From Hopkins, Minnesota:

-- Ross (Northland, Interlachen, White Bear Yacht Club, Minikahda, Woodhill)

-- Brauer (Giants Ridge Legend, Giants Ridge Quarry, Wilderness at Fortune Bay)

-- Raynor (Somerset, Midland Hills, Minnesota Valley)

-- William Clark (Oak Ridge; cf. Jason Topp's "My Home Course")

-- Robert Trent Jones (Hazeltine)

Of course, given that list -- 10 pretty private courses nearby, several of which I've never played, and 3 public courses more than 200 miles away -- I'd be playing damn little golf!

Of course a 500 mi. radius brings in everything from Richmond, VA and closer from Boston...

I guess being from the expansive west, I don't relate well to you eastern seaboard guys. Feel free to limit yourself appropriately to highlight a local architect of merit. You PA guys need to limit yourself to PA and mention Kelly!

I'll limit it to MA...and pick 5 and 5, in order...I will include a couple I haven't played, as I've heard they are good ones...

5 ODG...

Flynn (TCC or Kittansett)
Ross (Essex or Winchester or Concord)
Leeds (Myopia)
Stiles (Taconic)
Wogan (Sankaty Head or cough, Tedesco, cough )

5 modern

Silva (Red Tail)
Hanse (Boston GC or TPC Boston)
C + C (Old Sandwich)
Hurdzan (Turner Hill)
Fazio (International - Oaks)

Notes:  I haven't played Sankaty Head, Boston GC, or Old Sandwich.  The omitted one of the ODGs is Fowler, with Eastward Ho!, but he's #6 for me on this list.  The next few on the modern period would be Jackie Nicklaus (Pinehills), Rees (Pinehills-Jones, Nantucket GC), Steel (Vineyard Club), Pascuzzo (The Ranch), and Cornish (many).

Some poor sod living in Alice Springs, Australia will read this and ponder long and hard!!

Anyone living in Alice Springs has bigger problems to think about!

I’d be lucky enough to list two of the architects I listed in the other thread, not merely because their work is close, but , having played in many countries around the world, I still admire them for the quality of their work.

Eric Apperly is first on my list of local architects. His entire portfolio of courses is pretty much within that 250 mile radius, yet his work was of the quality that, if he had the profile of MacKenzie or Ross, most on here would consider him one of the greats.

His 2 most famous courses are Newcastle (my home course) & NSW. He worked on NSW only 7 years after MacKenzie finished it. The changes are significant enough (Creation of the 6th, 14th & 17th, re-routing of the 5th, 15th & 16th, the deleting of the 2 weak par 4’s to make the par 5 8th, & so on) that I believe much of NSW’s greatness is more attributed to Apperly.

Newcastle is a superbly routed course where he utilised the dunes brilliantly & in the case of the 5th & 6th discovered holes that many architects would not have found.

He also designed the original layout at The Lakes, which was considered better than what they have had for the last 30 years. Duntryleagues is a lovely country course & Castle Hill only shows his routing these days. Pymble & Manly both reasonable club courses on extremely average sites.

I apologise for my Eric Apperly rant. I am a little passionate.


My list:
1.   Eric Apperly (See Above)
2.   Alister MacKenzie (NSW)
3.   Prosper Ellis (a number of reasonable local club courses)
4.   Ross Watson (Magenta Shores, Horizons, decent renos at Royal Sydney, Concord, Bonnie Doon)
5.   Bob Harrison (The Vintage)

My choices would be:

Alister MacKenzie- Cypress Point Club, Pasatiempo, Valley Club, Meadow Club, Claremont

George Thomas- Riviera, Los Angeles CC, Bel Air, Ojai, La Cumbre, Stanford, Palos Verdes (some of these GT collaborated with Billy Bell)

AW Tillinghast- San Francisco Golf Club, Virginia CC

Willie Watson- Olympic, Orinda, Hacienda, Hillcrest

Max Behr- Lakeside, Rancho Santa Fe, Victoria


These are all within 500 miles of my house. Somewhere I would fit in as much Rustic Canyon as I could! Since much of Behr's work has been altered beyond all recognition (with the exception of most of Victoria), I would consider sticking Grant and Neville in there just for Pebble Beach.

Ok...if you could only play courses in this solar system....and within the distance that the defunct Concorde could fly within 17 hours, and by architects taller than 5'11" with last names starting with letters between N and R, and who were all married before the age of 25, which 5 architects would you choose?  

Obviously, you mean alive guys...because all the dead guys are a lot shorter that that.....negative height, even....

The Links of Uranus is not on my short list......

J (in honor of P, who used to post as "Peter", but apparently got tired of typing)

Ok...if you could only play courses in this solar system....and within the distance that the defunct Concorde could fly within 17 hours, and by architects taller than 5'11" with last names starting with letters between N and R, and who were all married before the age of 25, which 5 architects would you choose?  

Cirba,

Go get your own thread. I started this thread to elicit answers such as the wonderfully informative one from Andrew above.
 

If these were the rules...I would move.

There isn't enough that excites me around Houston.

Yes David, but would the angle of the Texas coast extend Kyle's circle towards Tulsa, or Midland?

Quote from: Kyle Krahenbuhl on December 07, 2007, 10:53:12 PM

If these were the rules...I would move.

There isn't enough that excites me around Houston.

Ah, but you forget the 250 mile rule, Kyle. Colonial and Brook Hollow fall within this area. And since Houston lies so close to the Gulf, I believe you qualify for the 500 mile rule. This would bring Tulsa just under the 500 miles and then Southern Hills would qualify. Oak Tree would also qualify. Hey, it's a start. I forsee Maxwell as a leading arch!

Okay...given the choices I would take:

Maxwell
Plummer
Tillinghast
Coore/Crenshaw
Nuzzo (Wolf Point is looking that good)

Sounds to me you should move regardless of the rules.
The rules were designed to let you play locally. It is better than giving you a choice of the whole world. Selecting the optimal there would pretty much require most of us move.

Garland,

I can't complain too much as I have two rounds of golf scheduled for the weekend with temps in the 80's.  

It's just hard for TX to compare to some of the options that others have listed.