Best golf course spoiled by housing

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I will nominate MacGregor Links near Saratoga, NY.  It was a wonderful Deveraux Emmit design when I played it years ago, however I have heard from several people that someone recently bought the course and has jammed houses/condos in on nearly every hole, just ruining a great place.

I was playing near this area today, and heard this same comments from yet another source.  I have not played it since, but when everyone sings the same tune, you have to believe it.

[buffett_guy]

I was about to post a note or two about my Myrtle trip but I did a search on "tidewater" first just to see if anything was out there on the GCA board. Pleasantly surprised to see quite a bit.

I didn't find the housing on the course to be too distracting at Tidewater. In fact the bigger distraction was the masses of housing that spoil the views of property that is NOT part of the course. Every time you look over the marshes you just see a ton of houses. I found that the housing was a good distance from the holes and that the trees were mature enough to improve the buffer zones. At most new golf communities the trees are so young as to not provide much privacy and protection.

The houses are still going up btw. We were aware of construction sites and sounds on several holes during the day. I can see how this course has been diminished somewhat by the housing. All in all though, I was very impressed with the courses and will add some details in a new thread.

[Tim_Weiman]

Those who nominated Wild Dunes for this dubious honor must be correct. I played this course in the very beginning when there was nothing there except a trailer and lead real estate salesman John Gahnt with a chainsaw in the trunk of his car for anyone who would put down money for a lot.

John was a riot and brilliantly successful, but the price was the destruction of what made Wild Dunes really cool.

Tom Huckaby refers to some old pictures of Pasatiempo to make a claim for the Mackenzie course. But, even with the real estate development, Pasatiempo has retained a classy feel much more than Wild Dunes. They aren't in the same league - Wild Dunes has been viciously scarred to be point where you feel it could be on that awful strip in Myrtle Beach.