GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group
2024 Eclectic 18's
Michael Chadwick:
For the past couple years I’ve enjoyed taking a page from the Confidential Guide and creating an annual Eclectic 18. The few rules I set for myself is if I’ve played more than 18 different courses in the year, I can only select 1 hole from a course. I also want the total par to be within a reasonable range (68-73). That’s it. Otherwise, the task is identifying your favorite holes throughout the year, while also being mindful of not wanting to shoehorn weaker holes in to complete a routing. The imaginative give and take of getting to 18 is an enjoyable exercise, since the results will indicate your preference for hole styles, lengths, etc. I probably set about 3-4 anchoring holes that’d appear in my routing no matter what, then played around with the puzzle. I encourage you to post yours as well!
1. Brambles, par 5
2. Royal Dornoch, par 3
3. Cal Club, par 4
4. Brora, par 4
5. Tree Farm, par 4
6. Old Barnwell, par 4
7. Wilshire, par 3
8. Ballyneal, par 5
9. Turnberry, par 3
10. Rustic Canyon, par 5
11. Shoreacres, par 4
12. Old Elm, par 4
13. Castle Stewart, par 4
14. St. Andrews Old, par 5
15. Aiken, par 4
16. Kingsley, par 3
17. Prestwick, par 4
18. Valley Club, par 4
OUT: 35
IN: 37
TOT: 72
Brambles 1 tee
Brambles 1 green
Royal Dornoch 2
Cal Club 3 tee
Cal Club 3 green
Brora 4 tee
Brora 4 green
Tree Farm 5
Old Barnwell 6
Old Barnwell 6 green
Wilshire 7
Ballyneal 8
Turnberry 9
Rustic Canyon 10
Shoreacres 11
Old Elm 12
Castle Stewart 13 tee
Castle Stewart 13 green
Old Course 14 tee
Old Course 14 approach
Old Course 14 approach
Aiken 15 tee
Aiken 15 green
Kingsley 16
Prestwick 17 tee
Prestwick 17 approach
Prestwick 17 green
Valley Club 18
Niall C:
Michael
A fine selection. You're a lucky man to play all those courses in the one year.
Niall
Tom_Doak:
Surprised to see the 18th at The Valley Club, of all the holes there. We had to do a lot of work to restore that one.
Alex_Hunter:
I've played a grand total of 0 of those, but they all look fantastic. Nicely put together
Biggest let down for me this year was missing out on the Old course. It's been right near the top of my bucket list for the last 15 years and I struck out on the stupid lottery they implemented this year. What a bummer that was.
I did really enjoy the New course - I would be interested to see how comparable the two courses are. I've walked the Old course before but that's not the same as playing and it was over 5 years ago so my memory of it is a bit hit and miss
I saw your post on IG yesterday and its inspired me to do the same over the coming days. Maybe I'll cross reference here as well.
Michael Felton:
I had a crack at this. I've only played 16 courses this year and a few of them are hardly anything to write home about and one of them I remember little enough of the course to be sure which hole is which, but, with that in mind, here:
1 - Royal St. George's (par 4)
2 - Indian Hills (par 4)
3 - Royal Cinque Ports (par 5)
4 - Fresh Meadow (par 3)
5 - Royal St. George's (par 4)
6 - Laurel Links (par 5)
7 - The Bridge (par 5)
8 - Bethpage Black (par 3)
9 - Princes (par 4)
10 - Timber Point (par 5)
11 - Rock Hill (par 4)
12 - North Hills (par 3)
13 - Wheatley Hills (par 4)
14 - Walton Heath New (par 4)
15 - Bethpage Green (par 3)
16 - Walton Heath Old (par 5)
17 - St George's (in NY) (par 3)
18 - St. George's (in NY) (par 5)
OUT: 37
IN; 36
Par: 73
Trying to keep the hole numbers together with only one or two from each course and par sensible is tough. I did wind up with 5 par 3s and 6 par 5s and 7 par 4s, which would be pretty unusual in general. I'm surprised I got 5 par 3s, but some of the lesser courses if I switched them out for the better par 4s around then the holes that got kicked out were worse.
So like 4 for example, 4 at Fresh Meadow is a pretty good downhill par 3. 4 at Bethpage Black is one of the best holes around, but switching those would mean 7 par 5s and 4 par 3s and I'd have to kick something else out to get another hole from Fresh Meadow instead. 2 is decent, but then I really like 2 at Indian Hills and I'm not a huge fan of many of the others. I basically decided that two good holes was better than one great hole and one bad hole. That said, I think this is a fun exercise since presumably these are questions that architects have to deal with in putting a course together. You might find a spot that's a fantastic hole, but to get to where it starts and ends, you'd have to compromise something else and then you have to decide what is better on balance. Better to have 18 holes that are 8s and 9s than 15 holes that are 8s and 9s, 1 hole that's a clear 10 and two holes that are 4/5.
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