Can houses ever enhance a golf course?

[Michael Felton]

I normally hate houses on the golf course. The one place that springs to mind that has houses around it (though well back from the playing areas) is St George's Hill. It helps that they're some of the nicest houses in the country.


I do concur with the Winged Foot example. Didn't Bobby Jones say the 10th on the West was like hitting a long iron into someone's bedroom?

[Tim_Weiman]

I normally hate houses on the golf course. The one place that springs to mind that has houses around it (though well back from the playing areas) is St George's Hill. It helps that they're some of the nicest houses in the country.


I do concur with the Winged Foot example. Didn't Bobby Jones say the 10th on the West was like hitting a long iron into someone's bedroom?

Thought that was Hogan as quoted by Dan Jenkins.

[Steve Lapper]

I've always thought that the narrow views of the homes sprinkled around Pine Valley were interesting.


The most dramatic are clearly the mansions alongside (and above) the likes of Sherwood CC, LACC, Bel-Air CC, The Preserve, Mayacama, Maidstone, and Merion. They do provide an enhanced backdrop.

[Steve Lang]

   In only one case, otherwise no, I've seen way too many nice courses or parts of courses synoptically destroyed by housing...


I only make exception for when a friend owns the house and serves drink and food to players passing by... can't beat that!

[David Kelly]

At Ardglass GC, the house/cottage hard by the 7th green and then the one in the middle of the fairway on the #16 par 5 certainly enhance the golf course.

[mike_malone]

At Ardglass GC, the house/cottage hard by the 7th green and then the one in the middle of the fairway on the #16 par 5 certainly enhance the golf course.

Many years ago when I played Ardglass I almost hit one up the ass of a cow on that dogleg hole.

[David Kelly]

At Ardglass GC, the house/cottage hard by the 7th green and then the one in the middle of the fairway on the #16 par 5 certainly enhance the golf course.

Many years ago when I played Ardglass I almost hit one up the ass of a cow on that dogleg hole.

There is definitely a LOT going on at Ardglass.

[SteveOgulukian]

The 15th tee at Maidstone says yes.

[PCCraig]

The Playboy Mansion or Lionel Richie's house certainly adds to the sense of place at LACC!

[Mike_Trenham]

Front yards often good - [size=78%]plus you get the benefit of OB being a public street, it’s a lot more romantic to hit a public street than some kids swing set with a wayward drive.[/size]

[Jordan Beasley]

I normally hate houses on the golf course. The one place that springs to mind that has houses around it (though well back from the playing areas) is St George's Hill. It helps that they're some of the nicest houses in the country.




Agree on St. George's Hill. The house to the left of the 9th fairway might be my #1 "lottery dream home." 


A few contrasting examples from Northern California, in my view, are Pasatiempo and Sea Ranch. The mostly ordinary homes on the former are an unfortunate distraction from a sublime golf course. The unique and unobtrusive homes on the latter are fully part of the experience of visiting Sea Ranch; i.e. many more people drive up the coast to look at the homes than those who go to play golf.

[Mark Fedeli]

I normally hate houses on the golf course. The one place that springs to mind that has houses around it (though well back from the playing areas) is St George's Hill. It helps that they're some of the nicest houses in the country.




Agree on St. George's Hill. The house to the left of the 9th fairway might be my #1 "lottery dream home." 

A few contrasting examples from Northern California, in my view, are Pasatiempo and Sea Ranch. The mostly ordinary homes on the former are an unfortunate distraction from a sublime golf course. The unique and unobtrusive homes on the latter are fully part of the experience of visiting Sea Ranch; i.e. many more people drive up the coast to look at the homes than those who go to play golf.

Agree on both counts, Jordan, especially Sea Ranch. Great call-out. Those homes were specifically designed to blend in with, complement, and enhance their surroundings. Just like a great golf course. Homes like that, when unobtrusive, can certainly enhance the golf experience.

[Tom_Doak]

When I was a kid I thought the house to the left of the 5th at Spyglass Hill would be the coolest spot to live.


I can’t think of many places where houses enhance the course but there are many that don’t spoil it - there are houses in the property at Pine Valley, houses to the right of the 2nd at Cypress Point, and houses bordering Royal Melbourne, and no one cares.

[Robin_Hiseman]

There is a course in the Czech Republic that reputedly had a 'house of ill repute' adjoining one of the holes. It certainly enhanced the experience for many patrons!

[Jason Topp]

Sometimes homes improve the experience but it is rare.  Some examples:


1. Indian Canyons North - Palm Springs.  The golf course is pedestrian and will not win any awards but the houses are outstanding examples of mid-century modern architecture that give the place a feel of stepping back in time to  a groovy Mad-Men era series of pool cocktail parties.


2.  The Reserve - Palm Springs.  An ordinary Weiskopf design is dramatically improved by the experience of viewing opulent  stone exterior houses. 


3.  Scottish links courses that return to town provide a fabulous sense of place.


4.  The "cabins" at Augusta National seem to add to the sense of place.


Generally housing detracts from the experience although I suspect the choice of land used for the course v housing and the resulting compromises in course routing are a big component of that detraction.  I have always thought Harbor Town was an example where housing may not add to the exerience but is accomodated and hidden so well that the golf experience is in no way negatively impaceted.

[jeffwarne]

Definitely.
North Berwick, St. George's Hill.
 Even houses occasionally in play are cool. if sparingly(example Pitlochry)
Houses lining both sides generally not cool, but along a perimeter can be cool(Rivierra)
a few mid century 20th homes along TCC were cool this year to me.


Yeaman's Hall another good example

[Tim Gavrich]

Some courses that come to mind along this topic:


Mountain Lake - Probably the most harmonious coexistence of homes and golf course I've seen anywhere in a planned community (in other words, TOC and North Berwick and Lahinch are excepted). Part of what makes the place so great is the realization that, whoa, it's (theoretically) possible for this to be your backyard.


Windsor - Very good RTJ2 golf course here in Vero that is integrated with an incredibly thoughtfully planned and great-looking New Urbanist community with West Indies houses. It's one of the most expensive addresses in the golf real estate world but I am at a loss to understand why so few less-expensive communities have even tried that alternative style of housing arrangement.


Turnberry Isle - 36 holes of core golf (a little on the cramped side in places) surrounded by huge condominium towers. It's kind of interesting, kind of eerie playing golf with literally thousands of verandas and windows oriented in your direction.


Currituck - Stands out as having the most obtrusive housing on an otherwise-nice course I've played. On the more scenic holes, the tall condo buildings are BRUTALLY close to the line of play.


Orange Tree - An Orlando club whose corridors are so absurdly compromised by homes and OB stakes that I marvel that anyone could enjoy playing there. It's a shame because the holes themselves are not that bad, just hellaciously tight.


Creighton Farms - Has to have the biggest houses by average square footage of any course I've played (Wexford on Hilton Head would be the runner-up


Golfcrest - Mid-century south-of-Houston club with typical Texas McMansions, but with wildly different architectural styles one to the next (I'm talking pagoda, then Mediterranean, then French Chateau styles all in a row), plus a feature I've not noticed anywhere else: little wee driveways at the back of the garages meant for residents to drive their own golf carts straight onto the course paths.




In general, as long as the houses grant the holes enough width, I'm determined not to let them detract from my enjoyment of the golf. When the golf itself is good, it's easy to ignore the houses. One strong example of that phenomenon here in FL is Lakewood National. The homebuilder granted Brandon Johnson enough room to build 36 reeeeeeally fun, varied and compelling golf holes, so it's easy to ignore the fact that the homes that surround it are of the typical modern Florida variety. I'd be thrilled to play both those courses regularly.

[Jerry Kluger]

It appears that houses almost universally do not enhance a golf course.  Have others seen a course which they really liked and then houses were built which really detracted from the golfing experience? 

[Wayne_Kozun]

I would posit that the one exception to this is Mrs. Formans, assuming that public houses counts a houses.  But, alas, it is no more.

[Matt_Cohn]

When I was a kid I thought the house to the left of the 5th at Spyglass Hill would be the coolest spot to live.

Shareen’s Dream! Only problem is the wind blows in the, uh, scent from Seal Rock a few hundred yards out to sea.

[Greg Hohman]

Jason, Indian Canyons North is one of my favorite places for this very reason, thanks for adding it here. Tahquitz Creek’s Legends, also in PS and also Wm. Bell, Jr., has the same atmosphere for me even if the homes would not quite do for the men at the top of Sterling Cooper. The same retro vibe goes for Cathedral Canyon (D. Rainville) in Cathedral City, at least for me.

[Carl Johnson]

Call me an old fogey, but I do not like houses on golf courses -- no enhancement.  I would make exception for historic venues where buildings can be considered part of the environment (as others have noted, the Old Course fits that bill).  I've been watching the USGA Women's Amateur at Chambers Bay and am reminded of how much I like the trains as part of that environment.  Obviously this is not a historic situation, since the course is a new one, but for me it works.  I've never played the course, but have seen it from the other side, the tracks, on a couple of passenger car trips between Seattle and Portland.

[Jim_Coleman]

It appears that houses almost universally do not enhance a golf course.  Have others seen a course which they really liked and then houses were built which really detracted from the golfing experience?

I think I have a good example - Laurel Creek in South Jersey. It’s a Palmer design built to be an upscale private club. There were no houses and it was quite good. It didn’t make it, and was bought by Toll Brothers and turned into a housing project. Big deterioration.
  Bent Creek, a Reece Jones in Lancaster, PA is a similar story.

[Alan FitzGerald CGCS MG]

  Bent Creek, a Reece Jones in Lancaster, PA is a similar story.

Jim,


Bent Creek is a Morrish/Weiskopf not Rees


I've only played it once the houses were built but I heard the same from a number of people, ie that the houses took something away from it. Personally, I don't hate them there or think they take away from it too much but there are a few spots where it looks a bit resorty as they are right up against the course.


Personally I think I can see a course for what it is with or without houses. Although saying that I also think that driving though a development to get to the next hole rather than nature, creates the perception of a course being lessor as it creates that resorty feel ie it was built rather than designed. I don't really get that from Bent Creek but I have definitely experienced it at Fla and Az courses where it feels the course routing was second to the houses not the other way.

[Mark Kiely]

The lighthouse on/adjacent to Pacific Grove is kinda cool and in my opinion, adds character. Can't think of any other instance where I'd prefer seeing residential houses to seeing untouched land, even if the houses are architecturally interesting.