How Many Different Courses Have You Played?

[Paul Stephenson]

From what I recall, and I'm sure I've missed a couple, it's 100 on the nose.

87 in Canada
10 in USA
2 in UK
1 in South Africa

I'm so ashamed  

[Jason Connor]

Here are courses whose names I could remember.  There must be 10 or so I'm forgetting in 20 years of play.

9 - Alabama
3 - Arizona
6 - California
1 - Florida
6 - Indiana
16 - Maryland
5 - Michigan
3 - New York
2 - North Carolina
9 - Ohio
10 - Pennsylvania
19 - South Carolina
3 - Texas
1 - Utah
1 - Virginia
5 - West Virginia

That makes 99! Assuming I haven't forgotten any (which I'm sure I have), I should go somewhere special for #100 this weekend!

[Andy Troeger]

Guess I'll add my state-by-state too...


103 Indiana
23 New Mexico
21 Michigan
17 Arizona
14 Florida
12 Colorado
7 Tennessee
5 Ohio & South Carolina
4 Wisconsin, Illinois & Kentucky
2 North Carolina
1 Georgia, New York, Oklahoma, California, and Canada.

Total 203

I've added 23 more since April, up to 226 now. Should crack 230 shortly, 240 might have to wait for 2008. Updated the state by state tally above.

Wayne,
I'd be very impressed if someone managed to play every course in their state. Even in New Mexico there are probably 100 courses and only about 30 of them are particularly worthwhile (and I'm being relatively generous there). I'd like to play all of those 30 and some of the others, but I'm not driving to Hobbs, NM to play the couple random courses there!

[Tom Yost]

Wayne,
I'd be very impressed if someone managed to play every course in their state. Even in New Mexico there are probably 100 courses and only about 30 of them are particularly worthwhile (and I'm being relatively generous there). I'd like to play all of those 30 and some of the others, but I'm not driving to Hobbs, NM to play the couple random courses there!

Oh, but you must visit the Clayton GC.

[Tom Jefferson]

When I was a teenager, and completely addicted to the game, I used to lie in bed at night and recite the us open champions from ww2 forward.  Then as I played alot of golf in my twenties, I used to recall all the courses I'd played, state by state.

Some years ago, at around 200 or so, I gave that up.

Now I can't remember much of any of them...I just play the superintendent's rota at Bandon Dunes...first tee time each thursday...alternate shot matches with my partner Eric Johnson (who yesterday wrapped up hosting the match play at the Mid Am), against Ken from the Trails and Jeff from Pac., alternating courses each week.


Tom

[Mike_Cirba]

Have you lost your mind man? I made the comment to my Dad while we were playing The Ridge that it was far superior to Trump-Bed. I hope course #2 at TB is better than #1. Granted it had a few good holes but many of the green complexes were unsuitable for the shots required. The first three par 3's required the same club...a six-iron. BBBBOOOORRRIIINNGGG! Then You have a three wood into #17...nice mix!

Rob,

Agreed that the par threes are not the absolute strongest suit of TN (you forgot to mention they all run in the same direction )but the 4th green is super, I really like the 7th, the 10th does a nice imitation of some of the qualities of ANGC 16, and 17 sort of sucks.

However, the par fours and fives at TN have it ALL over RABB.

You must love hitting wedge layups for your second shots on par fives, and enjoy challenging a hazard from the tee only to be "rewarded" with a much tougher approach.    

[Gib_Papazian]

This entire thread is a bit like that horrible moment when your wife rolls over and asks you: "Okay, fess up, how many women have you slept with in your life . . . . and can you remember all their names?"

Not to hijack the thread, but since there are many married guys in the Treehouse, please supply the answer you gave to the inevitable question and no, I don't want to know the truth.

As to how many courses in my 40 years of playing: "If you can count them all, you must not have played that many."

If you bothered to write them all down, your time would have been better spent playing a new one.

My answer to the other question is: "Only one that really mattered . . . . ."

[Brock Peyer]

First of all, I used to think that I had played a lot of courses but upon rereading this threads, it is apparent that isn't the case.  It does make me regret that I didn't use my PGA privileges more when I was in the business.

Gib, as far as your question goes, I'm not touching it.

I will answer later once I can come up with a number (for the courses that is) but I would bet that it is under 100.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I just played Bethpage Black last week for the first time for #281.

It's getting harder and harder for me to add new courses.  I only added 13 new ones this year.  Good thing Dan Moore invited to the Brat Tour.

I finally got Bethpage Black this summer as well, I guess I better sit down and update my list to see where I stand now.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I know a lot of you have played a lot of courses, but has anyone played all the courses in a particular state or country?  

Wayne, that is actually what my recent attention has been turned to.  I have played 242 courses in SC, and I am trying to hit all the little Ma & Pa places on my golf map that I have never been to.  It actually works out well, because when I am off the beaten path seing customers I just get out my map in the afternoon, and I can usually find some little out of the way place that I have never been.  I would estimate that I have been to roughly 3/4 of the courses in SC.  Although the architectural merit of some of these places isnt much, you really meet some interstesting and great people at some of these places.

They keep building courses too fast for me to play them all in the US ever, but I realistically think I can hit all of SC's courses in several more years.

[Brock Peyer]

I just took the time to try and figure it up, I think that I am at 155 in 8 states.  I am sure that I forgot 10 or so courses.

[Sean_A]

I find it incredible that people have played 1000 courses.  I can't imagine there are 1000 courses I want to play.  I will never get anywhere near that number even if I didn't keep going back to the courses I really like.  I couldn't have played more than 250 courses and it may be less than 200 or it could be as little as 150 - I don't really know.  Often times I turn down games because I am not interested in spending the money and time for something I doubt will be more than slightly interesting or unique.  That is why this site is fantastic.  Folks whack up pix and it gives me a better idea of how to spend my resources.  Thanks all.

Ciao  

[Richard Boult]

Now... I just play the superintendent's rota at Bandon Dunes every Thursday morning, alternating courses each week.

I'd trade that for a huge lifetime course list anyday!

[wsmorrison]

Sean,

I find it incredible as well that some have chosen to play so many different courses so far afield.  To my way of thinking, I'd rather play the courses I love over and over (thankfully for many of them,  I get to).  I think Jim Finegan playing his beloved Philadelphia Country Club so often (more than 10,000 times) is absolutely charming and insightful.  Give me 50 favorites and let me play them 20 times each, or better yet, 20 favorites 50 times each.  Each is much better than playing 1000 different courses.

Honestly, I don't think there are more than a couple of hundred courses worldwide that are absolutely must sees.  I would concentrate on those and play the ones that resonate the best the most.  I know, people will say, "How do you know which you'd love the most unless you play them all?"   They'll also argue that there's good to be found in all courses.  Well, I'm a glutton for my own loves and would like to play my home course 10,000 times.  I'm going to have to live to 100 and play golf a lot more than I do now.  Hey, that sounds pretty darn good to me!

[Sean_A]

Sean,

I find it incredible as well that some have chosen to play so many different courses so far afield.  To my way of thinking, I'd rather play the courses I love over and over (thankfully for many of them,  I get to).  I think Jim Finegan playing his beloved Philadelphia Country Club so often (more than 10,000 times) is absolutely charming and insightful.  Give me 50 favorites and let me play them 20 times each.  That's much better than playing 1000 different courses.

Honestly, I don't think there are more than a couple of hundred courses worldwide that are absolutely must sees.  I would concentrate on those and play the ones that resonate the best the most.  I know, people will say, "How do you know which you'd love the most unless you play them all?"   They'll also argue that there's good to be found in all courses.  Well, I'm a glutton for my own loves and would like to play my home course 10,000 times.  I'm going to have to live to 100 and play golf a lot more than I do now.  Hey, that sounds pretty darn good to me!

Wayne

It must be some sort of hunger that drives people to play so many different courses.  I don't have that sort of hunger, but that is neither bad nor good, just part of what makes people so different.  I can understand this in a way.  For years I wanted to play all 14 Open Rota courses and eventually did complete the list on my 40th birthday.  However, looking back, it doesn't give me any particular thrill or satisfying memories.  Consequently, I haven't really set anymore goals where courses are concerned.  I will play what is on easily on offer and hopefully be content.

Ciao

[wsmorrison]

I hope I didn't imply that I look down on those that do play a lot of different courses.  I think differences of opinions are a good thing.  Though, like you, I find it a bit mysterious.

[Mark Chaplin]

I can fully understand people wanting to play every club in the state or county, but I fall into the camp of wanting to play a number of quality courses more often and get to know them well rather than racing around ticking boxes.

Rather than playing 10 great courses in 10 days which many people do on their Scotland or Ireland tour, my personal preference would be to visit 3 or 4 venues and play them for a couple of days or play 5 and return to the best 2 and see them on a different day, with new pins, etc.

This year I've played around 12 different courses, 10 of which are GB&I top 100 and of those I've played half of them several times. My only new ones are Brancaster (R West Norfolk) and Alwoodley with the BUDA boys. In this house quality wins over quantity everytime.

[Chris Holcombe]

205 for me. Have only been averaging 8 new courses per year the last 5 years but have not been trying too hard.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Someone on here asked me in the last week or two where I was on my yearly quest to play 100 different courses.  I told them I needed to sit down and enter some courses into my laptop as I had fallen a little behind this year.  Well this thread jogged my memory, and so I did it.

I am well on pace for this year with 86 different ones so far this year, and that puts me at 1221 total

[Brock Peyer]

Someone on here asked me in the last week or two where I was on my yearly quest to play 100 different courses.  I told them I needed to sit down and enter some courses into my laptop as I had fallen a little behind this year.  Well this thread jogged my memory, and so I did it.

I am well on pace for this year with 86 different ones so far this year, and that puts me at 1221 total

Turboe, you are freakin amazing.  I am only playing my 9th round of the year today, let along 86th!!!

[Kirk Gill]

The sheer numbers of courses you all seem to have played amazes me only a little less than the fact that your numbers are so specific. Is this kind of anality a trait that is common and advantageous to golfers? Probably.

In the same way that I tend to say "a little before 5:00" rather than "4:49," I'll say that I've played a few less courses than....... anyone on this board.  

[Ken Moum]

The sheer numbers of courses you all seem to have played amazes me only a little less than the fact that your numbers are so specific. Is this kind of anality a trait that is common and advantageous to golfers? Probably.

I doubt it's advantageous if you're talking about becoming a better player.

The best players I know of tend to be pretty one-dimensional when it comes to golf courses.

But it doesn't surprise me that some of the folks who are interested in the golf courses themselves end up "collecting" courses.

I'm an equipment nut, and have been accumulating golf clubs for about 35 years, as an offshoot of my obsession.

As far as having precise count of courses, I never kept track during the past ~50 years of playing the game. But after I started reading GCA.com, I took out a legal pad one evening and began writing courses down by state.That was a couple of months ago.

I currently have just over 170 courses on the list, and I think it's pretty complete.  Every now and then I think of one i forgot, and add it to the list.

Ken

[Eric Franzen]

I know a lot of you have played a lot of courses, but has anyone played all the courses in a particular state or country?  

There was actually a 60 year old gentleman who played all the courses in Sweden a couple of years ago. Can't remember his name but I think we had around 450 courses or so back then.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

The sheer numbers of courses you all seem to have played amazes me only a little less than the fact that your numbers are so specific. Is this kind of anality a trait that is common and advantageous to golfers? Probably.

In the same way that I tend to say "a little before 5:00" rather than "4:49," I'll say that I've played a few less courses than....... anyone on this board.  

I think the "anality" as you put it comes from being an engineer and the fact that if I was going to start quantifying different golf courses years ago, it only stood to reason that I would build a spreadsheet to do all the work for me.  I have just continued to add to that spread sheet for the last 12 years and thus it is very easy for me to just look at the bottom of the page I am on and see exactly how many courses I have played.

I think the sticking with one course you like vs. trying to play them all is also just a deep rooted personality trait.  I was always struck by how many friends of mine would eat at the same restaurant over and over and never venture out.  Whereas I was always a guy that wanted to eat at everyplace in town so that I could decide which I loved best.  

I remember living in Buffalo and eating wings all over the place and guys that I knew who were from there that swore by one place and even thought they had lived there all thier life had never even tried a couple of the places that I found to be better.  I could never understand the mentality that would allow someone to never try the other place and not have some deep curiousity about how the other place was.  I am not saying that this mentality is in any way better, and am just saying that it is not the way I am wired.  That might explain my inability to date the same girl for very long in college or for several years thearafter as well (unfortunately I didnt establish a spreadsheet and ratings criteria for that though).

It wasnt long after I read MacKenzie's Spirit of St. Andrews that I started thinking about the relative merits of one golf course vs. another that the next logical step for me was, "Well I guess I better get to playing them all to make the comparison".

Anyway I better run it is 10:04 (not a few minutes past 10).  Sorry I can't help it.

[Brad Tufts]

Found a link to this thread from 07...and I have added about 300 new courses since then to my list...making 635 total.

AL-8, AZ-5, CA-34, CO-26, CT-10, DE-1, FL-28, GA-3, HI-13, ID-7, IL-6, IN-19, KS-2, LA-1, KY-1, ME-32, MD-11
MA-131, MI-4, MO-10, MT-2, NE-4, NV-7, NH-23, NJ-8, NM-3, NY-39, NC-53, OH-1, OK-3, OR-4, PA-19, RI-11
SC-8, TX-3, UT-2, US Virgin Islands-1, VT-22, VA-1, WA-6, WV-2, WI-2, WY-1.
Barbados-1, Bermuda-6, Canada-4 (NB-2, BC-1, ON-1), Curacao-1, Germany-1, Ireland-18, Mexico-3, Scotland-25

42 states, 1 territory, 8 non-US countries.

I have visited many other countries where I have never played golf (maybe 15 or so), but I think I have played golf now in every state where I have set foot (no, airports don't count).  I have yet to make a non-airport visit to AK, AR, IA, MN, MS, ND, SD, and TN.  Virginia is the state where I have spent the most physical time playing only one round...I'm usually there for a week each year in the winter, in the mountains.

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