[John Foley]

Here is a little excersize for the tree house. Lets assume you have the ability to play two rounds of golf anywhere in the continental US.  The two courses need to be challenging to the low handicap player and offer enjoyment to the high handicapper. Architecture-wise, diversity is important, but not paramount. In this endeavour, there are a few caveats:

-Course must be PUBLIC (no Augusta, PV, etc..)
-No more than 2 hours from a major airport (No Wildhorse, Bandon or Pacific)
-Green fee's sub $100 (no Pinehurst, Whistling Straights, Pebble & Kiawaha)
-Easy to obtaining a tee time (no Rustic Canyon)

Myrtle Beach is out as is Orlando.

So where do you go?

[Jimmy Muratt]

Two that quickly come to mind are:

Cuscowilla  (Lake Oconee, GA):  I believe it's $100 to tee it up if you stay at one of the cottages.

Beechtree  (Aberdeen, MD):  $75, I just played it a week ago and loved it, can't wait to go back.

One that almost makes the list but just misses the price cut is Pasatiempo, although tee times may be tougher to get.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Ever been to the land of enchantment?

Fly to Santa Fe or Albuquerque.
Play both Paa-Ko and Black Mesa for $50 each or less.

http://www.paakoridge.com

http://www.blackmesagolfclub.com

Cheers

[JakaB]

Torrey Pines South....$85...two hour wait at most on a nice little porch...I don't think Bethpage Black is so easy to get on...if it is...gotta be number 1.  I fully support the ability of the golfing public having cheap access to US Open courses.  

French Lick....$25 or $30 and you will be one of four or five groups on the course....

[THuckaby2]

This in an interesting exercise, JF.  I gather you want to play two different courses on ONE trip; so within two hours of the same major airport.

Well... conveniently for you, San Jose Norm Mineta International Airport is within two hours drive from a lot of things.  Unfortunately all the great ones are more than $100, and are tough to get tee times on... I could cheat and say "get a member to take you to Pasatiempo", in which case it would be $60 and teetimes aren't an issue, but the knowing a member part is more than can be expected.

SO... I'd recommend....

1. Fort Ord Bayonet.  It's been discussed many times on here - it's a shell of what it used to be, but it still is a very tough challenge for the low 'capper - just put him back at the gold tees and he'll suffer as much as he wants to.  Put the higher capper up a few blocks, and he'll make enough pars to keep him happy.  It's no marvel of architecture, but it is very interesting, kept in fantastic condition, and it's always under $100.  Tee times aren't that tough ever also.  It's about 45-60 minutes from SJC, depending on traffic.

http://www.bayonetblackhorse.com/

You could just stay there and play the Blackhorse course there also - it is great fun, weird, quirky, tough - but hey, we want diversity... so....

2. I'd say Pacific Grove Muni, as it is the bang for your buck capital of golf... but getting a tee time there is like pulling teeth... so that's out... so for #2 we head you east a bit, and hope you can drive fast.  STEVINSON RANCH is NorCal's answer to Rustic Canyon.  Wonderful minimalist design, cheap, no problem ever getting a tee time because it's in the middle of nowhere.  I've made it in two hours though, so it counts.

http://www.stevinsonranch.com/

There, that's decent enough.  

TH

[John Nixon]

The six public courses in Indiana that made GD's best in the state list are all within two hours of Indianapolis International, though Otter Creek might streeeetch it a bit. Brickyard Crossing is I believe the most expensive, at $85 or so greens fee. Tee times are hardly ever impossible to get at any of these courses. All these courses are quite challenging to all handicaps, but not overwhelming if played from the proper tee:

5. Otter Creek G. Cse. (North/West), Columbus [6] *«
6. Brickyard Crossing G.C., Indianapolis [7] *«
7. The Trophy C., Lebanon [4] *«
8. Rock Hollow G.C., Peru [9] *«
9. The Fort G. Cse., Ind. [10] *«
10. Purgatory G.C., Noblesville *«

I would also add Bear Slide and Prairie View.

[John Foley]

Great idea's so far. A point of clarification, the two course should be near each other.

Is access to Cuscowilla only by staying on site? What about the other Lake Oconee courses?

Jaka - Bethpage is a good idea, but I'd venture to say most private courses are easier to get out on than the Black.

[THuckaby2]

Damn, that screws the pooch for my examples, JF.  But that is a much more practical way to look at it.

OK, you can't go far wrong from a 36 hole day playing Bayonet/Blackhorse at Fort Ord.  For variety, play the morning at Bayonet, then head over to Pacific Grove Muni - tee times aren't that tough in the pm.

As an added bonus, there is easy walking at all of these places.

TH

[ChasLawler]

Brooksville, FL - 45 minutes from Tampa airport

World Woods - Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks

[GeoffreyC]

Another good choice would be to go to Scottsdale and play both courses at Talking Stick.  Drive a bit from there and you can play Apache Stronghold.

[John Nixon]

"the two course should be near each other"

OK - Bear Slide, Purgatory, and Prairie View all close to each other. The Fort is reasonably close. Otter Creek and Rock Hollow are not exactly close, particularly Otter Creek. The edited list:
Trophy Club
The Fort
Prairie View
Bear Slide
Purgatory

[Evan Fleisher]

How about any number of two-course combinations in the Chicagoland area?

Maybe Cog Hill #2 and Orchard Valley?  Maybe you could throw Heritage Bluffs, Pine Meadow or Prairie Landing into that mix?

[THuckaby2]

Evan - are those all easy to get tee times at?  I had a bitch of a time at Cog Hill, particularly for Dubsdread..

TH

[John Foley]

Keep 'em coming! I like what I see.

Geoffery, Love the thought on Talking Stick, especially after this past weekends ice storm and 6 inches of snow last night!!!.

Cabell, World Wodds is another good one, though when I said no Orlando one reason was that we've done the World wodds double, and it was very worth it.

Nixer- Like the thought on Indy.

Evan - Tough to get a tee time at Cog Hill isn't it, plus are the fee's sub $100? Otherwise Chicagoland is an easy answer to this excesize, just pick a few area's and it's easy.

[Evan Fleisher]

I said Cog Hill #2...NOT #4 (aka Dubsdread).  I believe that #2 (and #1 & 3 for that matter) are much easier to get tee times for, especially as a sinlge or walkup.

#4 is indeed above $100, but #2 (#4's "sister" course) is sub $100 and is a great test of golf, IMO.

[THuckaby2]

AHA!  I don't know these courses by the numbers.  Very good, Evan.

TH

[Evan Fleisher]

Dude!  I'm an engin-nerd...I better know my numbers!

[Mike Benham]

San Diego - Barona and Torrey Pines ...

Bay Area - Stevinson and Wente (during the week) ...

[THuckaby2]

Mike - good call re Stevinson and Wente.  The latter is gonna be over $100 on weekends (so good limitation there!), and is never an easy tee-time... but geographically those work.  Both damn good, also.

TH

[Jeff Goldman]

Lawsonia Links and the meadow course at BWR ($55 till April 17; $88 before July.)  within 2 hrs. of Mitchell field and about an hour from each other.

Jeff Goldman

[Steve_L.]

I like the combo of:

Talking Stick (North) and
World Woods (Pine Barrens)

Great topic and discussion...

[THuckaby2]

Steve - are you gonna use a Star Trek transporter?  The courses are supposed to be near each other....

Each of those are great independently, though!  

TH

[John Foley]

Wow,

TS North & WW PB. THAT would be a hell of a 36 hole complex!!!

As for Lawsonia & BWR-Meadows, that's interesting, but getting that close and not playing Whistling Straits would be VERY tough.

Tom- How close is Stevenson to Wente? I've been to Wente and enjoyed but not yet been to Stevenson. Next trip to the bay Area perhaps.

[Steve_L.]

Tom,

The transporter just arrived yesterday - complete with in-dash GPS and a DVD for the kids...

Guess I missed an important part of the question...

I'd do the double World Woods over Talking Stick personally - World Woods is much more Tampa than Orlando...

[THuckaby2]

No hassles, Steve.  That close to each other rule just screwed up a few courses I wanted to add, that's all.  

And JF - Wente and Stevinson are only close to each other in the "within two hours of SJC" rule.  It's a good hour at least from Wente to Stevinson, continuing out to the east.  Stevinson is VERY remote.

It is worth the drive though... just very hard to factor into any quick trip to our area.

TH

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