Best Routings

[Michael Chadwick]

Valley Club has a couple unique quirks as an American routing. It's an out and back, but the big field in front of the clubhouse, combined with the first corridor of holes before crossing Sheffield Dr., yields three loops of 3, 5, and 8 holes for quick member play:


16 - 18
1, 2, 13 - 15
1, 2, 13 - 18


Prairie Dunes is another notable routing, but Perry's initial 9 holes is just unbelievable. The proximity to the clubhouse throughout, the return after 4 (today's 7) and 6 (today's 9)--the man cared deeply for players who needed to remain well hydrated while playing!

[Ira Fishman]

A couple of other routing decisions that strike me as distinctive in a positive way:


**Weaving together different land forms. CPC gets a lot of proper credit for this, but other than perhaps Number 1, all of the land struck me as terrific. So Friar’s Head is the course that really is impressive in weaving the dunes and potato field together. But Golspie should get some kudos as well.


**Audacity. Has anyone else found Old Mac 7 and NB 17 similar on this score? And is there a better example than the Dell hole at Lahinch?


Ira

Agree, Ira--in which case, Bandon Trails is one of the best experiential routings, traversing through three distinctive areas (dunes, meadow, forest).


Adam also brought up an interesting point earlier re: Highland Links. Opting for a key long walk, but making sure the payoff is such that a) the holes will be that much stronger because of the gap required between them and b) the walk itself is breathtaking enough to compensate for the distance taken. Going from CPC 14 to 15 and 16 being the iconic examples, or so I hear!

The walk from 14 to 15 at Crail Balcomie along the water and past the cave is noteworthy, and the walk from 4 to 5 at Blackwolf Run River definitely worth the payoff. And I agree about BT routing—C&C certainly have a knack for courses with different landforms. However, as much as I like 14 at BT, that walk from 13 is a bridge too far (no pun intended)—we hopped a ride.


Ira

[Greg Holland]

This is an interesting thread.  Some questions that come to mind about Pine Needles’ routing are:  first, since it is no longer played as originally sequenced - does that impact analysis of how good the routing is?  Second, in the original sequence - it ended with a par 5, par 3, and fairly difficult par 4.  Where did Pete Dye come up with his “template” ending in that sequence? He spent lots of time in the area.  Was it at PN?


PS. I love PN but prefer the routing at Mid Pines personally.

[archie_struthers]

 




Going to agree with a bunch of my Philly guys here ....Lehigh is special !

[Jim_Coleman]

   The “worst walk in golf” has to be at Gary Player’s Liberty National (formerly Ace Club), I think between 6 and 7. It has to be 600 yards straight uphill.
 The best might be Teeth of the Dog between 14 and 15 - 150 yards around Oscar de la Renta’s house to the Caribbean Sea.
   Galloway National has a few bad walks, but none like Liberty National.

[MCirba]

   The “worst walk in golf” has to be at Gary Player’s Liberty National (formerly Ace Club), I think between 6 and 7. It has to be 600 yards straight uphill.
 The best might be Teeth of the Dog between 14 and 15 - 150 yards around Oscar de la Renta’s house to the Caribbean Sea.
   Galloway National has a few bad walks, but none like Liberty National.

A case of spending several million dollars to take a pretty good, walkable Rees Jones course called Eagle Lodge (say a Doak 4) to make it an unwalkable Gary Player 4.5.

[Kalen Braley]

   The “worst walk in golf” has to be at Gary Player’s Liberty National (formerly Ace Club), I think between 6 and 7. It has to be 600 yards straight uphill.
 The best might be Teeth of the Dog between 14 and 15 - 150 yards around Oscar de la Renta’s house to the Caribbean Sea.
   Galloway National has a few bad walks, but none like Liberty National.

Jim,

A few things:

- You had me chasing my tail for a few minutes looking for Liberty National, instead of Union League Liberty Hill golf course.

- Normally I take such statements with a big dose of skepticism, but you nailed it.  (Its actually from 5 green to 6 tee), but Google Earth has it at about 75 feet of elevation gain, and a .37 mile walk, or 650 yards.  Yikes!! 

- The routing looks to be a giant mess with several long transitions...

[MCirba]

Jim/Kalen,


I debated calling the Player re-do a Doak 0 but a number of holes offer decent strategy so I punted.


But the routing...egads...start on top of a hill...drive downward to green in valley...find the next nearest hill and drive up there for the next hole, back into the nearest valley, repeat, rinse, repeat.

[Jim_Coleman]

   Sorry for the misname. Could be defamatory without a correction and apology. Pretty proud of myself, though, for my approximation of the length of the climb.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'm surprised that Wannamoisett has not been in the discussion. It is on an impossibly small piece of ground to route, yet it does not feel crowded.



I second Shoreacres. I too do not think about the big lake when I have played it. It doesn't need a lakefront hole.

[Jeff Schley]

I'm not sure the standard if we are talking the least amount of acres or not. But I really like North Berwick routing, apart from the course.

[Jeff Schley]

A minor miracle at the time is probably Bel Air through the canyons.  If anyone has a better layout please post.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Some architects are given really tough places to route a course. Fazio was given this property in Newburgh, Indiana.