow fly under the radar, undiscovered by the coffee house intelligentsia. I remember Redanman taking me to Applebrook when it first opened - a superb golf course nobody ever mentions around here. It was like being taken to a hidden hole-in-the-wall tavern with spectacular food. I opted for Applebrook instead of playing one of the biggies in the neighborhood and damned glad we made that choice.
Examining a terrific - but relatively unknown - course was like being let in on a cool secret. It reminds me of the time The Emperor took me to Barona Creek - at the time a brand new course at the end of twisty road in the middle of nowhere. When we turned the corner it looked like a rocky canyon full of rattlesnakes (it was), yet 18 holes later I was in love with it.
We had one day at Gleneagles and I had to make a choice, the Kings or Queens (no, I am not going to fly 8,000 to play a Nicklaus Course). The opinion I heard most often was that the King's was a greater test, but the Queen's was far more interesting and unusual. The Queen's it was. It is better to learn something new than something everybody already knows.
Now, I've got unusual tastes and seem to always prefer the B-side song, but now that I've made the circuit of America's top courses according to the critics (of which I am one), the road less traveled has a far more powerful allure.