Favorite Muni (Non well known course)

[Nigel Islam]

Riverside (Austin, TX) - Encroachment from the college has altered the routing, but this old Maxwell course, long home to Harvey Penick, has some great bones.

Charleston Municipal (Charleston, SC) - probably my favorite. A classic, with the feel of a Raynor, that you can walk for less than $20.

Brian, are there any template holes At Charleston? Hard to tell from satellite view

[Matt Bielawa]

Coronado

[J_ Crisham]

Waveland if just for the views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Golf is adequate at best but on a clear day the views are spectacular .

[Kevin_D]

Another vote for Jeffersonville

And Montauk Downs, if it counts as non-famous

[Pete_Pittock]

Pacific Grove
Eastmoreland. I've got to get around to ordering old aerials.

[Matt Neff]

Raymond Memorial in Columbus (RTJ Sr.) is awesome.  Actually one of two RTJ courses in the Columbus muni line-up (Champions is the other) but is easily the best.

[Kevin Lynch]

I've had the fortune of stumbling on a few nice municipal courses while traveling for work:

Sleepy Hollow - Stanley Thompson (City of Cleveland)
Cleveland has a very nice collection of classics in its muni portfolio.  While I haven't played them, I believe Manakiki is a Donald Ross and Big Met is also a Thompson.

Whirlpool Golf Course - Stanley Thompson (City of Niagara Falls, CA)

Little Bennett - Hurdzan (Montgomery County, MD)

[Rees Milikin]

Would Aiken Golf Club qualify (Aiken, SC), it certainly is cheap enough.

Hard Labor Creek (Rutledge, GA).

Ocala Golf Club (Ocala, FL)

Winter Park 9 hole course (Winter Park, FL)

[BHoover]

Raymond Memorial in Columbus (RTJ Sr.) is awesome.  Actually one of two RTJ courses in the Columbus muni line-up (Champions is the other) but is easily the best.

Can't agree with you about Raymond. I'm not saying it's bad, but I certainly can't say that it qualifies as awesome. It's just not that interesting to me. I do think that Blacklick Woods is pretty good. Much prefer it to Raymond.

Goodpark in Akron is decent. Manikiki in the Cleveland metro parks is good too.

[Matt Neff]

Can't agree with you about Raymond. I'm not saying it's bad, but I certainly can't say that it qualifies as awesome. It's just not that interesting to me. I do think that Blacklick Woods is pretty good. Much prefer it to Raymond.

Goodpark in Akron is decent. Manikiki in the Cleveland metro parks is good too.

To each his own I guess.  While I agree it's a pretty good golf course, I'm not a fan of Blacklick - primarily, to be honest, because I always play horribly there.  

I think RM has some pretty cool green complexes (and admittedly some rather ordinary ones) especially the par 5 (wanna say 16 but not sure - it's been a while) that runs along the property line on the northwest side of the course.  While "awesome" may be a tad strong in comparison to other non-muni options in town, I think the design combined with the level of maintenance for a municipal course is pretty impressive and likewise for Blacklick.

[John Percival]

Terry,
Ur spot on w/ Rackam. The back nine is one serious test of golf. When one plays 2 and 4, you can see the old fwy bends and bunkers and realize how good they were. Of course 696 had to happen, but maybe they could have done one of those large covered sections like in Oak Park to preserve the original.

My nominee would be Bethlehem Muni. Big course, with some interesting greens and a routing that constantly tacks. Enough brawn and finesse and some standout holes at 3, 10 and 16. In the hands of talent, it could be top 50.

[Rob Curtiss]

I live in Floirda and have yet to play a great Muni.

I did play Kensington in Michigan a few years back and it was pretty good.

Plan on playing a bunch of muni's this year , so will get back to you guys.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Appreciate the shout out on my Lincoln courses.

I would think that this list would be populated with 1980-2005 era public courses.  We had a lot of gca's designing public courses with enough budget, and enough motivation to do something good in that era.

[Bill Hoyle]

Rackam in Detroit is worth a posted agreement.
Formerly well known is the Tanglewood Championship track in Clemmons, NC.  When tobacco money left big time golf the support for keeping Tanglewood as an A level track stopped as well.  The 'spend less' attitude of the local government makes golfers suffer, but it is still a wonderful, though increasingly short layout.

[Jim Nugent]

Some good history on an urban muni--Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri USA

http://www.westendword.com/Articles-c-2012-05-08-180337.114137-The-Park-Turns-100.html#123

Tom, the article says they built the old flat 9-hole course first.  Then they added a second and third nine, which together formed the old 18-hole course, in 1913 and 1915.  In 1913, if they used the same routing as in 1970, number nine finished a mile away from the 1st tee.  That seems unlikely.  

Here's a routing that might have made sense, using the numbering from 1970:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16, 17, 18.  

IIRC, the walk between 5 green and 15 tee was not all that long.  If this is what took place, my guess is that Foulis designed the entire 18 holes, with the full routing in mind, before construction began, and only used the first 9 hole loop as an interim device, until they finished the full course.  

Do you think they moved much dirt to build the course?  Thinking back, it looks like hardly any.  

Instead of the major overhaul Irwin's firm did, what would you think if they had stretched out a few holes, made the greens and bunkers more interesting, but kept the same routing/holes?  I personally really liked a number of holes that are now NLE, especially 1-4 and 17.  For me, old 18 was the weakest/most boring hole on the course.  

[Ronald Montesano]

Formerly well known is the Tanglewood Championship track in Clemmons, NC.  When tobacco money left big time golf the support for keeping Tanglewood as an A level track stopped as well.  The 'spend less' attitude of the local government makes golfers suffer, but it is still a wonderful, though increasingly short layout.

Bill,

Are both courses still open, plus the par-three layout? In what way (I know it should be obvious) are they shortening the course?

[Ross Tuddenham]

Braids Hill in Edinburgh and of course Musselburgh Old

Jon

I would also have the braids as my favorite muni.  I was signed up to the edinburgh leisure scheme for about 3 years while living in Edinburgh and must have played the braids at least 100 times.  

[Ben Voelker]

Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska by our very own Jeff Brauer

This thread is gettin' kind of spooky. I was born in Lincoln and lived in the Highlands before that course existed. I think they'd been planning it for 15-20 years before it finally opened. I did eventually get to play it later, and enjoyed it. Woodland Hills is another one of Jeff's in the area that is a lot of fun to play.

I'll vouch for all the munis in Lincoln as being particularly fun, actually. I always liked Pioneers too; whenever we went back to visit relatives, we usually played a couple of rounds there. That's a really interesting example of an 18-hole course that is completely bunkerless, if anyone is every curious.

You guys have good taste.

Matthew,

I grew up in Lincoln as well.  I always enjoyed Pioneers as well but wish they cut some of the rough back around the greens.

I never appreciated the quality of public golf we had in the Lincoln area until I was gone.  Now I honestly long to play Highlands when I come back.

[Mike Schott]

I live in Floirda and have yet to play a great Muni.

I did play Kensington in Michigan a few years back and it was pretty good.

Plan on playing a bunch of muni's this year , so will get back to you guys.

I've played Kensington many times and it's OK. There are a few just plain weird holes and needs bunkering but the land, especially near the lake and the southern area near I-96 is good.

I'm not as big a fan of Rackham as many here as each time I've played it was slow as molasses. 18 is a gem and there are some nice short par 4's but the first few hole that were altered by the freeway are totally lacking in imagination.

Also in SE Michigan I'd recommend Dunham Hills in Hartland (needs some tree clearing) and a course often mentioned, Leslie Park in Ann Arbor.

[BCowan]

I am dying to play Roseland (Ross Muni in Windsor,ON) after they put $1million+ into the course for a restoration.  I saw photos and it looks great.  Gotta get ID for getting into Canada without a passport!  Play Essex (private) as well when i make it over.

I have only played one Canadian Muni but i noticed Roseland was in much better shape than most American Muni's i have played.  

[Josh Bills]

Raymond Memorial in Columbus (RTJ Sr.) is awesome.  Actually one of two RTJ courses in the Columbus muni line-up (Champions is the other) but is easily the best.

Matt,

I would say RM is adequate at best and frankly usually too crowded to enjoy. I have played it about 15 times over the years and never considered the word awesome, but respectable and a pleasant walk. As I looked at the website I don't remember the par 3 holes having two tees and two greens to allow for faster play.

"Mr. Jones thought outside the box in designing this delightful facility which includes twin par 3 holes. Each par 3 hole is actually two parallel holes complete with tees, fairways and greens. The idea behind this feature was to allow play to move at a more reasonable  pace by allowing faster players to advance ahead of the slower foursomes. Raymond Memorial was the first course in the United States to have such a feature"

I don't remember this at all and not sure if it would actually work. I would say Champions or Blacklick are better architecturally.

[Dan Herrmann]

I'll pick 3:
Sheridan Park, Tonawanda NY (William Harries)
Eastmoreland, Portland, OR
Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia, PA (although it may not remain a secret much longer!)

[Tom Walsh]

Some good history on an urban muni--Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri USA

http://www.westendword.com/Articles-c-2012-05-08-180337.114137-The-Park-Turns-100.html#123

Tom, the article says they built the old flat 9-hole course first.  Then they added a second and third nine, which together formed the old 18-hole course, in 1913 and 1915.  In 1913, if they used the same routing as in 1970, number nine finished a mile away from the 1st tee.  That seems unlikely.  

Here's a routing that might have made sense, using the numbering from 1970:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 16, 17, 18.  

IIRC, the walk between 5 green and 15 tee was not all that long.  If this is what took place, my guess is that Foulis designed the entire 18 holes, with the full routing in mind, before construction began, and only used the first 9 hole loop as an interim device, until they finished the full course.  

Do you think they moved much dirt to build the course?  Thinking back, it looks like hardly any.  

Instead of the major overhaul Irwin's firm did, what would you think if they had stretched out a few holes, made the greens and bunkers more interesting, but kept the same routing/holes?  I personally really liked a number of holes that are now NLE, especially 1-4 and 17.  For me, old 18 was the weakest/most boring hole on the course.  

Jim- 5 green and 15 tee were (are) about 60-80 yards apart. I'm not sure about the routing--but maybe?

They absolutely did not move much dirt. In some places you could squint and see the outlines of old foundations/infrastructure from the fair.

Part of the deal to get the redesign done was to move golf off of Art Hill. That removed 2-3-4. Also 17 over the lake was removed. I kind of miss playing on Art Hill--picknickers, walkers, kite flyers oblivious to golfers on the tee above them peppering them with drivers. We'd give them one good 'fore' and off we'd go. The fairway was at least 200 yards wide!

Yep- the old #18 was weak--about 330 yards up the tree line next to #1

You know 75% of the course still uses the routing built by Robert Foulis. Dwight Davis was a smart man  

[David Davis]

My favorite not well known, in fact, not known by any of you at all muni would be Stippleberg here in The Netherlands which just received course of the year here. I'd go back to play it again and even pay for it.

[Thomas Dai]

I think Ally mentioned the Hazlehead muni's in Aberdeen in a recent thread, one of which is a Dr MacKenzie course. There's also Balnagask and Kings Links but I guess visitors heading for the Granite City are probably more likely to focus on Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay, maybe Murcar and um, what's that new one on the coast called again?

Lots of muni's in Scotland including places where several different 'clubs' play over the same muni/trust course(s) - Montrose, Carnoustie and StA being the obvious ones. Don't the likes of Troon and Prestwick have muni's adjacent to their famous clubs?

ATB