Best University Golf Course

[Mike_Sweeney]

The one that always gets overlooked is Colgate's Seven Oaks due to location as not many have played it. Of the RTJ university courses, it is a step up from Duke and Cornell.

It has hosted some NCAA tournaments and Ben Hogan Tour tournaments. It would comfortably compete with The Orchards, but it has been a few years since I played Colgate.

[scott_wood]

from the "news" department...

Taconic is working with Gil Hanse....i'm not sure contracts have been let, but the few plans I saw certainly were of interest......for those who know the course, the most startling change may be a proposal to add an additional teeing ground on #12 (the short, uphill cape hole where you best not be above the pin  )....the tee would be located  on the east/road side and LOWER than the existing 12th/9th tee complex...it should really add to the character of the drive/hole!

hopefully someone who knows more of this project at one of America's GEMS can add more........

[PCCraig]

Well this topic has been a bit of a late bloomer.

I'll be playing the IU golf course this weekend with my girlfriend   It supposedly went through a "renovation" back in 2003...however all they really did was put new sand in the bunkers.

Just signed up for Western Am qualifying at the Warren Course in July as well.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Scott Wood,
Here's a photo (borrowed from Ran's review) of the 12th at Taconic.

As it stands now, and as Ran mentions in his review, you have to flirt with the ravine on the left to have the best approach to the green. Anything on the right side of the fairway is either blocked out or a much more difficult shot to a green that's not easy to putt if you don't get your ball in the right place. I think you'll see more drivers being pulled for the tee shot if a new tee is added on this side, or even further to the left of the tee shown in the photo, but I also wonder if it won't diminish the effect that the ravine has from the existing tee.

[Andy Silis]

Of the ones I've played, the best are:

( In no particular order )

Karsten Creek
Stanford
Yale
Warren Course at Notre Dame

[Dan Moore]

Perry Maxwell designed Iowa State's Course Veenker Memorial which opened in 1938.  Anyone have an opinion on this course?

Veenker Memorial Golf Course

As a UW-Madison Alum I like University Ridge outside Madison, Wisconsin.

[Jerry Lemons]

Can't help but to nominate my alma mater  Murray State University’s Miller Memorial Golf Course by Kidwell and Hurdzan.
This is one of Jack’s Last designs and it has some great holes including the par 4 300yrd eleventh. One of Hurdzans Million dollar courses in West KY that never has gotten much review.

[scott_wood]

Jim, very good picture of Taconic's 12th....from my first look, the new tee should make no difference to one's strategic decison ( as you correctly say, the riskier left side of the fairway yields a hefty advantage for your second shot)  but definitely will be more visually foboding, as it will exentuate the influence of the ridge.
I can't wait to see the changes to such a classic, especially  having such an excellent person guiding them. I'll ask the Green Chair if he could possibly provide an update.
Btw, I've heard the Williams College Trustees have been exceedingly suportive with the changes, as they have been of the entire athletic program

[JNC Lyon]

Clearly I blanked out on my original post, as played Dartmouth's golf course, and I liked it quite a bit, probably more than Orchards.  Dartmouth was very quirky, but it had several good strategic holes, especially numbers 5, 8, 13, and 18.  Definitely recommended if anywhere in the area.  Oh, yeah, the school is kinda nice too.

[rocket]

Just wanted to mention a few Canadian Universitiy courses.  
The Cutten Club in Gueph Ontario.   And my favorite University Golf Club in Vancouver British Columbia.

[Pete Stankevich]

Although it's not often mentioned, Furman University has a pretty good golf course right on campus (not sure who designed it though).  It's definitely been a great recruiting tool for bringing talented players to this tiny little school in the northwest corner of South Carolina.  Brad Faxon and a ton of great LPGA players (Pepper, King, and Daniel to mention a few).  I went there for a couple years before transferring back up north to U. of Hartford (which had no course, but we did get to play Wampanoag!)
However, being a CT native, I'm partial to Yale and the Orchards.  It just doesn't get any better than those 2.

[Matthew Petersen]

I was looking for a thread like this.

I haven't played too many university courses, but they seem to be somewhat less common out here in the west (I grew up in Colorado and don't recall either CU or CSU having a campus course). I have ahd the chance to play:

- Both courses at the Air Force Academy. The Blue is one of the better courses I've ever played.
- New Mexico Tech in Soccoro, NM
- and ASU's Karsten Course, which is quite good much as it pains me to admit it. As an avowed Wildcat I don't like to say anything positive about ASU, but I am quite jealous that ASU features a home course while UA does not.

[Link Walsh]

Although it's not often mentioned, Furman University has a pretty good golf course right on campus (not sure who designed it though).  It's definitely been a great recruiting tool for bringing talented players to this tiny little school in the northwest corner of South Carolina.  Brad Faxon and a ton of great LPGA players (Pepper, King, and Daniel to mention a few).  I went there for a couple years before transferring back up north to U. of Hartford (which had no course, but we did get to play Wampanoag!)
However, being a CT native, I'm partial to Yale and the Orchards.  It just doesn't get any better than those 2.

I was just thinking about the Furman course too.  They redid the course last year (new greens, bunkers) and really made it much more interesting to play.  Before, the greens pretty much had one slope each, so it got a little boring.  After the redesign, I found myself thinking from the fairway about where I wanted to land it on the greens.  Now whether I pulled the shot off or not is another story, but it least the course is much more strategic.

[Sean Eidson]

Thinking about University Golf leaves me with fond memories skipping class late in the semester to head out for 18 on a random Wednesday.  I never get to play golf on a random Wednesday anymore

When I was in grad school at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, we had a fun challenging course in Birdwood to play.  My father in law is a member at Farmington CC, accross the street and while the conditioning is superior there, I prefer the layout at Birdwood.  The wider fairways and (relatively) fewer trees make recovery shots more feasible.

And as a student, I paid about $200 per semester for unlimited play, much less than the cost of a parking pass.  On the weekend, daily fee players were spending around $75 to play.

[Link Walsh]

Even though it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, Taconic is awesome.

Also, does Greywalls for Marquette fit into this category?  I haven't played it, but many on this site have talked it up quite a bit.  I had always assumed it was connected to the university somehow, but I was surprised to not see it listed anywhere in the top 20 of Golf Digest's list.  

[Jason Topp]

- and ASU's Karsten Course, which is quite good much as it pains me to admit it. As an avowed Wildcat I don't like to say anything positive about ASU, but I am quite jealous that ASU features a home course while UA does not.

I am an ASU alum.  Don't be jeleous.  Karsten is a Doak 0.  Tucson has 40 courses that are better.

[Jason Topp]

Perry Maxwell designed Iowa State's Course Veenker Memorial which opened in 1938.  Anyone have an opinion on this course?

Veenker Memorial Golf Course

As a UW-Madison Alum I like University Ridge outside Madison, Wisconsin.

Dan:

Veenker was significantly altered due to road construction in the 50's or 60's so that only about 1/2 the Maxwell holes remain.  It hosts the Iowa Masters each year. Lore is that the event maintains the name "Masters" because it adopted the name before Augusta did. 

The new holes are generally boring as can be - imagine any cookie cutter muni built in the 60's and you will know those holes. 

The Maxwell holes are pretty interesting although the greens are extremely small and you play many holes through tunnels of trees with thick underbrush.  Stroke play events can yield very high scores and very slow play.

The course is worth a visit but does not belong on any "best of" lists.  I believe the ISU team now uses the Harvester as its home course.   

[John Moore II]

Well, certainly its not the best in the land, but the best college course I've played is the NCSU course. Its better than Finley, better than Duke, worlds better than Methodist, and better from the looks than either of the Campbel U. courses at Keith Hills. Those are the only courses in NC that are university owned, so far as I remember.

What do people think of the River Course at Virginia Tech? It looks good...for whatever that is worth. Can you actually see the river on all those holes? So many courses with river/water views don't use them enough.

[Link Walsh]

Even though it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, Taconic is awesome.

Also, does Greywalls for Marquette fit into this category?  I haven't played it, but many on this site have talked it up quite a bit.  I had always assumed it was connected to the university somehow, but I was surprised to not see it listed anywhere in the top 20 of Golf Digest's list.  

My bad, didn't realize the university was IN A DIFFERENT STATE!  Probably should looked that one up before I posted...

[Keith Buntrock]

I played in a college tournament last year at Grand Valley State's course, The Meadows.

I haven't really heard many people talk about it so I am going to call it underrated.

[A.G._Crockett]

Well, certainly its not the best in the land, but the best college course I've played is the NCSU course. Its better than Finley, better than Duke, worlds better than Methodist, and better from the looks than either of the Campbel U. courses at Keith Hills. Those are the only courses in NC that are university owned, so far as I remember.

I'm going to take this one step farther.  If Duke had been designed by Joe Blow instead of RTJ with a Rees redesign, and if UNC Finley had been designed by John Doe instead of Tom Fazio, neither one of them would be considered to be anything at all special.   They just aren't especially good, IMO.  The new NCSU course isn't just better, it is a LOT better!

Keep in mind that I am both a UNC and Duke grad, though I try not to talk about the Duke thing too much...

[Brian Ross]

What do people think of the River Course at Virginia Tech? It looks good...for whatever that is worth. Can you actually see the river on all those holes? So many courses with river/water views don't use them enough.

I think the River Course is great, of course I may also be a little biased.  It is certainly world's better than the little course we had on campus several years ago which has given in to the pressures of an outward-expanding campus.  Basically, it comes down to whether or not you like PD courses.  If you do, then you'll love it!  It is a good test, long, but fair.  Perhaps in the next few days, if I get a little time, I will go through and give a more hole-by-hole synopsis of it. 

John, to answer your question, here is an aerial photo of the course I found on the website.  The river is not directly visible from some of the inward holes, but Dye does a good job not letting you forget that it's there. 

[Sean_A]

Well, certainly its not the best in the land, but the best college course I've played is the NCSU course. Its better than Finley, better than Duke, worlds better than Methodist, and better from the looks than either of the Campbel U. courses at Keith Hills. Those are the only courses in NC that are university owned, so far as I remember.

I'm going to take this one step farther.  If Duke had been designed by Joe Blow instead of RTJ with a Rees redesign, and if UNC Finley had been designed by John Doe instead of Tom Fazio, neither one of them would be considered to be anything at all special.   They just aren't especially good, IMO.  The new NCSU course isn't just better, it is a LOT better!

Keep in mind that I am both a UNC and Duke grad, though I try not to talk about the Duke thing too much...

AG

I can't understand what people see in the Duke course.  It isn't at all bad, but I would in no way recommend it.  Its very, very average.

Ciao   

[Matthew Petersen]

- and ASU's Karsten Course, which is quite good much as it pains me to admit it. As an avowed Wildcat I don't like to say anything positive about ASU, but I am quite jealous that ASU features a home course while UA does not.

I am an ASU alum.  Don't be jeleous.  Karsten is a Doak 0.  Tucson has 40 courses that are better.

Did he really rate it as a 0? I mean, it could be better, but it's not that bad.

The UA "home" course is nowhere near campus and is a mixed bag at best.

[David Sneddon]

I  played the Rawls Course at Texas Tech last year.  From the first tee, you *know* it's a Doak course if you've been to Bandon - very similar bunkering.

Enjoyable course, well laid out on land that is fairly flat.  IIRC the green fee was $45.

Lubbock and Amarillo aren't exactly golf destinations, however a detour to Lubbock to play the rawls would be well worth the drive.