Best Course Ever Designed on Perfectly Flat Land

[David Mulle]

Am I missing something with Muirfield?  I have heard a number of people state that it is a very flat course.  While I would never characterize the couse as being hilly, I do think it makes great use of the ridges that cut through the middle of the property.

On a related point, I also don't think that Winged Foot can be considered flat. 

The three courses that immediately jumped to mind for me were all mentioned previously: Inwood, Talking Stick North and Harbour Town

[Doug Sobieski]

I spoke to Mike Hurdzan yesterday, and we talked about the amount of elevation change at a couple courses that he did in Florida. Naples National had approximately 14"-15" of change (that's inches, not feet!), and Calusa Pines had somewhere in the neighborhood of 2'. He told me that at Naples National they were severely limited with regard to how much dirt they could move (total of only 350,000 cubic yards). To me, that golf course is an amazing feat considering what they started with and how "little" earth they moved.

A year or two ago I had an IM exchange with Jeff Brauer regarding the inability of most people to estimate elevation change. With the specific instance we were talking about, nearly everyone was off by 100% or more. And I think with bunkers, most people overestimate the depth. I'd be interested if someone could post a "quiz" with pictures that had known elevation changes (or depths for bunkers). I think the results could be eye opening.

[Adrian_Stiff]

The great Ratho Links in Bothwell, Tasmania.  The bunkers are about a foot deep and some greens may rise a few feet, but most do not.

 

I dont care if this is on a great soil, i'll take the land at the back.

[scott_wood]

C&C created a wonderfully diverse course @ Chechessee Creek Club.....
perhaps not "Great" but very very very Good.....

probably as flat as, if not flatter, than Pat's Pine Tree and Boca Rio,
(but I don't want to challenge him)  :

[J Sadowsky]

Prairie Dunes is in Kansas - how much flatter does it get?

[Mark Arata]

there is quite a bit of undulation/elevation at Prairie Dunes, dont know how much was man made, 14-15-16-17 dont seem man made at all, and there are the uphill par 3's on the front and the fairly deep drop down from 6 tee to green.....

I just got back from playing Shadow Creek, and to see the land surrounding that course and then seeing what Fazio created inside the gates is pretty damn amazing, unlimited budget or not. If we are talking about starting with a flat piece of land, then that would get my vote.