Favorite New Course you played this year?

[James Brown]

Over the past few years I was lucky if I got to play 5-6 new courses.  This year it was 15. 


My favorite 2 are Cabot Links (I liked it better than Cliffs) and Interlachen. Cabot is such an interesting and subtle and varied routing.  And Interlachen might be the most enjoyable difficult course I have seen. 

[Tom_Doak]

Victoria Resort and Golf Course, in Sri Lanka.

[Ben Malach]

Dark Horse in Eckville Alberta. Its a super cool 9 hole course in the foothills of Alberta that is routed around a series of small creeks. It had some of the coolest short holes that I have ever seen all for $10.50 Canadian. The photo I have included is of the first from the forward tee.

[Mark_Fine]

Carne Golf Links in North Mayo on the West Coast of Ireland!   Also loved Shelter Harbor in RI which is clearly one of Hurzdan and Fry’s best (rivals Calusa Pines in FL).

[John Foley]

Mammoth Dunes - blown away by it and not just due to the width. Greens were great and LOVE the wall to wall FW. Just soo much fun.

[John Kavanaugh]

Trinity Forest. From the tips a guy like me can compete against a + handicap. That's the solution we have all been looking for.

[Peter Pallotta]

J -
if you're so inclined I'd like to read some/much more about this. You know the game and you know architecture, and I think we could all benefit from as detailed an analysis/unpacking of your statement as you can provide. For me, and from afar, TF is one of the very few recent C&C efforts that I'm interested in learning more about.
P

[jeffwarne]

Broadstone, followed West Sussex in the 18 holers-


9 holers tie-Durness(setting!) and Valliere(Morfontaine)(greens!)

[Tommy Williamsen]

For me it is Kukio and Nanea. I actually like Kukio a bit better, which seems to put me in the minority. If you were ask me why I don't think I could tell you, except I thought the shots into the greens were more fun.

[Sean_A]

I think I just prefer Pulborough to Appleby.  It doesn't matter though as both place highly on my Happy 100.  Although, I would say Pulborough should be included as one of the very best courses in GB&I. Appleby is more of backwater course which is very cool, but wouldn't threaten making anybody's best 100 GB&I.  I also like Epsom quite a bit.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Not an expansive year for newby’s.

Formby Ladies well exceeded expectations, although given The Recommender I shouldn’t really have been surprised.
Formby (‘mens’) was impressive as well. Honourable mentions to Little Aston, Harbourne, Hoylake and Wallasey.
Harlech appeared impressive but mega-vile weather conditions unfortunately prevented more than a handful of holes so a another visit will be required.
Atb

[Bill Gayne]

Western Gailes

[Jaeger Kovich]

I’ve been to 77 different golf courses this year so a bunch of new ones for me. The best of that bunch:


Prestwick
The Cradle
Hooper
Oyster Harbors
Huntington Crescent
Old Town
Metacomet
Ohoopee

[Brock Lynch]

36 holes on North Berwick. Loved the course & the people. Also played at Sand Valley/Mammoth Dunes.

[Jim Tang]

Shoreacres.  What a wonderful walk.  The turf was the best I saw all year.

[Jack Davis]

Cal Club...turf quality was incredible and the view across the property make you excited for the next 10 minutes, over and over again.

[Tom_Doak]

For me it is Kukio and Nanea. I actually like Kukio a bit better, which seems to put me in the minority. If you were ask me why I don't think I could tell you, except I thought the shots into the greens were more fun.

Kukio was #2 on my list this year, with Nanea a bit further down. 


I just thought Kukio had more variety of holes and of visual appeal, while Nanea kind of all blended together.  To be fair, the praise I've heard for Nanea is usually about how fast a surface it is, and I played it immediately after some huge rains, so its appeal on that score was very much dampened.


The rest of my top ten (since I just put it into my Xmas letter):


1.  Victoria
2.  Kukio
3.  Meadowbrook
4.  Ootacamund, India
5.  Yokohama (West)
6.  Nanea
7.  Royal Colombo, Sri Lanka
8.  Tokyo Classic
9.  Hyderabad, India
10.  Kohaniki


All of these were 7's or 6's on the Doak Scale.  Victoria was the only "8" I discovered this year.

[Mark Pearce]

I can only remember a couple of new courses this year.  I think the prize goes to Headingley.  If Tain hadn't been fog bound it may have competed.

[Andy Shulman]

Three new ones for me - Bandon Trails, so glad I got back to Bandon to play the one course I'd missed on my only prior visit; fun and super playable Commonground; and, Northwest Park, a too hard, too long muni in suburban Maryland.

[Ira Fishman]

Golspie with St George’s Hill as runner up.


Ira

[Jeff Schley]

My top 5
North Berwick - Loved the quirkiness and almost eagled 18 from 15 feet so how can it not be great).
TOC - Liked NB just a tab more
Plainfield CC - In my top 5 as I really liked this course for the greens specifically
The Quarry at La Quinta - Conditioning was flawless and my favorite Fazio over Galloway National now I have played
Essex County Club - Just behind Plainfield as far as DR designs

[Daryl David]

Played 18 new courses this year. These stood out as pleasant surprises that scored high on my fun meter. No particular order.


Lofoten Links
Valdres (9 holes in central Norway)
Bro Hof Slott Castle Course
Gearhart Golf Links
Mossy Oak
Falsterbo

[John Kavanaugh]

Isn't it that much more interesting when we list off every new course that we played? This just makes me want to book a ticket to everywhere.

[JC Jones]

What is the world coming to when Doak and others name a Fazio course among the best new courses they've played? 


Trinity Forest is phenomenal.  A modern combination of Old Town Club and #2 (two of my personal favorites) and I wonder if it has to do with it being built on the heels of C&C restoring them.  Its among the top 2 new courses for me this year.

[John Blain]

Longmeadow CC,  Longmeadow, MA.
Wannamoisett CC,  Rumford, RI
Eastward Ho!  Chatham, MA
Oyster Harbors Club,  Osterville, MA
Metacomet CC, East Providence, RI


They were all outstanding but Eatsward Ho! in particular blew me away.