Routings

[Tom MacWood]

What are the best routed courses and why?

[Philippe Binette]

How many years do you have

It's like asking what is the greatest music piece ever... Beethoven, Louis Armstrong or Van Halen in the David Lee Roth period ?

Merion
Muirfield
TPC at Sawgrass
or Torrey Pines

[Philippe Binette]

Honestly Tom,

I would like to distinguish something here. I think there's a huge difference between the best effort of routing a golf course by an architect and the best routing in golf.

My favorite is Montebello in Quebec which is one of the best routing effort I've seen.

You can talk as much as you want about how great of a routing Muirfield is, and it is.  but it's a lot easier to route a course in a flattish grass field where you can try shots, see the features and see where you're going before deciding your routing.

now put yourself in 1923 or so, on a rocky forest site with about 100 feet of elevation change and you can't see more than 60 feet in front of you. I'm not sure how precise the survey where at that time. I don't know how Stanley Thompson did it and he also did it in capilano, and other places.

[Tom_Doak]

My own best were St Andrews Beach and Sebonack,  because I got them on the first try, without ever having walked the ground.  Bonus points to St Andrews Beach because it was done firm 9,500 miles away.

In a couple of weeks I am going to walk a new property that Ive done a routing for and I have a really good feeling about ... can't wait to see if I got it right or not.

[Colin Macqueen]

Tom D.,
When I play St. Andrew’s Beach this Christmas as far as routing goes I should be looking out for or noticing what?

Proximity of following tee from previous green?
Hole lying and playing with a “natural” feel to it in its surroundings?
A sense that getting around the course is not as physically trying as the landscape suggests?
Which sequence of holes at St. Andrew’s Beach do you think you really excel in regards to the routing?
Which holes, or sequence of holes, did you believe came about naturally and, by default then, which sequence did you have to be most imaginative and inventive with?

Cheers Col

[Mac Plumart]

So far my personal favorites regarding routing are as follows...

Seminole...it seems the property isn't that amazing, just that big dune and Ross takes you up that thing, down that thing, along the side of it, uses it to enhance the wind off the ocean, and open the views of the course and the ocean up at times.

The Golf Club and Harbour Town...I like to use the term pacing for their routings.  They seem to take you on an adventure through tightly wooded areas only to open the course up with a dramatic shift in feel to a more open course.  The feeling really is stunning.  Harbour Town's shift in feel in much more dramatic as the tightly wooded fairways are much more severe there.

Sand Hills...I simply felt the flow from hole to hole was incredible.  A wonderful journey that never got boring or tiring.

Holston Hills...I think this courses routing gets overlooked.  It seemed to have that incredible flow that Sand Hills had and the routing provides excellent variety in shots and holes and is highlighted by great green sites.

Canterbury...Like Holston Hills, I think Canterbury's routing is under-rated.  The property isn't big, but the flow is incredible, the mix of challenges is excellent, and the finishing holes are simply off-the-charts amazing. 

[Mark_F]

Tom D.,
When I play St. Andrew’s Beach this Christmas as far as routing goes I should be looking out for or noticing what?

A closed sign on the front gate.

If you are playing at Christmas, Colin, you better be off the first tee at sunrise, otherwise it will take you ten hours to play.

[Jim Colton]

Friars Head is one that comes to mind...how the routing seamlessly transitions from different elements and you're constantly going in different directions.

[Jeff Doerr]

Rock Creek Cattle is just amazing when one thinks about routing a mountain course.

[mike_beene]

I like how Mid-pines moves you all over a compact property with no back and forth holes other than 10 and 11. was Muirfield the frost to loop back after nine? if so was it the most significant routing of all time?

[Alex Miller]

I think Dr. Mac is my all time favorite, so I'll go with CPC ant The Valley Club.

I know the routings are good even though I haven't been there.