Perfect land for golf that remains undeveloped?

[Drew Maliniak]

Good sandy soil in South Mississippi.


https://www.lyingfour.com/conversations-blog/2020/5/14/pine-creek

[Daryl David]

Surprised no one has mentioned the land directly south of the courses at Saunton. Breathtaking dunes. 

[Phil McDade]

Sanday, one of the islands of the Orkneys -- almost more Nordic than Scottish -- looks to have some wonderful linksy land; this area has long intrigued me for seeming to have the kind of movement conducive to a links course, with a Pebble-like peninsula and some sand blowouts:


https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sanday/@59.2125978,-2.6626084,802m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x489b980efc4f5777:0xd8273ef4854411e8!8m2!3d59.2458295!4d-2.5492163


I've measured it via Google; you could get 18 very good holes here.


Remote, but....not sure it's more remote than the Sand Hills or the Canadian Sand Hills/Newfoundland coast. The model would be something akin to Ardfin -- I think the island itself is home to fewer than 500 people.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Did anyone mention the coast of Holland?


There are huge areas of links land north of The Hague, which could fit about 20-30 courses. There's also good land north and south of Noordwijk GC and Kennemeer GC with room for another 20-30 courses. If only... 

[Frank Pont]

Did anyone mention the coast of Holland?


There are huge areas of links land north of The Hague, which could fit about 20-30 courses. There's also good land north and south of Noordwijk GC and Kennemeer GC with room for another 20-30 courses. If only... 

You are very right, if you could do things in the dunes of the Netherlands you could build another 50-60 world class courses.....


Not only are the dunes present over a large part of the coast (The Hague up to Bergen) and on the Wadden islands north of Holland, but in places the dunes are almost 5 km wide. In many cases the dunes are more spectacular than anything you will find in GB.


If only Golf would have been more popular in 1900 in the Netherlands.......

[Adam Lawrence]

Did anyone mention the coast of Holland?


There are huge areas of links land north of The Hague, which could fit about 20-30 courses. There's also good land north and south of Noordwijk GC and Kennemeer GC with room for another 20-30 courses. If only... 

You are very right, if you could do things in the dunes of the Netherlands you could build another 50-60 world class courses.....


Not only are the dunes present over a large part of the coast (The Hague up to Bergen) and on the Wadden islands north of Holland, but in places the dunes are almost 5 km wide. In many cases the dunes are more spectacular than anything you will find in GB.


If only Golf would have been more popular in 1900 in the Netherlands.......

Frank's post makes me inclined to revise the question a bit... where is there great land for golf where you might have a chance of getting planning consent actually to build it? I know of one truly fantastic site... have to keep it hush for now... 

[Robin_Hiseman]

There is so much military land (both links and heath) that is every bit as good as the best land already developed for golf. Who knows if it will ever be relinquished. I doubt it.

[Thomas Dai]

There is so much military land (both links and heath) that is every bit as good as the best land already developed for golf. Who knows if it will ever be relinquished. I doubt it.

+1
The UK military have long been quick to acquire land but somewhat slow in handing it back or even making it available on a 'loan' basis for other uses.
Worth mentioning that quite a few military bases have had golf courses laid out on them, some may still do.
As base upkeep costs increase and the Govt goes looking for funds though ....... Fingers crossed but breath not being held.
atb

[Guy Nicholson]

The "Canadian Sand Hills" of Alberta.


https://integrativegolfdesigns.com/journal-content/the-canadian-sand-hills


Short season, but really cool!


Look at the terrain in Newfoundland...Can you say Tara Iti, eh...?..:


https://integrativegolfdesigns.com/journal-content/newfoundland-or-newfound-linksland

Riley wrote a nice piece about courses of the imagination for the first issue of Catalogue 18, using these blog posts as inspiration. He expanded on his ideas and did a sketch of a hole he conceived for the dunes in Newfoundland, it was wonderful stuff.

[Jay Mickle]

Surely more land in the Sandhills of NC.

[Sean_A]

Does anyone know of links land with topography similar to TOC?

Ciao

[Mark Kiely]

I don't know it would meet the "perfect" criteria in the thread title, but didn't Tom Doak talk about a site in California he was very excited about here on GCA.com in the last year or two? (I searched but came up empty.) Maybe I'm crazy, but I think he hinted at being involved with a project on somewhat secluded land in the foothills somewhere.


A. Anyone else remember that? Tom?
B. If I'm not crazy, is anyone able to reveal what happened to that project?

[Garland Bayley]

And what happened to the Doak course to be created on leased land on the BSA property in the dunes just south of Cape Lookout in Oregon?

[Carl Rogers]

I was considering more exotic locations such the Caspian Sea or the Black Sea.

[Tom_Doak]

And what happened to the Doak course to be created on leased land on the BSA property in the dunes just south of Cape Lookout in Oregon?

That wasn't mine.  I think Bill Coore looked at it for Mike.  No idea why it failed, other than permits by the ocean are always hard.

[Tom_Doak]

I don't know it would meet the "perfect" criteria in the thread title, but didn't Tom Doak talk about a site in California he was very excited about here on GCA.com in the last year or two? (I searched but came up empty.) Maybe I'm crazy, but I think he hinted at being involved with a project on somewhat secluded land in the foothills somewhere.


A. Anyone else remember that? Tom?
B. If I'm not crazy, is anyone able to reveal what happened to that project?

It's called Maha Napa and it is still a thing.  I don't know that you'd call it ideal land for golf - it's too severr and too dramatic for that, and too rocky also.  But we hope to use the first two things to our advantage.


We are still waiting on permits, but we expect to start next spring.  I have been concerned the whole three years about fires, and two weeks ago there were fires within a couple of mikes on two sides of the property, but they worked with Cal Fire to back burn the property and contain the fires and I'm told the golf property is unscathed. (Whew!)

[Mark Kiely]

Great to hear! Thanks for the update!

[James Reader]

Does anyone know of links land with topography similar to TOC?

Ciao

I was wondering at the weekend what lies underneath the trees of Tentsmuir Forest, over the Eden estuary from St Andrews.  Not that I can see it ever being available for golf - even if the trees will presumably be cut down at some point (it’s Forestry Scotland land).   Interesting to imagine what might be there though given the quality of its neighbours on both sides of the Tay.