Courses where the best topography is nearest to the clubhouse?

[Darren_Kilfara]

So I was out at Alwoodley today - a soggy and unplayable Alwoodley, alas, but I was kindly allowed to walk the course. (I do think that you can't really call yourself a student of golf course architecture unless you've ever walked a course just to look at it and study it, but I digress.) For me, the most interesting land on the course is at the far end, as far away from the clubhouse you can get, particularly at the par-5 10th hole (thought by some to be what MacKenzie had in mind when designing the 13th at Augusta National) and the uphill par-3 11th hole in the opposite direction.

My home course of Dunbar is very similar in this regard - my favorite holes (the 9th and 11th in particular) are at the far end of the course, and therefore unfortunately the holes I've played the least because I'm always looping around to play 1-5 and then 18 or 1-6 and 17-18 or 1-7 and 15-18 (etc.). And then I got to thinking, this is quite common: from Turnberry to Pebble Beach, the most interesting land on out-and-back courses is often at the far end. There is an obvious reason for this, of course, being that the clubhouse is usually nearest to civilization as such and therefore less likely to be on wild and undulating terrain. But perhaps you know of courses where this isn't true, and the best land is nearest the clubhouse? I'd be interested to hear your nominations in this regard. (Half Moon Bay is one that springs to mind, although that's a bit of a cheat.)

[Niall C]

Darren

Sorry to hear you didn't get a game at Alwoodley today but hopefully what you saw gave you a taste for going back.

In terms of your question, two courses I can think of where the best land is definitely nearest the clubhouse are the Prestwick courses, Prestwick and Prestwick St Nich's.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

I played Hesketh almost 33 years ago, so my memory is a little bit hazy. Best as I can recall, the land nearer the clubhouse was more interesting/undulating than the land at the far end of the course.     

https://www.heskethgolfclub.co.uk/

[Blake Conant]

North Berwick

[Thomas Dai]

Kinda thinking the opposite to the thread subject line as many links courses for example, have the flatter land nearest the clubhouse and the more more severe dunescape further away.
Atb

[Duncan Cheslett]

I played Hesketh almost 33 years ago, so my memory is a little bit hazy. Best as I can recall, the land nearer the clubhouse was more interesting/undulating than the land at the far end of the course.     

https://www.heskethgolfclub.co.uk/

David beat me to it.


At Hesketh, ALL the interesting terrain (and golf) is around the clubhouse - the other 11 holes across the road are dreary fare indeed.

[JESII]

For well known US courses, Shinnecock has its clubhouse on high ground and the holes right around it make great use of by far the most interesting terrain.

[Howard Riefs]

Sankaty Head
Jupiter Hills
Bulls Bay

[Pete Lavallee]

Capilano has its best holes near the clubhouse none better than 18.

[Keith Durrant]

Chantilly!

[Darren_Kilfara]

Chantilly!

Goodness - two blasts from my past in a one-word post!

[Peter Flory]

I like the area and the holes around Milwaukee CC's clubhouse.   

[Jon Wiggett]

Another Leeds course Headingly is up there.

[Doug Hodgson]

Hesketh immediately came to mind when I saw this topic.  Driving up to the clubhouse I was excited to see such interesting terrain surrounding it but there is only room for a handful of holes.


The original Banff Springs clubhouse was pretty impressively located right above the spectacular original 1st tee (it is now a pub next to what is now the 15th tee). 


There is a practical reason why a clubhouse should be placed on a flatter area of the property...you don't want to waste interesting land on such facilities as the clubhouse, parking lot, practice areas, etc.  At Royal Montreal we have a mostly rolling property but the clubhouse and facilities are on the flatter part of it.

[Doug Hodgson]

Also interesting is the clubhouse at Calgary CG, attractively situated on the inside of a bend in the Elbow River.  It is at the bottom of a steep slope, so the 1st is sharply uphill and 18 is a spectacular drive with an elevated tee and a fairway bordered on the right by the river. 

[Greg Smith]

Would CPC count, since the clubhouse sits on the ocean end of the golf course?  I don't know.  I think the problem there is that ALL the holes at CPC are good and sit on interesting land. 

I guess we are talking about golf courses that have a portion of terrain that is interesting and a portion that is NOT -- with the clubhouse being in the "good" area....

[Sven Nilsen]

As opposed to the North course where the best features are on the far end of the course, Olympia Fields South has a nice ridge off the back of the clubhouse that comes into play on 7, 9, 10 and 18. 


Pretty sure Doak has said he thought the most interesting land at Pac Dunes for golf was the area around the clubhouse comprising 1, 7, 8, 9, 16 and 18.

[Mike_Trenham]

TPC Sawgrass.

[Tom_Doak]

TPC Sawgrass.

That's not topography ... that's just the most construction they did.


On most older links, the best topography tends to be further out because the clubhouse is closest to town, and the course stretches out to the most interesting land that could be reached from that point.


By contrast, on many modern courses, architects try to place the clubhouse in the most dramatic spot, and save the most dramatic holes for the end of the round.  I'm not a proponent of the latter concept, so you will still see that many of my courses the best topography is further out ... but yes, Pacific Dunes is an exception, because that bowl of land where 2, 7, and 16 sit was so cool.

[Ian Andrew]

Capilano has its best holes near the clubhouse none better than 18.

Which is the only "gentle" section on the entire property.
But I would agree with your choice, it is the best land.

[Philippe Binette]

Beaconsfield golf club, Québec..


Stanley thompson layout:
Clubhouse sits on top of an ridge partly created by an old quarry




the clubhouse is part of the course litterally...


within 100 yards from de clubhouse:


1st tee
9th green
10th tee
11th green
12th tee
15th green
16th tee
18th green !!!