Five greens to putt anywhere in the world

[jonathan_becker]

I was amazed at the different and varying putting surfaces that I came across throughout my trip in Australia.  This got me thinking about some of the other great greens that I've been fortunate to play thus far in my travels.  So what I want to know is if you had a putter and a sleeve of balls....pick 5 greens anywhere in the world that you would enjoy just rolling the rock on for a while.  It will help me remember some of the ones that may have slipped my mind and it can also serve as a reminder to us all if we're going to see said green at some point in the future. I'm sure there will be some common answers, but feel free to pick a few that fly under the radar.  13 green at Canton Brookside, for example, is one that many probably haven't seen, but the sweeping internal contours and the back shelf are so much fun to putt across.  I'll include that as one of the less popular picks.  I'm sure we could all pick a few dozen easily, but for my five I'll go with....

#5   Bandon Trails
#6   Royal Melbourne West
#13 Barnbougle Dunes
#13 Brookside
#15 Oakmont

What are some others?

Edit - I posted some photos on page 2 but substituted #8 at Brookside for #13 because I couldn't find a good photo.  #8 is like a severely warped vinyl record that moves all over the place!

[jeffwarne]

I was amazed at the different and varying putting surfaces that I came across throughout my trip in Australia.  This got me thinking about some of the other great greens that I've been fortunate to play thus far in my travels.  So what I want to know is if you had a putter and a sleeve of balls....pick 5 greens anywhere in the world that you would enjoy just rolling the rock on for a while.  It will help me remember some of the ones that may have slipped my mind and it can also serve as a reminder to us all if we're going to see said green at some point in the future. I'm sure there will be some common answers, but feel free to pick a few that fly under the radar.  13 green at Canton Brookside, for example, is one that many probably haven't seen, but the sweeping internal contours and the back shelf are so much fun to putt across.  I'll include that as one of the less popular picks.  I'm sure we could all pick a few dozen easily, but for my five I'll go with....

#5   Bandon Trails
#6   Royal Melbourne West
#13 Barnbougle Dunes
#13 Brookside
#15 Oakmont

What are some others?

5,6,12 at Palmetto
1 ,11 NGLA
3,6,10 Southampton
4,5 Goat Hill
7,11 Shinnecock

[Mark Bourgeois]

5,6,12 at Palmetto
1 ,11 NGLA
3,6,10 Southampton
4,5 Goat Hill
7,11 Shinnecock

Those are five impressive greens.

[jeffwarne]

5,6,12 at Palmetto
1 ,11 NGLA
3,6,10 Southampton
4,5 Goat Hill
7,11 Shinnecock

Those are five impressive greens.

I needed a handicap
Cumulatively they might might match Jonathon's

That reading comprehension thing again.....
Mulligan
5 palmetto
1 NGLA
6 Southampton
7 Shinnecock
4 The Goat

[Mark Bourgeois]

Well now I just have to hear more about the Goat. Where and what is it? Do you have pics of the green?

[Jeff Bertch]

i'll throw one out there...

Mackenzie's 12th at Sitwell Park (if I had a time machine)


Doak's interpretation (Barnbougle #13) looks pretty cool also...

[Jud_T]

The Himalayas
The Punchbowl (taking it on faith that it'll be the sh*t)
Kingsley #8
Bandon Trails #14
Crystal Downs #5

[Mark Pritchett]

Thistle Dhu
#5 Old Town Club
Any green from Prairie Dunes
Any green from Crystal Downs
#7 Ballyneal

[David_Tepper]

#4 and #17 at Royal Dornoch are awfully good.

[Carl Nichols]

I'll just go with the ones where I actually have dropped a gazillion balls and had a blast:

The practice putting green at Lake Michigan Hills in Benton Harbor, MI, where they used to do the Western Am qualifier.  I spent HOURS on that green with guys trying to make certain putts that we were convinced were unmakeable.

# 4 at Lost Dunes

# 11 at Lost Dunes

# 16 at Pasatiempo

# 14 at Pebble

(Honorable Mention because it's outside the scope of the question:  #17 at Pasa.  Any hole I 8-putt trying has a special place in my heart)

Is #11 at Lost Dunes the elevated green where you can use the right-side kickboard to bounce it down onto the green? If so, that's one of the five I was thinking of too.

[Doug Wright]

#14 at Augusta National (among many others there)
#7 and #12 at Ballyneal

[Scott Szabo]

#2 at Sand Hills is tough to beat.

[Eric Smith]

Some really fun (or maddening?) ones:

16 North Berwick
11 Dismal River
1 NGLA
16 Deal
15 Holston Hills

[Mark McKeever]

My Philadelphia Area version:


2: Pine Valley
3: Stonewall New
4: Schuylkill
5: Merion
7: Scranton

[Matt Bosela]

Ballyneal #7
NGLA #6
Old Macdonald #5
Sagebrush #9
Sand Hills #2

[Thomas Dai]

Three will do me just fine -

1) Himalaya's at St Andrews
2) 18th at TOC
3) Mackenzies famous green at Sitwell Park (unsure of the hole number)

All the best

[Jeff Taylor]

18th at Old Mac
16th North Berwick
14th and 5th at Augusta National
18th at Oakmont

For those who have mentioned #1 @ NGLA, please tell me why this is fun? My one play was in a 30+mph wind. It was unputtable. Can't imagine it being that much fun in calm conditions. I second the person who called it maddening.

Please tell me where I am wrong.

[Jim Colton]

I don't know if this is the best 5, but these are greens were I can remember spending a little extra time goofing around

Ballyneal #8
NGLA #6
Crystal Downs #13
Streamsong Blue #11
Yale #9

Honorable Mention: My armchair entry, hole #13

[Mac Plumart]

6 Maidstone
8 Ballyneal
2 Rivermont
14 Sebonack 
17 Pete Dye Golf Club

[Eric Smith]

For those who have mentioned #1 @ NGLA, please tell me why this is fun? My one play was in a 30+mph wind. It was unputtable. Can't imagine it being that much fun in calm conditions. I second the person who called it maddening.

Please tell me where I am wrong.

Jeff,

I think the idea of taking your putter and a sleeve of golf balls to one of these greens is to 'rise to the challenge', you know, try and try again sort of thing. Yes, the first at NGLA is maddening but can be entertaining as well when watching your playing partner three putt.  I wouldn't want to have to get down in two from anywhere on it when it mattered, but for this exercise, dropping three balls and trying to learn a few things while having fun, I'd definitely look to spend some time here. Hope that helps.

[Gib_Papazian]

#13 Prestwick (Sea Headrig)

#8 Pasatiempo

#6 (&#10) NGLA

#14  Augusta

#5  Friar's Head

#11 Spanish Bay

#4 Spyglass

[jeffwarne]

18th at Old Mac
16th North Berwick
14th and 5th at Augusta National
18th at Oakmont

For those who have mentioned #1 @ NGLA, please tell me why this is fun? My one play was in a 30+mph wind. It was unputtable. Can't imagine it being that much fun in calm conditions. I second the person who called it maddening.

Please tell me where I am wrong.

How do you think 14 at ANGC would hold up in a 30mph wind?
or 18 at Oakmont for that matter (or any green at Oakmont)in a 30 mph wind

I wouldn't take my putter and a sleeve  out to reputt a green that less than maddening

[Bill McKinley]

A Raynor version...

#1 Yeamans Hall

#4 Fishers Island

#9 Yale

#10 Mountain Lake

#11 Camargo

[Sven Nilsen]

Apologies if these have been mentioned, trying to add some new ones to the mix:

Yale - 10 (try getting to a front pin from above the hole)
Kingsley - 13 (putting to a back left location and into the bowl)
Old Mac - 18 (as much fun as putting can be, I think hitting approach shots in is more fun)
Wine Valley - 7 (just a fun green)
Beverly - 14 (highly deceptive, with a few putts that seemingly defy the laws of physics)

[Phil McDade]

With a bit more thought, I'm sure I can come up with five, but I'd start with this one: