[Matt_Cohn]

I was somewhat surprised to complete my Top 10 while leaving out several big-deal golf courses. In fact, I left off 5 courses that have hosted something like 25 major championships between them: Inverness, Southern Hills, Oak Hill, Olympic (Lake), and Baltusrol (Upper), which are all generally considered Top 50 courses in the country.

Which highly ranked courses did you leave out of your Top 10? Which courses were you most surprised to leave off your list?

[JESII]

Matt,

Did you see those top 10 lists on the other thread? Many of these guys would leave #11 in the world off their list...hahaha

[Chris_Clouser]

Scioto and Canterbury would be off of mine that are notable.  Canterbury was ok and I thought Scioto was way overrated.  It just seemed like a regular course that you can find almost anywhere. 

[Kyle Henderson]

Matt,
I also exclude Olympic (Lake), along with Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay. It's not that I didn't enjoy them. I simply prefer courses like Black Mesa and Tobacco Road that rate higher on my funometer yet lower with magazines panels.



Edit: I've played half of my personal top 10 in the last 12 months (Olympic in that same time frame), so the quality of competition is getting much higher (finally!)

[PCCraig]

Not sure Medinah would be in my top 1000

[cary lichtenstein]

Oakmont-too penal for my tastes
Pinehurst #2-goofy greens and too flat for me
Seminole-Just another muni in my eyes

None of these I would go out of my way to play
I would only play to try to see what perhaps I am missing

Pine Valley-now that's great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dean Stokes]

Oakmont-too penal for my tastes
Pinehurst #2-goofy greens and too flat for me
Seminole-Just another muni in my eyes

None of these I would go out of my way to play
I would only play to try to see what perhaps I am missing

Pine Valley-now that's great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cary, you're going to have to come up with a few more munis like Seminole beacause I need some better public courses to play.

[Steve Lapper]

My NOT Top Ten

Oakland Hills
Medinah
Butler National
Pebble Beach
Pinehurst #2
Baltusrol Lower
Oak Hill
Inverness
Seminole
Carnoustie

[wsmorrison]

Pinehurst #2 (if the falloffs were varied in placement relative to line of play and less frequently used, it would be a bit higher but still not in my top 20)

Pebble Beach (too many so-so holes among solid to spectacular holes)

Baltusrol Lower (never very high on my list, lower after the changes)

NGLA (somewhat close)

Bethpage Black (not even close)

Carnoustie (one of the better finishes in golf, but some average stuff along the way)

[Steve Lapper]

I'd add Valhalla to this my list

[JESII]

I'd add Valhalla to this my list

Steve,

Hope things are going well...no doubt interesting...

While Valhalla may be a good big tournament course, do you think many people would have it in their top 10 if they had played 11 courses?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Two courses I really liked but will never make my top 10 are Woodhall Spa and Walton Heath(err make that 3 courses).  Woodhall makes Mark Rowlinson's top 10 and is very highly rated in the world and WH is not far behind.

If "undulation is the soul of golf" then both miss out: but particularly Woodhall which has some ot the largest flatist greens you'll find anywhere.

What am I missing?  I admitt to a preference for interesting terrain, but if you replaced the bunkers on those two with water then you could be in Florida .

[Cory Lewis]

I was thinking about this very topic the other day and I was surprised to find several "world class" courses not in my top 10:

Merion
Shinnecock
Oakmont
Pacific Dunes
Winged Foot(West)

I think the main reason for this is I do my list by places I had the most fun or best experience, if my list were strictly the best courses, these would all be on the list. 

[Jeff Tang]

Cory,

I'm surprised to see Pac Dunes on your list.  I consider this to be the one course on my list where I've probably had the best combination of fun and overall experience.  What about your experience there makes it not be in your top 10?  Just curious as I respect your decision to not include it in your top 10, just surprised that's all.

[John Blain]

I was most disappointed in the following although maybe expectations were too high going in. These are all very good mind you, just a bit overrated in my opinion.

In no particular order:

Baltusrol (Lower)
Spyglass Hill GC
Merion (East)
Olympic Club (Lake)
Pine Needles
Monroe GC (pre Gil Hanse restoration)
Pinehurst #2

[Chip Gaskins]

Merion
Bandon Dunes
Pinehurst #2

[Phil_the_Author]

Everything else...

[J_ Crisham]

Good courses I had fun at but not one's that I'd want a steady diet of:
                Medinah
                Butler National
                Olympic Lake
                Baltusrol Lower
                Carnoustie
                Bellerive
                Oakland Hills
                Waterville in the wind
                Kiawah Ocean     

[Matt_Cohn]

Everything else...

Dork.   

[kconway]

lets call it courses which were dissapointing based on their reputation/build up...

Muirfield
Pebble Beach
Waterville
European Club
Whistling Staights
Cruden Bay

[David Stamm]

Colonial and Spyglass are two that have slid down the list for me as I have played more courses. They are by no means average, just not as good.

[David_Madison]

Olympic, Baltusrol Lower, Cherry Hills, Bethpage Black, Spyglass, and Oakland Hills... All are probably "greater" than some in my Top 10 such as Sleepy Hollow and Old Town, but they aren't as interesting, quirky, or as much fun to play.

[Jay Flemma]

Not sure Medinah would be in my top 1000

agreed.  same for St. Andrews in Hastings on Hudson.

[Andy Troeger]

There are some courses I still think are excellent that didn't make my top 10 and/or that were in there at one point in time, including Prairie Dunes, Black Mesa, Castle Pines, Ballyneal, The Kingsley Club, Whistling Straits, Pasatiempo, and Spyglass Hill. All of those fall in my top 25.

There are some others that do well on some of the magazine rankings but weren't my cup of tea--the highest rated of those being Sahalee, Desert Forest, and Double Eagle.

[Sean_A]

The ones that were close and didn't make it were:

Lahinch
Co Down
TOC
Pinehurst
Muirfield
Birkdale

I was most surprised Dornoch didn't make it.  However, I suspect Lahinch & Dornoch could possibly sneak back in. 

Many big name places really aren't the radar:

TEC, Co Louth, Carnoustie, Lytham, Turnberry, Oakland Hills, Tralee, Gullane, Troon, Portmarnock. 

Ciao

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