Best Course Ever Designed on Perfectly Flat Land

[Chip Gaskins]

the soil or topo thread got me thinking....

first, can a world class course be built on virtually flat topo and if so, what are the top two or three courses that are on perfectly flat land.

[Patrick_Mucci]

I'd nominate Pine Tree and Boca Rio.

[Joe Hancock]

Chip,

Do you mean an existing course that is still predominantly flat, or a course created on a flat site that is no longer flat?

If the latter, I understand that The Rawls Course is outstanding. I'll defer to our well traveled cognoscenti to identify the former. Also, Wolf Point remained relatively flat and will play very good, I believe.

Also, some people see a course with 50 feet of elevation as flat while others see anything over 10 feet of elevation as being....well, elevated. You might want to ask for specifics on that if people know the real numbers. (It's easy to guess wrong on elevation)

Joe

[J_ Crisham]

Champions Golf Club ,Cypress Creek -fairly flat topography but considerable change on the greens.

[Chip Gaskins]

Chip,

Do you mean an existing course that is still predominantly flat, or a course created on a flat site that is no longer flat?

i mean that was created on a flat site.  i.e. less than 20-30 feet of change.  (maidstone, sawgrass (i think), rawls course)

[Steve Lapper]

Winged Foot West & East are on virtually flat terrain. Yes, there are a handful of holes that have an ever so slight change in elevation, but for the most part the net differentials are certainly under 30 feet.

Garden City has very, very little elevation.

Kingston Heath is also a candidate (yes #15 has a very small hill).

Hidden Creek might well also fall into this category. Wild Horse?

Carnoustie? TOC?

I'm sure others will come to me.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pine Tree and Boca Rio probably have less than a ONE foot change in elevation

Maidstone is NOT a flat site.

[Ash Towe]

My nomination would be Kingston Heath.  There is a slight rise as Steve stated but it is minimal.
There is no doubting the fact that it is a world class venue.

[Bill Gayne]

It's not perfectly flat but  the net change in elevation at the Old Course has to be minimal.

[Joe Hancock]

Bill Gayne,

Explain what you mean by "net change in elevation". I must be missing the gist of that statement.

Thanks,

Joe

[Chip Gaskins]

holy cow.  i am already impressed with the quick list.

do you need mature trees (parkland in the UK) to make it great or is it just raw design architecture?

[Patrick_Mucci]

You guys are ALL BOZOS.

Chip asked for courses built on "PERFECTLY FLAT LAND" and you volunteer courses with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 foot elevation changes.

CAN'T YOU READ ?

To date, only Pine Tree and Boca Rio qualify.

[Bill Gayne]

Bill Gayne,

Explain what you mean by "net change in elevation". I must be missing the gist of that statement.

Thanks,

Joe

Joe,

Bozo says you have a couple of feet up and down as you walk over humps and hallows and climb in and out of bunkers. Those big red shoes make walking easier.

[Joe Hancock]

Bill,

This is a one clown town.......

So, if a course starts and finishes at the clubhouse, the net elevation change is zero....got it.

 

[Tommy Williamsen]

I.m not sure there have been many courses built on land that is as flat as Pine Tree.  The ones that started out perfectly flat had earth moved around. An extreme example is Whistling Straights.  Even Hidden Creek which is on pretty flat land and designed by minimalists C&C has some elevation changes around the bunkers and greens.

Courses like Royal Liverpool are on pretty flat sites.  Royal St. David's from nine is almost perfectly flat. 

[Allan Long]

Colonial C.C.

[Matt_Cohn]

PGA West
TPC Sawgrass
Harbour Town

Hey, wait. Aren't those all by the same dude?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Shadow Creek was flat.  Most Myrtle Beach courses are on flat topo, so if you have one you consider great, it probably qualifies.

[David_Tepper]

MUIRFIELD!!!

[Phil_the_Author]

Lido, Timber Point and Kingsbarns...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Talking Stick is flat as a pancake.

[Ed Oden]

I'm not sure any place is "perfectly flat".  But, for the most part, Yeamans is on a very flat tract of land.

[Lloyd_Cole]

You guys are ALL BOZOS.

Chip asked for courses built on "PERFECTLY FLAT LAND" and you volunteer courses with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 foot elevation changes.

CAN'T YOU READ ?

To date, only Pine Tree and Boca Rio qualify.

Pat
You're on great form and I'm glad to see it. But you're living in a glass house when you ask others to read.

Chip,

Do you mean an existing course that is still predominantly flat, or a course created on a flat site that is no longer flat?

i mean that was created on a flat site.  i.e. less than 20-30 feet of change.  (maidstone, sawgrass (i think), rawls course)

BTW, Pat

I agree that Chip is wrong to allow up to 30 feet, but it's HIS THREAD, right?

[Adam_Messix]

If we leave the quarry that is a part of 17 and 18 out, I think Golf de St. Germain outside of Paris by Colt would have to be on any short list of great flat courses.  There may be five feet of elevation change on holes 1-16 and 18.  

[Joel_Stewart]

Jeff is correct.  There is not a site in the world that was as flat as Shadow Creek.

Pat:  How do you not think Maidstone is not flat?   Its a sea level, and I'm not so sure that the 9th green is not built up or you actually play below sea level to the green???  Regardless we are talking about a few feet in elevation.