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Mike Feeney

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2018, 12:21:01 PM »
Concord CC is in Mass., it was a shortish tired Ross of 6400y or so before a Prichard resto-reno in 2005 or so.  It's always been low-key because it's tough to get into as a member.  After Prichard, its now 6800y par 70, and they've really maxed out its potential in the best way possible.  Totally recommended to check out...I have it right up against the top tier of Mass. courses (Essex, Myopia, TCC, OS, BGC, Salem, and Kitt), so comparable to a Winchester/Longmeadow/Charles River...and I like it better than those three!   


My wife's parents belong there so I play it 4-5 times per year, and it's become an MGA darling...hosting the Mass. Amateur and some other local invitationals so it has a good following.


Ross Designed 1st 9 in 1915, second 9 10 years later.  Agree with Brad, wonderful.

Derek_Duncan

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #26 on: January 24, 2018, 12:30:32 PM »
Timuquana in Jacksonville is probably a 6.


Ron Prichard speaks highly of the greens at Triggs Memorial in Providence, but the rest of the course could use a little refurbishment.
www.feedtheball.com -- a podcast about golf architecture and design
@feedtheball

Joe Zucker

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #27 on: January 24, 2018, 12:53:15 PM »
For solid, but not great, Ross courses in Ohio, I would add Manikiki on the east side of Cleveland.  I don't have enough experience to say if it would make the top 100, but I would easily put it into the same class as Denison and the Ross holes at Mohawk.  It's certainly in need of some work (particularly cart path removal), but there are a lot of interesting holes there.


I second Brian's nomination of Shaker Heights.  It's definitely a Doak point above the other three I mentioned here.  I would also agree that Ravisloe belongs somewhere on the list.

Thomas Dai

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #28 on: January 24, 2018, 01:12:15 PM »
Interesting to ponder the the DS scale numbers of the courses indicated above in relation to the DS scales of other courses elsewhere. A different perspective.
Atb

Ira Fishman

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #29 on: January 24, 2018, 01:21:36 PM »
Not sure it counts because of the subsequent substantial alterations, but he did the original design for Congressional.


Ira

V_Halyard

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #30 on: January 24, 2018, 01:23:42 PM »
I would lobby for an elevation of Cedar Rapids' DS Scale rating. I believe Ran would now back me up after his post-Confidential Guide publication visit and his Courses by Country overview


... But you knew I was going to write this. ;) 
« Last Edit: January 24, 2018, 01:27:18 PM by V_Halyard »
"It's a tiny little ball that doesn't even move... how hard could it be?"  I will walk and carry 'til I can't... or look (really) stupid.

BHoover

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #31 on: January 24, 2018, 01:28:41 PM »
It’s never going to get a lot of acclaim because it’s far off the beaten path, but Springfield CC west of Columbus, OH (45 minutes) is well worth a visit.

Phil McDade

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #32 on: January 24, 2018, 02:29:41 PM »
I count 112 courses that I've played that Ross has worked on at some point.

I think the top 20 above is great, then it comes down to splitting hairs.  Sometimes its hard to combine the original and the restoration for some of these.

The biggest omissions on my list are:
Concord CC (7 for me, easily as good as all in the back half of the CG courses)
Ravisloe (6, seconded!)
Sedgefield (6, seconded!)
Manchester in NH (6). 
I have the Balsams as a 6 if they ever re-open it...just such a great location and good course on a tough site.


My next tier among the omitted so far in the CG81 would be Camden, Irondequoit, Hope Valley, and Bedford Springs.  Newport is not really a Ross despite his working there, so I'm not listing that one.


The worst ones out of my 112 Ross courses played?
-Donald Ross GC in Ft. Wayne...DJR did the front nine but this place is pretty run down, and the back nine actually is more interesting.
-Newton Commonwealth in Newton, MA...lost a few holes to housing in the 50s, now a 5500y bandbox with enough space for 12 of the 18 holes.
-then it comes down to a few New England courses with 9 Ross holes that are quite nice, and 9 from someone else that are not good at all...Biddeford-Saco and Cape Neddick in Maine come to mind, also Wentworth in NH, which has ocean frontage.
-Ponkapoag...Ross 18 split between two courses, #1 was recently redone by Brian Silva but mainly to fix drainage...this facility has been a common ping pong ball in city politics, the course and its patrons suffering the most.
-Wellshire in Denver...good bones, just really tired.


Brad:


Have you played Point Judith? Michael Fay thought highly enough of a short par 3 there to include it in his book about Ross courses: http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/michael-fay/


Doak 5?

Joe Hellrung

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #33 on: January 24, 2018, 02:35:25 PM »
I'm playing Roaring Gap in June and will try to get some photos to share. 

Brunswick CC (Ga) belongs on the list, probably bottom tier, just for the greens. 


Tom,

Side question.


I note that Roaring Gap and Mid Pines have only 2x7. Does that mean the other 2 have either not seen them or have seen them and given them lower numbers and if the second is the case given they have both been recently masterfully restored did they by chance see them before the restorations.


If you had the book, you would see that Roaring Gap has only been visited by Ran and myself.  [I saw it before the recent work.]  Masa saw Mid Pines many years ago, before all the recent work, and rated it quite low, but that doesn't hurt it the way I've ranked them, unless he would also have given it a 7.


There are lots of these courses that only one or two of us have seen, so I would not put too much stock in the order they're listed.  As two examples, I was the only one to rate Brookside (OH) and Minikahda, both of which I saw many years ago, and rated lower than most people.  One of the softer touches in our foursome almost certainly would have given them higher marks.

Brad Tufts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #34 on: January 24, 2018, 03:15:35 PM »

Brad:


Have you played Point Judith? Michael Fay thought highly enough of a short par 3 there to include it in his book about Ross courses: http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/michael-fay/


Doak 5?


Unfortunately I can't say that I have.  My RI experience is sorely lacking given that I work about 20 miles from it!  According to the DRS, Ross worked on 11 courses in RI, more than one of every six in existence in the state today.  They are Agawam Hunt, Metacomet, Misquamicut, Newport, Point Judith, RICC, Sakonnet, Triggs, Wannamoisett, Warwick, and Winnapaug.  I have only played the blue ones.
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

Ted Sturges

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #35 on: January 24, 2018, 03:22:57 PM »
Tom,


A couple of others mentioned Springfield (OH) CC.  I believe it to be a Doak 6.


Also, please add Dayton (OH) CC.  I believe it to be a 5.


...and Miami Valley CC (also in Dayton, OH).  It needs some help, but fixed up would be a 6 at least.


TS

Chris DeToro

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #36 on: January 24, 2018, 03:30:21 PM »
I didn't see any mention of these:


Hyannisport--I'd give it a solid 6
Point Judith--I'd give it a 5, but that's probably more due to my relative ranking of the other Ross courses in the area
Muskegon--Someone mentioned this and I'd second that one
Warwick (RI)--5

Ed Homsey

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #37 on: January 24, 2018, 03:46:40 PM »
I am far from having significant experience with Ross courses, though I've played three of the Pinehurst area courses mentioned and, of course, the Ross courses in Rochester.  Of all that I've played, the one I'd play today, or every day, is Teugaga.  I notice that Bellvue, in Syracuse, and Irondequoit, in Rochester aren't listed.  Guess they don't make the cut.  Which sorta confirms my impression of them.


I am a little touchy about Camden being listed as a Ross course.  I'm well aware of Ross's "remodeling" of Travis's course in1939, but as Kris Spence noted, in his Restoration/Renovation Master Plan Report for Camden, Ross made very few changes to the original routing done by Travis, e.g. quoting from Kris's report, "lengthed the 246 par 3 5th to its current 320 yard par 4, shortened the 350 yard par 4 6th to the current 225 yard par 3, and eliminated Traviss' original 2nd hole and built the existing 12th hole.  Ross rebuilt all the greens (previously they were the undulating sand greens that Travis built), and redid the bunkering.  Would that qualify as remodeling, redesign, or?  And, should he be given sole credit for the course?

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #38 on: January 24, 2018, 03:48:18 PM »
Interlachen would seem to be a strong candidate for this list, perhaps as high as a Doak 7 (in comparison, I'd give Minneapolis GC a 6).


I wasn't sure whether Interlachen should be credited to Ross or to William Watson, so I hadn't included it.  If it is definitely more Ross, then it got two 7's and a 6 in the book.


I will start compiling the suggestions based on the following rules:


For any new course mentioned, I will take the first two scores stated here as its two Doak scale grades, and rank it accordingly.
If we only had one grade on it, and there is strong consensus [like the Minnesota ranking] that it should be a point higher, then it shall be.

Tom Bagley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2018, 03:52:20 PM »
Tom: 
Oak Hill (MA), where I am a member and where you and Bruce Hepner did some work was a Doak 5 in an earlier edition of the CG and is now a 5-6.  Since you worked on the course, I found additional information on Ross' redo of the Stiles front nine that confirms that Ross re-designed all of Stiles' greens - six of them in 1928 and the remainder in the late 1930s, perhaps with Orrin Smith on site.  As you may recall, subsequently four of the front nine greens were changed by Cornish & Robinson, with two of those being redone by you, Bruce and Jim Urbina.

I am also a member of Concord CC, and since others have already nominated and seconded it, I guess I am left to "third" the nomination.  It is a very strong golf course, built in two stages as previously mentioned and brilliantly routed over some dramatic terrain.  The 2nd and 4th are two of the most memorable Ross holes one will ever see due to Ross' ingenuity in "finding" these holes - augmented by some earth-moving.  It is easily a Doak 6 if not higher.  It is hosting the 2018 Ouimet Memorial Championship, 2020 New England Amateur and 2022 Massachusetts Amateur.

Mark Saltzman

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #40 on: January 24, 2018, 04:00:32 PM »
Is the Biltmore Resort course in Florida Ross? Probably a 5 and one of the better options in the area.


Bedford Springs, PA - 6


Chattanooga, TN - 5


CC of Waterbury, CT - 6


Rosedale (Canada) - 5


Hope Valley, NC - 6


Hyannisport, RI - 6


Memphis, TN - 5


Mimosa Hills, NC - 6


Mountain Brook, AL - 5


Riviera, FL - 5




Mark_Fine

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #41 on: January 24, 2018, 04:12:08 PM »
Wow for a group that doesn't like lists, this thread is getting lots of attention  ;D   


Tom,
I have played A LOT of Ross courses but don't have them all labeled with a Doak scale number (even though I use that scale a lot).  If I get time I will add to your list.  I am anxious to see what results from this  :)

Rick Shefchik

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #42 on: January 24, 2018, 04:13:21 PM »
Interlachen would seem to be a strong candidate for this list, perhaps as high as a Doak 7 (in comparison, I'd give Minneapolis GC a 6).


I wasn't sure whether Interlachen should be credited to Ross or to William Watson, so I hadn't included it.  If it is definitely more Ross, then it got two 7's and a 6 in the book.



Interlachen is much more Ross than Watson - almost a total redesign. In fact, it is much more a Ross than is WBYC, where Watson's original layout seems to have been retained by Ross when he arrived later to do some revisions.
"Golf is 20 percent mechanics and technique. The other 80 percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation." - Grantland Rice

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #43 on: January 24, 2018, 04:13:59 PM »
Additions so far:


7 6   Concord CC


6 6   Mimosa Hills, Springfield (OH), Sedgefield, Hyannisport


6 -   Hyde Park, Columbus CC, Congress Lake, Manchester (NH), Timuquana, CC of Waterbury


6 5   Memphis CC, Hope Valley, Ravisloe [upgraded], Shaker Heights, Minneapolis GC, Bedford Springs, Oak Hill (MA), Muskegon


5 5   LuLu


5 -   Myers Park, Shennecossett, CC of Salisbury, Catawba, Irondequoit, Manikiki, Dayton CC, Point Judith, Warwick (RI), Chattanooga, Rosedale, Mountain Brook, Riviera (FL)

Peter Pallotta

Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #44 on: January 24, 2018, 04:15:57 PM »
My goodness - seeing it like this:
If, as a class, the 'average English course' (Doak 5-6) is the gold standard for fine, playable, sustainable, walkable golf that can be enjoyed everyday by a wide-range of skill sets, Mr. Ross managed single-handedly to create 100+ of these courses right across a goodly portion of the United States -- an entire 'class' of high-quality golf all by himself, and also added at least a dozen+ exceptional/great courses to that same landscape while hardly ever disturbing the land itself.
What a truly remarkable career.


Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #45 on: January 24, 2018, 04:23:58 PM »
My goodness - seeing it like this:
If, as a class, the 'average English course' (Doak 5-6) is the gold standard for fine, playable, sustainable, walkable golf that can be enjoyed everyday by a wide-range of skill sets, Mr. Ross managed single-handedly to create 100+ of these courses right across a goodly portion of the United States -- an entire 'class' of high-quality golf all by himself, and also added at least a dozen+ exceptional/great courses to that same landscape while hardly ever disturbing the land itself.
What a truly remarkable career.


Indeed.  That's why I wanted to start the thread.


On the other hand, he only got to a 6 about 1/4 of the time, and to a 5 maybe half the time.  So he would probably be roasted here if he was active today.   :-[   :-X

Cory Lewis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #46 on: January 24, 2018, 04:55:58 PM »
Here are the 85 Ross courses I've played that I would rate 5 or better.  Hope it helps.


Alamance5 Kennett Square5
Aronimink7 Lake Sunapee5
Augusta CC6 Linville 6
Barton Hills6 Lu Lu5
Bedford Springs7 Metacomet5
Belleview Biltmore5 Miami Valley5
Beverly7 Mid Pines7
Biltmore Forest6 Mimosa Hills6
Broadmoor (IN)6 Minikahda7
Brookside8 Monroe6
Cape Fear5 Mountain Ridge7
Carolina7 Myers Park6
Catawba5 Northland8
Cedar Rapids8 Oak Hill (East)5
Charles River6 Oak Hill (West)6
Charlotte6 OaklandHills(S)7
Chattanooga5 Oyster Harbors6
Cherokee5 Pinehurst #29
Chester Valley5 Pine Needles 6
Chevy Chase5 Plainfield7
Columbus5 Raleigh6
Congress Lake7 Ravisloe6
CC of Asheville5 Rhode Island6
CC of Buffalo8 Roaring Gap7
CC of York5 Rolling Rock7
East Lake6 The Sagamore6
Essex County9 Salem7
Forsyth5 Schuylkill6
Fountain Head5 Scioto6
Franklin Hills7 Sedgefield5
French Lick7 Seminole9
Glens Falls6 Shaker Heights6
Greensboro CC5 Southern Pines5
Grove Park Inn5 Timuquana6
Gulph Mills7 Torresdale5
Highlands6 Vesper6
Holston Hills8 Wannamoisett9
Hope Valley7 Whitensville7
Hyannisport6 White Bear8
Hyde Park5 Winchester6
Idle Hour5 Woodhill6
Interlachen8 Worcester6
Inverness6
Instagram: @2000golfcourses
http://2000golfcourses.blogspot.com

Ted Sturges

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #47 on: January 24, 2018, 05:01:31 PM »
Tom,


Thought of a couple more.


Belleair CC (Clearwater, FL)    5       IT is actually 36 holes, I have only played the "better course", and it was a 5.


Dunedin Golf Club  (Dunedin, FL, just north of Clearwater).   This one is also a 5, but might be a 7 if restored.  Dunedin was home to the PGA of America for many years.


TS




Ted Sturges

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Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #48 on: January 24, 2018, 05:04:17 PM »
One more...


Sara Bay CC  (Sarasota, FL)        6


Very cool place.  Bobby Jones apparently hung out there quite a bit prior to building ANGC.


TS

Tim Martin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The Top 100 Donald Ross Courses
« Reply #49 on: January 24, 2018, 05:07:25 PM »
I would add Knickerbocker, Vesper and Belmont in the Doak 6 range.

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