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Matt Waidmann

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So having spent many hours reading the posts on this site over the years, I feel like I know what everyone thinks a golf course should aspire to be, but when it comes down to it, if you had to play one golf course for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

Having not played many of the best courses in the world, my choice would be Pacific Dunes at this point.  Being an Ohio boy, playing there was a dream come true and the course exceeded my expectations...could have been the 74 I shot, but I found it demanding and fair, while being aesthetically gorgeous both design wise and the natural surroundings.  Only Doak course I've played and I hope it's not the last

Ari Techner

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2014, 04:25:48 AM »
For me the easy answer is Sand Hills.  IMO there is no finer golf course and golf experience in the world.  I can't think of anything more appealing than being able to play there every day.

Second would be NGLA.   

Welcome to GCA.   

Matt MacIver

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2014, 06:03:04 AM »
A predictable answer for me, The Old Course.  It can play easy or hard depending on the day and weather, it's an easy walk and your never far from a jigger if you need something to warm you up or regain your footing.

Carl Nichols

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2014, 10:27:07 AM »
Assuming climate is relevant, and limiting myself to courses I've played, LA Country Club. 

If climate doesn't matter, then either LACC, Eastward Ho! or Royal County Down. 

Tim_Weiman

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2014, 10:57:34 AM »
Matt:

It is very hard to pick one course. Based on personal friendships and experience, mine would have to be Ballybunion. Purely for architectural enjoyment North Berwick. For great golf while aging and avoiding a golf cart Kingston Heath. And, if weather is a factor I'd go with a muni I played many times while living in Long Beach, CA Rec Park.
Tim Weiman

Jason Thurman

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2014, 10:58:49 AM »
Process of elimination:

If I lived in an imaginary world where it wasn't always clogged with tourists and didn't cost a ridiculous amount, I'd take Pebble Beach. Sadly, I live in the real world and the slow round times make it a non-starter. The same issues apply with Pinehurst No. 2, which is sad since it would be a real joy to crack the code of that course over multiple plays if only those multiple plays didn't involve spending so much time standing in the fairway with my hands on my hips while a pack of fat guys waddles from their path-only cart to their ball before ping-ponging it back and forth over the green three times each.

That leaves me with two options that would both excite me - The Dunes Course at The Prairie Club, or Crystal Downs. The Prairie Club would be wonderful to play every day with its astounding elasticity and overwhelming number of options on each hole. It could truly be a different course every day of the year and those huge corridors and high winds would give me a great platform to refine my ballstriking. But it's also a very challenging walk and while the collection of gentleman's clubs in Valentine is surprisingly large considering the size of the town, I'm sure they would eventually grow stale.

Crystal Downs is a slightly easier walk and has the better variety of holes, though less elasticity within each hole and fewer options on each. It's probably a little less interesting from a ballstriking standpoint, but much more interesting on and around the greens than The Prairie Club. Like Pinehurst No. 2, it would be a blast to spend the rest of my golfing years trying to crack its codes. Unlike Pinehurst, it's in an environment that I would love entering every day.

Gun to my head, I'm choosing The Prairie Club. Crystal Downs is probably the better course, but for me personally I'd rather compress the ball and carve it through the wind off fine fescue turf for the rest of my life than deal with the frayed nerves and mental demons that grow from putting and chipping the greens at Crystal Downs every day. My inner Hogan is just stronger than my inner Faxon, as this spring has proved beyond a doubt.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Tim Gavrich

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2014, 11:07:01 AM »
Matt--

Welcome! Always great to see new participants.

I'm quite certain that, given all factors internal and external, Old Town Club would be my choice. Coore and Crenshaw breathed effervescence into a Perry Maxwell classic last year, and it's just a wonderful place.

--Tim
Senior Writer, GolfPass

Jason Topp

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2014, 11:21:18 AM »
Sand Hills - it has the right combination of sound architecture, a magic setting and originality.

Jud_T

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2014, 11:33:49 AM »
Ballybunion Cashen.  My goal isn't better golf so much as to take my drinking to an entirely new level.
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

Michael Ryan

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2014, 11:35:22 AM »
Some may have trouble answering this as it's really hard to split hairs amongst some of the great golf courses in the World.  I however, do not have trouble...Shinnecock Hills in my opinion is the finest golf course I have ever played.  The combo of routing, shot value, resistance to scoring, the perfect amount of elevation, conditioning, memorable holes are all tied up in a package that somehow defies logic and is fun to play.  It benefits from being in a location that brings wind into play.  A prevailing wind during the summer months that works in concert with the routing and a variability in wind direction that makes it play very differently at times.  While I believe the previous statement regarding Shinnecock can be made about many of the top golf courses in most people's peg board, I believe it has one unique characteristic that is hard to measure and may be one person's opinion.  It seems the challenge across handicap levels tends to be inverse to most other courses.  By that I mean I believe it challenges the better golfers to the extreme and still allows the mid to high handicapper to play a comfortable game.  I don't believe the same can be said about courses such as Pine Valley and Winged Foot West.  Bring a 20 handicap to one of those courses and then Shinnecock and ask them which one of them they enjoyed more in the context of their own game, score, etc.

Mike

Garland Bayley

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2014, 12:25:29 PM »
Old MacDonald

Lots of interesting shots to play, lots if interesting lies to encounter, lots of strategic alternatives, lots of forgiveness for some of the wild shots I hit. It is enough of a penalty to be far out of position on a hole. There is no need for lost balls, dunked balls, and balls OB. And, there is still the possibility of a miraculous recovery which increases the enjoyment of the game, and a match.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Rob Curtiss

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2014, 12:28:26 PM »
Monterey Peninsula - Shore Course

Is it the best course in the world - no, but it is definitely one of the most fun.
I like that it has has some inland holes and a bunch of holes on the ocean. It plays different when windy and when not.
It can be enjoyed by a high handicapper or a scratch player.

It is a really nice walk- both easy on your feet and on your eyes.

I think the clubhouse is great and its always cool to play a course that the pros play and you can see it on TV ( although they dont show it enough because of Pebble )
« Last Edit: April 25, 2014, 12:30:30 PM by Rob Curtiss »

Charlie Gallagher

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2014, 01:11:06 PM »
Matt,
   Welcome.
    I love the variety of great courses others are revealing their preferences for, so many fine choices. For me, it would be Mike Nuzzo's wonderous Wolf Point and for many of the same reasons GJ laid out about Old Mac.
   Nice answer Jud T! Having played the Cashen I can affirm that I would have an identical reaction if I had to play it everyday.
    I wouldn't mind playing it again, however.

Ed Brzezowski

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2014, 01:19:30 PM »
Hello Matt,

I'll be your huckleberry, Merion East.

I don't think there is a finer mix of holes on the planet, while I love TOC Merion is a great track.

First you open on one of the best opening holes in golf with someone always watching you combat the butterflies while having a sandwich. You then cross the road and have a nice par five followed by a difficult par three. Then back to a long par five and then the most difficult hole on the course.

The quality of the closing five holes has no comparison. For mixture of length and quality of putting surfaces this old girl is my choice.

ed
We have a pool and a pond, the pond would be good for you.

Wayne Wiggins, Jr.

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2014, 01:59:27 PM »
Favorite course - Merion (East).
Favorite place for golf -- Valley Club of Montecito
Favorite public - Rustic Canyon

Matt Waidmann

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #15 on: April 26, 2014, 09:36:56 PM »
Great answers gentlemen.  A nice varied selection, but at heart the courses all seem to share a lot of the same characteristics.  Personal preference is so interesting to me, whether it is golf courses or beer, someone will always have a different opinion on what is great and why it is great.  Whether it is Merion vs. Sand Hills or Goose Island Bourbon County Stout vs. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout...neither is bad or has anything wrong with it, it's just personal preference.  Good stuff, thanks guys.

Sam Morrow

Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #16 on: April 26, 2014, 11:51:15 PM »
Favorite course is Wolf Point. Or wherever I'm playing next.

Mac Plumart

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2014, 06:07:58 PM »
I could certainly play The Golf Club for the rest of my life as be happy.

And Augusta National gets everything right in my
Mind.
Sportsman/Adventure loving golfer.

Jim Franklin

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2014, 08:57:03 AM »
Rock Creek Cattle Company. It has everything I want. Peaceful setting, tremendous variety, fun greens, firm/fast fairways, shot varieties, and great food.
Mr Hurricane

Tommy Williamsen

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2014, 11:02:17 AM »
It is an easy answer for me:  Cypress Point. It has it all.  Exceptional golf and spectacular setting.
Where there is no love, put love; there you will find love.
St. John of the Cross

"Deep within your soul-space is a magnificent cathedral where you are sweet beyond telling." Rumi

Terry Lavin

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #20 on: April 28, 2014, 11:08:37 AM »
Another vote for Sand Hills.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Ryan Hillenbrand

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #21 on: April 28, 2014, 05:07:51 PM »
Being a new member too I have yet to play a ton of the Top 100s.

I'd have to go with Pebble Beach over Pacific Dunes. While the total quality of holes may not stack up, the sheer beauty of Monterey beats Bandon. I also think Pebble's best holes trump Pacific's best.

Which leads me to my #1 "want to play" - Cypress Point. Driving past it on 17 mile drive left me in awe of the place.

Carl Johnson

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #22 on: April 28, 2014, 05:16:42 PM »
Matt, this is probably not the sort of answer you're looking for, but my favorite course is my home course, Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte.  Other people have asked me that, and I given them the same answer.  I've not played the great privates in the US, but given their openness to visitors I have played a lot of the "great ones" in Scotland and Ireland.  Still, I'd rather play my home couse than anywhere else.  In fact, I just got in from watching Monday qualifying at Carolina for the upcoming Wells Fargo Championship (at Quail Hollow Club).  I don't think it can be beat for watching golf either.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2014, 05:18:27 PM by Carl Johnson »

Matt Waidmann

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #23 on: April 28, 2014, 07:14:56 PM »
Carl - Carolina Country Club was not a course I was expecting to hear, but that is the beauty of the question, everyone is coming from a different perspective and when you find a course you love you know it and every other one plays second fiddle.

Carl Johnson

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Re: Getting a Feel for People's Favorite Courses as a New Member
« Reply #24 on: April 28, 2014, 07:43:27 PM »
Carl - Carolina Country Club was not a course I was expecting to hear, but that is the beauty of the question, everyone is coming from a different perspective and when you find a course you love you know it and every other one plays second fiddle.

Matt, just to be clear  :).  It's Carolina Golf Club, not Carolina Country Club.  :)  We're just a small golf club (w/swimming pool because we're in "the south"). :)
« Last Edit: April 28, 2014, 07:45:46 PM by Carl Johnson »

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