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Carl Nichols

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Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« on: November 07, 2013, 02:41:12 PM »
The thread about Sunday morning golf in LA got me to wondering:  what's the best public golf course in a major metropolitan area where you can play on a Sunday morning, get all 18 in, and still make a 1pm flight (after both dropping a rental car and checking your golf clubs)?  There are probably lots of good courses that would qualify if you make unlikely assumptions--e.g., you get to tee off at 7am as a single at Pebble, play in 2 hours, and easily make it to a 1pm flight out of San Jose--but I'm looking for ideas based on reasonable assumptions on tee times, pace of play, traffic, etc.  

Take Harding Park as a possibility.  It's only about 15 minutes to SFO.  But to drop a rental car, check your clubs, and navigate SFO security, you probably need to leave Harding Park no later than 11:30 (maybe 11:45).  Do they even have early weekend tee times available to the general public, and then, can you play fast enough to hit 11:30?  If they have 7-730am tee times, perhaps this works.

Or take Pasatiempo.  It's about 30 minutes from San Jose, and it's usually faster to get to your gate there than at SFO.  But I seem to recall that Pasatiempo has members, and early weekend tee times thus might not even be available to the public.  

Hartford (where I grew up) has some options, but I don't put it in the major metropolitan category.

Maybe Vegas?  Phoenix?  Chicago?

Howard Riefs

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"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

David_Tepper

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2013, 03:11:29 PM »
Carl N. -

As a matter of fact, I have a 7:03am teetime this Sunday at Harding and we need a 4th. We should finish by 11:30am at the latest.   You are welcome to come join us in San Francisco and test out your theory. ;)

Also note that all teetimes at Harding are available to the general public.

While maybe not the "best" public course, the Metropolitan Golf Links is literally right next to the Oakland Airport and is a pretty good muni. You could tee off at 7:00am and make a 1:00pm flight with no problem.

DT  
« Last Edit: November 07, 2013, 03:56:43 PM by David_Tepper »

Brett Wiesley

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2013, 03:30:22 PM »
Hard to imagine anyone having fun trying to squeeze in 18 holes, traffic, rental return and airport check-in.  I think it would give me great anxiety and ruin any potential fun I was to have playing.  I'd shoot for a nice breakfast and bloody mary!

Chris DeToro

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2013, 03:33:50 PM »
Is Grand Rapids considered metropolitan?  If so, Thornapple Pointe is basically right across the street from GRR.  It's a solid Bill Newcomb design.  The only downside is that it's so close to the airport, you feel like you're playing in the US Open tennis tournament with all of the planes overhead...


Carl Nichols

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2013, 03:40:47 PM »
Chris:
If Hartford doesn't count, then Grand Rapids doesn't either. 

Kyle Casella

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2013, 04:24:16 PM »
Metropolitan is a good call- it's basically on the approach. If there is no security line or you have pre check, one could conceivably be at the gate within 15 minutes of leaving the course.

For SFO, Cal Club is very close. 15 minutes tops.

Dan Kelly

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2013, 04:28:57 PM »
In midsummer next year, you could get an early time at Keller (Paul Coates, 1929 or so, renovated by Richard Mandell, 2013) and get to MSP (c. 20-25 minutes from Keller) in plenty of time for a 1 p.m. flight.

That'd be my choice in the Twin Cities.

"There's no money in doing less." -- Joe Hancock, 11/25/2010
"Rankings are silly and subjective..." -- Tom Doak, 3/12/2016

Ross Harmon

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2013, 04:36:15 PM »
Maybe MattyG can have a new series - "Fairways to Runways"?

Alex Miller

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2013, 04:40:51 PM »
Coronado is only 20 min from the airport. A plus is that the coldest it will be in the mornings is a balmy 58 degrees even in the heart of winter!

Bill_McBride

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2013, 04:59:59 PM »
Bear Creek is virtually on airport property at DFW, with two decent courses.

Howard Riefs

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2013, 05:25:51 PM »
And thus a new game was born...

Name the course ("A") that hosts a PGA Tour event and its nearby airport.




this is pretty easy...
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Rees Milikin

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2013, 05:29:09 PM »
And thus a new game was born...

Name the course ("A") that hosts a PGA Tour event and its nearby airport.




this is pretty easy...

Doral/Miami Dade

Howard Riefs

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2013, 05:50:59 PM »
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Tim Leahy

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2013, 05:55:55 PM »
In Denver I had a 7:30 tee time at Murphy Creek with a friend and did it all as you listed with no problem.
I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

Jordan Standefer

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #15 on: November 07, 2013, 06:02:45 PM »
Coronado is only 20 min from the airport. A plus is that the coldest it will be in the mornings is a balmy 58 degrees even in the heart of winter!

Also, I'm certain you could get from Balboa to Lindbergh in 10.

Howard Riefs

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #16 on: November 07, 2013, 06:08:55 PM »
In Denver I had a 7:30 tee time at Murphy Creek with a friend and did it all as you listed with no problem.

Another Denver option on the northside of the city is Riverdale Dunes.  (I've incidentally also played Murphy Creek after arriving at DEN.) 
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Jud_T

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #17 on: November 07, 2013, 06:23:46 PM »
The Glen Club in Chicago is less than half an hour from O'hare, although it's semi-private and early times may be reserved for members.  Cog Hill and Ravisloe are just over a half hour from Midway.
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Philip Caccamise

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2013, 06:50:56 PM »
The thread about Sunday morning golf in LA got me to wondering:  what's the best public golf course in a major metropolitan area where you can play on a Sunday morning, get all 18 in, and still make a 1pm flight (after both dropping a rental car and checking your golf clubs)?  There are probably lots of good courses that would qualify if you make unlikely assumptions--e.g., you get to tee off at 7am as a single at Pebble, play in 2 hours, and easily make it to a 1pm flight out of San Jose--but I'm looking for ideas based on reasonable assumptions on tee times, pace of play, traffic, etc.  

Take Harding Park as a possibility.  It's only about 15 minutes to SFO.  But to drop a rental car, check your clubs, and navigate SFO security, you probably need to leave Harding Park no later than 11:30 (maybe 11:45).  Do they even have early weekend tee times available to the general public, and then, can you play fast enough to hit 11:30?  If they have 7-730am tee times, perhaps this works.

Or take Pasatiempo.  It's about 30 minutes from San Jose, and it's usually faster to get to your gate there than at SFO.  But I seem to recall that Pasatiempo has members, and early weekend tee times thus might not even be available to the public.  

Hartford (where I grew up) has some options, but I don't put it in the major metropolitan category.

Maybe Vegas?  Phoenix?  Chicago?

We ended up playing Old Ranch CC (Seal Beach, private) with (Dr) Wayne Freeman, and I made my flight comfortably.  :)

That said, there's a couple decent choices in Dallas (the aforementioned Bear Creek, Texas Star, Riverchase); if the Ferry Point course ends up being good it'll instantly jump to the top of the list in the Northeast, as there's nothing otherwise.

Joe Bausch

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #19 on: November 07, 2013, 06:51:08 PM »
No one has mentioned 18 or 27 at Beckett and an even faster flight out of PHL on USAir.
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Michael Blake

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #20 on: November 07, 2013, 07:20:39 PM »
Weequahic  :)

Ryan McLaughlin

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2013, 09:27:03 PM »
The Raven Golf Club in Phoenix...8.1 miles to Sky Harbor.  Great course

Chris Mavros

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #22 on: November 10, 2013, 09:07:09 AM »
I played Cypresswood Traditions in Houston this week, which was 10 minutes from the airport and a very good public course.  Redstone is also near the airport (10 minutes) and hosts the Shell Houston Open.  


Ken Moum

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #23 on: November 10, 2013, 09:04:33 PM »
Now that the former Williams AFB in Mesa, AZ has become Gateway Airport, there a a whole bunch of public courses you could play and make it easily.

It's not much of a course, but Toka Sticks is on the airbase, you could WALK to terminal and make it. It's One Mile from the course.

OTOH, you can get to Sky Harbor from Papago in less than 15 minutes.

K
Over time, the guy in the ideal position derives an advantage, and delivering him further  advantage is not worth making the rest of the players suffer at the expense of fun, variety, and ultimately cost -- Jeff Warne, 12-08-2010

Jaeger Kovich

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Re: Golf Before a 1pm Sunday Flight
« Reply #24 on: November 11, 2013, 08:51:58 AM »
There are a bunch of great heathland golf courses within 15-20 of Heathrow... Woking, Worplesdon, Walton Heath, Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, Wentworth, etc all within 20 min.... Part of what makes London one of the best golf destinations for me, jump on the red-eye from NYC and straight to the course.