[John Mayhugh]

Prestwick. It was sort of my "white whale," and I enjoyed it even more than I expected to. It's far from a museum piece, and loaded with good, fun, challenging (and sometimes quirky) holes.

DSC00125 by john mayhugh, on Flickr

[Ryan Farrow]

Southern Hills - Lovely movement and use of creeks, still trying to figure out why Maxwell bunkered his greens so heavily and why he routes extremely awkward golf holes like the 10th.

It has been a million years since I saw Southern Hills, and I don't remember the 10th.  Can you describe why it's extremely awkward?

Short par 4, dogleg right, around a hillside to an elevated green even higher on the hillside with a large mound semi-blocking your view into the green. It reminds me of the 4th hole at Old Town that does the same thing, although the green at old town plays downhill. I want to keep going straight on both holes instead of playing up and into the slope.

[Clyde Johnson]

Iona, Scotland.


The rawest links experience imaginable, with a handful of beautiful green sites that compensate for the rudimentary putting surfaces...such as the 11th:





1 quid for the scorecard/green-fee...payable in the Post Office!

[Ryan Farrow]

Iona, Scotland.


The rawest links experience imaginable, with a handful of beautiful green sites that compensate for the rudimentary putting surfaces...such as the 11th:





1 quid for the scorecard/green-fee...payable in the Post Office!

wow! If enough people see this you may have just killed the course. How typical is this photo compared to the rest of the course?

[Jon Claydon]

Mammoth Dunes
Bel-Air

Both tons of fun for massively different reasons. 

[mike_malone]

Leven was my favorite new course last year. I loved the very firm conditions and the angled plateau on #1 alerted me to a day with many ground features that created a fun day.
 I also played Dornoch,Golspie,Brora, Elie, and Gullane #2 for the first time on the same trip.


First time in the USA was Oak Hill E and W. Cascades was special as well.


Silly me I forgot about Prestwick. That was #1.

[Peter Flory]

Iona, Scotland.

The rawest links experience imaginable, with a handful of beautiful green sites that compensate for the rudimentary putting surfaces...such as the 11th:

1 quid for the scorecard/green-fee...payable in the Post Office!

wow! If enough people see this you may have just killed the course. How typical is this photo compared to the rest of the course?

I have never seen it, but based on a search...   looks like a charmer.  I'd feel bad if I hit one of those. 

[Ian Galbraith]

9 new ones for me this year and tough to pick a clear winner.

Brora                                  Golspie
Nairn                                  Pumpherston
Ladybank                           Boat of Garten
Luffness New                     Castle Park
Gifford

The recent Brora-love in on GCA would perhaps suggest that  as front runner but, excellent as it was, I found myself more drawn towards Golspie at the BUDA.
The Boat is a glorious place to be and a delightful experience all round.
Nairn is an honest to goodness links experience and in the wind as I experienced it will test every facet of your game and character - hope the changes they are making don't detract from that.

So if forced to pick I'd go with Golspie as where I'd like to return to most, but Brora is the only up the road so I'd play there too, and drop in on the Boat on the way home...

[Cory Lewis]

Misquamicut.  Perfect mix of fun, sporty, and beautiful.


IMG_9673 by camel03, on Flickr

IMG_9682 by camel03, on Flickr

IMG_9701 by camel03, on Flickr

[Paul OConnor]

Royal North Devon - Westward Ho! - unquestionably my favorite new.   

St Louis CC -  runner-up.

[John Mayhugh]

Clyde,
That's one for the wish list.
How many ferries involved?

[Pete Lavallee]

Sadly I only played 2 new courses this year. Newport National was a well conditioned cart ball track from Art Hills which seemed a bit like a missed oportunity. Wianno in Osterville on Cape Cod was better than advertised with excellent topography and the opportunity to be degreened on several of the par 3's! This Ross doesn't get the love it deserves, probably because it tips out at 6022 yards with a par of 70; highly recommended though.

[Clyde Johnson]

Clyde,
That's one for the wish list.
How many ferries involved?

Two: It's about an hour from Oban to Craignure on the Isle of Mull...then just over an hour's drive to Fionnport, from where it takes ten minutes as a foot passenger to Iona. The golf course is about 30 minutes walk, or you could hire a push-bike. (Only island residents are allowed cars; I think there might be one taxi.)


I'd recommend playing Tobermory while on Mull, and there are 9 well-positioned holes at Craignure if you need to kill time before the return ferry.

[Steve Lapper]

Ohoopee Match
Congaree
Streamsong Black
Winter Park


Quite a few renovations I've always wanted to go back and see.


Upcoming in 2019:


Ardfin
Turnberry Alisa (post Hawtree)
Rolling Hills
Sand Valley

Ozarks National

[Matthew Rose]

Pinehurst CC (Denver) - Press Maxwell

[Tim Gavrich]

So far this year I've been fortunate enough to play 44 new courses. My favorites among them:


Lahinch
Dooks
Abaco Club
Streamsong Black
Jupiter Hills
Fort Myers CC
Riomar
Ozarks National

[Conley Hurst]

I was lucky to have some fantastic golf this year as I finished up my masters at Oxford. We hit Scotland in July and played around St. Andrews and the East Lothian Coast. Throw in a few English gems, and it all adds up to the finest year of golf I will have for quite a while.


Top 5:
TOC
North Berwick (shout-out to Tim Gallant for a smashing time!)
Muirfield
Swinley Forest
Deal


Honorable mention:
Brancaster
Elie
Dunbar
Worplesdon
Harbour Town

[Tim Fitz]

I played a number of fun new courses this year, mostly in the Chicago area.  Many I found terrific (particularly the re-done Bob O'Link).  But, my favorite new course of 2018 was a round at Kingsley Club.  This course has been discussed to death on this board, so I won't reiterate the praise it has already received.  I will add, however, that just about everything I read about the course was true.  Wonderful experience and I hope to have the opportunity to go back.

[Conley Hurst]

So far this year I've been fortunate enough to play 44 new courses. My favorites among them:


Lahinch
Dooks
Abaco Club
Streamsong Black
Jupiter Hills
Fort Myers CC
Riomar
Ozarks National

Looks like a great year, Tim! How did you like Abaco Club? It appears to be a beautiful piece of property from online pictures. Was it firm & fast enough to play like a "tropical links" as they market it?

[Jud_T]

Oakland Hills South.  Forget the tournament history, this is just a straight up great course. Great greens, great, rolling property (#11!).  Can't wait to get back out there after Gil does his thang.

[John Mayhugh]

Clyde,
That's one for the wish list.
How many ferries involved?

Two: It's about an hour from Oban to Craignure on the Isle of Mull...then just over an hour's drive to Fionnport, from where it takes ten minutes as a foot passenger to Iona. The golf course is about 30 minutes walk, or you could hire a push-bike. (Only island residents are allowed cars; I think there might be one taxi.)


I'd recommend playing Tobermory while on Mull, and there are 9 well-positioned holes at Craignure if you need to kill time before the return ferry.

That's going to keep the hit and run guys away!

[JC Jones]

Southern Hills - Lovely movement and use of creeks, still trying to figure out why Maxwell bunkered his greens so heavily and why he routes extremely awkward golf holes like the 10th.

It has been a million years since I saw Southern Hills, and I don't remember the 10th.  Can you describe why it's extremely awkward?

Short par 4, dogleg right, around a hillside to an elevated green even higher on the hillside with a large mound semi-blocking your view into the green. It reminds me of the 4th hole at Old Town that does the same thing, although the green at old town plays downhill. I want to keep going straight on both holes instead of playing up and into the slope.

The dogleg right seems to be about the only thing you've described accurately about the 4th at Old Town.  Its a par 5 that, after you reach the top of ridge that bisects the course from SE to NW plays entirely down hill.  Depending on how far you hit your tee shot and to which side of the fairway, you can play a predominately straight shot and not be in a worse position (depending on pin) than had you hugged the inside of the dog leg - other than distance of the 3rd shot.  For example, if you hit a tee shot that is shorter and on the right, you can hit a long straight shot over the ridge, not at all hugging the inside of the dog leg, and still be in the fairway or just off it with a shot to the green.  Most of the time an approach shot to that green is played from a downhill lie and not "up and into the slope"; in fact, the more inside you play that hole the more likely you are to have a downhill approach and not be playing "up and into" a slope.

[Ryan Farrow]

Southern Hills - Lovely movement and use of creeks, still trying to figure out why Maxwell bunkered his greens so heavily and why he routes extremely awkward golf holes like the 10th.

It has been a million years since I saw Southern Hills, and I don't remember the 10th.  Can you describe why it's extremely awkward?

Short par 4, dogleg right, around a hillside to an elevated green even higher on the hillside with a large mound semi-blocking your view into the green. It reminds me of the 4th hole at Old Town that does the same thing, although the green at old town plays downhill. I want to keep going straight on both holes instead of playing up and into the slope.

The dogleg right seems to be about the only thing you've described accurately about the 4th at Old Town.  Its a par 5 that, after you reach the top of ridge that bisects the course from SE to NW plays entirely down hill.  Depending on how far you hit your tee shot and to which side of the fairway, you can play a predominately straight shot and not be in a worse position (depending on pin) than had you hugged the inside of the dog leg - other than distance of the 3rd shot.  For example, if you hit a tee shot that is shorter and on the right, you can hit a long straight shot over the ridge, not at all hugging the inside of the dog leg, and still be in the fairway or just off it with a shot to the green.  Most of the time an approach shot to that green is played from a downhill lie and not "up and into the slope"; in fact, the more inside you play that hole the more likely you are to have a downhill approach and not be playing "up and into" a slope.

Thanks for writing an entire paragraph about how I was wrong.  I did not mean to imply the approach shot at OTC played uphill into the green, I did not explain that well. But I did say the green at Old Town plays downhill while the green at Southern Hills plays uphill so I got two things right  [size=78%]. Both Holes play hard around a hillside which is not a typical routing choice for architects. My sentiment is that they would feel feel more natural to me if the holes continued to play straight or even dogleg left instead on continuing around the hill. If you were walking the property you would not go the direction the hole takes you. [/size]

[Chris_Blakely]

The following new courses I played are some of my favorites:


The Greenbrier - Old White, White Sulphur Springs, WV
Streamsong - Red Bowling Green, FL
Streamsong - Blue
Meshingomesia G & SC Marion, IN
Forest Dunes - The Loop Red  Roscommon, MI
Forest Dunes - The Loop Black
Arcadia Bluffs - South Course Arcadia, MI
Mount Prospect GC, IL
Hickory Hills GC - Grove City, OH

[Steve_Lovett]

I didn't play too many new this year - but my top three were (not necessarily in order):


Northland - Duluth, MN
Interlachen - Minneapolis, MN
Fox Chapel - Pittsburgh, PA

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