[Duncan Cheslett]

I live in mid-Cheshire, England.


I have never played Vale Royal Abbey (ca 10 miles away), a Simon Gidman course, because it opened after I had written my Cheshire book, and then other things took my fancy. If you are going to play in that area you play Sandiway or Delamere, which I could usually play for nothing.


Nor have I played Pryors Hayes which is a public course near Delamere, by John Day, and if you can play Delamere or Sandiway....

You're not missing a lot, Mark.  Vale Royal is highly thought of by a lot of my golfing friends, but I don't really understand why. I've played it twice and can barely remember anything about it. Why anyone would go there in preference to Delamere or Sandiway - both almost next door - is a mystery to me. It's a bog standard pleasant enough modern parkland course without any particular distinguishing features. Its descent from its original super exclusive members only status to being a TeeOffTimes staple is noticable.


Incidentally, there was much excitement at Reddish Vale last year when our ranking among Cheshire courses jumped from 19 to 11.  Personally I feel that we are still under-rated will not be happy until we get into the top 5 behind Hoylake, Delamere, Wallasey, and Sandiway. You're the expert on Cheshire courses - am I being realistic?


We need to topple Dunham, Caldy, Stockport, Mere, Prestbury, and Wilmslow.


Prestbury is the only one I have doubts about...

[Jon Wiggett]

Duncan,


it is funny you mention Mere. I played there quite a lot in the late 80's and it certainly has a good location, very good clubhouse. The course itself had many very good holes but it was usually quite wet and always felt like a bit of a slog which was a shame. Had the course been a lot firmer I am sure it would have been a lot of fun.


Jon

[John McCarthy]

Lake Shore which is private and located near Skokie and other nice North Shore courses. Bendelow was the original architect and Prichard did the most recent work on the course. I’ve heard it has a lot of ravines like Shoreacres but they aren’t strategically important. Will try to get out there this summer.


In terms of public courses, I’m keen on playing Esler’s restoration of Mount Prospect.

Terry: I played Lake Shore last summer from a charity auction.  So good.  The scorecard claims the original architect is Frederick Law Olstead Jr. which may or may not be true.  I could play that course everyday. 

[Tim Martin]

Good one Kyle...

What's the nearest course to you which you haven't played? Two categories: Public and Private. Public is probably Wenham CC...private is probably Thomson CC in North Reading....both 8-10 miles from my house.
Approximately where do you live?  Marblehead, MA
Why? Wenham is par 66, and is surrounded by great courses, though mostly private....Thomson is a full course, yet by all accounts is not enjoyable due to OB on both sides every hole.
Who designed it? Wenham is actually well over 100 years old, and was formed by some Myopia caddies pre-1900...not sure of the designer.  Thomson CC is by Geoffrey Cornish, circa 1970s.
What would the answer be if you played it your next round? There are a few local 9-holers I haven't played(Reedy Meadow in Lynnfield, New Meadows in Topsfield, and some of these are not full length...private may be Bellevue, a 9-holer by Stiles in Melrose, MA.
What's stopping you? Not much, other than my club being a great course and only 2mins away, and the North Shore of Boston having many other great privates and good publics.

Also, if you've only been in your current location for under two years, how do these answers change with your previous address?  I lived in Boston previously...the local public ones to Boston that I haven't played are Furnace Brook in Quincy (9) or Leo J. Martin...private is definitely Belmont or Bellevue.  If I used my workplace in Quincy, Blue Hill in Canton would be the nearest private I haven't played.

I got a chance to play Bellevue GC in Melrose, Massachusetts which is a Wayne Stiles 9 holer. With all the great courses north of Boston this one gets lost in the shuffle and really was fun to play. All the hole drawings are in the Men’s lockeroom and it doesn’t appear there have been any substantive changes over the years. Presentation and conditioning were as good as anywhere I played this year with mow lines and green speeds just about perfect. We got around in less than 3 and a half hours walking and I would have been happy to report directly back to 1 tee to go again if that was an option. I deem anyone that is a member here a lucky man.

[Brad Tufts]

2.5 years later, all of the above applies for me!


Bellevue looks nice, just don't really have a reason to make it a priority.

[mike_malone]

Private—Squires
Public—Pennsauken or another public course in New Jersey with a low profile.


  I know several Squires members but they probably don’t invite me because I don’t drink!


 There are several public courses just across the bridges in New Jersey that I haven’t been asked to play.

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Public.
Lincoln Park Golf Course
Approximately where do you live? San Francisco, CA (Inner Richmond district). 1.6 mile drive.
[/size]Why? Don’t know really know, other than it looks to be in crappy condition, crowded, and other than it's one famous postcard hole, not really worth my time when I have other options.
Who designed it? Don’t know.
What would the answer be if you played it your next round? The next closest public that I haven’t played is Gleneagles, a nine hole course in the southern reaches of the city.
What's stopping you? Time. I have two kids with active schedules and a career that puts me on a lot of planes. When I do have time, I usually play at my home club.


[/size]Private.Meadow Club
Approximately where do you live? San Francisco, CA (Inner Richmond district). 20 mile drive.
Why? Haven’t gotten an invite nor have I really pushed for one.
Who designed it? Alistair Mackenzie
What would the answer be if you played it your next round? Burlingame CC, which I am quite curious to see as I recently drove past it and looked much more interesting than I’ve been led to believe.
What's stopping you? Invite and time

[MCirba]

I live on a mountain in the woods 8 miles outside of Lehighton, PA, where I'm presently adding four foot thick lead walls to my basement in anticipation of the next four years.   

Nearest privates to me I haven't played are two nine hole community courses, Naomi Lakes Timber Trails (1974 - likely Logan Steele and Ray Hansen) (32.3 miles) and Thornhurst Estates CC (Art Hitson 1963) (38.5 miles).

Nearest public is a 1150 yard par three nine hole course at Newfoundland GC (Vance Megargel/John Rasmussen 1947) (51.6 miles)

Of 18 hole private courses, the nearest are Panther Valley CC (Allamuchy, NJ) (RTJ Sr.) (52 miles), while in PA I haven't played Squires GC in Horsham, PA (George Fazio)  (63.3 miles) and Old York Road CC (William/David Gordon) nearby (65.3).

Nearest public 18 hole course I haven't played is too difficult to determine but is likely something in northern NJ, but in PA they would be Rock Creek GC in Nicholson, PA (72.5 miles) and Cricket Hill GC near Honesdale (78 miles).

Other than lack of invites, I have no real reasons for not playing any of them and would enjoy playing them all, even if some are likely horrific architecturally based on drive by's. 

Update - I've since played Rock Creek (where I nearly died trying to walk on a 95 degree day), Cricket Hill, Newfoundland, and three holes of the nine hole Timber Trails before lightning ended our game. 

[Tim Martin]

Indian Hill CC-Newington,CT-5.5 miles-Private
Westwoods GC-Farmington,CT-9 miles-Public


I don’t really have a reason for not playing these courses other than lack of interest.

[Tim Martin]

Private—Squires
Public—Pennsauken or another public course in New Jersey with a low profile.


  I know several Squires members but they probably don’t invite me because I don’t drink!


 There are several public courses just across the bridges in New Jersey that I haven’t been asked to play.

Mike-We’ll send a car to get you over to Jersey. What day is good?

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Vail, CO:


Private:  Eagle Springs (Weiskopf), Wolcott, CO.  6.5 Miles away
Public:  Played all of them.

[Matthew Rose]

Home: Westminster, CO (for one more week anyway)

Private: The Ranch CC

Not a member, don't know a member, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. It's not like there aren't plenty of Phelps Sr/Jr layouts in the area already.

Public: Coal Creek

Was underwater for a few years and then rebuilt recently. Don't really know much about it but it's sort of in a funny area relative to where I live. I've played everything else that's public north of I-70. They seem to want about $10-15 more than similar courses in the area so I guess I've shied away from it.

[Bill Crane]

Two categories:Public -  Bunker Hill Golf Club Princeton, NJ but really 8.6 miles away in Franklin Twp. I believe.  Princeton Addresses now run from just north of Trenton to nearly New Brunswick, or North Brunswick anyway. )
Private -  Rossmoor Country Club, Monroe Twp, NJ,   11.8 miles from my home in downtown Princeton.
Why?   Bunker Hill - never played, there just always seemed to be a better place to play, and in my twenties my friends who did not belong to Springdale always seemed to be playing somewhere else like Cranbury or Mtn View.  Rossmoor -   Ironic that I have never played since the Pro is a long time acquiantance - married our wedding Maid of Honor and my wife's closest college friend. Just never got there.   


Who designed it?Bunker Hill - designed by Alec Ternyei who I have never heard of.     Rossmoor- interestingly enough designed by Desmond Muirhead who specialized in retirement community courses at some point.    Also responsible for the well known Stone Harbor in NJ ( Doak Scale ZERO I believe).   Rossmoor is actually supposed to be a solid course.


What would the answer be if you played it your next round?   Public - Miry Run Country Club   Private:  Greenbriar Golf Course


What's stopping you?  Nothing !  I could probably Rossmoor with the Pro !  No real reason to play Bunker hill when I want to go play Rock Spring, Rolling Green,  Essex Co (again), Ridgewood, Mountain Ridge, Hidden Creek (again) Saucon Valley Old, Lehigh,  Yale (for the 15th time) etc etc.

[MCirba]

Bill,


You missed your chance to play Miry Run.  It's been closed for a few years now.


I almost died at Bunker Hill, trapped laying flat in the woods off the 12th green for 1.5 hours during an intense lightning storm.


Long story, but golf is a treacherous and dangerous game so one needs to be careful where one plays.

[Kevin Stark]

I'll separate it into three categories...

Public: Saddlebrook. Designed by Bob Thompson per their website. Looking at it from the road, it looks like the kind of place where I would quit golf before I would play it.


Public that is probably worth playing: The Brickyard. (Pete Dye) It just gives me a gimmicky vibe with the whole inside-the-track thing and the other ties to the track and its events, although I'm sure it's a fine course from what I've heard.


Private: Bridgewater Club. (Pete Dye) I would be driving past a half dozen clubs I really like to get there, so I've never made the effort to get out there. 

[DFarron]

Diablo CC...classic old Willie Watson course that they just ripped up. Guess I will wait a little longer....

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