Quirky course recommendations

[cary lichtenstein]

Another thread got me thinking about quirky golf courses and the value of playing them. I for one love the quirky courses, and pretty much all of Strantz's body of work fall into that category.

By quirky courses I mean unusal topography, uneven lies, different type greens, ditto sand traps.

I thought we could compile a thread of these.

[Tom_Doak]

A few quirky courses that aren't stupid-quirky:

Painswick, #1 with a bullet
Prestwick
North Berwick (maybe they all rhyme)
Rye
White Bear Yacht Club
Plymouth (Mass.) CC
Misquamicut
Engineers
Myopia Hunt C
Hollywood (N.J.)
Indianwood (Old), Mich.
Huntington CC, N.Y.

[J_ Crisham]

Cary, If you like quirky go and spend some time at Erin Hills-everything you mentioned you will experience.

[wsmorrison]

Around Philadelphia, there's some courses that can be considered quirky by your definition including:

Merion West
LuLu
Gulph Mills
Huntingdon Valley A, B and C nines
Rolling Green

Pocantico Hills, in Tarrytown, NY has to be one of the quirkiest courses this side of the Atlantic

[Sean Leary]

Eastward Ho!

[Lou_Duran]

How about quirky holes.

#5, #17 Crystal Downs

#5 Long Cove

[Jason Connor]

How about cheap public course quirky?  This was previously The Mountain Club, then Gobbler's Knob, and now Fore Sisters in Rawlings MD -- two bankruptcies and three owners in 16 years.  A very hilly course in the Maryland mountains.  Tons of short par 4s, very quirky.  #18 is a par 3.

#4.  Long iron to the left will roll to the bottom (right side) of the fairway, the only flat part of the fairway.  Try to fade a drive and you may roll through the fairway to a rocky downhill lie.  Then the 2nd shot is a 9 or wedge shot that drops 75 feet to the green.



#12.  The right side of the fairway slopes at about 20 degrees (maybe more, I know that's very steep) to the left side.   There is a small shelf all the way down, half way in the middle of the fairway -- it's mildly evident as a light oval on this picture.  So if you keep the drive far enough right, the ball *may* stop on this shelf.  This is desirable.   Otherwise every drive will roll to the far left side into the rough (assuming there is grass).  Then the green is a blind shot over the two traps in front because the green is 50  feet or more above the bottom left side of the fairway.  You can only see the top of the flag if you're lucky enough to catch the aforementioned shelf.



Any double dogleg par-5 is quirky.  You can see how tiny the opening between the pines is for the third shot, making the 2nd shot extremely important, too.  There is probably another 50-foot drop between the tee shot landing area and the 2nd shot landing area.

[Sean_A]

A few quirky courses that aren't stupid-quirky:

Painswick, #1 with a bullet
Prestwick
North Berwick (maybe they all rhyme)
Rye
White Bear Yacht Club
Plymouth (Mass.) CC
Misquamicut
Engineers
Myopia Hunt C
Hollywood (N.J.)
Indianwood (Old), Mich.
Huntington CC, N.Y.

Some (me) could take issue with Painswick #1 funky that isn't a bit stupid.  I definitely think the course has some dopey holes and a few downright dangerous holes.  Jeepers, its dangerous just walking around in the winter muck. 

I would nominate Perranporth as a funky delight.  Kington is pretty funky as well. 

Ciao
 

[Tim Leahy]

Lake Chabot in Oakland, Ca opened in 1923-extreme changes in elevation-125 yd par three with seventy foot drop, 18th hole, 667 yd par 6, all downhill, one hole has a view of both the Bay bridge and Golden Gate bridge on a clear day.

Westchester next to LAX airport-15 holes, three were taken by the airport, all lit for night golf-open til 10 o'clock at night, par 52. Play 15 after dark, catch the red eye out of LAX. Don't mind the jumbo jets. Many celeb hacks play this course.

[Paul_Turner]

A few quirky courses that aren't stupid-quirky:

Painswick, #1 with a bullet
Prestwick
North Berwick (maybe they all rhyme)
Rye
White Bear Yacht Club
Plymouth (Mass.) CC
Misquamicut
Engineers
Myopia Hunt C
Hollywood (N.J.)
Indianwood (Old), Mich.
Huntington CC, N.Y.

Tom

A Painswick review in an updated Confidential Guide would be the first I'd turn to...but how you'd prepare "Uptight Americans" (Prestwick) for the inevitable "culture shock" (Westward Ho!)...I don't know.

[Tom_Doak]

Paul:

I actually went to my laptop to copy my review of Painswick from the working copy of The Confidential Guide and paste it here -- but discovered that I have still not written up the course!  My last thorough update of the manuscript was done in 2003, just before our trip over there; I haven't written many reviews since then, although I still keep the index up to date.

I promise you, when I eventually do get around to writing about it, you'll be the first to see a copy.

Some may not know it but I used the word "quirky" in my review of The National Golf Links of America, and several people at the club were offended by that, even though I had said it lovingly.  (It WAS in the Gourmet's Choice section in front, after all.)  After that, Mike Muller used to call me "Quirky" Doak for a while.

[cary lichtenstein]

Paul:

I actually went to my laptop to copy my review of Painswick from the working copy of The Confidential Guide and paste it here -- but discovered that I have still not written up the course!  My last thorough update of the manuscript was done in 2003, just before our trip over there; I haven't written many reviews since then, although I still keep the index up to date.

I promise you, when I eventually do get around to writing about it, you'll be the first to see a copy.

Some may not know it but I used the word "quirky" in my review of The National Golf Links of America, and several people at the club were offended by that, even though I had said it lovingly.  (It WAS in the Gourmet's Choice section in front, after all.)  After that, Mike Muller used to call me "Quirky" Doak for a while.

I think National has alot ofquirk in it starting with the first green

[mike_beene]

Stevens Park is by far the quirkiest course that is a reasonable layout.Maybe someone else can describe it. I will leave it as having more greater than 90 degree doglegs than any place I have seen.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

I love Superior National in Lutsen, MN with amazing views of Lake Superior with some goofy but fun holes.

[Bob Jenkins]

Cary,

There is a course that sits on the BC / Washington border, at the Peace Arch crossing south of Vancouver, called Peach Portal Golf Club that could qualify as "quirky" and is a heck of a lot of fun. Not long, about 6400 from the back tees, but rarely will you find a flat lie. The course meanders around a small river and up and down some adjoining small hills with many unique holes.

It actually sits right on the border. If you have a big slice off the tee on No. 2, your ball will end up in Washington state. It was built by a Seattle lawyer in the 1920s, I think, the same person who put up funds for the Peace Arch. As I understand it, about 10-12 years ago, the long time owner of the course left the golf course in equal shares to the head pro, the greenskeeper and general manager who continue to run it to this day.

Lots of fun, public and I swear you will have new shots to conquer every time you play the course. The 12th is a longish par 3, about 185 from the back tees and although I have never seen a Ross green, this is what I imagine one to be like, but in the extreme. The green sits proud, if you push your tee shot, you are down towards the 13th tee with a 30-40 foot flopper up to the hole. To the left there is a similar fate but not as far down.

Fun golf course with quirk.

The other in this part of the world would be Victoria Golf Club. It goes down to the ocean in dramatic fashion with some Pebble like shoreline, however it seems to be a Pebble in miniature. It was designed by the members over time but has not changed for many years and is the second oldest golf club on the west coast of North America after Gearhart, Oregon.

The course is not built on a lot of land and sometimes you feel as though one hole impinges on the next. Definitely quirky and definitely private. But fun.

Regards,

Bob J

[Garland Bayley]

Astoria

Hope that's not a sore point with you Cary, as I don't recall you being able to get on during your trip to OR.

EDIT: Hideout in Utah has some quirk to it.

[Ed Oden]

To me, quirky means one thing:  fun.  So I'll nominate Roaring Gap.  Read Ran's write up.  Short, funky, dramatic elevation changes, mountain views and slick greens.  Its just a blast to play.  And I love the casual feel of the clubhouse, staff and membership.  Roaring Gap is one of those places you'll have a smile on your face the whole day.

Ed

[Jim Nugent]

Lincoln Park in SF

TOC

Cashen (Ballybunion New)

Cruden Bay

[JC Urbina]

Cary
 I nominate Mohawk Golf Club in Tiffin Ohio. 

[Rich Goodale]

I'll third Painswick and also give it the Desmond Muirhead Lifetime Achievement Award and the Young Tom Morris Commemorative Threepeat Championship Belt, which is hereby retired.  A few I would add:

Shiskine
Kinghorn
Elie
Kilspindie
Portsalon
The Eden

Rich

PS--Tom, after you let Paul know, can I be next?

[Mark Bourgeois]

St Andrews Beach?

[Gene Greco]

  After that, Mike Muller used to call me "Quirky" Doak for a while.

Unfortunately, Mike recently passed.

[Brian_Ewen]

Nothing beats Craigie Hill for ["stupid" ?] quirk .

[Tom_Doak]

Gene:

Thanks for that note.  I'm sorry to hear of Mike's passing.  He was always great to me.  The first time I went out to see National, when I was 18 or 19, I went in to ask permission to walk around and he told me that in the fall there were rarely any members around so I was always welcome, I didn't even need to ask. 

Many golf pros are too concerned about getting chewed out by a member to allow such trespassers, but not Mike.  Of course, years later, I found out he had an out.  A member finishing his round complained to Mike that there was someone out taking pictures of the course ... and Mike just told them I was a friend of Karl Olson's, so Karl took the heat. 

[Doug Ralston]

To me, quirky means one thing:  fun.  So I'll nominate Roaring Gap.  Read Ran's write up.  Short, funky, dramatic elevation changes, mountain views and slick greens.  Its just a blast to play.  And I love the casual feel of the clubhouse, staff and membership.  Roaring Gap is one of those places you'll have a smile on your face the whole day.

Ed

Ed;

Are you referring to Olde Beau? If so, I agree completely. 1600ft of elevation change, with about as much uphill as down. I happen to love steep uphill holes, not everyone does.

I remember one shot I had on the course where I was only 90yd to the pin, and hit, from a very uphill lie, a full 8-iron, which nearly disappeared from height before landing 12ft left. Very, very quirky.

Doug