These come from two principal trips: a southeastern swing (as part of my teaching sabbatical) in the January-February stretch, then a mainly-Providence stretch with the inimitable KPL in the summer. (And why does this discussion board continuously do random size/tab/color edits to our posts? One would think that the folks who host the site for Ran would have a half a clue on how to fix this, two years in.)
MOST SURPRISING NEW PLAY PRIVATE COURSE:
Black Hall Club in southern Connecticut. I stumble onto these RTJ SR. courses from time to time that remind me of how well his work can show. It has trees, but they are culling a number of them, to offer more air. Sometimes, in keeping with a region, a hole or two can/should be intimate, and require accuracy off the tee to open up the proper shot to the green. If a punch-cut or punch-draw option is offered, trees don't have to be your enemy.
RUNNER -UP:
Wannamoisset in Providence. Perhaps it came with the baggage of greatness-predicted, which was too much to live up to. You forget that a great course on only 90 acres of land is going to feel constrained, no matter how many people tell you that it does not feel constrained...those people lie. What they mean is this-for a course on 90 acres only, it is stunning that it doesn't feel more constrained.
MOST DISAPPOINTING NEW PLAY PRIVATE COURSE:
Metacomet near Providence. Part of the reason I disliked the place was the miscommunication. They knew we were stopping by and that our schedule was tight, but somehow failed to tell us that the final round of the Rhode Island senior amateur was being played that morning, and we would have to wait until noon (which we couldn't do, as we had Black Hall in the PM) to tee off. Had we known ahead of time, we could have moved a course or two around and made it work. We toured and photographed the course anyway, and liked a lot of the vistas. There seemed to be an uncertainty as to which way to go with rough and conditioning, as both were inconsistent across the course.
MOST SURPRISING NEW PLAY PUBLIC COURSE:
Buffalo Creek in Palmetto, Florida. I didn't get to play the entire course, as I confronted the plaque that is snowbirdism full on. Despite having plenty of time and light to finish, these pesky old critters, known as the geriatric set, moved in packs from ball to ball, unrestricted to gender. I ended up driving the last 4-5 holes to get my photographs. However, the course that I played was awesome in its inexpensiveness and its openness to wind and weather. What a blast! I would recommend it to people on a limited budget, interested in hitting all class of linksy and aerial shots (the best of both worlds.)
RUNNER-UP:
Caledonia in Pawley's Island, S.C. I believe that this one came with the same baggage as Wannamoisett. It was an absolute blast and I love Strantz even more (only Bull's Bay to go on this coast) than I did previously. It was excellent and it was diverse, and I recommend to anyone the True Blue-Caledonia double, as they are not the same golf course, despite their proximity to each other. What Strantz did at Caledonia was tuck holes impossibly into spaces that cannot contain them. Perhaps it's a southern cousin to Wannamoisett.
MOST FUN NEW PLAY PRIVATE :
Wanumetonomy near Providence.This is a terrific club, on the water at times, that maneuvers over a sloped piece of land. It has a wonderful vibe from cart barn to pro shop to grill room ... and out to the golf course. There are short par fours that you plan to devour...that engulf you and laugh at your double-bogey. There is strategy galore, as well as a series of template holes (it is a Raynor.) If it lacks anything, it is memorable par-three holes.
BEST TOUR COURSE:
Innisbrook Copperhead in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The only one I played this year. Since I was a kid in the late 1970s, I had read about this course and how much the tour players enjoyed it. A true challenge, they called it. I had the chance to play it this year, about two weeks before the tournament. As we played, they were building the grandstands, television booths and luxury boxes. It was a solid test, with rough that is too thick for the Tour pros and amateur tourists. There is one hole that makes absolutely no sense, and a lot of eye candy. But I loved the place, and my 14-year old self is smiling.
MOST IMPROVED PUBLIC COURSE:
Triggs Memorial in Providence. I played Triggs about seven years ago, like it but did not love it. I played it again this summer and absolutely loved it. The only complaint I had was the stupid tee shot on the par-five 15th hole (
http://triggs.us/the-course/#hole15) where you have no idea how far the wetlands extend because ... you can't see the wetlands' end due to the high wetlands. No sign with yardages, nothing. Everything else was spectacular, including the starter who said "get the hell out ahead of that couple or you'll never finish," then delayed them so we could skip ahead, and the cops eating lunch in the clubhouse with the unbelievable kitchen staff (eat there even if you're not golfing.) The course is under new management and the firm conditions, proper vegetation and intricate layout are absolutely worth twice the green fee.
RUNNER UP:
Southern Pines in Southern Pines, N.C. I don't know if they've done anything to improve it, but my round with Jay Mickel was delightful and SP reminded me that one never has to set foot on the resort in town to make it a memorable, rewarding trip. Southern Pines has to hold the record for greatest number of chumps who looked at yardage and expected a walk in the park. I saw two guys get a fish hook out of a duck's bill this time around, so it is a caring place, to boot.
MOST BIZARRE GOLF COURSE: Tie between
Tega Cay in Tega Cay, S.C., and
Ballantyne (the public one) in Charlotte. We were treated wonderfully at each course, but their layouts are quirky at best, and not in a good way. Memorable for a one-time play, but no more.