My 2023 Golf year

[Bob_Garvelink]

2023 was a good year for me 


Harbor Shores (I work there so here is an open invite to play it free for anyone who will be in area assuming our schedules line up)


Bandon Dunes
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Trails
Old Mac
Sheep Ranch
Sand Valley
Mammouth Dunes
Forest Dunes
The Loop
Arcadia Bluffs
Arcadia Bluffs - South Course
Black Lake
Bay Harbor
Pilgrims Run
Whistling Straits
Treetops - Signature & Premier
Threetops
Eagle Eye
Angels Crossing
Notre Dame Warren Course
Blackthorn
Stoatin Brae
Hampshire

Hampshire?


Ciao

Its a smaller course located in Dowagiac Michigan and the rumors were guys used to play it as a warm-up round for the Western Am when it was at Pointe O Woods.  I am not sure if that is true or not but was the story I heard for years as a kid growing up in the area.  Fun little 36 hole facility and I make sure to play it every year 

[Sean_A]

2023 was a good year for me 

Harbor Shores (I work there so here is an open invite to play it free for anyone who will be in area assuming our schedules line up)


Bandon Dunes
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Trails
Old Mac
Sheep Ranch
Sand Valley
Mammouth Dunes
Forest Dunes
The Loop
Arcadia Bluffs
Arcadia Bluffs - South Course
Black Lake
Bay Harbor
Pilgrims Run
Whistling Straits
Treetops - Signature & Premier
Threetops
Eagle Eye
Angels Crossing
Notre Dame Warren Course
Blackthorn
Stoatin Brae
Hampshire

Hampshire?

Ciao

Its a smaller course located in Dowagiac Michigan and the rumors were guys used to play it as a warm-up round for the Western Am when it was at Pointe O Woods.  I am not sure if that is true or not but was the story I heard for years as a kid growing up in the area.  Fun little 36 hole facility and I make sure to play it every year 

Thank you Bob.

I don’t believe there has been much talk about Harbor Shores. What sort of course is it?

Ciao

[Bob_Garvelink]

Harbor Shores is a Jack Nicklaus design and it has hosted the Senior PGA Championship 7 times and was recently added as a top 100 public golf course which was pretty cool.


The course itself is very challenging and the green complexes make putting a huge challenge.  There are alot of things that make the course unique but probably the biggest is how different each section of holes plays.  Holes 1-6 are known as the inland holes and the first few holes offer a gentle start.  Holes 7-9 are known as the "Dunes Holes" and have dramtic views of Lake Michigan which is never a bad thing.  Holes 10-13 are known as the "Woodland Holes" and remind you more of a Northern Michigan course especially hole #10.  Holes 14-18 end on the "River Holes" and go along side of the Paw Paw River which is pleasant on the eyes.  So each section plays very different than the others which makes it pretty cool.


The story of the course is probably the coolest thing and the entire development was over $500,000,000.  Benton Harbor is a beautiful community but prior to Harbor Shores being developed had faced some hard times.  Much of the 500 acres property was full of pollution and over 140,000 tons of garbage were removed Much of the property that the course sits on was full of blight, pollution, and basically an urban wasteland.  It was one of the largest Brownfield projects that has ever been done in the U.S. from my understanding.


So the course is spread out and alot of money was used to create amazing housing developments on land that was basically and urban dump.  Whirlpool has their world headquarters in Benton Harbor and they had a lot to do with the development of the project.  So its more than just a golf course....it really changed the community and has things like the First Tee organization that does alot for the community.


But the course itself is very good and once you know the story I think people really appreciate it alot more.  They continue to donate millions of dollars each year right back to the community so its a great story that once people know it often times changes their opinion of the place.


The place treats staff really well so if anyone ever wants to play it for free I would be happy to host and have done so alot

[Matt Frey, PGA]

I had an unexpectedly good golf year in 2023, highlighted by a surprise invitation to play Sand Hills on their opening weekend...a dream! I have been fortunate to play 43 rounds on 32 different courses to date, of which 15 I played for the first time. I listed the courses that I played this year below in chronological order, but first, some quick notes...

My trip to the Nebraska Sandhills was the most fun golf trip I've ever taken. In just a few short days, my good friend Joe Bausch and I played Wild Horse, Caprock Ranch twice, Sand Hills four times, and capped the trip with the short course at Commonground. Not only was the golf spectacular, but the scenery, terrain, and nature was second to none. Perhaps the coolest moment of the year? Hitting the second shot of the 2023 golf season at Sand Hills...first group out! Amazing. Here's a short Instagram reel from the trip: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs1_K97sh8D/

I saw some unique courses in northern Minnesota too, including the very fun Northland in Duluth. I visited the Northwest Angle and played on sand greens for the first time as well. More on this trip: https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,72121.msg1734631.html

I work in the golf industry, so I was able to see some facilities that I may not have otherwise gotten to see, including Pinehurst and the new PGA Frisco campus in Texas.

I also got to play Williamsport, a course that I've been wanting to see since moving to Pennsylvania 11 years ago. It did not disappoint!

Some of the other rounds that are always a pleasure: Stonewall North, Lancaster, Rolling Green, Philmont, and Mannies, just to name a few.

Seaview
Jeffersonville
Honeybrook
Bala
Forest Creek - South
Pinehurst - Cradle
Pinehurst - Thistle Du
Phoenixville
DuPont - Championship
Lancaster - Old
Wild Horse
CapRock Ranch
Sand Hills
Commonground - Short
Rolling Green
Green Valley
Riverton
Northampton
Stonewall - North
Shawnee - Blue / Red
Jericho National
Giants Ridge - Legends
Giants Ridge - Quarry
Northland
Northwest Angle
Manufacturers'
Plainfield
Sandy Run
Sunnybrook
Sandy Run
Hidden Valley
Philmont
Fields Ranch - Dance Floor
Williamsport

[Sean_A]

Harbor Shores is a Jack Nicklaus design and it has hosted the Senior PGA Championship 7 times and was recently added as a top 100 public golf course which was pretty cool.


The course itself is very challenging and the green complexes make putting a huge challenge.  There are alot of things that make the course unique but probably the biggest is how different each section of holes plays.  Holes 1-6 are known as the inland holes and the first few holes offer a gentle start.  Holes 7-9 are known as the "Dunes Holes" and have dramtic views of Lake Michigan which is never a bad thing.  Holes 10-13 are known as the "Woodland Holes" and remind you more of a Northern Michigan course especially hole #10.  Holes 14-18 end on the "River Holes" and go along side of the Paw Paw River which is pleasant on the eyes.  So each section plays very different than the others which makes it pretty cool.


The story of the course is probably the coolest thing and the entire development was over $500,000,000.  Benton Harbor is a beautiful community but prior to Harbor Shores being developed had faced some hard times.  Much of the 500 acres property was full of pollution and over 140,000 tons of garbage were removed Much of the property that the course sits on was full of blight, pollution, and basically an urban wasteland.  It was one of the largest Brownfield projects that has ever been done in the U.S. from my understanding.


So the course is spread out and alot of money was used to create amazing housing developments on land that was basically and urban dump.  Whirlpool has their world headquarters in Benton Harbor and they had a lot to do with the development of the project.  So its more than just a golf course....it really changed the community and has things like the First Tee organization that does alot for the community.


But the course itself is very good and once you know the story I think people really appreciate it alot more.  They continue to donate millions of dollars each year right back to the community so its a great story that once people know it often times changes their opinion of the place.


The place treats staff really well so if anyone ever wants to play it for free I would be happy to host and have done so alot

Bob

Thanks for the comprehensive description. I am sorry that I don’t live close enough to take you up on the kind offer.

Ciao

[Jim Sherma]

Williamsport (PA)* - Walter Travis/Herbert Barker 1911, A.W. Tillinghast 1923, Maurice McCarthy 1930, William Gordon 1964, Ron Forse/Jim Nagle 2001 – 5

Mike - I am interested in the Williamsport rating. I hold Williamsport in fairly high esteem as I believe that it represents a lesson in the movement from the pre-golden age Victorian style of shaping/architecture (The Travis/Barker original 9: 1-2 and 12-18) versus the golden age stylings of Tillinghast (holes 3-11). While the course does not rise to the "excellent" ranking needed for a 7 there is certainly enough of a difference in the shaping and styles of these 2 sets of holes to make it something more interesting than a a good and simply "in the area and looking for a game" course.     

[PCCraig]

2023 was a pretty good year for golf. Plenty of rounds of golf but a few highlights:


*First round of the year was as part of a bachelor party for a good friend, in February, at Chechessee Creek Club. The golf course was enjoyable but what might of been more memorable was watching the constantly scrambling fighter jets heading off to shoot balloons and other various junk out of the sky.


*While playing Old Memorial I was told by our caddie that if you order drinks on the tee, and don't receive them by the time you touch the green, that they are free. It was awfully funny watching the gentleman in a Polaris ranger flying out onto the course with our drinks before we had even finished hitting our approach shots. Perhaps the most genuinely hospitable club I've ever visited.


*Work has been bringing me out to LA for work decently often the last couple of years. It's been an incredible pleasure being able to play some of the wonderful golf courses in that city, as well as making new golfing friendships. Looking forward to playing more golf in California in 2024.


*I managed to sneak away for a couple of nights to Green Lake to play Lawsonia for the first time since ~2019 as part of the Fried Egg event there. My partner is a great friend but we are horribly suited as alternate shot partners, however it's worth it just to spend a day barking at each other. Those events are also great to run into old GCA friends like Bill Seitz, who is one of my favorite people to share a craft beer with.


*Made a 3-night trip out to South Dakota and Sutton Bay this Spring. It's an incredible setting and I think an underrated golf course that I'm surprised doesn't get more attention from folks around here.


*This summer I made it down to Chicago to play in Shoreacres's member-guest called "The Founders Cup," which is always an incredible treat. The Thursday before the event we played a practice round on a beautiful day in 30mph winds but I managed to play one of the best rounds of golf in my life and shot a 68. That was cool. But even better was that my best bud and I managed to win the event that weekend. Even better than that is that the last hole came down to our team and our competitors, which featured my host's brother (who is also a dear friend). Pretty incredible and certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.


*A day after getting home from Chicago, I put my marriage to the test and got in a van with 3 other guys and drove 8+ hours for a magical first-ever visit to Sand Hills. I was certainly blessed to be able to spend three nights staying in Cabin 23 and playing ~7-8 rounds of golf. I was worried it would be overhyped but it lived up to my lofty expectations and then some.


Now that we're into fall, I've moved onto more hunting adventures with trips to North Dakota for Sharptails, Wisconsin for Grouse, Missouri for Ducks, and South Dakota for Pheasant. We lost our oldest hunting dog, Seve, at age 9 in April to a tumor in his inner shoulder. We went from a happy hunting dog in December 2022 to gone by April. It pained me to think I had passed on a couple of hunting trips the prior year, begging out of them because of work, as I'd give anything for one more trip with Seve. It gave me a lot of perspective to not take time for granted...


So - onward to 2024 and more adventures! I turn 40 next summer, as well as celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary, so we have some fun trips planned including one to Ireland and another to California with the Mrs. Should be awesome.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Threads like this remind me how well-traveled we all are and how many great courses we get to play.

[Richard Hetzel]

Forgot one - Buck Wolter took me to Champion Hill (MI) on the way to his cabin.  Fantastic experience, great land near Crystal Downs.  I doubt it cost $40.    Would fit neatly in Sean Arble’s lineup of course tours.  Consider a visit if you are headed to Crystal Downs, Arcadia or Kingsley Club. 


https://www.championhill.com/

I really liked Champion Hill.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Sitting here on a day off from work due to snow and looking back on my golf year and realized it was quite good.  Over 20 new courses played, which is a lot for me.


Started with a trip to Atlanta and a treat of a round at Peachtree.  I do wonder sometimes how I've managed some of the good fortune in life.  I spent a year at GA Tech and played club golf out of Bobby Jones, playing the new course was nice.  The greens were in good condition but I didn't absolutely love the place and it was my second round of the day after playing Chastain Park.  I preferred Chastain Park and wonder how many people play Peach Tree and Chastain Park on back to back days.  Also got to see Jim Enghs Creek Club.  The course may not be what a lot of people are looking for but I've always enjoyed the differentness of his courses.


At my current home in Colorado Springs managed to play the courses at the Broadmoor this year.  They didn't quite meet my expectations of great courses and probably because I'm comparing the value vs USAFA which is also a RTJ Sr. course with some similarities at the base of the peaks.


Managed a quick Nebraska/eastern Colorado sand hills trip.  The greens at Dismal Red were in tough shape and I got beat up a bit with wind and lost balls, much prefer White.  Ballyneal as everyone says was great although it was tough on my push cart (cart fell over a number of times and the second round with the sunday bag was much more enjoyable).  Awarii Dunes is probably the Engh course I've least enjoyed which is a bummer as I was hoping for a lot as I love Carne and it's supposedly a bit of a tribute with the Belmullet tees.  Best value of the year was definitely at Wild Horse (they provide a great military discount). I'm going to make another trip out to Nebraska before leaving Colorado just to spend a weekend at Wild Horse.


Made the annual links trip and went to Belmullet.  It's the first time I've made a trip to Ireland/UK and stayed at one place.  I think it's the way I'll make all future trips as I've done a number trips seeing a bunch of new courses each day.  It's now time to go back and play the same courses that I most enjoyed on previous trips.  I love the grand dunes and remote nature of Carne and will make frequent return visits.  My wife also joined and rounds at Carne were here only rounds of the year.  It's going to drive me crazy when she gets a hole in one before I do - almost made 2 on the trip.  The adventure of the Wild Atlantic Way course is right up our alley.  I also made a quick day trip to play at Enniscrone.


Ended the year with a trip to SC and played the courses at Kiawah.  Played the ocean course nearly void of wind but still managed to muck up a bunch of holes.  I hit the ball really well.  Round with a bunch of birdies but unfortunately even more doubles.  Just missing greens and chipping poorly really screwed me.  Ended the year at Old Barnwell.  There's a thread going on now about the course.  It was great and is probably makes the podium for the year.  Tons of fun.  It's a good mix of extreme and subtle with lots of choices to be made.


Next year we're moving back to the national capital region and can't imagine it will be as good a year for golf.

[Mike Worth]

Joe — was the military discount at Wild Horse for active duty or did it apply to veterans or retirees?


I played there in September. It would gall me if I missed out on a discount – – I hate leaving money on the table lol.

[John Handley]

I had to look at GHIN because I didn't think it was a stellar year, but on second glance, not too shabby:


30+ Spanish Oaks GC, Austin, TX
10x Cal Club
3x Driftwood Austin, TX
3x Cherokee Plantation, South Carolina
2x The Tree Farm, South Carolina
2x Austin Golf Club
2x Prairie Dunnes, Kansas
2x Bandon Trails, Oregon
2X Pacific Dunes, Oregon
1x Bandon Dunes, Oregon
1x Bent Tree CC, Dallas, TX
1x Barton Creek Fazio Canyons, Austin, TX
1x Sheep Ranch



Super excited about 2024 as I have a legendary England trip with:


2x Lytham & St Annes
1x Birkdale
1x Formby
1x Hoylake
1x Walton Heath Old
1x Swinley Forest
1x St. George's Hill
1x Berkshire Red


and looking to make a quick trip with Renaissance and North Berwick.




LFG 2024!!!!!

[Andrew Harvie]

Happy to get on this thread as I just got back from my last golf trip of the year. I've had by far the best golfing year of my life, but in truth, it's a short list at 25 years old. I suspect this one will stack up among the best, however. Doak scales as follows:


10


Cypress Point
Pinehurst (No. 2)*
Pacific Dunes*


9


Crystal Downs
The Lido
Jasper Park Lodge*
Seminole*
Oakland Hills (South)


8


Maidstone
Pebble Beach
Winged Foot (West)
Toronto (Colt)*
St. George's, Canada*


7


Banff Springs*
Old Macdonald*
Bandon Dunes*
Garden City
Hamilton (West/South)*
Marquette (Greywalls)
Yeamans Hall
The Park, West Palm
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)
Lake Merced*
Mount Bruno*
Grand-Mere*
Sedge Valley
Bandon Preserve
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Victoria, BC
Royal Colwood
Cabot Citrus Farms (The Squeeze)


6


Bethpage (Black)
Wine Valley
Goodwood*
Óviinbyrd*
Lookout Point*
Laval (Blue)
Sand Valley
Wolf Creek (Links)*
Wolf Creek (Old)*
Pulpit Club (Paintbrush)*
Timuquana
Sandbox
PGA National (Match)
Winter Park*
Brantford*
The Homestead (Cascades)
Marquette (L&M holes)


5


White Oak
Coppinwood
Mickelson National*
Golden Gate
Tarandowah*
PGA National (Staple)
Cutten Fields


4


TPC Toronto (Heathlands)*
TPC Toronto (Hoot)
Royal Montreal (Blue)*
Chateau Montebello*
Laval (Green)
The Mines
Lachute (Thompson)*
Lakeview*
Beaconsfield
Royal Montreal (Red)
Kananaskis (Mount Kidd)
London Hunt
Marquette (non-L&M holes on Heritage)


3


PGA National (Champions)
Brown County
Qualicum Beach
TPC Sawgrass (Dye Preserve)
Gorge Vale


2


Stewart Creek
Redwood Meadows
Boises Des Joly
Campbell River
Nanaimo
Red Deer
Gleneagles, SF


1

Smugglers Glen
Saguenay Arvida


0


Mammoth Dunes
Bear Mountain (Valley)


I also saw a decent amount of golf in the dirt. Ballpark ranges:


Expecting an 8 at Shorties
7-8 for Citrus Farms Roost (old Oaks)
7-ish for Citrus Farms Karoo (old Barrens)
6 for The Wedge
7 for The Tribute
8 for Cabot Revelstoke
7 for Pinehurst No. 10


Too early for assessments of The Ranch in Hobe Sound. That's 80 different golf courses and 7 in the dirt, but I feel like I'm missing one or two. I walked Bandon Trails, Sheep Ranch, Two Eagles, Shaughnessy, Oakdale, TPC Toronto (North), Eugene, Islington, Pulpit Club (Pulpit), Lacombe, Rosedale, Scarboro, Pickering Glen, Kawartha, Weston, Royal Montreal (Dixie), which puts me over 100 different golf courses in a year. Pretty wild.

[Mike Hendren]

My list is brief and  of no interest but I did attend my first Menorah lighting last night - so I’ve got that going for me.


Happy Holidays!


Bogey

[Joe_Tucholski]

I've had by far the best golfing year of my life, but in truth, it's a short list at 25 years old.

Drew, I think the quality of the courses you played skews your rankings down quite a bit.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Had a good but not outstanding year.  Age is having its influence.  Walking is sadly a thing of the past and my 10-14 round weeks of a few years ago will not re-occur.  But the good news is that I am still looking down at the grass.

So far this year I have played on a total of 86 courses (64 for the first time and 22 “repeats” located in 16 countries…including Australia, NZ, Brazil, Norway, Japan, China, Thailand and St Lucia as well as 14 states in the USA.  Nothing else scheduled for ’23 but who knows.  In 2022 I had my biggest year ever…161 different courses (137 for the first time and 24 repeats in 4 countries, 34 states and PR….which I guess is neither a country or a state!).  Also should note that in 2023 I played 15 courses on GOLF Mag World 100, and 5 others that were on a prior World 100 list.

So here in chron order are my 86 courses to date for 2023
(** signifies first time played)
(World 100 signifies on 2023 GM World 100)
(Prior signifies not on ’23 GM World but was on some prior World list):

**Club at Irish Creek NC                            6[/font][/color]

**Legacy Golf Links NC                              6[/font][/color]

**Carolina GC NC                                        7                                                         [/font][/color]

Pinehurst #8 NC                                       6                        [/font][/color]

Southern Pines GC NC                               8[/font][/color]

Royal Melbourne GC-West World 100 AUS  10[/font][/color]

**Pen-Kingswd GC-North Prior AUS           8[/font][/color]

**Frankston GC AUS                                   7[/font][/color]

Kingston Heath GC World 100 AUS              9[/font][/color]

**Pen-Kingswd GC-South AUS                   6[/font][/color]

**Woodlands GC AUS                                  5 [/font][/color]

Victoria GC World 100 AUS                         8 [/font][/color]

**National GC-Gunnamatta AUS                 7[/font][/color]

**Te Arai Links-South World100 NZ           8 [/font][/color]

Tara Iti GC World 100 NZ                            9[/font][/color]

**Titirangi GC NZ                                         7[/font][/color]

CCNC-Dogwood Prior NC                             7[/font][/color]

CCNC-Cardinal NC                                      6  [/font][/color]

Camden CC SC                                          7[/font][/color]

**Quixote Club SC                                       5[/font][/color]

**Cheraw State Park SC                             6[/font][/color]

Indian Creek FL                                         7[/font][/color]

**Sao Paulo GC BRAZIL                              5[/font][/color]

**Santapazienza Prior BRAZIL                   8  [/font][/color]

**Rio Olympics Crse BRAZIL                      7 [/font] **Rockville Links NY                                  5[/font] **Hempstead CC NY                                   6[/font][/color]

**The Tree Farm SC                                   7[/font][/color]

**Mimosa Hills CC NC                                5[/font][/color]

**Shackamaxon CC NJ                           6                  [/font][/color]

**Forest Hill Field Club NJ                     5            [/font][/color]

**Crestmont CC NJ                                    6[/font][/color]

**Wheatley Hills GC NY                             6[/font][/color]

**The GC at Middle Bay NY                       3[/font][/color]

Dedham C&P Club MA                              6[/font][/color]

The Country Club-Open MA                      9[/font] The Country Club-Primrose 9 MA             6                          [/font] **River Crest CC TX                                 4[/font][/color]

%Shady Oaks CC TX*                               8   [/font] **Fields Ranch-West TX                          7[/font][/color]

**Fields Ranch-East TX                          8[/font] The Country Club-Main World 100 MA     8[/font] **Lost Rail GC NE                                    8[/font][/color]

**Pine Hills CC WI                                   6[/font][/color]

Blue Mound Golf & CC WI                       7[/font][/color]

**Woodhill CC MN                                   6[/font][/color]

**Lofoten Links World 100 NORWAY     7   [/font][/color]

**Esbjerg Golfklub-Marbaek DENMARK  6[/font][/color]

**Fano Vesterhavsbad Golfklub DENMARK 5[/font][/color]

**Bernardus HOLLAND                            6[/font][/color]

**Comporta Dunes PORTUGAL                8[/font][/color]

**Finca Cortesin SPAIN                           5[/font][/color]

**Pedrena SPAIN                                     6[/font][/color]

**Boswick ENGLAND                                8[/font][/color]

HCEG-Muirfield World 100 SCOTLAND    10[/font][/color]

**The Golf House Club, Elie SCOTLAND  7[/font][/color]

**Fraserburgh GC-Corbiehill SCOTLAND  7[/font][/color]

**Aldeburgh GC-Championship ENGLAND 6[/font][/color]

**Royal Ashdown Forest GC-Old ENGLAND 7[/font][/color]

**Minchinhampton GC-Old ENGLAND     7[/font][/color]

**Little Aston GC ENGLAND                   6[/font][/color]

**Aberdovey GC WALES                         7[/font][/color]

**Pennard GC WALES                            7[/font][/color]

**Laurel Links CC NY                             8[/font][/color]

**Knollwood CC NY                                5[/font][/color]

**Trump Nat’l GC, Westchester NY     5   [/font][/color]

**The Club at Kukui'ula HI                             6

**King Kamehameha GC HI                6[/font][/color]

**Waialae CC HI                              5                             [/font][/color]

Kasumigaseki CC Prior JAPAN          7[/font][/color]

Tokyo GC World 100 JAPAN             8[/font][/color]

Hirono GC World 100 JAPAN            9 [/font][/color]

**Lanhai Intl-Yangtze Dunes Prior CHINA7[/font][/color]

Shanqin Bay GC World 100 CHINA              8[/font][/color]

**Mission Hills Dongguan-Olazabal CHINA 3[/font][/color]

**Stonehill GC THAILAND                           6[/font][/color]

**Ban Rakat-Ballyshear Links THAILD    7[/font][/color]

**TPC-Wisconsin WI                         6[/font][/color]

Sandhills GC World 100 NE               10    [/font][/color]

**Reserve at Moonlight Basin MT      7[/font][/color]

**The Lido World 100 WI                   9[/font][/color]

**Sultan's Run GC IN                               5[/font][/color]

**White Oak Conser.-Dye Course FL       7[/font][/color]

**New Haven CC CT                                 6[/font][/color]

**Pt Hardy GC World 100 ST LUCIA         8[/font][/color]

Old Town Club W100 NC                          8         [/font] **Woodlake CC NC                                    6[/font] [/font][/color]

%Played in ’04 but only toured in cart in ’23; included because it looked brilliant[/font] Most important course played...Lido-WI...when its fescue grows in think it will be a solid 10...and the best piece of architecture I have ever experienced True Hidden Gems played for 1st time: Boswick (Scotland), Laurel Links (NY), Fraserburgh (Scotland) Most interesting/unusual club:  Frankston GC (AUS)[/color]

[James Reader]

I assume Boswick in Scotland is actually Goswick in England.  Either that or it really is a very well hidden gem indeed.

[Niall C]

I assume Boswick in Scotland is actually Goswick in England.  Either that or it really is a very well hidden gem indeed.

Now I do find that funny. I'm also tempted to add that from the perspective of someone living in the UK everything on Paul's list outside of the UK is likely a hidden gem ! 


Niall

[Paul Rudovsky]

Funny but interesting how my mind gets mixed up.  I have a tendency to call it Boswick because it is near Berwick-on-Tweed.  And since I played it at the start of the Scotland part of that trip, and stayed the night before in North Berwick, I have  tendency to refer to it as being in Scotland.

[Stewart Abramson]

2023 has been my least travelled year, with only one trip of note, but it was a really good one with excellent golf, old friends and time spent visiting new ( non golf) sites in England.


Royal Ashdown Forest
Hindhead
Liphook
Hayling
Pulborough
Rye
Princes
Deal


Have a Sept 2024 visit to Sand Valley and Lawsonia booked. They're not taking reservations yet on Sedge Valley, but fingers crossed that I'll be able to add it to the visit.


Happy Holidays, and hoping for a happy and peaceful 2024 to you all

[Brian Finn]

0
Mammoth Dunes

Since nobody else has asked, I will...can you walk us through this one?

0 - A course so contrived and unnatural that it may poison your mind, one I cannot recommend under any circumstances. Reserved for courses that waste ridiculous sums of money in their construction, and probably shouldn't have been built in the first place.

[Will Thrasher]

2023 was a good year for me 


Harbor Shores (I work there so here is an open invite to play it free for anyone who will be in area assuming our schedules line up)


Bandon Dunes
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Trails
Old Mac
Sheep Ranch
Sand Valley
Mammouth Dunes
Forest Dunes
The Loop
Arcadia Bluffs
Arcadia Bluffs - South Course
Black Lake
Bay Harbor
Pilgrims Run
Whistling Straits
Treetops - Signature & Premier
Threetops
Eagle Eye
Angels Crossing
Notre Dame Warren Course
Blackthorn
Stoatin Brae
Hampshire

Bob, that's quite a list. Hope 2024 is just as good or better for you . Will send you a PM re: Harbor Shores. I live in Northern Indiana so not too far away and keep meaning to head up here and play.

[Steve Lang]

5. Worst hole:  Reddish Vale 15 (par 5-439
yards). This was the only bad hole I played all year. Having been critical here, I want to say I mostly agree with Ran’s review even as it glosses over the course’s weak points (mostly stemming from the fact it was built in 1912 with no expansion potential) and tends to over romanticize the place.

I really liked RV.  But 15 can't be the worst hole you played all year, unless you walked in before the 18th.

Could have been his worst score to par...  I didn't mind it, much better than the slog up 18 there in wet shoes! 

[MCirba]

Paul Rudovsky,


I really need to get to Laurel Links next year.   Kelly Blake Moran's work is always an interesting intellectual exercise.   

[Paul Rudovsky]

I really need to get to Laurel Links next year.   Kelly Blake Moran's work is always an interesting intellectual exercise.


Only thing it is missing is "eye Candy" or views...because it sits in the middle of the North Fork (along N-S axis) so it is not close to the Sound or Bay.  The sheping of the fairways, greens and green surrounds is fabulous.

What I found most shocking is that it does not have a wait list (at least that was what I was told)!!