Courses that I admire, but have not played and probably will not play...

[Mike Sweeney]

Wine Valley came up as one of my choices:

Mark Saltzman Tour - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48960.0.html




Reasons:


* Spending most of my time in the Northeast, we just don't see these wide open vistas.
* The greens look awesome.
* Bunkers look like a nice mix of eye candy and low key maintenance.
* The Low Key nature/style of the course, fits me.
* I like wine and I like the logo
* My preferred exotic travel is overseas, so while there are dozens of overseas courses that could be listed in England, Ireland, Scotland..., I still hope I can see those. If I ever play in the Northwest, it would probably be in a group and I don't see a group heading to Walla Walla

Hope the course is doing well. It opened at a time when little was opening.

Thoughts???

[Sean_A]

Sweeney

I have a long list which is shortened to 25 N America and 10 Rest of the World!  Excluding the obvious picks, I see Sweetens Cove at #15 N America.  Why...its all in the link below.

https://geekedongolf.com/2016/11/12/rob-collins-the-sweetens-cove-story/

I love the story behind the redesign. 

The property looks lovely and located in a wonderful spot. 

I have in the past few years become much more interested in 9 hole courses.

The attention to detail looks out of this world.

The green fees are representative of the real world. 

I find it difficult to believe that I will ever make it to Tennessee, but I hope the course does well and those associated with it prosper.

Ciao

[Niall C]

My wish list/to do list is somewhat less ambitious, being more local, and includes Royal Aberdeen, Askernish and the Machrie. Beyond the UK, everything else is probably wishful thinking for the foreseeable future although like the majority of folks on here, if an opportunity came to play Cypress Point……
 
Niall

[John Foley]

Mike - I keep an ever-changing list of architecturally interesting courses I want to see. Some are close and I'll eventually get to, some are far away pipe dreams I'll never get to. Actually knocking off two this week, The Loop & Forest Dunes. Wine Valley & Gamble Sands are great examples but I never get to the PNW. Hopefully some day.


Earlier this year I diverted on a trip in VA and played The Schoolhouse Nine. What a great concept and a very cool place.



Drove WAAY out of my way last fall to spend time at Sweetens Cove. It was out of this world - can't get out of my head that King-Collins actually delivered this course given the photos of the prior course. I am trying to get back thru again this fall. Want to add Sewanee also.


So little time, so much golf to see,

[Tim Gallant]

Lofoten Links looks spectacular, and certainly after reading a few reviews of playing through the night on a solid golf course, it has whet the appetite. However, I don't think I can justify spending that much time travelling out that way for one course, and doubt that I will ever make it out there...but I have learned, never say never!

[Jud_T]

1. Augusta National
2. Klub Rimba Irian
3. Shanqin Bay
4. Rio Olympic Course
5. The Jockey Club

[Tom_Doak]

1. Augusta National
2. Klub Rimba Irian
3. Shanqin Bay
4. Rio Olympic Course
5. The Jockey Club

I'm thinking I will try to get to Rimba Irian next year so I can include it in The Confidential Guide ... assuming it's still functioning.  I don't know if anyone goes there just to play golf, but I suspect it is a truly minimalist design.


PS. I've been to three of your other four, and should have built the fourth!

[Thomas Dai]

With a long air journey there are numerous that would be wonderful to play but are in reality probably totally unlikely.
Ones outwith my home island where there's a slight chance of likelihood - Lofoten Links in Norway, Brautarholt in Iceland and Askernish.
Atb

[Wayne_Kozun]

Nirvana Bali should be on everyone's list as well as it is a very good course and soon will be, or already is, NLE thanks to the POTUS, amongst others.

[Tom_Doak]

Nirvana Bali should be on everyone's list as well as it is a very good course and soon will be, or already is, NLE thanks to the POTUS, amongst others.

Already is NLE, I think.

[John Kavanaugh]

I've never played Pebble and most likely never will. After the Huckaby fiasco I swore I would play my way on through qualifying for a tournament. File that under epic fail.

[Tom Allen]

Nirvana Bali should be on everyone's list as well as it is a very good course and soon will be, or already is, NLE thanks to the POTUS, amongst others.

Already is NLE, I think.

Sure looks like it (closed as of July 31, 2017, according to their website).  http://www.nirwanabaligolf.com/

[Wayne_Kozun]

That's a shame as it was a wonderful course. I can see why they would want to redo the hotel but why tear up a world top 100 golf course?

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Wine Valley came up as one of my choices:

Mark Saltzman Tour - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48960.0.html




Reasons:


* Spending most of my time in the Northeast, we just don't see these wide open vistas.
* The greens look awesome.
* Bunkers look like a nice mix of eye candy and low key maintenance.
* The Low Key nature/style of the course, fits me.
* I like wine and I like the logo
* My preferred exotic travel is overseas, so while there are dozens of overseas courses that could be listed in England, Ireland, Scotland..., I still hope I can see those. If I ever play in the Northwest, it would probably be in a group and I don't see a group heading to Walla Walla

Hope the course is doing well. It opened at a time when little was opening.

Thoughts???

Being from Philadelphia area originally, I never thought I would have ever found my way to this part of the country. Heck, to me all of Washington (and Oregon) was pine trees, rain, and flannel. But, over the course of the past 15 years, business travel has taken me to some "off the beaten track" locations like Walla Walla, WA. And, while not easy to get to, especially from the East Coast, it's a neat town... as heart of the Columbia Valley wine region, there are wineries to visit and really good food/restaurant options. As for the golf Wine Valley is a terrific golf course. I've played it 3 times in the past 4 years, and is well-worth it.

Should you fly across country to play it? Probably not... but it's "An excellent course, worth checking out if you get anywhere within 100 miles (with that said, there's really not a lot of choices within 100 miles!). You can expect to find soundly designed, interesting holes, good course conditioning and a pretty setting, if not necessarily anything unique to the world of golf". Thus making it a Doak 7. IMHO

[Paul Jones]

Royal Adelaide
Hirono
Cape Kidnappers
Rock Creek Cattle
Gamble Sands


I would love to play all the courses above, plus more in those areas just too hard to get too...

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

The Country Club (Pepper Pike)
Camargo
CC of Detroit
Inverness
Moraine


I've been to Walla Walla... but not Detroit, Cleveland, or Cincinnati. And, don't have any travel there in the foreseeable future

[Mike Sweeney]

Royal Adelaide
Hirono
Cape Kidnappers
Rock Creek Cattle
Gamble Sands


I would love to play all the courses above, plus more in those areas just too hard to get too...

That is a good list. I have a very nice invitation to Montana, but it is tough to get there. I have been there once, but years ago and no golf.


I might be the only one here at GCA.com that has been to Scotland and did NOT play golf. Screwed that one up 

[cary lichtenstein]

I've never played Pebble and most likely never will. After the Huckaby fiasco I swore I would play my way on through qualifying for a tournament. File that under epic fail.

i played it 100 times, my favorite all time

[BHoover]

There are too many to list

[BCrosby]

Good topic. I have often thought about courses I will probably never see.


At the top of my list are the great courses in Australia and NZ.


Bob 

[Matt MacIver]

I probably won't get to AU, NZ, Japan, etc. - but if i ever get to Sweden/Norway or France/Spain/Italy i don't see being able to take the time for golf. 

[Josh Tarble]

Firestone

[Brad Tufts]

For me its international v. domestic.


I don't think there are any places in the US I wouldn't travel to for a one-off if I really felt the need and had a couple days.


As for off-the-beaten path in far-off lands...Lofoten is a good example...it will probably be too much time and $ to stray from the places where there are many good ones to see in a week or two like Australia, UK/Ireland, mainland Europe, maybe Japan/China/Vietnam, etc.


One attainable goal for me is to play in all 50 states...I will only have 6 left after this fall (AR, AK, IA, MS, ND, SD)...but I have yet to figure out how/when I'm going to go to Alaska to play at least once!


Wine Valley was really cool, I enjoyed my 36-hole day there a few years ago.  It's super-wide off the tee with really engaging green complexes.  I played the back tees, and each nine has a par four of in the 515-530 yard range, but the greens on those holes are huge with room to go at it with a fairway wood if you hit a good drive.

[Mark Pritchett]

Lofoten Links

[Ira Fishman]

My list is long, but two stand out:


Cape Wickham.  We do plan on making a trip to Australia/NZ, but Cape Wickham seems too daunting of a travel challenge.


Old Elm. As a kid growing up in Chicago area, OE always had a mystique even beyond its all-male status.  Now, divorce might ensue. My wife still has not fully forgiven me for the one time I played Burning Tree 20+ years ago.


Ira