golf's great views

[Mark Pearce]

From the 15th tee at Bamburgh Castle GC.  Out to sea, the Farne Islands, complete with lighthouse and monastery.  North, beyond Budle Bay is Lindisfarne (or Holy Island), with its Castle and Priory, immediately south there's the spectacular Bamburgh Castle and inland the hills.

There are some great views in golf but none beat this on a sunny day.

[corey miller]

16th Sleepy Hollow "short" hole.  No picture to post as there is no need to embarass Rees Jones and his 199's desecration. Will post when Gil H. and George B. "fix" the hole through their wonderful work.  They are producing/restoring what will be the finest walk in Westchester.  

Great view should signify "off course" and it should be clearly evident while playing golf. It should not be "look over your left shoulder as you play #3". Or "walk through the scrub behind the 16th tee".

At Sleepy, Macdonald took his most often used design concept and put it in it's most spectacular setting.  A friend has a ninteenth century hudson river school painting that he claims is painted from the 16th teeing area pre golf course.  All in all a very compelling spot with or without a golf hole.

[SPDB]

I thought Darwin already settled this question.

[PThomas]

16th Sleepy Hollow "short" hole.  No picture to post as there is no need to embarass Rees Jones and his 199's desecration. Will post when Gil H. and George B. "fix" the hole through their wonderful work.  They are producing/restoring what will be the finest walk in Westchester.  

Great view should signify "off course" and it should be clearly evident while playing golf. It should not be "look over your left shoulder as you play #3". Or "walk through the scrub behind the 16th tee".

At Sleepy, Macdonald took his most often used design concept and put it in it's most spectacular setting.  A friend has a ninteenth century hudson river school painting that he claims is painted from the 16th teeing area pre golf course.  All in all a very compelling spot with or without a golf hole.

Corey  - what did Rees do?  when will the Hanse work be done? etc

thanks

[corey miller]

Rees did bunker work at Sleepy Hollow in the early nineties.  He trucked in a lot of fill and built innapropriate looking 70's style bunkers above the ground on a classic layout.

He built the golf architecture equivalent of the 1970's lime green leisure suit.  

I expect to be playing on the restored course sometime next year as 5 holes are currently complete.  Hopefully, we can get OK from my club and we can have George Bahto give a presentation of the "before" and "after" as I have insisted/highly recommended extensive photographic documentation.

Certainly, our club's/course situation provided different challanges than others but with the recommendations of many highly respected people in the business, and some real professional people on the job, they will produce a fine product and golf experience.

[PThomas]

He built the golf architecture equivalent of the 1970's lime green leisure suit.  

a classic line!

hope I can get out there someday to see the finished product

[Jon Spaulding]

I'd vote for this (provided you're on the putting surface in 1 )

[Tyler Kearns]

I'd nominate the views from 1st tee at Capilano and the 16th (forward) or 17th tees at Barnbougle Dunes. While not on a golf course, the amazing view of 'Cups' country when you hit the crest of the hill along the entrance way into the National on the Mornington Peninsula.

TK

[James Bennett]

While not on a golf course, the amazing view of 'Cups' country when you hit the crest of the hill along the entrance way into the National on the Mornington Peninsula.

TK

James B

[Bob Jenkins]

Best of the Season from the north!

My vote for the best view looking away from the course would be from either the first or sixth tees at Capilano. Capilano is situated on Hollyburn Mountain across the harbour from Vancouver and standing in either of those locations gives you a view of the city below with all of the skyscrapers and Mount Baker in Washington State in the distance. On the sixth tee, you can see downtown in the distance between a row of huge cedars and hemlock and the drive looks like it must go out over the city. Incredible. The are some photos of it on the Capilano review in the Courses by Country section.

There will be a similar but even better view when the 2010 Winter Olympics are here as the aerials will all be at the top of Hollyburn and so the camera will pick up the skiers in the air, looking down on the city.

The view which left me with the biggest "WOW" was the first time I walked up the fairway on 8 at Pebble and saw the approach shot. Unbelievable to this day.

I also vividly recall the view from the 7th at Gullane #1 looking at the Firth of Forth, Muirfield on the right, the village of Gullane behind you and on a good day the towers of Edinburgh off to the left.

Otherwise any view at Banff, the view from our cottage at Predator Ridge (once I figure out how to post a photo too it will be  on here).

Bob Jenkins

[Bill_McBride]

My vote for the best view looking away from the course would be from either the first or sixth tees at Capilano. Capilano is situated on Hollyburn Mountain across the harbour from Vancouver and standing in either of those locations gives you a view of the city below with all of the skyscrapers and Mount Baker in Washington State in the distance. On the sixth tee, you can see downtown in the distance between a row of huge cedars and hemlock and the drive looks like it must go out over the city.

Those are amazing views from the tees of those sharply downhill holes - don't forget #5 which is also steeply downhill.  So in the first six holes it seems you walk down 500 feet.  Somehow Thompson gets you back up to the level of the first tee with only two relatively steep uphill holes -- a masterpiece of routing genius!    One of those holes is a stout par 3, #9, and the other a shortish par 5, #10.  Otherwise you are gently tacking uphill on #7 and #8.

Downhill on #6:


Looking back up the first fairway to the #1 tee:

[Bob Jenkins]

Bill,

Thanks. Also, if you go to the Capilano site at www.capilanogolf.com you will see some great, albeit small photos which show the city in the distance. First tee, fifth fairway and sixth tee.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

Thanks. Also, if you go to the Capilano site at www.capilanogolf.com you will see some great, albeit small photos which show the city in the distance. First tee, fifth fairway and sixth tee.

Good stuff, Bob, reminds me that I would love to play Capilano again.  Actually, I'm planning to do a Portland-San Juans-Victoria-Vancouver-Portland road trip next summer but I don't think golf is on the agenda.  

Here's a photo of #5, another downhill par 5:

[dsilk]

surprised that nobody has mentioned Mid-Ocean #'s 1 or 18 tee!!

merry xmas!!

[Bob Jenkins]

Bill,

If you are up here, please look me up. Email bjenkins@jml.ca Hopefully we can get a game. Cannot promise Capilano but likely depending on who is on vacation.

Definitely for Pt Grey and Shaughnessy.

Have a great year!

Bob J

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

If you are up here, please look me up. Email bjenkins@jml.ca Hopefully we can get a game. Cannot promise Capilano but likely depending on who is on vacation.

Definitely for Pt Grey and Shaughnessy.

Have a great year!

Bob J

Capilano wasn't a problem - I had my club manager call their manager, they were very friendly.  It's harder everywhere in North America if you call yourself!  

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

thank you guys for the happy thoughts. there are oo many to name them all. the bench on the hill by the 17th TOC looking toward the R&A. OMG I am overwelmed with all the possiblities. Seasons Greetings to one and all.

[Mike Erdmann]

The views from the "E" green at the Sheep Ranch north of Bandon Dunes.

[Bill_McBride]

The views from the "E" green at the Sheep Ranch north of Bandon Dunes.

Mike, played there in July in VERY strong winds - the shot to that green from the fairway to the south was impossible at best!  It was blowing about 50 mph - as Cary Lichtenstein is my witness!

Merry Christmas, you'll be up a lot earlier than me!  

[Yancey_Beamer]

To Brian Ewen and Jim Finnegan
ON TO STONEHAVEN

[PThomas]

great pictures all!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dan Herrmann]

Check out Ran's writeup on Canada's Cape Breton Highlands.  There are so many wonderful views there...  And wildlife just adds to it.  

I'll never forget playing the tee shot at 16 when two bald eagles flew by slowly only a few hundred feet in the air - we felt like they were just watching us.  Amazing stuff.

[Kalen Braley]

The 18th at Half moon bay on the old course, a definite wow hole to conclude the round!!

[Kalen Braley]

Sky mountain golf course in southern utah has the best view at any driving range i've ever seen!!!

[Walter Bart]

  Two of my favorites  views have already been mentioned-

      1.    The walk  from the second green to the third tee
at Dornoch where the course magificently  opens up in front of you.

       2, The first Tee at Machrahanish

       My third is the fourth tee at the nine-hole Cape Ann Golf Course in Essex Ma. with an incredible vista of marsh, tidal river and Crane's Beach stretching for miles.