Top Five Courses You Could Play...But Are Not Worth The Effort.

[Kevin_D]

This is why golf course architecture is interesting. Some courses are clearly going to favor some players. Nobody has all the moves for a given course other than maybe Tiger at his peak.

100% true.  And of course, that is what drives most of the players' comments on golf course design -- what they are really complaining about is "this course does not set up well for ME".

Tom,

What are your Top 3 narrowest original courses?

PS. Caveat for course owners, Tom Doak's narrowest course are probably wider than 90% of all courses.  

Stonewall Old has to be one.  Plus it actually plays even more narrow with slanted fairways on most holes.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Gib,

It not only lives up to the hype, it exceeds it.

It is a spectacular golf course.

And the really neat thing about playing it for the first time is that you feel as if you're almost at your home course because you're so  familiar with the holes, courtesy of the years of watching the telecast.

You've seen hundreds, if not thousands of the best golfers in the world play shots on these holes, and when you hit a great shot, you'll compare it with one you saw on TV.  There's a vicarious quality about the course that's quite enjoyable.

The course is user friendly.
The fairways are wide and the playing surfaces are very favorable.

Give it a chance.

[Lou_Duran]

Not having been weaned on a dill pickle, there are not 5 top courses I would not make a considerable effort to play (I can only think of two, but out of deference to members I know who might be offended, they will be unnamed).  

Augusta National is at the top of my bucket list by itself (seen couple Masters practice rounds).  Royal Melbourne, Pine Valley, Royal Dornoch,  Royal County Down, and Fishers Island make my next 5.  And no, except for Augusta National, this is not a veiled attempt to gain an invitation.

[Mike Hendren]

But going to London for a week and spending most of it playing golf is a crying shame.   

David, welcome back.  I spent 4 of our 10 days in London catching trains and playing 6 rounds.  The real shame for anyone even remotely interested in golf architecture would be to miss the likes of  Walton Heath, Sunningdale, Sandwich, Deal and even Huntercombe.  I'd call them a push with St. Paul's, The British Library, Westminster Abbey, The National Galllery and other sites.  Oh, I forgot Wodehouse's Wooster and Jeeves in Perfect Nonsense at the Duke of York Threatre.  

Simply put, it was my best golf trip ever - by far.

Go.  You might even wind up eating another scorecard.

Bogey