Best courses in your city

[Stephen Davis]

Denver, CO

1) Castle Pines Golf Club
2)  Cherry Hills
3) Colorado Golf Club
4) Sanctuary
5) Common Ground
6) Ravenna
7) Denver Country Club
8 ) Riverdale Dunes
9) Castle Pines Country Club
10) Murphy Creek

Wow! Not many guys from Denver here. To be honest I am surprised by the top of your list here. Granted, I have not played Castle Pines Golf Club, but there is no way that it is above CGC. Here is how my top 5 would look keeping in mind that I haven't played CPGC.

Denver

1. Colorado Golf Club
2. Cherry Hills
3. Castle Pines GC
4. Ravenna
5. CommonGround

I guess I'm surprised at both the above lists, primarliy because of the inclusion of Ravenna at #6 and #4 and Sanctuary in the top 5. Both are really "pretty" and amazing engineer feats but are they among the top 10 best golf courses in Denver? I don't think so. My list is as follows:

1) Cherry Hills
2) Castle Pines Golf Club
3) Colorado Golf Club
4) Denver Country Club
5) CommonGround
6) Castle Pines Country Club
7) Riverdale Dunes
Pradera
9) Lakewood Country Club
10) (Tie) Murphy Creek or Green Valley Ranch
 

Doug,

I think that is a good list and I can't argue much with Cherry Hills as #1, but I personally prefered CGC over it by a good margin. My list is rather incomplete (thus my stopping at 5) since I haven't seen a ton of courses in the Denver area. For example, on your list I haven't seen #2 CPGC, #4 DCC, #6 CPCC, #8 Pradera, #9 LCC, or both your 10s. I have seen Riverdale Dunes and although I quite liked half of it quite a bit, the other half would cause it to be put solidly behind Ravenna for me.

[Jud_T]

Jud and Tim:

The original post asked us to name 10 courses, so I presume it takes 10 to play. I stopped at 10 but could have named more. Can you name the 10 courses in Bandon and Southampton?

Bandon Trails
Pac Dunes
Old Mac
Bandon Dunes
Sheep Farm
The Preserve
Bandon Crossing
Bandon Muni 1
Bandon Muni 2
Pacific Gailes

and we're not even counting The Punchbowl...    

[Andy Troeger]

I find it interesting how little love the Denver guys give Castle Pines. I haven't played enough of the area to really come up with a list, but if CP, Colorado GC, and Cherry Hills are the consensus top three then I'd put them in that order. I understand Ravenna wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was great for a cartball/mountain type routing and a solid #4 of what I have seen. Sanctuary and Pradera next, and Fossil Trace and CommonGround worthy of mention too.

[Roger Wolfe]

I can only rank 8 in Charlotte... a big drop off after these in my opinion...

1.   Quail Hollow Club (so big... so much land)
2.   Carolina Golf Club (great vistas from the tees)
3.   Charlotte Country Club (great shots in from the fairways)
4.   Gaston Country Club (holes 12-18 stand up to any club in NC)
5.   Cowan’s Ford CC (surprise of the year)
6.   Myers Park CC (solid and fun)
7.     Irish Creek (15 great holes)
7.   Carmel CC North (rolling and fun)
8.   Cedarwood CC (great holes and not so great holes)

[jim_lewis]

Roger:

I presume that you have not played Longview, which belongs high on the list in my view. It's a stretch to include Gaston CC and Irish Creek in Charlotte. But then, I suppose if you can include Castle Pines in Denver, anything goes.

[Greg Holland]

In Greensboro, not necessarily in order:

Sedgefield (Ross/Spence)
Greensboro CC Farm (Maples/Steel)
Starmount Forest (Stiles & Van Kleek/George)
Cardinal (Pete Dye)
Bryan Park Champions (Rees Jones)
Greensboro National (Local)
Grandover East, then West (Graham & Panks)
Forest Oaks (Maples/Love III - Paul Cowley)
GCC (Ross)
Bryan Park Players (Cobb/Rees Jones)

If you expand to Piedmont Triad, you add
Old Town (Maxwel/C&C)
Forsyth CC (Ross/Spence)
Tanglewood Championship (RTJ)
Alamance CC (Ross/Cupp)
Oak Hollow (Dye with Coore)
Willow Creek (Byrd)
Old North State (Fazio)
Tot Hill Farm (Strantz)

[Ken Fry]

I'm late to the party to post and dismissed the possibility of posting a list due to the small market that is South Bend, Indiana.

Since so many folks either pass through, pass by or visit Notre Dame, I'm posting two lists for consideration:

If coming to a Notre Dame football game or needing to stay close to the immediate South Bend area:

1.  South Bend CC
2.  Warren GC
3.  Blackthorn GC
4.  Elbel GC
5.  Signal Point Club

If expanding the area to consider courses I'd play on a weekend in the area:

1.  Lost Dunes
2.  Dunes Club
3.  South Bend CC
4.  Warren GC
5.  Point 'O Woods
6.  Harbor Shores GC
7.  Blackthorn GC
8.  Elbel GC
9.  Hampshire GC
10. Elcona CC

Ken

[Josh Tarble]

Perhaps it was my list in the other thread that started this one...but I'll list my favorites for Indianapolis:

1: Broadmoor
2: Crooked Stick
3:  Wolf Run (only one on the list I haven't played)
4:  Brickyard Crossing
5:  Sagamore
6:  Trophy Club
7:  The Fort
8:  Purgatory
9:  Bear Slide
10:  Meridian Hills

You could probably interchange Broadmoor and Crooked Stick - Broadmoor having better greens, Crooked Stick having more interest off the tee - and you could probably have 4-7 in any of those spots really.  

Heartland Crossing is also very good and worth a play as a public as is Country Club of Indianapolis as a private. Close but probably don't quite make this list.

If you wanna say Rock Hollow is Indianapolis (I wouldn't), I'd put it probably 7 or 8 on the list.

Edit: I totally forgot to include two courses that are worth mentioning. One I've played (Sagamore) and one I haven't (Woodland).  I think Woodland is pretty good, but it's definitely definitely a must play for any Pete Dye fans.

I updated my post on page 3.  I totally forgot Sagamore, Woodland and CCI (thanks for the reminder Ken!). Sagamore is definitely worth a play, a totally different experience on a modern design vs. the most of the older designs in the area.  Woodland is supposed to be pretty decent and a must play for any Pete Dye fan. CCI is ok, a stereotypical country club layout, some good stuff out there but also some head scratchers.

[Nigel Islam]

Perhaps it was my list in the other thread that started this one...but I'll list my favorites for Indianapolis:

1: Broadmoor
2: Crooked Stick
3:  Wolf Run (only one on the list I haven't played)
4:  Brickyard Crossing
5:  Sagamore
6:  Trophy Club
7:  The Fort
8:  Purgatory
9:  Bear Slide
10:  Meridian Hills

You could probably interchange Broadmoor and Crooked Stick - Broadmoor having better greens, Crooked Stick having more interest off the tee - and you could probably have 4-7 in any of those spots really.  

Heartland Crossing is also very good and worth a play as a public as is Country Club of Indianapolis as a private. Close but probably don't quite make this list.

If you wanna say Rock Hollow is Indianapolis (I wouldn't), I'd put it probably 7 or 8 on the list.

Edit: I totally forgot to include two courses that are worth mentioning. One I've played (Sagamore) and one I haven't (Woodland).  I think Woodland is pretty good, but it's definitely definitely a must play for any Pete Dye fans.

I updated my post on page 3.  I totally forgot Sagamore, Woodland and CCI (thanks for the reminder Ken!). Sagamore is definitely worth a play, a totally different experience on a modern design vs. the most of the older designs in the area.  Woodland is supposed to be pretty decent and a must play for any Pete Dye fan. CCI is ok, a stereotypical country club layout, some good stuff out there but also some head scratchers.

Josh,

I remember a lot of people loved Prairie View when I lived there. I really didn't think it was that great (but I played it 4 or 5 times for free ), so I would be interested to hear your comments on that. I wasn't a huge fan of Bear Slide either, but I only played it once. I never played GCI either, but I doubt I was missing much. Out of the metro area, but also curious what you think of The Ledgends and Martinsville CC?

[Ken Fry]

Josh,

I remember a lot of people loved Prairie View when I lived there. I really didn't think it was that great (but I played it 4 or 5 times for free ), so I would be interested to hear your comments on that. I wasn't a huge fan of Bear Slide either, but I only played it once. I never played GCI either, but I doubt I was missing much. Out of the metro area, but also curious what you think of The Ledgends and Martinsville CC?

Nigel,

I'm jumping in but I lived in Indy for a short time and have played golf around Indy for many years.

I always felt Prairie View was over rated and quite expensive given the public course market.  There aren't many solid public courses right in Carmel so they have a great location from that perspective.

Bear Slide is an interesting place.  I tend to like the front side much more than the back 9.  The front is open with some very interesting holes.  The back tends to be quite tight with a few head scratchers.  The last time I played there, trees on the back 9 would block access to greens from fairways positions often.

I've always felt The Fort was the best public course in Indy.  The terrain is so unusual for central Indiana and the layout is very fun and challenging.  As was mentioned earlier, the original Eagle Creek course was outstanding and would often be ranked nationally for public access courses.  Now, the course has been split into two courses and the new holes just don't fit with the originals.

The one public course I have not played yet is Purgatory.  I'm hoping to play this upcoming summer.

Ken

[Carson Pilcher]

I've heard the 9 holer at Ansley Golf Club is really good. I haven't played it, however.

Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean, ay?

Anytime my friend...anytime!!  You are welcome to call me and tell me when we are going to play.

[Nigel Islam]

Josh,

I remember a lot of people loved Prairie View when I lived there. I really didn't think it was that great (but I played it 4 or 5 times for free ), so I would be interested to hear your comments on that. I wasn't a huge fan of Bear Slide either, but I only played it once. I never played GCI either, but I doubt I was missing much. Out of the metro area, but also curious what you think of The Ledgends and Martinsville CC?

Nigel,

I'm jumping in but I lived in Indy for a short time and have played golf around Indy for many years.

I always felt Prairie View was over rated and quite expensive given the public course market.  There aren't many solid public courses right in Carmel so they have a great location from that perspective.

Bear Slide is an interesting place.  I tend to like the front side much more than the back 9.  The front is open with some very interesting holes.  The back tends to be quite tight with a few head scratchers.  The last time I played there, trees on the back 9 would block access to greens from fairways positions often.

I've always felt The Fort was the best public course in Indy.  The terrain is so unusual for central Indiana and the layout is very fun and challenging.  As was mentioned earlier, the original Eagle Creek course was outstanding and would often be ranked nationally for public access courses.  Now, the course has been split into two courses and the new holes just don't fit with the originals.

The one public course I have not played yet is Purgatory.  I'm hoping to play this upcoming summer.

Ken

I completely agree with your post Ken. Bear Slide had some quirky stuff on the back (18?) and I always remember being quite thankful I did not have to drop the $$$ for PV. Eagle Creek was always very underrated. I still can't believe they split that routing up. The routing was one of the best parts of the course. Looking back The Fort was probably a better golf course than Brickyard, but I always loved the ambiance (and conditioning) of Brickyard.

[Matt Wharton]

Charlotte, NC
1.  Quail Hollow Club
2.  Carolina Golf Club
3.  Charlotte Country Club
4.  Myers Park Country Club
5.  Rolling Hills Country Club (Original Cobb in Monroe)
6.  Gaston Country Club (Gastonia)
7.  Carmel Country Club (South Course)
8.  The Club at Longview
9.  Carmel Country Club (North Course)
10. The Club at Irish Creek (Kannapolis)

Yes, my list is 100% biased!  

[Josh Tarble]

Perhaps it was my list in the other thread that started this one...but I'll list my favorites for Indianapolis:

1: Broadmoor
2: Crooked Stick
3:  Wolf Run (only one on the list I haven't played)
4:  Brickyard Crossing
5:  Sagamore
6:  Trophy Club
7:  The Fort
8:  Purgatory
9:  Bear Slide
10:  Meridian Hills

You could probably interchange Broadmoor and Crooked Stick - Broadmoor having better greens, Crooked Stick having more interest off the tee - and you could probably have 4-7 in any of those spots really.  

Heartland Crossing is also very good and worth a play as a public as is Country Club of Indianapolis as a private. Close but probably don't quite make this list.

If you wanna say Rock Hollow is Indianapolis (I wouldn't), I'd put it probably 7 or 8 on the list.

Edit: I totally forgot to include two courses that are worth mentioning. One I've played (Sagamore) and one I haven't (Woodland).  I think Woodland is pretty good, but it's definitely definitely a must play for any Pete Dye fans.

I updated my post on page 3.  I totally forgot Sagamore, Woodland and CCI (thanks for the reminder Ken!). Sagamore is definitely worth a play, a totally different experience on a modern design vs. the most of the older designs in the area.  Woodland is supposed to be pretty decent and a must play for any Pete Dye fan. CCI is ok, a stereotypical country club layout, some good stuff out there but also some head scratchers.

Josh,

I remember a lot of people loved Prairie View when I lived there. I really didn't think it was that great (but I played it 4 or 5 times for free ), so I would be interested to hear your comments on that. I wasn't a huge fan of Bear Slide either, but I only played it once. I never played GCI either, but I doubt I was missing much. Out of the metro area, but also curious what you think of The Ledgends and Martinsville CC?

Nigel,
I think Ken summed it up pretty well.

Prairie View is pretty much a manicured over-watered RTJ course from the mid-80s. For the most part it's just pretty average. A few good holes and a few really bad holes. Very overpriced for the Indy market, IMO.  But think most people love it because it's typically in perfect condition. The last few years they've lost a few of their greens, so I think a lot of the luster is wearing off.

I probably like Bear Slide more than most. There are some strange holes out there, but there are also some excellent ones as well. I think it may leave a bad taste in with some people as 17 and 18 are probably the worst holes out there.

Really the only nice thing I can say about GCI is that it's a great place to have a scramble and drink a lot of beer.


Ken,
Purgatory is pretty solid, a lot of flash, but when you look past it all, the design is really quite good. Let me know when you get down here, be glad to join up with you.

[Paul Jones]

Oakbourne CC
Le Triomphe

[Mike Schott]

Metro Detroit Top 10-

Franklin Hills
Oakland Hills South
Indianwood Old
CC of Detroit
Western Golf and CC
Grosse Ile CC
Red Run
Oakland Hills North
Detroit Golf Club
Plum Hollow

** I have not played Orchard Lake yet since renovation.  Id guess somewhere 2-4 based on pics Ive seen and what was there before.

You don't reckon Shepherd's Hollow is in the mix somewhere?  I think it is better than at least three on the list.

Ciao

No I would definitely not put Shepherd's Hollow in the mix.  I am not a big fan of SH and definitely dont think its top 10 in the area.

Ari

I can understand not being a fan of SH, I'm not.  But is it better than some of those you listed?  Say Red Run, Western and maybe even Plum Hollow. I think Birmingham is better than those three and SH.  I only mentioned SH because it is public.

Ciao

I have not played Birmingham for some reason.  Not sure why as my parents live a mile away from the course and I maybe live 10 min.  I think Western is alot better than SH I think Western is way under rated.  With a little tree clearing and a little other work I think Western would easily be top 5 in the city.  Maybe better than that.  It is a fantastic and unique piece of land.  I dont understand why it doesnt get more love.  I also really like most of the holes at Red Run (other than the one next to the road) and think PH is definitely a step above SH.  Definitely agree that the area is lacking for good public tracks.    

I disagree with your last comment. I play mainly public tracks and the SE MI area has a good amount of fine public courses. Some are a bit of a drive but we are blessed with dozens of public tracks, many that are very good. Here's a list (I have not played SH):

Eagle Crest
The Majestic
Leslie Park
Dunham Hills
Moose Ridge
The Orchards
Timber Trace
Northville Hills
Blackheath
Golden Fox.

[Andy Troeger]

If coming to a Notre Dame football game or needing to stay close to the immediate South Bend area:

1.  South Bend CC
2.  Warren GC
3.  Blackthorn GC
4.  Elbel GC
5.  Signal Point Club

Ken,

Elbel? Have they done some work to the course since I moved away? The property has potential, but the course is not one I would have thought to send GCA'ers to!

[Ken Fry]

If coming to a Notre Dame football game or needing to stay close to the immediate South Bend area:

1.  South Bend CC
2.  Warren GC
3.  Blackthorn GC
4.  Elbel GC
5.  Signal Point Club

Ken,

Elbel? Have they done some work to the course since I moved away? The property has potential, but the course is not one I would have thought to send GCA'ers to!

Andy,

They've done a little bit of work to it so it's better than years passed.  GCA'ers would appreciate what's there.  There's at least potential for a really good course and it's still ridiculously cheap.

I'd still send them to Elbel over the other private courses in the area.

Ken

[Andy Troeger]

Ken,
Interesting. If not for the difficulty in getting a tee time, I'd send them to Erskine over Elbel since the back nine there (and the par threes in general) are pretty interesting. Otherwise, I'd stick with #1 and #2 on your list, with #3 a decent back-up!

Elbel could be made very interesting with the current routing by working on the greens and bunkers. I do recall now that they took out some trees which I probably helped.

[Bryan Icenhower]

My Atlanta list:
Peachtree
East Lake
Rivermont
Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside)
Ansley Settindown Creek
Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands)
The Standard Club
Hawks Ridge
Piedmont Driving Club
The River Club

Peachtree easily the cream of the crop, truly one of the more special places in golf.

[HarryBrinkerhoffDoyleIV_aka_Barry]

 .

[Chris DeToro]

Ken,
Interesting. If not for the difficulty in getting a tee time, I'd send them to Erskine over Elbel since the back nine there (and the par threes in general) are pretty interesting. Otherwise, I'd stick with #1 and #2 on your list, with #3 a decent back-up!

Elbel could be made very interesting with the current routing by working on the greens and bunkers. I do recall now that they took out some trees which I probably helped.

Had to weigh in on the South Bend thread since my parents have lived there for the last 10 years...

A little surprised by the Elbel love as well.  Played a couple state Am qualifiers there, never was a huge fan though it's been several years.  I never had much desire to play there otherwise though.  

How far out of SB would you extend this rating?  Point O'Woods is only a half hour away, as is Lost Dunes and the Dunes Club and Rock Hollow is a cool course just down 31.  

South Bend CC and Warren are clearly the class of South Bend in my opinion though.  Nothing else quite comes close.  

[Stephen Davis]

CGC is a fantastic course and I think you have it right on when you said that you haven't got bored with it. I have serious golf course ADD and have always found the idea of playing a single course all the time to be difficult for me to comprehend. However, I really love CGC and if I lived any closer to CGC, I would join there in a heart beat.

[Tim Rooney]

Columbus(O) Rating:
Muirfield Village
Scioto
The Golf Club
Double Eagle
OSU Scarlet
Brookside
Wedgewood
Tartan Fields
Pinnacle
New Albany
 Renovations:
York Temple Gc is replacing Hole #5(140 yds),due to I 23 road incursion.Unfortunate,since a Great Cols junior(JN) exploded a golf ball,reducing the sphere to windings!Brian Huntley is adding/changing (3/4) holes on the bk 9 to replace/reroute 10/8 original round.
Scioto has,supposedly,completed emptying/filling Hole #8 lake per JN suggestion.
The Golf Club PD renovation is complete awaiting June/July re-opening.
New Albany CC is considering additional bunkers/renovation per JN direction.  

[Nigel Islam]

Columbus(O) Rating:
Muirfield Village
Scioto
The Golf Club
Double Eagle
OSU Scarlet
Brookside
Wedgewood
Tartan Fields
Pinnacle
New Albany
 Renovations:
York Temple Gc is replacing Hole #5(140 yds),due to I 23 road incursion.Unfortunate,since a Great Cols junior(JN) exploded a golf ball,reducing the sphere to windings!Brian Huntley is adding/changing (3/4) holes on the bk 9 to replace/reroute 10/8 original round.
Scioto has,supposedly,completed emptying/filling Hole #8 lake per JN suggestion.
The Golf Club PD renovation is complete awaiting June/July re-opening.
New Albany CC is considering additional bunkers/renovation per JN direction.  

Tim, I played Scioto on 10-24 and the lake on 8 had not been started yet.