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John Burzynski

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Playing all of the courses in a state
« on: January 22, 2009, 10:20:43 AM »
Just curious if anyone has attempted over a long period of time to play all of the courses in a state, or in a certain part of a state?

I fully understand that this is less of a challenge living in a state like Delaware than in a state like Texas or California or Florida (places where due to the size of the state and number of courses this would be humanly impossible).

How would you go about putting together a complete list of courses in a state?   Maybe just limiting the list to publicly accessible courses?

I find that I often enjoy the game more on a wider variety of courses, kind of the thrill of the hunt.
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PCCraig

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2009, 10:31:57 AM »
John-

Growing up playing competitve golf in Illinois I have seen a vast majority of the golf courses around Chicago, except for maybe a couple. The state of Illinois is pretty big though and it may be tough to see them all considering how hard some areas of the state are to get to from Chicago.
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H.P.S.

Mike Bowline

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2009, 10:32:16 AM »
John, I lived in Wisconsin for 15 years, I played a LOT of golf, and I tried to play a new course every time I could. I really enjoy playing a new course for the first time.

Wisconsin has over 400 courses, and I played only 140 of them. I never thought I would play them all, but the sheer magnitude of travel, access, weather makes it seem difficult to do what you question. If someone has done it, my hat (visor) will certainly be off to them!
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Garland Bayley

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2009, 10:33:32 AM »
There was a retired mailman that did that in Oregon perhaps 20 years ago. There was a book purporting to listing all the courses in the state that he acquired and set out. He reported that in the rural areas there are far more courses than reported in any book. So his claim is he played all he could find, but can't be sure he played all courses.
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"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Tom Huckaby

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2009, 10:38:15 AM »
Quote from: Garland Bayley on January 22, 2009, 10:33:32 AM
There was a retired mailman that did that in Oregon perhaps 20 years ago. There was a book purporting to listing all the courses in the state that he acquired and set out. He reported that in the rural areas there are far more courses than reported in any book. So his claim is he played all he could find, but can't be sure he played all courses.


BINGO!
That's what would make CA impossible as well - not accessing privates - but locating all the far-flung courses.  No list covers them all.

TH



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Mike_Cirba

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2009, 11:02:15 AM »
A good friend of mine, Joe Martin, has played every course, big and small, in the state of New Jersey.
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Sam Morrow

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2009, 11:11:30 AM »
I would love to do this but Texas has so many courses that I think it would be tough. It's also amazing the amount of 3 and 6 holes course there are in West Texas that nobody knows about. One of the coolest courses (not for GCA but for concept) was in Silver City, Texas, it was a 6 holer with several par 3's on the side of a dusty piece of interstate. On that trip I played Lakota, Aspen Glen, Glenwood Springs, Castle Pines, The Ridge at Castles Pines, The Rawls, Mira Vista, and Colonial but seeing that little course was the coolest thing I saw.
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Kalen Braley

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2009, 11:20:57 AM »
In a place like Utah where there really aren't alot of courses, this could be doable.  3/4ths of the state is either uninhabited or National/State Parks so shouldn't be too tough to track em all down.

Hmmmm.....
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Jim_Kennedy

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2009, 01:21:01 PM »
John,

It's a special person who's willing to wade through the inevitable load of crap so that he or she can say they've played everything in a particular state.

More power to them, but it sounds like a nightmare to me.  ::)
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"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Tom Huckaby

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2009, 01:36:37 PM »
Quote from: Jim_Kennedy on January 22, 2009, 01:21:01 PM
John,

It's a special person who's willing to wade through the inevitable load of crap so that he or she can say they've played everything in a particular state.

More power to them, but it sounds like a nightmare to me.  ::)

BINGO, PART II

Another reason why it would be particularly difficult to do this in California.... I know, having done course rating at some doozies....

TH
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Joel_Stewart

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2009, 01:56:57 PM »
Either Mark Soltau played or just wrote a book on California golf courses.   On a quick search, there are over 450 cities with golf courses in California and the total is well over 800 actual courses.  I suspect it may be harder to play every one of those courses then what Bob McCoy did and play the top 100 courses in the world in 100 days.

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Tom Huckaby

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2009, 02:05:11 PM »
That's a great book, one I referred to often in the pre-internet days.

Funny thing is, even that book doesn't likely cover ALL the courses existing at any given time....

So yes, CA would be the impossible dream / nightmare.

 ;)
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Joe Bausch

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2009, 02:10:42 PM »
If you go the AAA web site (put in "AAA triptik" into Google) and plan a trip, you can choose golf courses by state.  The list looks pretty darn extensive to me.
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The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
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Kalen Braley

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2009, 02:19:03 PM »
I've found this site to be very extensive in its golf course listings even if it is very basic.

http://www.thegolfcourses.net/
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JohnV

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2009, 02:20:47 PM »
Quote from: Garland Bayley on January 22, 2009, 10:33:32 AM
There was a retired mailman that did that in Oregon perhaps 20 years ago. There was a book purporting to listing all the courses in the state that he acquired and set out. He reported that in the rural areas there are far more courses than reported in any book. So his claim is he played all he could find, but can't be sure he played all courses.


There was a course rater in Oregon who had played them all as of the mid-90s.  He had even saved the scorecards.  We went to rate Pendleton Country Club and he brought a scorecard from the 50s when it was  9-hole golf course.  I can't remember his name, but it might have been the same guy.  He was retired by the time I knew him and I don't know what he did for a living before that.

If you really want to do this, start with Alaska. ;)
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Jon Heise

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2009, 02:23:42 PM »
In Michigan, I'm at 90 played out of 891 (according to Golf Assoc of Michigan...).

10%, woo hoo!!!  801 to go! ;D
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I still like Greywalls better.

Chris_Clouser

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2009, 02:27:40 PM »
I think at last count for playing courses I was at 100 in Indiana out of around 400 over several years.  I have seen about 75 others around the state for various reasons. 
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Chris_Blakely

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #17 on: January 22, 2009, 02:36:35 PM »
Quote from: Kalen Braley on January 22, 2009, 02:19:03 PM
I've found this site to be very extensive in its golf course listings even if it is very basic.

http://www.thegolfcourses.net/

Kalen,

For locating courses and getting some reviews, this is a very good site on up to date course listings:

http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/

If you click on the map of the US, you can locate courses by city.

Chris
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Tom Huckaby

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2009, 02:39:14 PM »
Chris - that golflink site goes to show how tough this really would be... a search just on CA gives 1126 courses.

And I bet there are still some that they don't show....

TH
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Will MacEwen

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #19 on: January 22, 2009, 02:39:22 PM »
Quote from: John Vander Borght on January 22, 2009, 02:20:47 PM
Quote from: Garland Bayley on January 22, 2009, 10:33:32 AM
There was a retired mailman that did that in Oregon perhaps 20 years ago. There was a book purporting to listing all the courses in the state that he acquired and set out. He reported that in the rural areas there are far more courses than reported in any book. So his claim is he played all he could find, but can't be sure he played all courses.


There was a course rater in Oregon who had played them all as of the mid-90s.  He had even saved the scorecards.  We went to rate Pendleton Country Club and he brought a scorecard from the 50s when it was  9-hole golf course.  I can't remember his name, but it might have been the same guy.  He was retired by the time I knew him and I don't know what he did for a living before that.

If you really want to do this, start with Alaska. ;)

You take Alaska, I'll have a run at Hawaii.
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JSPayne

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #20 on: January 22, 2009, 02:41:33 PM »
Hey Tom....or other Californians...

I've thought about attempting this for some time using just the area defined by the NCGA Bluebook.....while still daunting, seems at least somewhat manageable. But I just ran across one course I always pass on the freeway that seems to not be in there:

http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/course.aspx?course=68634

This may be the problem you all are talking about. I may actually play with this later to get a count, break down public and private, and see where I stand currently, but are there any other "obscure" courses within the NCGA realm that you guys know about?
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Chris_Blakely

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #21 on: January 22, 2009, 02:44:36 PM »
I would think Rhode Island would be doable.  

I would think with any state that has 450 courses or more that there would be at least one-third you would not want to play for any reason.  That alone would make the task very tedious - at least for me.


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Tom Huckaby

Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #22 on: January 22, 2009, 02:47:59 PM »
Quote from: JSPayne on January 22, 2009, 02:41:33 PM
Hey Tom....or other Californians...

I've thought about attempting this for some time using just the area defined by the NCGA Bluebook.....while still daunting, seems at least somewhat manageable. But I just ran across one course I always pass on the freeway that seems to not be in there:

http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/course.aspx?course=68634

This may be the problem you all are talking about. I may actually play with this later to get a count, break down public and private, and see where I stand currently, but are there any other "obscure" courses within the NCGA realm that you guys know about?


That is EXACTLY the problem JSP.  I'd guess there are dozens of courses within the geographic boundaries of NCGA that do not show up in the NCGA Bluebook.  If you really want to hit ALL courses, a site like golflink would be a better way to go about it.

And you are talking a LOT of courses... many of them well.... not really worth seeking out, at least in terms of quality, let's just way.

BTW I once went through the exercise of trying to ascertain how many courses listed in the Bluebook I have played, and I thought I had gotten around.... but man there were TONS I hadn't played.  I don't think I even got to 50%.  And I play a lot of weird and different golf courses in our area.

TH
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Mike Benham

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #23 on: January 22, 2009, 02:49:17 PM »
Quote from: JSPayne on January 22, 2009, 02:41:33 PM
... but are there any other "obscure" courses within the NCGA realm that you guys know about?



The Institute ... ;)

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"... and I liked the guy ..."

Chris_Blakely

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Re: Playing all of the courses in a state
« Reply #24 on: January 22, 2009, 02:49:24 PM »
Quote from: Tom Huckaby on January 22, 2009, 02:39:14 PM
Chris - that golflink site goes to show how tough this really would be... a search just on CA gives 1126 courses.

And I bet there are still some that they don't show....

TH

Tom,

I was thinking of my home state (Ohio) and golflink says there are 894 courses.  I know in the general area that I live that I have no desire to see 50 or so of those 894.  

And I do agree, attempting to play these states like California, New York, Michigan, etc with a huge volume of courses would be arduous to say the least.

Chris
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