Five best clubhouses

[DBE]

San Francisco GC and Somerset Hills because the rooms are practicable and without unnecessary glitter and the food is great either before or after golf; Portmarnock (I like the barometer on the wall); and Shadow Creek (low key compared to the $37M course); Merion--no need to explain

[Bill Vostinak]

I have to add Royal Aberdeen to the lsit as the Merion like front window facing the first tee and the Ocean are a superb nerve-wracking distraction for those starting their round as well as a cozy functional atmosphere.  But then again, I like everything about the place.Pine Valley, especially on a sleepover, going to the library.Garden City with a special award for the lockers waning nostalgic Junior High School basketball practice.The NGLA for its CB Mac haunted house feel set in the middle of 1 and 18, even without lunch.And I think I'll finish with a shower for my bad back at Merion.  It makes the list on showers alone, but has much, much more.\Honorable mention to Stonewall for 18th hole setting and possible longevity,(4 foot thick walls will survive the next ice age) and to the Valley Club for understatement.BV aka redanmanOh yes, I agree with RWalker's comments about the poor integegration of new building at Shinnecock, it really disrupts the imag from the road.  I liked the old pro shop much better.

[JohnV]

One great clubhouse that nobody has mentioned is the clubhouse at Seattle Golf Club. The entire old structure is really nice but what makes it great to me is that the primary views from the clubhouse are not east towards the golf course, but west out to Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula across the sound.  The clubhouse is on top of a hill and you look through the trees form the decks they have on that side.  A great place to sit and have lunch on a rare sunny day in Seattle.

[shackgolf]

Doak beat me to it.  Check out Desert Highlands, if you can find it.  Fits right into the desert landscape.  Don't forget Bel Air, men's grill stares out at practice putting green, first tee and UCLA campus.  10th tee is 10 feet from pro shop.

[Lloyd Bickerton]

The understated single story clubhouse at Kingston Heath is my favourite in Melbourne. Big is definitely out (and probably was never really in), as you can tell from reading the vast majority of the above posts.

[peter_p]

Isle of Purbeck with pre-Cambrian fossils in the walls and a great view.Kingston Heath with a great library and a superb seafood buffet.In the Northwest Tacoma CC, Seattle CC, Waverley CCLoch Lomond appears to near the top of the list, but I've never been there.Really felt comfortable at Prairie Dunes, Rye, Barwon Head, New South Wales, Brancaster, Royal St George, Waterville.Henry Longhurst liked Thunderbird in Palm Springs because you could sit at the bar and have an unobstructed view of the mountainsWoking,

[Josh_Taylor]

Ran, your description of the club at Red Trail is exactly the same as what they have at Wolf Creek in Alberta, Canada.  The log cabin with the roaring fire place and also beautifully and tastefully furnished. It was a great setting to sit and overlook a great golf course.

[Mike D]

Loch Lomond is the nicest clubhouse I have seen -- superb transition from a baronial country manor into a rich, detailed clubhouse.  Smallish rooms but with high ceilings and dark, full furnishings lend a distinctive air to each room.  Rooms for overnight upstairs are probably too opulent but extremely well done.  The lockers and grill area downstairs were added on and are very great, comfortable spaces to relax after a round.  Add to that the great setting on the loch and it is unbelievable.Mike DeVries

[John Morrissett]

After this Florida trip, I can only whole -heatedly agree with the above nominations of Seminole and Floridian.  While most are aware of the appeals of the former, the latter is just tremendous -- Robert Walker might never make it out of the clubhouse and onto the course if he went there.  Everything, from the architecture of the building to the wood panelling of much of the interior to the yacht basin out front to Dan Marino's personalized urinal, is absolutely first class.  A guest feels guilty walking around it in softspikes.The clubhouse at Medalist (especially the men's locker room and sitting area) is world class.  The reports are that the women's part is one of the best in existence.

[Yancey_Beamer]

The new clubhouse which opened October 98'at Cruden Bay.Simple,yet elegant with the greatest view I've ever seen.If you were there prior to that time there was no way to appreciate the view.

[Steve Frank]

I just can't limit my choices to 5 so here are my favorites:1. The Valley Club of Montecito, Santa Barbara, Calif.(See Tom Doak's choices)(My home course - ok, so I'm biased but I've lots of company. Also,it has a wonderful locker room as well.              2.Succession G.C., Beaufort, South Carolina3.Augusta National GC4.Redtail G.C. St. Thomas, Ontario5.Toronto G.C. Ontario6.Bel Air CC, Los Angeles7.Cypress Point G.C,8.The Tradition GC, La Quinta,Calif9.Stock Farm Club, Hamilton, Mont.10.Winged Foot11.EastLake GC, Atlanta12.Interlochen CC, Minneapolis, Minn

[JP Morgan]

The Dominion in San Antonio, Texas (Boerne).  In addition to the architecture and dining facilities, the locker room is one to covet.

[Chip Gaskins]

Wow, what a great old thread...look at those names...is there a Dr. Kratz still in the house?

1) Oakmont (by far)
2) Shinnecock
3) NGLA
4) Augusta National
5) Austin Golf Club

Honorable Mention: Waterville, East Lake, Mayacama

[ChipOat]

I remember this thread - why didn't I post??

The $64,000 question is, on what do you base your definition of "favorite"?

I have several criteria but, at the end of the day, mine would be based on, "If I sprained my ankle and couldn't play golf, where would I most prefer to hang out and walk around all day in lousy weather with a couple of deli sandwiches, some bottled water and without speaking to anyone else?"  My reasons are many but they don't include food, beverage or other genial people.

I have to give the nod to National although the library and pictures at ANGC and PVGC could keep me busy for more than just a day.  Other, more narrow criteria would create other short lists of candidates - some of which have already been mentioned here (e.g. Somerset Hills).

[Jud_T]

I f you're talking about architecture then you need to include chicago golf and the dunes club...if you're talking about atmosphere or service then you need to include Forest Creek and Bob'o'link...

[Bradley Anderson]

Shoreacres
Oakmont
Detroit Golf Club (The Horton Smith Room)
Old Elm
Onwentsia

[David Stamm]

Valley Club (absolute perfection in my book)
Maidstone
CPC
LACC
Creek

[Cristian]

Royal Zoute (also wins the best food category by a landslide, hands down, blindfolded, with the Coquilles St Jacques)
Morfontaine
Ravenstein
Lytham
Deal

[John Mayhugh]

My two favorites:
NGLA


Royal Cinque Ports aka Deal

[TEPaul]

Going all the way back to Ran Morrissett's original post on this thread which was just about ten years ago and about the clubhouse at Red Tail, Ontario, I should add that clubhouse itself and the last third or so of the 18th hole and green that runs right along side the clubhouse was designed and done that way for one additional and interesting purpose that I've never really heard of or seen before.

Well, let me preface a bit. Red Tail has always had two owners, Goodwin and Drake, and given that Red Tail is something of a destination course like Sand Hills where most of the golfers stay in the clubhouse and given the national body posture of most all good Canadian is that posture that looks like they are hanging onto a bar-rail, Red Tail's clubhouse and approach and 18th green is designed so that they can fire up these awesome flood lights and run out somewhere in the approach and play golf shots to the eighteen green in the middle of the night half or even fully in the bag.

It is a total blast, I'll guarantee you!

[Bart Bradley]

1.  Leopard Creek in South Africa has an AMAZING clubhouse...certainly one of, if not, the best I have seen...
2.  Pinnacle Point...lovely..perfectly positioned
3.  The porch and clubhouse at Diamond Creek are delightful and perfect for the surroundings.
4.  The bar at Ballyneal is amazing and it means you are at Ballyneal
5.  Sleeping upstairs at Yeaman's was a true treat.

Bart

[J_ Crisham]

My top 5 are:  White Bear Yacht Club,  Minikahda Club, Chicago Golf Club, Shoreacres, Aronimink-no specific order. 
                                                                                                  Jack

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The aforementioned clubhouse at Lookaway:



https://www.memberstatements.com/tour/tours.cfm?tourid=40236

[TEPaul]

I might say one of the very best clubhouses I've ever seen in a particular way was Old Head in Ireland and not because of the architectural significance or the significance of the clubhouse itself or anything like that but because of the thought put into its low lying position and non-prominence on the land and its windows out onto a site that arguably is one of the most anthropologically significant in the world---a site that was the home of the original Eierrean people---the precusor of the Irish!

[Paul Jones]

Newport Country Club is one of my favorites.