A Course You Could Play Every Day

[Michael Pelliccione]

Top 100 choice -- Somerset Hills Country Club
Sleeper choice -- Atlantic City Country Club
Honorable mention -- Palmetto Golf Club / Prouts Neck Country Club

[M. Shea Sweeney]

Palmetto Golf Club
NGLA
Indian Creek
Douglaston GC
Southampton
Victoria GC (Aus)

[Paul Carey]

Well Tom, in GETTING TO EIGHTEEN, you stated that you wished you had a course like Riverfront in your backyard.  ..... So I will go with that.


I think that most Strantz courses would get a bit tedious after a few days.


Mid Pines
Southern Pines

As a member of a Strantz course (Bulls Bay)it does not get tedious in the least.   The wide fairways and angles make every day play fun. The winds off the coast are always changing.  It’s a tough walk but many walk it every day.


My choices:
Old Town
Medinah #1 (that’s just fun)
Yeaman’s Hall


All three have fun greens.

[George Smiltins]

Of the top 100 I have played, Cal Club and Old Town. These certainly check all the boxes in terms of strategy, interest, etc. but they also have a routing that allows for different loops for those of us not allowed the luxury of playing a full 9.


These places also aren't over the top with in your face staff. Seems like you can just grab your clubs and run out on the course.


And I don't know if I'd like to look at the ocean every day. Might get old.

[Mike Feeney]

Despite living in US, I have more "famous course" experience in the UK. 

Agree with your "not boring design" as #1, then: 2. Able to strap on my own bag and walk comfortably  3. Design with tee boxes aligned with my 230 yard tee shots. 4. Variety of par 3 lengths  5.   Limited fairway bunkering.  6. Limited water hazards     Bonus points if there is a love-of-the-game feel in the clubhouse/bar/pro shop

Not in any order...that would be tough

-- Mid Pines-- Brora-- Myopia-- Essex County
-- Cruden Bay-- Old Town-- County Louth-- Ekwanok
-- Lakeside-- Royal Cinque Ports
-- Newport-- Whitinsville
#2, Royal County Down, Winged Foot, & Royal Dornoch -- I loved playing, but everyday would be too much for my game (4-6 handicap)

Examples of courses where I did play everyday, and loved, but not famous -- Orchards (MA) and Metacomet (sigh!).
Others, not so famous, that fall into this category -- Worcester, Aiken, Wanumetonomy (much improved), Lake Sunapee, Fort Myers, and Pocasset

[Tom_Doak]

I'd go with Myopia Hunt! I think there is so much there to keep me interested each and everyday. There are lots of half par holes, and greens that would keep the game fun well into my old age. With different pins, it would be neat thinking about the best strategies needed to attack each of those holes. I can't see myself losing a lot of golf balls, would likely play quick, and the walk wouldn't break me.

Myopia was one I thought of, too, even though I have never actually played it!

[Matt Kardash]

As a Canadian I will offer Cabot Links (not Cliffs). I seriously believe out of all the new links designs Cabot Links ranks the highest on the "could play every day" scale. It's a super easy walk. Great holes. Understated design. In the middle of the town. Is there a course in North America that nails the UK British Links feel more than Cabot Links?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Based on my three playing of Royal Melbourne over two days, I think it qualifies in spades.  Me, and 80's shooter and my then wife, shooting in the 120's+, both made it around in 2 hours and 45 minutes each time, both shooting about our average score.  Fast play, good score, beautiful course?  What's not to like every day?

Did your wife really shoot 120 in under three hours?  That's gotta be hard to do.  Or did she score better at RM, as I would expect?

Don't recall the exact score, but it was over 100 each time, while I shot 83, 86 and 90, not in that order.  But, it gets better.....one day we were playing behind the ladies league, had trouble keeping up, and still finished in under 3 hours.

[Rob Marshall]

Torrey Pines.  Yes I like that course, but I know it’s not popular here.  I always play with locals and they have made every single one of my experiences enjoyable.  They play fast and get it done.  It has good golf and great views.  Add in a couple good folks and there ya go.  I hate that so many people bash it.  Is it world class? Maybe no, but I could play it every day and not be bored.

I loved my day there and agree. If this is a serious question you can't beat the weather.

I also love Torrey and have always had a good experience there.

[MKrohn]

My experience in the US is limited to a few states, of those I have played I would go with California GC


Australia: Barwon Heads

[Dan_Callahan]

As a member of a Strantz course (Bulls Bay)it does not get tedious in the least.   The wide fairways and angles make every day play fun. The winds off the coast are always changing.  It’s a tough walk but many walk it every day.

Having just returned from Tobacco Road, that is unquestionably a course I could play every day.


In New England, I could play Kittansett every day and not get tired of it.

[Tom_Doak]

As a member of a Strantz course (Bulls Bay)it does not get tedious in the least.   The wide fairways and angles make every day play fun. The winds off the coast are always changing.  It’s a tough walk but many walk it every day.

Having just returned from Tobacco Road, that is unquestionably a course I could play every day.

That's the first one named here that has really surprised me.  Bulls Bay, I would agree with, and it seems like it was designed with regular member play in mind.  Mike's other courses do not seem like they would appeal for that much at all, but of course most of them were not built with that in mind.

[Allan Long]

Sticking with your parameters of confining to American courses and something I'd never get tired of....

Cypress Point
Prairie Dunes
Riviera
St. George's (NY)
Lawsonia (Links)

[Pete Lavallee]

In my mind there is no course with more variability than Rustic Canyon; you always seem to have to manufacture a shot you haven’t played recently when tackling that course. If it’s not on a Top 100 list that, in my opinion, is a serious oversight!


As to Torrey Pines, its extremely tedious from November until the Farmers comes around with very deep rough that gets cropped to 3” the week before the Tournament. Searching for my playing partners balls gets very tiring!


Kittansett, Eastward Ho! and Whitensville in my home state would also do just fine also.

[Dan_Callahan]

That's the first one named here that has really surprised me.  Bulls Bay, I would agree with, and it seems like it was designed with regular member play in mind.  Mike's other courses do not seem like they would appeal for that much at all, but of course most of them were not built with that in mind.

Wide, forgiving fairways. Interesting, challenging greens. Lots of options for how you play a bunch of the holes. I only have two small quibbles: the par 3s are all relatively short. And over two rounds, my 2-iron through 5-iron never left my bag. But it also wasn’t very windy. In different conditions, that would probably change. I love everything about the place.

[David_Madison]

Old Town - could be the most mentioned on this thread but for lots of great reasons
Mid-Pines - love playing it often (was a member) but after awhile I wanted something to stretch out on
Ballyneal - wonderfully flexible any you can change it up a ton from day to day
Ridgewood CC - am cheating here with 3 great nines
Pinehurst #2 - might wear me down after awhile but I'd love to let it try

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Some great choices already offered up. Gotta agree with Valley Club of Montecito... that would be tough to beat. Although my number one choice would be Shoreacres.

[Matt MacIver]

Old Town - could be the most mentioned on this thread but for lots of great reasons
Mid-Pines - love playing it often (was a member) but after awhile I wanted something to stretch out on
Ballyneal - wonderfully flexible any you can change it up a ton from day to day
Ridgewood CC - am cheating here with 3 great nines
Pinehurst #2 - might wear me down after awhile but I'd love to let it try

This list is close to mine, but has no one mentioned Augusta as an everyday loop?  Count me in aside from the summer closure, maybe that’s what I’m missing...

[Tim Martin]

Cape Arundel GC
Misquamicut Club
Fox Chapel GC
Sankaty Head GC
Fenway GC

[Adam G]

In Massachusetts, I immediately thought of Essex County Club and Boston Golf Club.

[Kevin Pallier]

Which of the top 100 courses in the U.S.A. would you want to play every day?


[Please list no more than a handful.]

Given where I learned my golf - I would have to say somewhere near the Ocean where the winds and weather vary day to day


As such - I'll limit it to 5
Cypress Point
Bandon (Pac Dunes or Old M)
Fishers Island
& not that I've seen it but I'm sure the new Bandon - Sheep Ranch would be the 5th

[Lou_Duran]

How could anyone ever get tired of playing Cypress Point or Sand Hills?


Royal Dornoch has the advantage of tiered tee times two or three times per day.  From 7-8 it is member 2-balls, under 3 hours; 8-9 (I think) it's member 2 to 4-ball, well under 4 hours.


I agree with Pete re: Rustic Canyon and with John K re: Torrey Pines- South IF they offered something similar to Dornoch in the early morning.


In Dallas, Trinity Forest could float my boat.  And but for a few solvable problems, Gentle Creek, my home club would not be a bad place to ride out the sunset.

[Daryl David]

No particular order.


NGLA
Old Town
Shoreacres
White Bear Yacht
Philly Cricket

[Bob Simons]

#2
Manufacturers’

[Mike Hendren]

I want to play recreational golf and not get beat up.
I want an easy walk with little hill climbing - Santa brought me a Clicgear for Christmas (and I have rejoined a local club).
I don't want to search for golf balls.
I don't want to need to his anything more than a sand wedge from the sand.
I want easy double-bogey.
Loops within the loop are desirable.
I want to avoid Big A*s Pete memberships. 
Most importantly I want interesting greens with a variety of pinnable locations.


For these reasons I ignore Tom's U. S. caveat  and select Huntercombe in a landslide.  Honorable mentions later.


Bogey