One's Personal Top Ten

[Mike Benham]

Those trees are not quite as thick or numerous as before ...

[Craig Van Egmond]

Here's my list of the courses I have played..

Cypress Point
Sand Hills
Crystal Downs
Pacific Dunes
Prairie Dunes
Pasatiempo
Southern Hills
Oak Tree
Bandon Dunes
MPCC Dunes

[Richard Hetzel]

As soon as I saw Bob's top ten, I thought, " I am not worthy."

Here goes anyway, in no particular order. These are the courses, out of the 217 I have played, that I have enjoyed the MOST:

1. Camargo Club (OH)
2.  Fort Jackson GC (SC)
3.  Arcadia Bluffs (MI)
4.  Pineneedles GC (NC)
5.  Tobacco Road (NC)
6.  Foxburg CC (PA)
7.  Bearslide GC (IN)
8.  Oleander GC (GA)
9.  Manakiki GC (OH)
10. West Point GC (NY)

[Matt_Cohn]

Top 10 that I would like to play again:

SFGC
New South Wales
Royal Melbourne West
Kingston Heath
Prairie Dunes
MPCC Dunes
MPCC Shore
The Rim
Paa-Ko Ridge
Baltusrol Lower

[Mike Boehm]

1.  Pacific Dunes
2.  Crystal Downs
3.  Oakland Hills - South
4.  Bandon Dunes
5.  Arcadia Bluffs
6.  Bandon Trails
7.  Tobacco Road
8.  Forest Dunes
9.  Tullymore
10. Caledonia

[mike_beene]

Pasa,Pine Needles,Old Course,Muirfield,Oakmont,Pinehurst 2,North Berwick,Bel-Air,Gullane 1,Pebble

[Carl Nichols]

In somewhat of an order depending on the day:

Olympic-Lake
Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach
Riviera
Kapalua Plantation
LACC-North
Torrey Pines South
Koolau
Stone Eagle
Rancho Murieta North

How do you rate the Lake Course above LACC and Pebble?

Matt--
Tim can obviously answer for himself, but IIRC from a post earlier this year, I think he has a personal connection to Olympic -- perhaps an uncle or grandfather with whom he played a lot of golf there.  So it may be that Tim puts Olympic-Lake that high for a similar reason I included the muni course from the town I grew up in, even though that muni is nowhere near as good a course as others I've played -- because it has "given [him] much pleasure," to use Bob Huntley's phrase. 

No relatives involved, but if any member wants to adopt me I'm available.
I have played the course three times and not in the last 20 years, but nowhere else that I have played did I have the experience of those huge tree lined fairways with only one fairway trap and no water hazards on the whole course and still the toughest tee to green course I have ever played. The sound of your shot echoeing off those trees is amazing and not duplicated anywhere else that I have played. Also the views up to that marvelous clubhouse from the course just gives it a special place in my golfcourse scrapbook. Pebble has the Pacific Ocean, Riviera the Eucalypus trees and grand clubhouse, and Spyglass the dunes and forest, but those tall trees at Olympic are special and provide the ultimate test of a golf game.

Sorry Tim -- had you confused with someone else!

[henrye]

As soon as I saw Bob's top ten, I thought, " I am not worthy."

Here goes anyway, in no particular order. These are the courses, out of the 217 I have played, that I have enjoyed the MOST:

1. Camargo Club (OH)
2.  Fort Jackson GC (SC)
3.  Arcadia Bluffs (MI)
4.  Pineneedles GC (NC)
5.  Tobacco Road (NC)
6.  Foxburg CC (PA)
7.  Bearslide GC (IN)
8.  Oleander GC (GA)
9.  Manakiki GC (OH)
10. West Point GC (NY)

Rich,  your selection is personal and every bit as 'worthy' as Bob's.

[Thomas MacWood]

As soon as I saw Bob's top ten, I thought, " I am not worthy."

Here goes anyway, in no particular order. These are the courses, out of the 217 I have played, that I have enjoyed the MOST:

1. Camargo Club (OH)
2.  Fort Jackson GC (SC)
3.  Arcadia Bluffs (MI)
4.  Pineneedles GC (NC)
5.  Tobacco Road (NC)
6.  Foxburg CC (PA)
7.  Bearslide GC (IN)
8.  Oleander GC (GA)
9.  Manakiki GC (OH)
10. West Point GC (NY)

Rich,  your selection is personal and every bit as 'worthy' as Bob's.

I agree with Henry, everything is relative.  Rich your selection has inspired to list my top 10 which I have always avoided because I've not played Pine Valley or travelled to the UK.

Cypress Point
Pebble Beach
Sand Hills
NGLA
Shinnecock
The Golf Club
Cape Breton
Riveria
Somerset Hills
Maidstone

[Steve Lapper]

For PURE stirring of the Golf soul

Royal Melbourne (West & Composite)
Royal Dornoch
Royal County Down
Pine Valley
Shinnecock
Sand Hills
Cypress Point
Friars Head
Oakmont
Merion


(For Sporty Fun & considerable stirring........)

Kingston Heath
New South Wales
Sunningdale Old
Royal St. Georges
NGLA
Myopia Hunt Club
Ballyneal*
Riveria
Pacific Dunes
SFGC

[Andy Troeger]

Oh why not...

Cypress Point
Pebble Beach
Chambers Bay
The Golf Club
Blackwolf Run River
The Alotian Club
Wolf Run
Muirfield Village
Crystal Downs
TPC Sawgrass

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'll make two lists. One for GB&I and the other for the US.  They are my favorite place to play not necessarily my top ten best courses. They are in no particular order.
            GB&I
Royal County down
Sunningdale (both)
Royal North Devon (I just love the whole package)
Rye
Pennard
The European club
Ballybuniion (Old)
Royal Dornoch
St. Enodoc

          US
Pine Valley
Cypress point
Musgrove Mill
Diamond Creek (NC mts)
Shoreacres
Sebonack
NGLA
Sand Hills
Members Club at Four Streams (MD)
Anywhere with my son and Dad

I am lucky to be members of three of my personal favorites.  One in England and two in the US.

[Kyle Henderson]

Ballyneal
Sand Hills
Tobacco Road
Black Mesa
MPCC- Shore
Rustic Canyon
Pasatiempo
Riviera
Lakota Canyon Ranch
Tot Hill Farm

[Ed Oden]

Here is my list at this moment:

1.  Shinnecock
2.  Pacific Dunes
3.  Ballyneal
4.  NGLA
5.  Sand Hills
6.  Pebble Beach
7.  The Old Course
8.  Friar’s Head
9.  LACC North
10. Plainfield

Ask me again in 5 minutes and it will likely be different.

Ed

[Doug Spets]

ANGC
The Old Course
Carnoustie
Royal Dornoch
Sunningdale (Old)
The Ocean Course
Harbour Town
Pinehurst #2
Kingsbarns
Musgrove Mill

Others receiving votes, Tidewater, Nairn, Sage Valley, Palmetto Golf Club, Pine Lakes Int'l, Bulls Bay.

[Jeff Tang]

Pacific Dunes
Ballyneal
St. Andrews (Old)
Blackwolf Run (River)
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Arcadia Bluffs
Bandon Dunes
Kingsbarns
Princeville Resort (Prince)

[Bob_Huntley]

Is there a statistician amongst us that could enumerate the favorites of the respondents?

I am not up to the task.

Bob

[Matt_Cohn]

Is there a statistician amongst us that could enumerate the favorites of the respondents?

I am not up to the task.

Bob

Yes. BRB.

[Gerry B]

off the top of my head no order - some are obvious others are my fave places to play

merion east
oakmont
cypress point
royal county down
shinnecock hills
fishers island
myopia hunt club
maidstone
chicago golf club
pacific dunes / sand hills (tie)

[TX Golf]

Wow Matt.... Thanks for taking on that chore. Here are my preferences (that I have had the option to play) in no particular order.

Cal Club
SFGC
Olympic Lake
Pebble Beach
TOC
Prestwick
Kingsbarns
Carnoustie (Monday after the '07 Open made it a tad more special)
Western Gailes (My first ever round east of the Atlantic)
Lost Tracks, Oregon (First time I beat my father)

I praying someday I get a chance to experience the greats in the North East!!!!

Robert

[Matt_Cohn]

Let me be honest that I did these very quickly using Ctrl-F, so there are replications, mistakes, and misses. I did this hastily and these data are not entirely accurate. However, they should be quite close. In order, the most cited courses were:

1. The Old Course
2. Pebble Beach
3. Royal County Down
4. (tie) Cypress Point and Pacific Dunes
6. Riviera
7. Pine Valley
8. (tie) NGLA and Sand Hills
10. (tie) Merion and Shinnecock

Next 10 in no particular order:

Garden City, Bandon Dunes, Pasatiempo, Pinehurst #2, The Ocean Course, Spyglass, Crystal Downs, Ballyneal, and Royal Melbourne, with the 10th spot held in honor of the courses that deserve to be listed here but were miscounted.

[Andrew Summerell]

North Berwick (West)
TOC
Garden City
Swinley Forest
Royal Melbourne (West)
Prairie Dunes
Royal St Georges
New South Wales
Machrihanish
Barbougle Dunes

[Andrew Bertram]

North Berwick West
Royal Dornoch
Cypress Point
TOC
Royal Melbourne West
Cruden Bay
SFGC
Valley Club of Montecito
Merion
NGLA

[Andrew Hastie]

In no particular order.
TOC
Cypress Point
Pacific Dunes
Friars Head
Royal Country Down
Royal Melbourne (west)
Kingston Heath
New South Wales
Swinley Forest
Plainfield

[Jim Colton]

St. Andrews (Old)
Pacific Dunes
Ballyneal
Blackwolf Run (River)
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kingsbarns
Bandon Dunes
World Woods (Pine Barrens)
Kiawah (The Ocean Course)
The Kingsley Club