Thanks to GCA.com for still finding courses we need to see

[Jeff_Lewis]

I don't come on much any more.  Feels like there isn't much fresh ground to cover.  Yet, in the last few weeks, I was introduced to 3 courses I have never heard of that look really interesting.   Skyway, Budersand, and Culver.   Thanks, guys, for staying curious and continuing the search. 

I would be curious what your "5 you have to see that aren't widely rated" list is -

[Ulrich Mayring]

My five ones are:

1. Cork
2. Acquasanta
3. Hubbelrath (East)
4. Belle Dune
5. Millstätter See

I've been conscious to only include one course per country, so these are not the five absolute best I've played, which I consider lesser known. But they're all worth a game.

Ulrich

[MCirba]

Where else can one discuss the provenance of Gearhart Links?

[Mike Sweeney]

I am still waiting for "The Arble Scale" which combines Doak Scale Qualities + Cost + Travel Distance from major airports or something similar.


I can't imagine that Cape Arundel would not be a 10 on the Arble Scale with the great greens, 2 hours from Logan Airport, and Maine semi-private fees.

[J_ Crisham]

Jeff,
     A few that I think would really surprise / impress you are Elgin CC, Davenport CC , TPC at Deere Run, and Cedar Rapids CC . These courses have very good terrain and are challenging yet lots of fun. I suspect you will be hearing quite a bit about DCC and CRCC as word gets out .

[BCowan]

Great thread

Diamond Springs, Muskegon CC, Champion Hills, Birmingham CC, and Bloomfield Hills CC.

[MCirba]

I am still waiting for "The Arble Scale" which combines Doak Scale Qualities + Cost + Travel Distance from major airports or something similar.


I can't imagine that Cape Arundel would not be a 10 on the Arble Scale with the great greens, 2 hours from Logan Airport, and Maine semi-private fees.

Ditto Kebo Valley, Mike.

[Sean_A]

I am still waiting for "The Arble Scale" which combines Doak Scale Qualities + Cost + Travel Distance from major airports or something similar.


I can't imagine that Cape Arundel would not be a 10 on the Arble Scale with the great greens, 2 hours from Logan Airport, and Maine semi-private fees.

Sweeney

I was talking to my brother about a trip to the northeast to see a slew of courses you have written about.  It won't happen any time soon, but a man can dream.

There ain't many courses which are good and distinctive and cheap (say less than $50) and have no access issues.  I would say only 15ish crack my Happy 100....but I just may have added one this past week.

Ciao

[David Davis]

Utrecht de Pan (the Netherlands, near Amsterdam, like everything else in the country) (after a consistent clearing program and proper maintenance work) in proper shape this year to really be able to lay claim to being one of Colt's very best efforts if not the best!


El Saler (Spain, near Valencia) one of the top 2 courses in Spain depending on how you rate Valderrama. Though hardly anyone has ever seen it.


Fontainebleau (France, near Paris) the bones of a Top 100 World Course, all it needs is a little loving...bring your chainsaw.


Eindhovense Golf Club (The Netherlands, near Eindhoven (or Amsterdam if you will), another Colt gem that's undergone extensive tree clearing and firming up the last two years.


Astoria Golf Club (and perhaps Gearhart Golf Links) - if you actually think there are no true links courses in the US you haven't been here. I note omission from George Peppers book, after visiting them even wrote him about it and he hadn't heard of them. They are true links courses and that alone puts them above 99% of the golf courses in the US. IMO. Go Oregon!

[Jeff_Lewis]

David, love your calls, but those are not really "under the radar" courses.  El Saler was world top 100 and the other four are pretty well traveled.  Even I have played a couple of them!

[Garland Bayley]

Utrecht de Pan (the Netherlands, near Amsterdam, like everything else in the country) (after a consistent clearing program and proper maintenance work) in proper shape this year to really be able to lay claim to being one of Colt's very best efforts if not the best!


El Saler (Spain, near Valencia) one of the top 2 courses in Spain depending on how you rate Valderrama. Though hardly anyone has ever seen it.


Fontainebleau (France, near Paris) the bones of a Top 100 World Course, all it needs is a little loving...bring your chainsaw.


Eindhovense Golf Club (The Netherlands, near Eindhoven (or Amsterdam if you will), another Colt gem that's undergone extensive tree clearing and firming up the last two years.


Astoria Golf Club (and perhaps Gearhart Golf Links) - if you actually think there are no true links courses in the US you haven't been here. I note omission from George Peppers book, after visiting them even wrote him about it and he hadn't heard of them. They are true links courses and that alone puts them above 99% of the golf courses in the US. IMO. Go Oregon!

As you know David, I diagree.
My home course plays more bouncy in the PNW than Gearhart. Astoria has wrong grass. This is why no one suggested them to Peper for consideration.

[Garland Bayley]

Thanks to Doak for finding Mulranny

[Brad Tufts]

Thanks to Doak for finding Mulranny

To some of us, it was never lost! 

[Carl Rogers]

This is a profoundly personal thread for me, as I discovered this web site by the accident of winning the Golf Magazine Armchair Architect Contest in the fall of 2005, prize being spending 3 days at the Bay of Dreams with Renaissance Design.  On thing gave way to another, met friend Scott Weersing through the site and that meant a fair amount of destination golf that I never would have been inspired to do.  Met Darius Oliver at Ballyhack, etc etc for many other people.
The site changed my life.

[Thomas Dai]

So far -


Minchinhampton Old - thank you Sean
Yelverton - thank you again Sean
Dunfanaghy - thank you Donal and Jeff
Annesley at RCD - thank you Rob and Emil
Mulranny - thank you several posters


One of the best features of this site is being 'tipped-off' as to interesting under-the-usual-radar places to go. There are also a few others that I need to play before they are added to the above.


atb

[Jeff_Lewis]

Thomas, I am guessing your list is either in Ireland or a Harry Potter book??? I believe you that those are real names, but they look like fiction. 

[Garland Bayley]

Thomas, I am guessing your list is either in Ireland or a Harry Potter book??? I believe you that those are real names, but they look like fiction.

First two England, last three Ireland.

[Thomas Dai]

Jeff,


As Garland correctly points out the first two are in England and the latter three are in Ireland and they certainly do have a Harry Potter book sound to them!


Incidentally, the first four have all been covered by a GCA photo-tour........just type the names into the search engine and you should find them. Hopefully the last one will have a photo-tour done soon. Oh, and play them all sometime...I doubt you'd be disappointed, quite the opposite in fact.😊


Atb

[Garland Bayley]

Let's hope John Mayhugh can give us the Mulranny tour.

[Tommy Williamsen]

There have been too many to count. Mark Rawlinson introduced to me a dozen lesser know gems in England and Wales including the mad Bull Bay in Wales and Delamere Forest and Prestbury in England. I likely wouldn't have played Kennemer or Morfontaine without this site. It has been a treasure trove of discovery.

[Kalen Braley]

I'm trying to get my head wrapped around this one..but what would qualify for "interesting" here.  I've played lots of off the path, very unknown courses that I thought were interesting, but not sure the treehouse would think such with many of the top notch gems you've played.


Does said course need to be at least a 5 on the DS?

[Garland Bayley]

I'm trying to get my head wrapped around this one..but what would qualify for "interesting" here.  I've played lots of off the path, very unknown courses that I thought were interesting, but not sure the treehouse would think such with many of the top notch gems you've played.


Does said course need to be at least a 5 on the DS?

Well, it certainly can't be a three.

[David Davis]

Astoria Golf Club (and perhaps Gearhart Golf Links) - if you actually think there are no true links courses in the US you haven't been here. I note omission from George Peppers book, after visiting them even wrote him about it and he hadn't heard of them. They are true links courses and that alone puts them above 99% of the golf courses in the US. IMO. Go Oregon!

As you know David, I diagree.
My home course plays more bouncy in the PNW than Gearhart. Astoria has wrong grass. This is why no one suggested them to Peper for consideration.

Garland,


That's not the reason he gave me. Let's not mistake maintenance issues for the determination of whether a course a links is or not. Even the firmest of links courses when overwatered get soft. Did you watch the open at Troon this year, the first day I believe it was the balls were spinning back off greens.


As to the grass, it's true that a normal characteristic of links courses is fine grasses but (without looking) I'm nearly certain there are courses in the book from warmer climates that are using something like bermuda which certainly isn't a fine grass. When I played Astoria it was a firm as any links courses I've ever played, I think we could call it hard pan as you had to land the ball well short of the green and roll it up.


The links between the fertile land and the see, sand based soil and dunes land. Check, check and check again.


Personally I've not seen a course in Oregon playing like that expect at Bandon Dunes.

[Garland Bayley]

I'm not talking about greens a bit softer than normal. I'm talking about drives embedding in the fairway. It's raining every day here in Ireland and there is none of that.
As for Astoria,  how many links have trees lining most fairways.

[Sean_A]

David

There is a huge difference between a clay based turf firming up in hotter months to be like cement (and conversely being a bog during wetter times) and the fine grasses of a links which if treated well should offer varying degrees of firmness throughout the year.

Ciao