Most Underrated Courses in your City/area

[Phil McDade]

In Wisconsin:


Pine Hills near Sheboygan
Big Foot near Lake Geneva
Kenosha CC


I should quickly add that, while I have not played any of those three, longtime golf friends suggest they are courses well worth playing, and perhaps better all-around golf courses, than many of the better publicized state courses, public and private.


One I have played that I'd add to this list is Ozaukee CC, in suburban Milwaukee, a Langford original with a few odd ticks and non-conforming features, but some wonderful greens and a very good routing over occasionally rambunctious terrain.

[Tim Leahy]

Andy Johnson (and others) tie the tale to the El Royale:


https://thefriedegg.com/wilshire-country-club-review/


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-16-sp-57570-story.html%3f_amp=true


This gca review has a photo (courtesy of Tommy Naccarato), showing both signs at the 9th tee, with the hotel sign appearing to be very close, with the Hollywood sign being four miles away:


https://golfclubatlas.com/wilshire-country-club-pg-ii/

The Hollywood sign being further away is what makes the story because no one but Hogan would ask to pick out a letter for a target. Also in Hogan's time there was no smog to block the sign like now.

[Terry Lavin]

Who knows?  As I prefaced my first remark, “legend has it”, there are differing tales about this tee shot. What doesn’t differ is that Wilshire is a great course and a reason to fly to LA.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Nothing is underrated in Phoenix 


Did Hogan try this sign?

[Matthew Petersen]

Nothing is underrated in Phoenix 


Did Hogan try this sign?

The LAND portion of the sign came down in 1949, the first time the sign was restored. It was in pretty bad shape throughout the 40s (it was only supposed to last 1-2 years when it went up in the early 20s after all).


Most accounts of the story online have Hogan's round occurring in the 50s. It could have been in the late 40s, I suppose, but if so it seems more likely the Fried Egg story is correct--he would more likely have been aiming at the El Royale story than the dilapidated Hollywoodland sign in those years.


Weird intersection of things (golf, Hollywood history) I'm oddly interested in here.

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

I think i heard several times when they played an LPGA event at Wilshire a few years ago that the announcers mentioned the El Royale


Now back to this original thread - underrated in and near St. Louis, MO


Private
Westwood - big, brawny and much better with recent tree removal
St. Clair (Belleville, IL) Really fun Lanford Moreau
Algonquin - old Foulis course always in great shape tucked into a great neighborhood
Old Hawthorne (Columbia, MO) - Art Schaupeter course, lots of shot variety, home of Mizzou golf team


Public
Aberdeen
Ruth Park - 9 hole Foulis course

[Kalen Braley]

The LA Times story got at least one detail wrong, who knows what else.  It said this:

"The course opened in 1920 and even though you could see the Hollywood sign from the ninth tee,..."

The sign wasn't put up until 1923....

Additionally, the course used to host professional tournaments in the 40s and given he joined the tour in the 30s he would have almost certainly played the course before 1949 when it was still the "Hollywoodland" sign, not just Hollywood.

[Steven Blake]

In Wisconsin:


Pine Hills near Sheboygan
Big Foot near Lake Geneva
Kenosha CC


I should quickly add that, while I have not played any of those three, longtime golf friends suggest they are courses well worth playing, and perhaps better all-around golf courses, than many of the better publicized state courses, public and private.


One I have played that I'd add to this list is Ozaukee CC, in suburban Milwaukee, a Langford original with a few odd ticks and non-conforming features, but some wonderful greens and a very good routing over occasionally rambunctious terrain.

Phil,


I second Pine Hills in Sheboygan! Great greens and an overall great experience. Some recent tree removal and added bunkers are a nice improvement on an already good course.






Steven Blake

[Joe Hellrung]

In Atlanta I would venture Browns Mill, a public course in South Fulton County.  Some great little holes and very walkable.  If you aren't first out you have a good chance at a 6 hour round. 

It is well known on this board and among serious golfers in the ATL, but Rivermont is a great track north of the city that is not well known generally.

[Edward Glidewell]

In Atlanta I would venture Browns Mill, a public course in South Fulton County.  Some great little holes and very walkable.  If you aren't first out you have a good chance at a 6 hour round. 

It is well known on this board and among serious golfers in the ATL, but Rivermont is a great track north of the city that is not well known generally.

That's true of all the Atlanta municipal courses. It's why I never play them; the pace of play is generally unbearable.


I played Woodmont for the first time a couple of months ago and thought it was a pretty good course (better than most of the other publics I've played around Atlanta), but one round there probably wasn't enough to make a serious judgment.


Of course, something being underrated for the Atlanta metro area (especially when it comes to public golf) isn't saying very much.

[mike_beene]

I will throw one out that I bet few have seen: Ridgewood CC in Waco, Tx. The views and hills make you think you are on the Pacific coast. They finally are clearing some trees.

[Tim Martin]

Hartford

Suffield CC
Timberlin Park GC
Chippanee GC

[Cal Seifert]

Bellport
Gardiners bay
Laurel Links


On Long Island that I’ve played.

[Robert West]

In Rhode Island public golf is not strong.  Pinecrest though is an excellent 9 holer that no one has heard of.


https://www.pinecrestri.com/


Pinecrest is a great hidden little course. It's proof that length is not needed for high scores. I think the driver is only appropriate on 1 or 2 holes. I've always played better at Meadowbrook around the corner despite it being supersized by comparison.

Recently though I played nearby Fenner Hill. The course layout is a tad... hectic(?) Some holes must have been afterthoughts, a couple of scrunched in fairways show up, but the greens are fantastic and worth the trip. True and fast... really surprised me after playing in so many South County swamps over the years. Take a few puts on the practice green and you will immediately realize something is different compared to its neighbors.

RW

[Drew Maliniak]

NJ

Skyway Golf Course in Jersey City (very fun public 9 hole. 3 par 3s, 3 par 5s and 3 par 4s).
Metedeconk (despite being an RTJ).
 

[JJShanley]

I've not played it in 20 years now, but Mortonhall in Edinburgh always struck me as an excellent course that doesn't get much attention. Folks won't visit the area to play parkland golf, although one should consider Braid Hills across the wall on Day 1 after a transatlantic flight, but Mortonhall is a very solid course.

[Evan Fleisher]

Although not really in the Chicago area (about a 2.5 hour drive), I feel the TPC Deere Run is vastly underrated.  Really beautiful piece of land with a terrific collection of holes.

+1

[Evan Fleisher]

Wow...no love the The CLE and its underrated courses, so here goes!  A few of these have been talked about on GCA before and with some additional maintenance TLC could be all-world tracks.


Out East / Southeast of the city in a town called Garrettsville is a place called Sugar Bush Golf Club; it is a Harold Paddock design from the mid-60's and is fun as hell with lots of elevation changes and a good use of the land forms.


Northeast of Cleveland is the 1920's Donald Ross course called Manakiki.  There are so many challenging holes here and the walk is delightful.


South of Cleveland in Brecksville is another crown jewel of the city that just needs some love...Sleepy Hollow.  This 1920's Stanley Thompson course is a ball-buster!  Better put yourself in the correct positions for approach shots and there are places on some of the greens where you could putt until infinity before you get it in the hole.  A lovely walk on an incredible piece of terrain.


Farther South of Cleveland in Ashland is the Ashland Golf Club which is a Willie Park Jr. design.  A tough piece of rolling property with some "extreme" holes makes for a very interesting round of golf.


Another place (which seems to have very polarizing opinions) on the Southeast side of town in Streetsboro called Boulder Creek Golf Club is a self-made golf course by Joe Salemi (an excavator by trade).  He built the course himself and has tinkered with it for years.  Are there a few "tricked up" holes...yes.  Is it a blast-and-a-half to play...yes!  Go give it a try.


Last is a place I played just this year and wish I'd had traveled down to see it sooner!  Right along the I-71 corridor heading down towards Columbus in the town of Bellville is Brian Huntley's Deer Ridge Golf Club.  This course is a tale of two nines...the front winding through the higher ground and woods throughout. Then the back nine dives down the hillsides to the river valley below for a different "taste" of golf on the same piece of property.  A great contrast in settings!