publics you would travel for...

[Anthony Gray]

The Publics for me which I would or have planned a trip or trips around would include.

I treated Cuscowilla as one even though really private

    Tiger,

   I live 2 hours from Atlanta. Cuscowilla is worth the drive? How hard is it to get on?


                               Anthony

[Brad Fleischer]

Anthony,

Check the website out for cuscowilla. They are offering a pretty decent package right now for 4 or 2. I am not sure that course qualifies for my topic but it has been on my radar screen for some time now. I will hav eto bring it up to them.

Brad

[Brad Fleischer]

Tiger,

I am curious as to why you said not again to whistling straits ? Was it the Course, fees, etc ??...... I was thinking that might be one I could use in my debate. I have not played there yet however so I only know what I know from pics and from reading.

Brad

[Sean_A]

Man, based on Huck's criteria of making a trip (I am assuming a long trip/flight) to only play one course (no extra tourista stuff or visiting friends), I can't imagine doing that for any course let alone a public course.  Do you guys really do this?  Travel say 10 hours by car or get on a plane for one game of golf?  Thats some crazy shit.

Ciao

[Jim Adkisson]

Just drove 2-1/2 hours on Wednesday to play Chambers Bay for a long walk of 36...

Bethpage Black...I won't go to New Jersey/NYC again without playing it...

Bandon is "resort"...but I'm looking forward to 3 days of daily doubles in less than 2 weeks...

[Brad Fleischer]

Sean,

Damn right I do it!!!! lol......

 I have flown to new mexico for 2 days at black mesa,Granted I have gone back and added in pa koo, traverse city just for kingsley and back the next day, world woods several times in the last few years for a quick hit and run ,geez the more I think about it the more I keep coming up with. I wont bother you with all of them but like I said damn right I do and I enjoy it to!! This summer I will hopefully be adding some more to my list.

Just to add one more thing I drive no less than 45 min to play when I'm home. That sucks but it is what it is.

Brad

[Kirk Gill]

Thinking of Colorado, there's a lot of good public golf. But I wonder, how many courses here would folks travel to see? It'd have to be mountain courses, but perhaps not just because of the golf, but because of the other recreational options in the area. Interesting, though, that so far I don't remember seeing one Colorado course.

[Brad Fleischer]

Kirk,

Good point and I beleive your right. Maybe lakota or four mile canyon would fit the bill. When I originally posted this thread I didn't realize how many I have not seen or played nor how many I would be able to fire back at them with......

[Ash Towe]

Kauri Cliffs
Cape Kidnappers
Paraparaumu
Wairakei
Kinloch

Then onto
New South Wales
Royal Melbourne West and East
Kingston Heath
Others on the Sandbelt
Courses on the Mornington Peninsula
Barnbougle Dunes

Some from the Northern Hemisphere have done parts of this.  You would not be disappointed.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Anthony They have daily fee and stay packages which are attractive and so worth it especially from Atlanta. Brad I found WS to be great golf but the combination of pace of play and $$$$ made it seem like a poor value to me. I also found the other courses to be a hard drop off with the Irish course good and the Meadows course good and fun but neither is a good value. I am sorry to not love the overall experience of a man made piece of golfdom in the Midwest.

[Patrick Kiser]

Ash,

I like your list  .  Barnbougle is my screensaver and someday it will happen...



Tom,

No, I agree.  I wasn't suggesting to fly all the way out for La Purisima.  I was just giving it a little more respect.  That's why I made in a P.S.  But tell me you wouldn't mind a KP of Monarch Dunes, La Purisima, Soule Park and Rustic...

Patrick:

Having made the drive down each of 101 and I-5 at least 100 times each, well... the drive won't get me to go to La Purisima.  But I get ya that it is remote, and unique in CA in that respect.  Still, would you really recommend to someone from far away to fly out here PRIMARILY just to play that course?

Drive a few hours to play it, sure.  But I don't think that's the standard asked for in this thread.

TH

[Brad Fleischer]

Ok guys after a lunch talk with some of the guys here's a mini list of what might make the cut so far and what is def out and what they would get on a plane or car for..........

The in so far
Highland links ns
kiawah
cascades course
greywalls(knew I could convince them)
Pebble
pinehurst(again surprised not one of my favs)
black mesa(well i did rant and rave about it to them)
Giants ridge/fortune bay

The out
wild horse(looks like i will be solo lol)
rustic
tobacco
world woods(we have done it many many times sooo thats y there saying it)
cuscowilla
longshadow
erin hills (thay have  heard the talk of overrated)
all the myrtle courses
royal new kent and stonehouse
Most of if not all the other michigan courses
chambers bay

I have lawsonia on the 50/50 right now.... Couple of others to that we are arguing about right now ....

Anymore ideas or opinions. Would like to hear more about highland links ,primland,banff, and jasper.

MikeS,
Good choices and made easier since we all live in and around the city and we have played most of the ones you mentioned so I will leave them out of the debate.


Barnbougle and some of the great australian courses have come up. Alone not a chance as the travel it takes but that would be one awesome trip if You could put them all together. I was lucky enough to spend a month down under in 2000 but only got to play turtle bay and kingston. Would love to be able to get to play all those courses one day,that would make a fine golf trip!!!

Again remember it's for a course and a course only ,with the minor exceptions ex:pebble...

You guys have def given us some DESTINATIONS to consider regardless of how much we argue about a single course being worthy or not....

Brad

[Jeff Doerr]

Hey Everyone,

We have a pretty big east coast crew...

What about a Virginia road trip that would include some of the newer courses?

SPRING CREEK G.C. GORD LE, VA.
BLUE RIDGE SHADOWS G.C. FRONT ROYAL, VA.
THE MANOR RESORT G.C. FARMVILLE, VA.
THE HIGHLAND COURSE AT PRIMLAND MEADOWS OF DAN, VA.
LAUREL HILL G.C. LORTON, VA.

+ The Homestead, RNK, Golden Horseshoe, etc.

You could even enjoy a special one from a neighboring state depending on your travel directions.

How would you route it if you had reasonable budget and 5 days?

[Doug Bolls]

I agree with Bandon as a great destination.  I would also throw in Kohler - all 4 courses and Lawsonia is drivable from there.
Next summer our 8 guys are heading to the Alabama RTJ Golf Trail.  Will start in the north and play it all the way down to Mobile.  Courses are excellent and varied as the topography of the state changes.  A wide variety of interesting, challenging courses.  Priced reasonably with some consecutive day play specials.  Check out their website - www.RTJ.com

[Ash Towe]

Patrick,
When the time comes let me know.  I will be happy to help.

[Carl Rogers]

For those of you that travel from the northeast to Pinehurst or Myrtle Beach, Riverfront (a Tom Doak course)in Suffolk, VA is fairly cheap , in very good shape and easy access from I-664 & I-64 and is a very good course by anybody's standard.

[Buck Wolter]

 French Lick will be on the list soon if it wasn't already.

I could see spending a month at Barnbougle someday -- $200 USD for all you can play and accomodation.

[Brad Fleischer]

Buck,

Don't take this the wrong way but a MONTH at barnbougle?? If that truly is the price than if I were to travel back to australia than I would certainly make the effort to go there but not on it's own and certainly not for a month. There are to many other courses I would want to see in the land down under. If in fact you would really stay a month than more power to you!! Me way to long at one place...

Now your mention of french lick is interesting. Do you say that based on the ross course alone or because now they have added another layout which makes going there easier to justify ?

Thanks,
Brad

[John Moore II]

I suppose Tobacco Road is worth a trip of some kind, I'm just not sure how far. I used to wonder if I really wanted to drive the 30 miles from Southern Pines up to Sanford to play when there were so many other very good courses within 10 miles of me. Its worth a trip, for sure, but, to me, its certainly not the anchor of a trip; its not that good.

But I would certainly travel to play some of the publics in Myrtle Beach, The Dunes comes to mind. Of course, Pinehurst is a traval-worthy place. But if we are talking public courses, not the big resorts, then I am not sure where to go. Bethpage. Thats about the only real public course that I can say I would travel a great distance to play.

[David Stamm]

Especially after the restorstion work, Pasa is slam dunk. Anybody that doesn't think it's worth a special trip is awful tough to please. I prefer to play Pasa over PB, and I love PB.

[Sean_A]

Especially after the restorstion work, Pasa is slam dunk. Anybody that doesn't think it's worth a special trip is awful tough to please. I prefer to play Pasa over PB, and I love PB.

David

I guess I am tough to please cuz there is no way in hell I would get on a plane from Detroit, let alone from London, just to play Pasa.  I can't think of many things less appealing than doing that sort of thing for holiday.  The course would have to be part of a package which would include at the very least CPC and to be honest, I would be happy with a trip to California for these two plus a bit of tourism. 

Ciao

[Mark Pritchett]

I would think Indiana would have to be mentioned here.  I traveled from Augusta to Indiana this summer, and while my group played three private courses, we also played Harrison Hills, French Lick (Ross) and Brickyard Crossing.  Take away the privates and add to the three publics the new Dye course at French Lick, The Fort, Purgatory, Sultan's Run, Prairie View, Trophy Club, Otter Creek, and you have a pretty good representation of various architects and courses at an affordable price.  Don't forget dinner at St. Elmos!

[Buck Wolter]

Buck,

Don't take this the wrong way but a MONTH at barnbougle?? If that truly is the price than if I were to travel back to australia than I would certainly make the effort to go there but not on it's own and certainly not for a month. There are to many other courses I would want to see in the land down under. If in fact you would really stay a month than more power to you!! Me way to long at one place...

Now your mention of french lick is interesting. Do you say that based on the ross course alone or because now they have added another layout which makes going there easier to justify ?

Thanks,
Brad

Brad - I had 3 months at Barnbougle and changed it before I posted. Maybe it was watching the project develop here on the site but it's probably on my Top 5 list -- I even look at Real Estate in Bridport on the internet when I'm really bored. I would think playing a course like BD 50 plus times over a month in changing conditions would be better than trying to play 30 courses. Of course on my way to TAZ I would do my best to play the sandbelt 'greats' as well.

[Andy Troeger]

I guess I kind of agree with Sean in that I've never travelled anywhere just to play one course. I could see it if you were going to play one course repeated times, but just one round wouldn't really be worth it. Once in a lifetime opportunities at private clubs would be a likely exception to me. I just generally plan trips around a "destination" more than one course with a few exceptions.


I would have gone to Pebble Beach once without playing some of the other great courses that I did see. Spyglass and Pasatiempo make a for a great public 1-2-3 trio, no matter which one you think is best.

I went to Florida to see TPC Sawgrass and also played Ginn Hammock Beach Resort.

Before I moved to New Mexico, I played Paa-Ko Ridge and Black Mesa. I came to visit a friend, but in hindsight would recommend it just for the golf.

Kohler was well worth the trip, went pretty equally for Blackwolf Run River and Whisting Straits. Would go back for the River, but would play WS, Lawsonia, or Erin Hills too if I went back.

Went to Hilton Head primarily to see Harbour Town. Trip was greatly improved when I was also able to play Long Cove.

Drove seven hours to play Lakota Canyon and Redlands Mesa over a weekend.

The public course I would be most likely to do as a stand-alone is Greywalls. I'm sure I'd go see Timberstone if in the area, but that's about the hardest course to pair up with another course I really want to see.

[nandoal]

This past September while visting my in-laws in Omaha,NE  I traveled 4 hrs by myself to play Wild Horse by myself.  And yes it was worth it.