5 Courses you would recomend to a friend?

[Will Lozier]

Go to London and spend a week playing these 5:


Sunningdale Old (and New while you are at it!) - world class Heathland course/club with loads of history
West Hill - a wonderful club with quality Heathland golf and a taste of what most would consider average golf for the area that I think is a 6 on the TD scale
The Addington - WILD!  *Correction...had MacKenzie on the brain!!!!
Rye - I don't know if I would describe Rye as fun...but it was
Deal - perhaps my favorite links


And, there are 20 other courses well worth going out of your way to play without going out of your way!

[Greg Gilson]

Hello will. thanks for this. It was actually Rye (& the fact that I had not played it) that got me thinking about this exercise back with the OP....so I am definitely headed there. I have been fortunate enough to play the other 4 & agree they are all deserving of being on this list for sure.


Alwoodley is a tough commute from London, however!


Thanks again!

[jeffwarne]

Thanks to all posters for taking the time to respond to this "5 Courses you would recommend to a friend" discussion. I have received lots of suggestions & those have helped me start to map out my travel plans for the next 10 years. I certainly will be getting to many of the courses you all suggested.


I am looking at a 10 year window & have been authorised by head office to plan 1 "golf-oriented trip" PA through that period. The trade-off (or at least the main tradeoff) is a number of "non-golf oriented trips" through that same period. The non-golf destinations will be India, Vietnam, Holy Land, Greek Islands & Alaska/Canadian Rockies (probably squeeze in a couple of rounds there?!?).


Looking at the lists of courses I am yet to see & that you all help compile, here are the "clusters" I will focus on:


(1) Europe (Netherlands & Nordic counties)


(2)UK #1 (London + Channel)


(3)UK #2 (South West England)


(4)UK#3 ("midlands" + Wales + Lancashire)


(5)UK #3 (A few Scottish courses I am yet to see + a few replays)


(6)Ireland west coast


(7)USA #1 (Las Vegas & "prairie courses")


(8)USA #2 (west coast)


(9)USA #3 (east coast)(Philly to Boston - several there I am yet to play)


Thanks again guys!

east coast (NY area)
not sure what's a top 100-assume Sleepy, Fenway, QR, WF, The Creek, Piping Rock, Bethpage Black, NGLA, Shinny, Sebonack, Friars, Maidstone (both) are out as candidates(ranked too high)?
Apawamis
Whipporwill
Southampton
Sunningdale
Siwanoy
Inwood
Scarsdale
St Georges
Bethpage Red
North Shore
Rockaway Hunt
Westhampton
Quogue
The Bridge
Bellport
The Vineyard
Huntington CC
Huntington Crescent
Knollwood

[Greg Gilson]

Thanks Jeff. You are not going to be popular with my bride. That's a super list. The ones that I have not played & therefore  need to consider are:


[font=]Sleepy Hollow[/font]
[font=]Apawamis[/font][font=&amp][/font]

[font=&amp][font=]Whipporwill[/font][font=]Sunningdale[/font][font=]Inwood[/font][font=]Scarsdale[/font][font=]St Georges[/font][font=]Bethpage Red[/font][font=]North Shore[/font][font=]Westhampton[/font][font=]Quogue[/font][font=]The Bridge[/font][font=]Bellport[/font][font=]The Vineyard[/font][font=]Huntington CC[/font][font=]Huntington Crescent[/font]

So much good golf...so little time. Thanks again.[/font]

[font=&amp][/font]

[Bill Seitz]

An eclectic list for contrarians with taste and a sense of adventure:


Santa Anita - Arcadia, CA (good call Barny)

I probably bring this up every time it's mentioned here, but as a kid who was literally born across the street and played Santa Anita probably a hundred times through high school*, when all I ever wanted to do was play a well conditioned course with a discernible fairway, I always get a kick out of the reverence for the place.  I get it now, and I see it through a different lens than I did back then.  I guess I just didn't care about great bones as a 15 year old.  For all the talk about equipment, nothing changes the game quite like a teenage growth spurt.  Sophomore year, the first hole was 3-wood off the tee, 4-wood approach.  Junior year it was driver/8-iron.


*For those not from the area, very few of the area high schools have private club access, and there aren't that many private clubs in the west San Gabriel Valley to begin with.  Santa Anita was the home course for Arcadia High (across the street), and half the Rio Hondo League (Temple City, San Marino, and Monrvia), so all of our practices and most of our matches were played there.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'll only post course that are relatively easy to access so most privates are out. I came up with more courses from England than anywhere. These courses are well known by folks on this site but not by others.
Beau Desert (Heathland in the best radition)
Delamere Forest (What fast and firm is truly about)
Saunton West (The lesser known twin but great fun)
RND (It is ike playing a museum)
Four Streams (This is private but is an unsung hero. I was a member there for 14 years until I retired in 2014. It is wonderful Steve Smyers course.)

[mike_malone]

  Lehigh
  Manufacturer’s
  Huntingdon Valley
  Philadelphia CC
  Lancaster CC

In all seriousness how many of those haven’t been top 100. I’ll never forget when all the Holfwerk guys got together and pushed Lehigh to like 99th.

I think it said top 150 in the world.




By the way we have an arrangement with Huntingdon Valley, Lehigh, and Lancaster and most of my buddies prefer Lehigh.
Every course on that list is elite and should be played by any architectural nut.

I know that Lehigh has gotten a lot of love over the last 10 years but I can't buy into it being on the same level as Lancaster. I love Lehigh and have a history playing it going back to winning my one big junior trophy there back in 1983. There are a lot of nice aspects of Lehigh's routing and the holes down in the valley are very nice. However, Lancaster has high points that Lehigh just can not match, the stretch from 8-11 is world class and 14-18 is also really strong. While I am indifferent to 12-13 I think that the upper holes at Lehigh 5-6 are easily as weak. Also, Lehigh's 11 is just as awkward a par-5 as Lancaster's 13. I would never turn down a chance to play either and my comments are not meant to slight Lehigh one bit.

Jim,
This is what makes appreciating golf courses fun. I think 5 is a nice hole at Lehigh as Flynn pushes you away from the right dogleg uphill. 6 is a classic Flynn par 5. It’s short but has a drive that tests accuracy, a fun second shot that is either going for the green or dealing with a well placed bunker. It ends with a narrow green that slopes front to back as it curls right to left.


I think Lancaster is better as you get away from the clubhouse.


I agree about 13 LCC and 11 Lehigh but whereas I see few places to hit the tee shot at Lancaster Lehigh is growing on me as I try to keep it on the right.


I love Flynn and have made the case that his Philly work is unparalleled by any architect for 6 courses or more in any metropolitan area.

[Garland Bayley]

...
(3)UK #2 (South West England)

See my previous post, but since you put Wales in your next category delete Tenby and add Saunton West

(4)UK#3 ("midlands" + Wales + Lancashire)


...
(6)Ireland west coast

Carne, Strandhill, Portsalon, Narin and Portnoo, and depending on your interests
Mulrany only 9 holes but very natural looking like the whole course was just mowed out of the landscape with highly contoured and slow greens,
Northwest for 18 holes very efficiently and effectively placed on a small piece of property,
or Donegal (Murvagh) for a full fledged 18 holes


(8)USA #2 (west coast)

See previous post

[Jeff Schley]

Thanks to all posters for taking the time to respond to this "5 Courses you would recommend to a friend" discussion. I have received lots of suggestions & those have helped me start to map out my travel plans for the next 10 years. I certainly will be getting to many of the courses you all suggested.


I am looking at a 10 year window & have been authorised by head office to plan 1 "golf-oriented trip" PA through that period. The trade-off (or at least the main tradeoff) is a number of "non-golf oriented trips" through that same period. The non-golf destinations will be India, Vietnam, Holy Land, Greek Islands & Alaska/Canadian Rockies (probably squeeze in a couple of rounds there?!?).


Looking at the lists of courses I am yet to see & that you all help compile, here are the "clusters" I will focus on:


(1) Europe (Netherlands & Nordic counties)


(2)UK #1 (London + Channel)


(3)UK #2 (South West England)


(4)UK#3 ("midlands" + Wales + Lancashire)


(5)UK #3 (A few Scottish courses I am yet to see + a few replays)


(6)Ireland west coast


(7)USA #1 (Las Vegas & "prairie courses")


(8)USA #2 (west coast)


(9)USA #3 (east coast)(Philly to Boston - several there I am yet to play)


Thanks again guys!

east coast (NY area)
not sure what's a top 100-assume Sleepy, Fenway, QR, WF, The Creek, Piping Rock, Bethpage Black, NGLA, Shinny, Sebonack, Friars, Maidstone (both) are out as candidates(ranked too high)?
Apawamis
Whipporwill
Southampton
Sunningdale
Siwanoy
Inwood
Scarsdale
St Georges
Bethpage Red
North Shore
Rockaway Hunt
Westhampton
Quogue
The Bridge
Bellport
The Vineyard
Huntington CC
Huntington Crescent
Knollwood

Jeff would you put Wykagl and Deepdale on that list?  Or you think overrated?  I know there are dozens are quality courses in NY metro.

[Cristian]

Woking
Lundin
Dinard
Ballyliffin Old
Littlestone

The Gourmet Choices discussion got me thinking about the courses I want to see before I put my 2 wood in the rack. Depending upon when we get to start flying again I reckon I have another decade of international travelling left in me. In the past I have used (amongst many other sources, including this site) the Golf Magazine 2009 World Top 100 list to guide my golf travel. I have played 99/100 from that list (ANGC) along with many of the usual suspects from the courses built since 2009 as well as from the "next 100".


But, looking at the Gourmet Choices lists, I have not seen Rye, Pennard, St Enodoc, Westward Ho, amongst others. I need to commence my planning to rectify that.


So, what are the 5 courses from outside the "usual" World Top 150 that I need to see before I die?

[jeffwarne]

Thanks to all posters for taking the time to respond to this "5 Courses you would recommend to a friend" discussion. I have received lots of suggestions & those have helped me start to map out my travel plans for the next 10 years. I certainly will be getting to many of the courses you all suggested.


I am looking at a 10 year window & have been authorised by head office to plan 1 "golf-oriented trip" PA through that period. The trade-off (or at least the main tradeoff) is a number of "non-golf oriented trips" through that same period. The non-golf destinations will be India, Vietnam, Holy Land, Greek Islands & Alaska/Canadian Rockies (probably squeeze in a couple of rounds there?!?).


Looking at the lists of courses I am yet to see & that you all help compile, here are the "clusters" I will focus on:


(1) Europe (Netherlands & Nordic counties)


(2)UK #1 (London + Channel)


(3)UK #2 (South West England)


(4)UK#3 ("midlands" + Wales + Lancashire)


(5)UK #3 (A few Scottish courses I am yet to see + a few replays)


(6)Ireland west coast


(7)USA #1 (Las Vegas & "prairie courses")


(8)USA #2 (west coast)


(9)USA #3 (east coast)(Philly to Boston - several there I am yet to play)


Thanks again guys!

east coast (NY area)
not sure what's a top 100-assume Sleepy, Fenway, QR, WF, The Creek, Piping Rock, Bethpage Black, NGLA, Shinny, Sebonack, Friars, Maidstone (both) are out as candidates(ranked too high)?
Apawamis
Whipporwill
Southampton
Sunningdale
Siwanoy
Inwood
Scarsdale
St Georges
Bethpage Red
North Shore
Rockaway Hunt
Westhampton
Quogue
The Bridge
Bellport
The Vineyard
Huntington CC
Huntington Crescent
Knollwood

Jeff would you put Wykagl and Deepdale on that list?  Or you think overrated?  I know there are dozens are quality courses in NY metro.

Wykagyl yes
Deepdale no-fast greens as your sole differentiator kind've jumped the shark about 10 years ago.
and I forgot to mention Engineers amongst others!

[Will Lozier]

Hello will. thanks for this. It was actually Rye (& the fact that I had not played it) that got me thinking about this exercise back with the OP....so I am definitely headed there. I have been fortunate enough to play the other 4 & agree they are all deserving of being on this list for sure.


Alwoodley is a tough commute from London, however!


Thanks again!

Meant Addington! Sorry!! These five are courses I grew particularly fond of during the year I taught in London.


Alwoodley is where I played my Open Qualifier that next summer...yes, it is a hike!


Cheers