Possible gems in less travelled places...

[Ally Mcintosh]

No.1 - Estela which is north of Porto in Portugal.

Despite warm season grasses, this course seems to have the most links like characteristics I've seen in Southern Europe.

Who knows it? Is it any good?... I'm only looking at photos...

[cary lichtenstein]

Highland Links in Nova Scotia

[Jim McCann]

Ally,

I played Estela a few months back, when members of the European Golf and Travel Media Association paid a visit to the north of Portugal.

It's a decent track:

http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=904

but the course that I really fell for was Miramar, a lovely wee seaside 9-holer on the other side of Porto:

http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=3701

[Bart Bradley]

I think Ballyliffin Old is an absolutely fabulous under-appreciated course.  Great grade level greens, wonderful fairway contours and an enjoyable sea-side routing with long range mountain views.

I can't believe that it gets so little pub...I mentioned it before but I haven't found anyone else who played it after Faldo's team worked on it in 2006/2007.

Bart

[David_Elvins]

Lake Karrinyup is a really good course - there isn't a better course within 2000 miles, which I guess counts as out of the way.  

[Thomas Dai]

I think Ballyliffin Old is an absolutely fabulous under-appreciated course.  Great grade level greens, wonderful fairway contours and an enjoyable sea-side routing with long range mountain views.
I can't believe that it gets so little pub...I mentioned it before but I haven't found anyone else who played it after Faldo's team worked on it in 2006/2007.
Bart

I liked the Old course very much, although I'd not seen it before Faldo's changes so am unable to make a comparison. I actually liked the Old course more than the Glashedy course to be honest. Great place Ballyliffin.

ATB

[Niall C]

Forfar, nuff said.

[Thomas Dai]

Just 4 possibles from the near-edges of the UK mainland north, south, east, west - Wick. West Cornwall. Aldeburgh. Cardigan.
ATB

[jeffwarne]

Just 4 possibles from the near-edges of the UK mainland north, south, east, west - Wick. West Cornwall. Aldeburgh. Cardigan.
ATB

having played three of the four, I guess I need to get to Adleburgh (wherever that is )

Ireland Northwest-for Ireland pretty untraveled
Otway (quirk?-not descriptive enough)
Gweedore? (tilt, simplicity, width- shockingly unexpected views, coupled with a bit of homeliness)
Dunfanaghy -simplicity, views,ocean in play, good golf
Cruit-worth the trek
Narin and Portnoo- not hidden as it was when I stumbled 20 years ago upon-slightly homogenized by the redesign, but plenty of great golf
Northwest-solid , fun, interesting friendly golf-a very clever routing  in an ever shrinking enviroment
Portsalon-not hidden anymore, but underrated-not universally loved by GCAers-perhaps I'm blinded by the scenery

Can't wait to see what happens at St. Patricks, though selfishly, I hope it's simple/quirky/remote enough to keep the cognescenti
over on the northeast coast of Scotland

[Niall C]

Homogenized, what a great description. Jeff, I suggest you try any of the Moray courses in the north of Scotland. Even the championship tracts like Moray Old and Elgin don't give you conventional par 72, 4 par 5's etc. Some good, bad and ugly, and also some spectacular golf, often on the same course. Not to be rated, just to be enjoyed.

Niall

[jeffwarne]

Homogenized, what a great description. Jeff, I suggest you try any of the Moray courses in the north of Scotland. Even the championship tracts like Moray Old and Elgin don't give you conventional par 72, 4 par 5's etc. Some good, bad and ugly, and also some spectacular golf, often on the same course. Not to be rated, just to be enjoyed.

Niall

Nial,
I've laid out a trip there many times, just haven't pulled the trigger.
Have quite a void geographically between Fortrose & Rosemarkie and Cruden Bay-seems like a great trip with minimal travel.
Rated? no abilities there

[Niall C]

Jeff

Happy to be your tour guide if you want a run down on the courses there.

Niall

[Ian Andrew]

Some interesting ones around Canada

Blackhawk - in Edmonton
Waskesiu - north of Saskatoon
Dakota Dunes - south of Saskatoon
Allandale (9), Barrie, Ontario - north of Toronto
Kawartha - Peterborough - northeast of Toronto
Ki-8-Eb Golf Club, Trois Rivieres, Quebec - east of Montreal
Club de Grand Mere, Grand Mere, Quebec - east of Quebec City
Digby Pines - east of Halifax
Twin Rivers, Newfoundland, north of St. John

[Michael Goldstein]

Port Fairy:  A few hours west from Melbourne
Flinders:  bottom of mornington peninsula
Machrie:  Islay, Scotland
Delamere Forest:  Cheshire, England
Oreti Sands:  Invercargill, New Zealand

Agree with suggestions of Aldeburgh, Narin & Portnoo, Ballyliffin Old

[Adam Lawrence]

A couple in some less travelled parts of Europe:

King's course, Bled, Slovenia. Built in the 1920s by an Austrian, Rudolf von Gelmini-Kreutzhof and reconstructed by Don Harradine in 1973. Wonderful piece of ground, splendid routing that really uses the property well, fantastic views. Needed only a sensitive touch-up to be really top class - unfortunately I don't think that work has yet materialised. Here's my piece from 2007. http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/King’s-Course-Golf-Club-Bled/1222/Default.aspx#.Up2ehJEmQYV

Budersand, Sylt, Germany. Excellent links constructed on a former airbase (by reconstructing the duneland that was there before the airbase) by local architect Rolf-Stephan Hansen. Remarkably, his first course. IMO the best course I have seen in Germany (Falkenstein could and should be better still but it's not showing to best effect and needs restoration).

Royal des Fagnes, Spa, Belgium. Brilliant piece of Simpson design on a quite glorious piece of ground. Chronically over-treed and badly managed. Combine this with poor soil and you have a course that is really only a shadow of its true self. Frank Pont is consulting there. Hopefully he can persuade them to engage in full-scale Chainsaw Action (tm) and hire a proper head greenkeeper with fine turf experience. Only the soil and the management prevent Spa from being regarded alongside Morfontaine IMO.

[Jonathan Davison]

Sand Valley in Poland and the Penati Golf Resort in Slovakia are two which spring to mind in eastern Europe.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Karen GC in Nairobi..wonderful setting, great food and wonderful terrain
http://www.karencountryclub.org/Golf.aspx

[Mark Pearce]

Goswick in Northumberland

[Greg Gilson]

Bridport is not as "less travelled" as it used to be so cannot count Barnbougle Dunes & Lost Farm.

Therefore, Port Fairy at (more or less) the end of the Great Ocean Road south west of Melbourne.

[Thomas Dai]

Therefore, Port Fairy at (more or less) the end of the Great Ocean Road south west of Melbourne.

Although there are now less Apostles standing The Great Ocean Road is a road well worth travelling even without golf.
Arn't there other interesting courses along that coast as well? I recall one that was covered wall-to-wall with kangaroo's, Anglesea perhaps?
ATB

[Thomas Dai]

Just 4 possibles from the near-edges of the UK mainland north, south, east, west - Wick. West Cornwall. Aldeburgh. Cardigan.
ATB

having played three of the four, I guess I need to get to Adleburgh (wherever that is )

Jeff,

I mentioned these 4 as being just about the extreme ends of geographical mainland UK.

Now I see on another thread that you've been to Hunstanton as well, so a simple question - where around the shores (and inland) of UK&I haven't you played but would like too?

ATB

[jeffwarne]

Just 4 possibles from the near-edges of the UK mainland north, south, east, west - Wick. West Cornwall. Aldeburgh. Cardigan.
ATB

having played three of the four, I guess I need to get to Adleburgh (wherever that is )

Jeff,

I mentioned these 4 as being just about the extreme ends of geographical mainland UK.

Now I see on another thread that you've been to Hunstanton as well, so a simple question - where around the shores (and inland) of UK&I haven't you played but would like too?

ATB

well Adelburgh for one

not much around London heathland
no Kent yet
like to go to The Shetlands, Durness, Askernish, Goswick,
Silloth (had to cancel)
Kington-may be driving right past it this summer depending on route:
northeast coast of Scotland between Fortrose and Rosemarkie and Cruden Bay (both of which I've played)

and no doubt dozens of others I've never heard of

[Mark Chaplin]

I'd nominate Hayling as it's off the golfing trail. Knole Park and Wildernese in Sevenoaks are well worth a trip. Purdis Heath in Ipswich is tres bon.

[jeffwarne]

I'd nominate Hayling as it's off the golfing trail. Knole Park and Wildernese in Sevenoaks are well worth a trip. Purdis Heath in Ipswich is tres bon.

My assistant grew up in Portsmouth and his father was a member at Liphook.
I asked him about Hayling-he said they played it a couple times in the winter when the inland courses were wet, but he said he and his friends didn't enjoy those crappy links courses with no proper trees, .
I took him on a trip to Cornwall (from the US) and he hadn't heard of any of the courses we played.

[Niall C]

Jeff

Please pass on my regards to Gazza. He was gracious enough to let me win our match at Silloth 

Niall