[redanman]

Certainly showing my own prejudice:  

In my experience, one of the reasons that I like certain golf courses is due to nice routings on nice land. I've been very fortunate to see many in my lifetime.  The nicest land for golf to me, having learned the game in good old South FL (flat as southern Delaware!) has been rolling land.

Sticking to the USA/Canada, first, (Since true links is another aniimal) a few great examples are

Hamilton - H.S. Colt & R Robertson
St. George's - Thompson
Plainfield - Ross (sorry to bring it up again)
Worcester - Ross (Under-appreciated)
Lehigh - Flynn (Yeah, I'm a homer, but it is a neat routing on great land)


any others in the same vein out there? Or  What's your favorite, and it's OK if you like trees.

[Phil_the_Author]

Everyone knows what a fan I am of Bethpage and the Black, so it comes as no surprise that I believe the course is on as good a piece of land for golf as can be found anywhere.

The other courses at Bethpage point this out. The Red, Blue & Yellow courses all have some areas of similar rolling terrain, yet even the holes on the Black that are on relatively flat terrain appeared sculpted to its environment rather than placed there.

Holes 2 & 3 on the Red are good examples of pedestrian holes that are found on the other courses. The routings are all very good and take advantage of what the terrain offers, but what the terrain offered for the Black so far exceeds them that they become diminished as courses in the minds of many.

One example from the Black, the 4th hole. Most architects would have seen that section of land (the valley from the 4th tee to past the 5th green) and probably would have routed the 4th hole down and to the left along the hill line. This would have made a very good hole, yet Tilly saw the various plateaus and realized that playing up BOTH of THEM on the same hole would create a world-class wonder of a double dog-leg three-shotter. It also allowed for one of the great cross-bunkers anywhere to be created in a very natural fashion. This hole has clearly stood the test of time and the green placement at the end of the plateau top allowed for the 5th tee to be placed alongside it and so create one of the great par-fours in the world.

If he had gone down the valley there would have been two good holes; instead he gave us a majestic offering.

Great terrain, especially when a visionary architect sees what others can't, can produce inspiration...

[Mark Pearce]

Easy question.  Links land.  Any time I see dunes I imagine routings between them.

[JESII]

I'd agree with you redanman.

Rolling terrain, but not overly severe, seems to me the best opportunity to present a great course. to me though, the architect and the superintendent have the most responsibility when it comes to making a course I want to return to. And in that, I would put the superintendent ahead of the architect.

By the way, I would consider HVCC the outer edge of rolling terrain.

I love the idea of seeing a broad landscape from most areas on the property so the Sand Hills region seems perfect although I have not been there. I have played in Omaha and it seems to fit.

[Ally Mcintosh]

great golf land - gleneagles kings and queens courses

[Mark Pearce]

I HAVE heard such good things about Gleneagles!  Next trip for sure.

And Mark Pearce, read a little closer, I eliminated the easy choice.

OK then, Heathland.

[Tyler Kearns]

Redanman,

Just a quick correction, Hamilton is the product of H.S. Colt's work not Stanley Thompson.

Great golf land exists when you can visualize excellent golf holes meandering through the existing landscape. No dozers, scrapers etc. required.

TK

[Mark Pearce]

Redanman,

Sadly my only experience of North American golf has been desert golf at rather artificial courses (though I did quite enjoy the Papago public course in Phoenix), so I don't really have experience of the various terrains you have.  Surely there's real links terrain in the US?

[George Pazin]

The sand hills photos I've seen look pretty close in character to linksland. (Note the lack of capitalization of sand hills - I'm referring to the courses as well as the many photos posted by RJ, Brian Gracely, Tony Chapman, etc.)

I prefer bumpy to rolling, generally. Oakmont is the mystery to me - seems like the same land everywhere in western PA, but there's only one Oakmont.

I would think most would call the land at Lehigh severe, yet it certainly did yield a superior course. Just goes to show how much it helps to have a great architect - some people think it's all the land!

 

[Tom_Doak]

There is lots and lots of great golf land out there, in all different shapes and sizes.  That's why it's a great business to be in.

My favorite stretch of ground is still probably the front nine at Crystal Downs.  A lot of action packed into a tight area.

[Jamie_Duffner]

A lot of great land on the south shore of Long Island, particularly as you drive east from Jones Beach along the Ocean Parkway.  Dunes and wind, just perfect.

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