Great Courses Which Live(ed) up to Expectations

[Sean_A]

Tommy made me thnk of this one.  Also, its a bit more positive than "courses which fail to inspire".  For me, there are two great courses which stood up to scrutiny better than any other great course I know.  

Sandwich & Dornoch.

Ciao

[Tom Huckaby]

It will surprise no long-time reader of this forum when I say I can't think of any famous course which DIDN'T live up to my expectations.  And given I read a lot and tend to study up on the true greats before I play them, it's not due to low expectations that this is the case.

BUT... there are a few in particular that blew me away and EXCEEDED even the crazy high expectations I had.

Sand Hills
NGLA
Dornoch (yes)
Cypress Point
Pebble Beach

Funny, this is just turning into a list of my favorite courses/greatest courses on the planet.

So that's boring and obvious also.

How about one for which I had no great expectations - only because I knew little about it - but which blew me away anyway?

And on that I submit....

Lehigh CC - PA, USA.

TH

[Tommy Williamsen]

I alreay named Sunningdale.
I can add to that:
Sand Hills,Pine Valley, Baltusrol Upper, Shinnecock, Rye, Royal Dornoch, kinloch, and Cypress Point all exceeded my expectations.  I could play any of them every day.

[Andy Troeger]

As Huck said, I think this question in a sense is going to be a list of everyone's favorite courses...but that's good by me!

The Golf Club, Wolf Run, Blackwolf Run--River, Kingsley Club, and Crystal Downs.

Others that exceeded or met my expectations (which might have been a tad lower...but not much): Paa-Ko Ridge, Point O'Woods, South Bend CC, Sultan's Run, Tullymore

[Phil Benedict]

I don't get around as much as some of you guys but I get a thrill every time I play Yale, which I have done every year for the past four years.  It was in terrible condition the first time I played it but I was forewarned by Ran's review to expect this.  Since then it's gotten better every year.

My brothers make an annual trip to the East Coast and Yale is always on the rota.  For me, this is the most highly anticipated round of the year.

About 10-years ago I played Quaker Ridge and that didn't disappoint either.  At the time I thought it was better than Winged Foot which I have also played once, but I am not sure that drawing any conclusion after playing both courses once is fair to either.

[Jeff_Mingay]

I knew Pine Valley was good, and it completely exceeded my expectations. Leaving the club for the first time, I thought: yep, that's the no. 1 course in the world. No doubt.

[David_Tepper]

My list would certainly include Ballybunion, Royal County Down, San Francisco GC and Royal Dornoch.  

[Tom Huckaby]

I knew Pine Valley was good, and it completely exceeded my expectations. Leaving the club for the first time, I thought: yep, that's the no. 1 course in the world. No doubt.

I've never played Pine Valley and I doubt I ever will.  But that is EXACTLY how I felt as I made the drive away from Sand Hills.  Yep, that's the #1 course in the world.  No doubt.

I've got to say also that I concur with David Tepper... each of those lived up to my expectations as well.  But perhaps it was due to crazy high expectations re three and perhaps lower for one... but only at SFGC were my expectations exceeded.  I was blown away by the VASTNESS once inside the surrounding tall trees....

TH

[David_Tepper]

Tom H. -

I had taken a number of lessons at SFGC prior to playing the course, so I had seen the place well before ever playing the course.  None the less, I enjoyed the course so much the 1st time I played there that I was literally "tingling" the whole next day. That is how strong the buzz was from playing there.

I also concur on the "vastness" of SFGC. It is such a contrast to the OC Lake Course, which can seem so narrow and tight at times.

DT

[Dean Paolucci]

tommy - I commend you for the Baltusrol Upper inclusion.  Usually the Lower gets the raves but I whole heartedly agree with you about the Upper!  What a treat.

As far as others, Somerset Hills, NGLA, Plainfield, Ridgewood, and Sleepy Hollow are spectacular.  I love every minute I am on the property.

Public (tragically) my favorite is The Knoll.

Of the new vintage, Old Memorial really stunned me.  It was that good.  Liberty National was amazing.  

[Bill_McBride]

National Golf Links.  I knew it was going to be great, I just had no idea HOW great.  Topography....greens....design of the individual holes....no two alike....lobster sandwiches in the Bird Cage.  The clubhouse and the windmill are iconic, both perched on the top of their respective hills.  I love the view where you see them lined up, I guess it's looking back from the 3rd green.

The only thing at NGLA that didn't live up to expectations was the practice area.  It's small, a little scruffy, too bad it doesn't still have the Short, Eden and Redan greens out there.  But the view is spectacular!  

Hoylake.  I loved the course....great contrast between the holes in the flat area around the OB practice area and the holes in the dune line.  Loved the funky, quirky aspects like the blind tee shot across the hedge on (current numbering) #8, and the line of broken ground out in front of #7, and the big dune left of #14  coupled with the sharp falloff to the right.  Loved the lighthouse off in the distance behind said #14.  Really loved the stacked sod bunkers, although my second tee shot of the Buda Cup plugged into the face of one.  Loved the perfectly flat, on the ground #3 green hard by the cop.

Perhaps even more noteworthy than the golf course is the clubhouse and the spirits of the past captains in their red coats on the wall, and the feeling that Bobby Jones just left to play another round.  Hoylake is a very special place.

[ed_getka]

NGLA: I'll never forget those greens and muttering to myself all day "why aren't all greens this good"

Dornoch: the most balanced test of golf I had seen up until that time

Kingsley Club: I came in with high expectations and it exceeded them. Conversely, on the same trip I didn't think Crystal Downs was as great as expected. More rounds at CD have since changed that.

Prairie Dunes: I was blown away by the consistently high standard of golf required throughout the round, while still being an enjoyable course.

TOC: It was magical arriving at 11pm and going over to look at the Road Hole bunker and crossing the bridge. The next day the course did not disappoint. The sad part was the realization that I will never see TOC enough in my lifetime to really understand it.

[Dave Bourgeois]

I was absolutely blown away by Yale.  I knew it was bold, but had no idea until I played there.  I don't have a heck of a lot of experience, but it was totally unique and engaging to me.

[Doug Wright]

5 courses that I played in 5 different decades readily come to mind:

1960s: Leatherstocking
1970s: Oak Hill East
1980s: Pebble Beach
1990s: Muirfield
2000s: Royal Dornoch

[Doug Braunsdorf]

I second Dean Paolucci--Ridgewood is an amazing experience.  Of course, his club has a lot to be proud of, too!
I expected Ridgewood to be grand going in, and it was--it has it all; a diversity of holes, shot shaping required, varied and interesting bunkering; par three holes requiring different clubs and shot requirements, and great use of the existing topography.  It's hard to believe, when one is on any one of the nines, that you are in the middle of Bergen County, NJ.  

Huntingdon Valley lived up to expectations, and then some, on this side of the Delaware.  Only darkness and exhaustion from the July heat kept me from playing 36.  

[John Mayhugh]

Royal County Down.  I expected great holes in a beautiful setting and found it even better than my expectations.  

I played Dornoch at a point where I didn't know that much about the course, but had read enough to think it was worth the trip.  I knew it would be a good experience, but never dreamed how inspiring it would be.  If I had to explain the allure of the game to someone without using words, I would take them there.

[Simon Kofoed]

Barnbougle Dunes. I played in Feb 2005, the course had been only open for about 3 mths and I'd only seen promotional type photos of 4,7,13 & 17 (I don't think they even had a proper website then). Not only were those for exceptional, the course was in stunning condition and other sensational holes like, 3,5,6,8,9,12,14,15 still stick in my memory as if I played them yesterday.

[Chris Cupit]

Augusta National GC
National Golf Links
Shinnecock
Winged Foot (East and West)
The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Royal County Down
Camargo GC
Royal Porthcawl (I know it was on some "failed to inspire" lists but I thought there were many strong holes and holes 1,2 and 3 starting out along the water are great looking).

[Brian_Sleeman]

Lived up to and exceeded:

Tobacco Road
Cypress Point
Kingsley Club
Kapalua Plantation

Most recently was the Plantation this morning - the scale of the place is impossible to describe or capture in photographs.  How Coore & Crenshaw found a golf course in the midst of all that is beyond me...and the result is so unique.  Looking forward to repeated studies tomorrow and Saturday...I only wish I had better (mid-season) control of my golf ball to further appreciate and challenge the strategic options available.

Cypress Point is still the most heavenly golf experience I've ever had, and will be hard if not impossible to surpass.  I entered knowing only really about the finishing holes, and came away walking on the mystical air that surrounds the place.  Pure golf heaven.

[Ari Techner]

My #1 would have to be Shoreacres.  It was my first Raynor and I had lofty expectations but it was better and more enjoyable than I thought it could be.  Subsequent trips back have only made me appreciate it more.  

A recent one would be TPC Sawgrass but only because my expectations were not extremely high going in.  I thought it was going to be completely tricked out and silly hard but I actually found quite alot of strategic value out there and quite a few very good holes and found it reasonably playable even from the back tees.  

[Tommy Williamsen]

Ari, I was blown away by Shoreacres.  I had just played the Merit Club and the pro told me to give Shoreacres a go.  I had never heard of it before so I reluctantly drove to the course, got lost and drove into what seemed like a 1930's studio set.  After the slow starting hole I was hooked.  I'd go back in a flash.

[Chris Kane]

The Old Course didn't live up to expectations initially, and it took some time before I begun to like it, despite desperately wanting to.

Now after  maybe two dozen trips around the course (half playing, half walking), it has become my favourite course in the world.  It lives up to every expectation I had.

[Andrew Hastie]

Maybe a boring answer but TOC lived up to my expectation and infact exceeded them greatly.
Playing TOC is like playing a game of chess every shot seems to have so many options,it's simply great fun trying to work out what your going to do next and of course trying to do it.
I have heard the opinion that the New course is better then the Old.This is difficult to understand.
TOC is as good as it gets.(so far).

[Mark Pearce]

A few for me:

Alwoodley
Notts (Hollinwell)
Woodall Spa
Machrihanish
Silloth

These all exceeded what I expected, I had very high expectations of Ganton and it lived up to them.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Kinloch in Richmond, VA
Pine Tree in Boynton Beach, FL
May River in Bluffton, SC
Olde Farm in Bristol, VA

Tony Nysse
Sr. Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC