[Michael Whitaker]

2018 found me playing less new great courses, but that happens when you’ve played 13 Irish links courses in ‘17.     My favorite new course was the first Gary Player course I’ve liked, the Cliffs at Mountain Park.  I really enjoyed the use of sentinel trees and the Saluda River to keep the importance placing the tee shot in a position that makes entry to the green straightforward.

Brad - Mountain Park is my favorite of The Cliffs courses. The firm fairways and greens make for great fun. Wonderful variety of holes as well. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
I'm sure you are aware GP had little (if anything) to do with the actual design of the course. The designer was Jeff Lawrence. Great guy and a real student of classic architecture.

[Frank Kim]

Yes Jeff did a nice job.  I believe Rob Collins did some shaping work there as well.  Future Dixie Cup venue?  I'd be happy to host.

[James Brown]

Yes Jeff did a nice job.  I believe Rob Collins did some shaping work there as well.  Future Dixie Cup venue?  I'd be happy to host.

Great idea.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Thus far have played 92 new courses...and scheduled to get 5 more in before the bell tolls for 2019.


Best...Ohoopee Match


Other great new ones for me (in order that I played them):
Misquamicut-RI
Northland-MN
Cedar Rapids-IA
Mammoth Dunes-WI
Sunnehanna-PA
Westhampton-NY


Best "short course":
10 hole East Course at Farmington--VA


My second place pick among the above is probably Sunnehanna

[Jim Franklin]

Thus far have played 92 new courses...and scheduled to get 5 more in before the bell tolls for 2019.


Best...Ohoopee Match


Other great new ones for me (in order that I played them):
Misquamicut-RI
Northland-MN
Cedar Rapids-IA
Mammoth Dunes-WI
Sunnehanna-PA
Westhampton-NY


Best "short course":
10 hole East Course at Farmington--VA


My second place pick among the above is probably Sunnehanna

Did you get to Congaree in 2018 or 2017?

[Steve Salmen]

Diamante Dunes (March)
Mammoth Dunes (August)
Trump Balmedie (September)


Very difficult to pick a winner. Probably Trump by a small margin over MD, then DD.


I'm scheduled to play Streamsong Black Dec 26 and am interested to know how it compares to the above three golf courses.  All very good.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Jim Franklin--


I was at Congaree late November 2017.


Paul

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I didn’t get a chance to play as many new courses as I usually do, but Streamsong (Blue) and Dormie Club are probably at the top of the list. I’ll call those my temporary favorites unless I think of a course I’ve forgotten about…

[Paul Jones]

Favorite: Moraine


Others:
Philly Cricket (Wissahickon)
Pikewood Natl
Pinehurst (4)
Rock Creek Cattle
Streamsong (Black)
Wilshire

[Jim Franklin]

Jim Franklin--


I was at Congaree late November 2017.


Paul

How does Ohoopee compare to Congaree? Ohoopee looks terrific, but I know Congaree is.

[Jeff Schley]

Favorite: Moraine


Others:
Philly Cricket (Wissahickon)
Pikewood Natl
Pinehurst (4)
Rock Creek Cattle
Streamsong (Black)
Wilshire

Paul,
Does Wilshire really compare to that group you have been fortunate to play this year?  Was it the course itself or the club and atmosphere would you say?

[Paul Jones]

Favorite: Moraine


Others:
Philly Cricket (Wissahickon)
Pikewood Natl
Pinehurst (4)
Rock Creek Cattle
Streamsong (Black)
Wilshire

Paul,
Does Wilshire really compare to that group you have been fortunate to play this year?  Was it the course itself or the club and atmosphere would you say?

Yes, Wilshire really compares to that group !!! 

[Rich Goodale]

Still Tadmarton Heath.


Sorry Mr. Stranz (RIP)


rfg

[Brock Peyer]

I've played a lot of golf for me this year with 20 rounds.  I think I added 6 new courses (5 of which were average as grits) but I got to play Aiken Golf Club and loved it.  It was in impeccable condition, I thought with it being so short that I would hit irons off alot of tees but I hit driver and three wood all day.  It's a special little place, literally like stepping back in time.

[ward peyronnin]

Lawsonia bested Old Towne, Mammoth Dunes, ans Pensacola CC

[Tommy Williamsen]

I actually forgot the best new course I played this year. Nanea and Kukio were great but I liked Congaree better.

[Kevin_Reilly]

Not too many new courses this year, but Clear Creek Tahoe was a clear favorite.  Just outstanding.  Can't wait to play it again.

[Michael Herrmann]

To put Moraine on top with the likes of those others tells me that I really need to find a way to make the 50 mile trip up I-75 to see it soon!


For myself, I was very fortunate to be able to take a trip to Ireland this past spring with 7 good friends.  So I'll put RCD on top for this year.  It didn't hurt that we had 36 hours of almost perfect weather to play it in!

Favorite: Moraine


Others:
Philly Cricket (Wissahickon)
Pikewood Natl
Pinehurst (4)
Rock Creek Cattle
Streamsong (Black)
Wilshire

[Brad Tufts]

Looks like I've played 40 new-to-me courses in 2018.


Here's my top 10...forgot that I spent this much time in the Midwest this year:


Chicago Golf Club
Shoreacres
Sand Valley
Mammoth Dunes
Old Town
Meadowbrook
Cedar Rapids
Old Elm
Kirtland
Patriot GC


Honorable mentions:  Old White, Milwaukee CC, Calusa Pines, Mauna Kea, Windsong Farm, Whistling Straits, Hyde Park in Cincinnati, Medinah #1


Further surprises/hidden gems:  Soldier Hollow Gold in Utah, St. Clair CC east of St. Louis, Purdue Ackerman-Allen, the Primrose 9 at TCC, and a newly Ron Forse-restovated Tedesco!


And I loved the Sandbox, which in a way could totally be #1 overall for 2018!

[Josh Tarble]

My favorite new course I played this year was Northwood Golf Club in the Russian River Valley in CA.  Definitely not the best course but by far my favorite.  The combination of the redwoods and MacKenzie routing/remnants of bunkering and greens is incredible.  It's almost a ethereal experience.  Super cool. 


Also newly played:
Canyata
Lawsonia
Calusa Pines

[Brian Finn]

Royal St. George's is the clear choice for my favorite new course played in 2018.  Even among several great courses I played while in England (Swinley Forest, Sunningdale Old & New, Royal Cinque Ports, Walton Heath Old), Sandwich was outstanding.  I was fortunate to go around twice on a crisp, clear, and breezy April day.  Being guided by a knowledgeable local GCA'er added significantly to my appreciation of the course, which may well be the best links course I have played.  Of course, we enjoyed the Pimms, claret, and carvery lunch as much (or more?) as the golf, making for an incredible day all around. 

Stateside, I played a handful of really great courses for the first time.  My favorite in the group was Mountain Lake, a course I wanted to just go around and around, but sadly got in only 18 holes.  Piping Rock was truly excellent, and perhaps technically better, but something about Mountain Lake stuck with me for a long time after my visit.

[John Kavanaugh]

My favorite new course I played this year was Northwood Golf Club in the Russian River Valley in CA.  Definitely not the best course but by far my favorite.  The combination of the redwoods and MacKenzie routing/remnants of bunkering and greens is incredible.  It's almost a ethereal experience.  Super cool. 


Also newly played:
Canyata
Lawsonia
Calusa Pines

Canyata for the first time this year?

[JJShanley]

I played exactly one new course this year: Llanerch.  And yes I did make a mess of 18.

[Josh Tarble]

My favorite new course I played this year was Northwood Golf Club in the Russian River Valley in CA.  Definitely not the best course but by far my favorite.  The combination of the redwoods and MacKenzie routing/remnants of bunkering and greens is incredible.  It's almost a ethereal experience.  Super cool. 


Also newly played:
Canyata
Lawsonia
Calusa Pines

Canyata for the first time this year?

Took me a long time to line that up.  My only issue with the course is how little it's impacted the local golf community (and the owner owes no one in the community anything - he does a lot of extremely generous things already). 

[Jeff Schley]

My favorite new course I played this year was Northwood Golf Club in the Russian River Valley in CA.  Definitely not the best course but by far my favorite.  The combination of the redwoods and MacKenzie routing/remnants of bunkering and greens is incredible.  It's almost a ethereal experience.  Super cool. 


Also newly played:
Canyata
Lawsonia
Calusa Pines

Canyata for the first time this year?

Took me a long time to line that up.  My only issue with the course is how little it's impacted the local golf community (and the owner owes no one in the community anything - he does a lot of extremely generous things already).

Yes Mr. Foresythe is a very generous man.

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