[Ryan Farrow]

Do any exist? And if so, in what form. I'm talking about more than jogging trails that border a golf course, hell, even that will do. The only place I have seen that is Rustic Canyon!


How would you feel about a little league diamond 100 -200 yards from the course? Is it strictly safety concerns that prevent this kind of interaction? Would this be a good way for a golf course to give back to the community (as well as first class maintenance and up upkeep of the field) or at least get golf courses off the sht list in many communities? Would it attract more kids to the game?

[Steve_Lovett]

The Wanderers Club in Wellington, FL has a joint use polo-field & practice range (but not at the same time!).

[Mike Erdmann]

The Old Course is a perfect example.  Open as a golf course Monday - Saturday, but then closed on Sundays as the grounds become a public park where people can picnic, wander, etc.

Chambers Bay south of Seattle has a jogging trail that runs through the middle of the course.

[Mark Pearce]

There are a number of UK courses on common land which the public are free to walk on (and walk their dogs on).  I believe Huntercombe is on common land (Philip may be able to confirm), Chorleywood and Berkhampstead certainly both are.

The Northumberland GC is located in and around Newcastle racecourse and the course (and steeplechase hurdles) are in play.

[Joe Hancock]

Ryan,

I think the fear of vandalism is a big reason why golf courses tend to have limited entry points and limited uses of adjoining land with out some sort of barrier.

Joe

[Joshua Pettit]

Bruntsfield Links, quite possibly the oldest golf course in the world, although its not all that it once was.

[Mark Smolens]

Butler National pays the Village of Oak Brook a not unsignificant amount of money each year for the ability to use the adjacent polo field as its driving range, except on Sundays when the ponies are running (apparently Mr. Butler didn't think that a driving range was very important when he gave the land to the Village).  On Sundays, the Butler member use one side of the back end the municipal course's range. . .

[Joshua Pettit]

I just remembered that my high school cross-country team would participate every year in the Stanford Invitational meet, which is held on the grounds of the Stanford Golf Course.  Stanford also hosts NCAA cross-country meets on the course, which apparently is very well renowned amongst the running community.   

Here is an excerpt from the Stanford website:

“The beautiful Stanford University Golf Course is home to the Cardinal men's and women's cross country teams. A shady site covered with more than 300 oak trees, the course is both picturesque and challenging. Just as rich as the scenery is the tradition of top flight cross country competition. Home of the NCAA District-8 Championships for six seasons and the Pac-10 Championships from 1972 to 1997, the course has challenged some of the finest distance runners in the world.”

[Peter Pallotta]

As Mike noted, I've always thought that there seemed nothing better than The Old Course model -- i.e. offering the golf course as a truly public space; reinforcing the idea of a golf course as part of nature and the wider natural landscape; providing a rationale for using less fertilizers/pesticides; a starting point for eventually welcoming/integrating the non-golfing community and its views from the very beginning (in the zoning/approvals process for new course construction); mitigating some of the preciousness of golfers' demands for pristine conditions; introducing the young and non-golfers to the simple beauty and pleasures of golf's fields of play, and thus perhaps making the taking up of the game less intimidating; and focussing the attention of golfers and non-golfers alike on the architecture of golf and not its playing/scoring, at least for one day a week.

I guess there are lots of 'reasons' why this couldn't happen in North America; but where there's a will there's a way

Peter

[Kalen Braley]

Peter,

There really is only one reason why this won't happen in the US, and I would agree with it.  How can you throw away one of your best 2 revenue days of the week?  Sure the Old Course has all the tourists and otherwise to keep the tee sheets packed all week.  But how often have you gone down to your local course on a Sunday and have it be packed and then practically had the place to yourself on Tuesday?

[Rick Shefchik]

I've lived next to a public course for the past 15 years -- in a newer neighborhood with no playground. There is no mixed-use provision for this course, but that never stopped the neighborhood kids from playing football in the middle of the 13th fairway.

Early and late in the day, the neighbors use the cart paths for walking and jogging; in the winter, the fairways are used by Nordic skiers, the hills are for sliding, and there's a hockey rink, with goal nets, on the pond next to the 10th hole. Fortunately, we've been mostly spared from snowmobiles.

Public courses would be smart to devote some nearby land for a ballfield/playground if they want to keep the neighborhood from using the only available open space for purposes other than golf.

 

[Mark Pearce]

Peter,

There really is only one reason why this won't happen in the US, and I would agree with it.  How can you throw away one of your best 2 revenue days of the week?  Sure the Old Course has all the tourists and otherwise to keep the tee sheets packed all week.  But how often have you gone down to your local course on a Sunday and have it be packed and then practically had the place to yourself on Tuesday?

So why not make the "public use" day that quiet Tuesday?

[Kalen Braley]

Peter,

There really is only one reason why this won't happen in the US, and I would agree with it.  How can you throw away one of your best 2 revenue days of the week?  Sure the Old Course has all the tourists and otherwise to keep the tee sheets packed all week.  But how often have you gone down to your local course on a Sunday and have it be packed and then practically had the place to yourself on Tuesday?

So why not make the "public use" day that quiet Tuesday?

Mark,

Thats a good solution, makes sense.  But I would suspect it would get just as little use for other activities on Tuesday as it would for golf.  So either way I don't really see the point to doing this.

[Chris_Blakely]

During football season, the UM-Stadium Course is used as a parking lot on Saturdays!!!

[Kalen Braley]

They used Harding Park as a parking lot during the 98 US Open at Olympic. They probably wouldn't do so now!!!

[Jason Hines]

Prairie Hills Golf and Ski Club, Pleasonton, NE.  I do not know if they still have skiing or not, their website only speaks to the golf.  Used to be 100+ acres of skiing in the winter with man made snow and 18 holes of golf in the summer.

http://www.prairiehillsgolf.com/

[Ryan Farrow]

Thanks for the responses, Does anyone have pictures of St. Andrews on a busy Sunday afternoon.

[HamiltonBHearst]

Even though the locals do everything in their power to make life difficult for one of my clubs they have no shame about walking the property during non-peak golf times. 

[Brent Boardman]

The Old Works course in Anaconda (Nicklaus design) has a running/walking trail that meanders above and around the course, with historical information kiosks at certain stopping points along the way.  The spot used to be one of the biggest coppers smelting mines in the nation (for those who don't already know).  IMO, it's a great way to make the site more interesting and hands-on, and to explain some of the relics they appreciably left intact.  That and the black slag bunkers probably compensate for what seems to be a rather boring design, however.

[Robert Kimball]

The somewhat discussed North Fulton GC (Chastain) in Atlanta is surrounded by little league baseball/pee-wee football fields. As well as a jogging trail (lots of good eye candy around there BTW).....

[JohnV]

They used Harding Park as a parking lot during the 98 US Open at Olympic. They probably wouldn't do so now!!!

They also used the Ocean course as the parking lot for members and other guests.

[Jay Flemma]

Fossil Trace has a triple land use...golf course, dinosaur fossil preserve and juvenile delinquent center.

http://www.golfobserver.com/features/Flemma/fossiltrace_011706.php

[Ryan Farrow]

The Old Works course in Anaconda (Nicklaus design) has a running/walking trail that meanders above and around the course, with historical information kiosks at certain stopping points along the way.  The spot used to be one of the biggest coppers smelting mines in the nation (for those who don't already know).  IMO, it's a great way to make the site more interesting and hands-on, and to explain some of the relics they appreciably left intact.  That and the black slag bunkers probably compensate for what seems to be a rather boring design, however.

Ahhh, I must have missed that one. I noticed some of the signs which talked about the mine but I must have missed the trail. I was probably distracted but the boringness of the architecture. The course was such a missed opportunity in my book, it really could have been something special. To bad that other course in Montana, a town over, is going to be closed to the public.

[Brent Boardman]

Ahhh, I must have missed that one. I noticed some of the signs which talked about the mine but I must have missed the trail. I was probably distracted but the boringness of the architecture. The course was such a missed opportunity in my book, it really could have been something special. To bad that other course in Montana, a town over, is going to be closed to the public.

Ryan,
Definitely a missed opportunity in my book as well.  I checked out Anaconda while taking the long way back from a two-day trip visiting the other course you mentioned.  Two different worlds, for sure.

B

[Philippe Binette]

a lot of course have cross country skiing track on them but the Old Course remains the best exemple, would love to do something like this some day

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()