[Mark_Rowlinson]

OK, you world travellers (English spelling), one hole only per country, a different architect (living or dead) each time and a well-balanced course.  I am a big-time film maker and have signed up Tiger Woods to fly round the world to play these courses, so I want lots of variety and televisual excitement.  That said, I have a mission to my audience to make sure that they see only great architecture, old or new.

Unfortunately Tiger doesn't have much free time and this film will be screened before the Masters in April, so we'll have to film it in the same order as the holes, so it has to make geographic sense - you don't go Spain-New Zealand-Portugal, 7-8-9.  You may only have one US course, but you may split the UK into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Republic of Ireland is, of course, a separate country.

Right team, I want the itinerary on my desk when I log on again tomorrow!

[Garland Bayley]

How does that puny little island get so many holes? How about US NE, SE, Midwest, South, Prairie, SW, West.

[Jordan Wall]

Havent really played too much outside of the US, but I would think you would need holes from some of these courses, or these exact holes...this is just my opinion, though

Hole 17, St. Andrews, Scotland
A hole from Kidnappers, New Zealand
Hole 5, Royal Melbourne (west, Australia)
A hole from El Saler, Spain
Hole 5, Royal Portrush, Ireland
Hole 16, CPC, USA

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Garland, That is our way of stopping being overwhelmed by Tillie, Flynn, Ross, Macdonald, Wilson, Joneses by the dozen etc.  But you have plenty of exports - Doak will do, for a start, not to mention all those Joneses, Nicklaus, Palmer, Weiskopf, and co.  You don't have to work for my production team if you don't want to.  I'll see you have your passport back in the morning so that you can seek employment elsewhere....

[JNC Lyon]

Ugh, I have only played golf in two countries!!!!!  I would say that my favorite hole in Canada comes at St. George's, probably number 7,8,12, or 14.  From the US, it is hard to think of one, but, since it has to be in geographic alignment, I would pick number six at Country Club of Buffalo from my limited experience.  It is a very sweet volcano green set 18 feet above the floor of an old quarry, a Donald Ross original.  This way a person could play 5 at Mid Ocean, 6 at CCB, 7 at St. George's, and then swing across to 8 at Brancaster, 9 at Muirfield, 10 at some other British/Irish course, and finally, 11 at Ballybunion.

[Tom_Doak]

Jeez, Mark, you are a slave driver.  But I love a challenge!

The countries are pretty simple, but the order is a challenge.  I guess you could start anywhere in the middle and go forwards or backwards, but I would tend to want to start either in North America or in the UK.

The roster:

Scotland-England-Wales-Ireland-Northern Ireland
Germany-Netherlands or Belgium-France-Spain
Bermuda-Canada-USA-Mexico-Dominican Republic
New Zealand-Australia-Japan-South Africa

If I did them that way:

1 Machrihanish 4 - T Morris
2 Walton Heath 4 - Fowler
3 Aberdovey 3 or perhaps Tenby 4 - Cotton
4 Royal Portrush 4 - Colt
5 Lahinch 3 - ?
6 Hamburger (? can't remember the hole) - Morrison
7
8 Morfontaine 4 - Simpson
9 El Saler 3 - Arana

10 unfortunately, the tenth at Durban is dull - ??
11 Royal Melbourne (West) 4 - MacKenzie
12 Cape Kidnappers 4 - Doak
13 Hirono 3 - Alison
14 St. George's 4 - Thompson
15 Teeth of the Dog 4 - Dye
16 Cabo del Sol 4 - Nicklaus
17 Mid Ocean 3 - Macdonald
18 Pebble Beach 5 - who gets the credit?

I dodged around a little bit at the end to get the best combination of holes from Cabo and Teeth of the Dog and Mid Ocean -- spring for the airfare, dang it!

The other possibility would be to start with the old first at Banff, go through the US and Mexico and Casa de Campo to Mid Ocean 5, on to Ireland and Europe and winding up in either Japan, Australia or NZ.  

[Garland Bayley]

Garland, That is our way of stopping being overwhelmed by Tillie, Flynn, Ross, Macdonald, Wilson, Joneses by the dozen etc.  But you have plenty of exports - Doak will do, for a start, not to mention all those Joneses, Nicklaus, Palmer, Weiskopf, and co.  You don't have to work for my production team if you don't want to.  I'll see you have your passport back in the morning so that you can seek employment elsewhere....

What treatment!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I didn't even mention all those puny little countries on that puny little continent.  

[henrye]

2 Walton Heath 4 - Fowler

14 St. George's 4 - Thompson
 

I'd change to

2 Sandwich 4 - ?
14 Jasper Park 4 - Thompson

[Tom_Doak]

Henry:  I still haven't been to Jasper.  But my wife has consented to go this summer, on our way to an event at Tumble Creek in Washington.  If the Jasper hole is better, I'm fine with that.

Personally, I like the 2nd at Walton Heath just as much as the one at Sandwich, and I wanted to get a heathland course in there -- but on second thought, Hamburger and Morfontaine have that covered.  So let's stay with a links.  The 2nd at Royal Lytham & St. Annes would be a reasonable choice as well; any others?

I need help from Paul Turner on a seventh hole from the Low Countries.

[Sean Walsh]

I'm not at home so I can't check myself.

What was the Nepalese hole in Paul Daley's Favourite Holes By Design.

Surely worthy of consideration.

Itinerary could fit it in by going Europe, South Africa, Nepal, Japan, Australia, NZ, Mexico, USA, Canada.  If Faldo's Iceland course comes good and the 18th is of sufficient standard then that could be the finish.  Within putting distance of a scottish start (If you've got a small world map)

[Tom_Doak]

Sean:

I think giving Faldo the 18th hole on a course which hasn't been built yet is a bit of a stretch.  The USA and Canada have some pretty good finishing holes, you know.

That Nepalese hole WAS fantastic, though.  I'll look it up tomorrow.  But I've done my 18 holes, you've got to beat them before I get back to work on it.

[Sean Walsh]

Tom,

The iceland option was pie in the sky stuff.  Just  wanted to try and finish the round near the clubhouse (Scotland, I assume).  

I'd love to try and beat your selection but I'd be about 14 countries short in terms of playing experience...

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Garland, It wasn't meant!  I am the least confrontational person you'll ever meet, which is why I let everyone beat me at golf.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland, It wasn't meant!  I am the least confrontational person you'll ever meet, which is why I let everyone beat me at golf.

Mark,
Whenever you see,   , you don't have to apologize.

[Tom_Doak]

The Nepalese hole was the fourth at Himalayan Golf Club.  It definitely qualifies for the list; I would pay a lot of money to watch Tiger Woods play it.  In fact it is another notch on my belt of great fourth holes to beat Ian's great eighth holes.

But, I don't know how we work it in.  I don't really want to start with any of those wimpy Australian first holes ... I'd rather go to 5 at Hirono and 6 at Royal Melbourne and 7 at Cape Kidnappers and around that way.  But that would make us start and end somewhere on the European mainland, which is hardly the way to go.

Maybe we need to start in Japan and Korea and China and Nepal and Durban, streamline our choices in Europe and the Caribbean/Mexico, and finish up with the 17th at Kidnappers and the 18th at Royal Melbourne (East).  The first at Naruo in Japan would be a good starter, but has anyone on this board got any experience with Korea or China?  Where's Brett Mogg when I need him?

[Mark_Guiniven]

Maybe we need to start in Japan and Korea and China and Nepal and Durban, streamline our choices in Europe and the Caribbean/Mexico, and finish up with the 17th at Kidnappers and the 18th at Royal Melbourne (East).

If the 17th hole was in New Zealand, it would be at Paraparaumu Beach, not Cape Kidnappers, fine hole that it is.

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:  Alex Russell is not allowed to have the last two holes.

[Tom Dunne]

I think a visit to the Netherlands would be in order for this globetrotting golfer to play the 14th at Haagsche. I love the vertigo-inspiring angles the hill/ridge on the right side creates on the approach. The vertical climb of that uphill approach, if the picture doesn't hint at it enough, is almost equal to Pine Valley #2 or Shinnecock Hills #10.



These are both images Paul Turner posted a while back, the second looks back down the fairway. And I could be mistaken, but I remember the tee being a little over to the left from where the first shot was taken.



I'm not sure what to make of that tongue-like bunker sticking out of the trees short and right of the green, as it's kind of ugly and unlikely to catch anything other than the toed second shots of weaker players, but other than that, a very cool hole.

[Mark_Guiniven]

Mark:  Alex Russell is not allowed to have the last two holes.

Hmm, good with the fine print you architects.

I still reckon you'd choose 17 at Para first, and then find another 18th in Australia. Do Australia suffer a dearth of good opening holes and good closers?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Hang on, Tiger needs to start or finish in the States - he's only going to make one outward journey.....

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