Dr. Gray's Anatomy of Some Golf Courses #1

[Garland Bayley]

Dr. Gray, Dr. Gray,

You have played Chambers Bay and NGLA.

Hole #1.

Which do you prefer between the two golf courses and why?

Note:

Anyone besides Dr. Gray is invited to give their answers too. I just thought Dr. Gray's Anatomy made a good subject line.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Garland

I would love to have detailed reports on Dr Gray’s trips to Scotland.
Starting with Cruden Bay, explaining why he loves the course. Then a list of the other courses, he likes. Perhaps accompanied by the odd photo or two of the courses.

Perhaps a guide to St Andrews (places to eat drink and be merry after a game) as viewed by American for Americans or for those who have never (as yet) been to the spiritual heart and home of golf.

Can our Dr Gray extract that from the recesses of his mind and photo album?

I would be interested in reading his thoughts and reports on our golf courses and his impression of St Andrews without my rose tinted glasses. 

Melvyn

[Anthony Gray]

  When evaluating a golf course I like to use The Doc Scale.

  A 10 would be a course that you would play if you only had one course to play the rest of your life. Architecturally it would simply be FUN. A mixture of quirk and pureness with challenge. A short par 3 of less than 120 and a par 4 off less than 300 in the mix. A par 4 that is stretched and only reachable in two on your best day. A bold bunker or two preferably with a name. A burn or creek to remind you of nature.A course you play late in life and early in life without feeling worn out after the round. Nice vistas, preferably of water and even a castle in the distance. A course that is enjoyable for a morning or evening walk even without the clubs in hand. In a location full of culture and intrigue. A city,town or village where MOM can make friends with the locals.  

  A list of Doc 10's in a minute.

  Anthony

[Anthony Gray]

  A short list of Doc Scale 10's

  Cruden Bay

  Playability mixed with intrigue.The Disney World of golf once written. Two par 4's of less than 300 yards. Bath tub green. Winding burn. Back to back par 3's one brilliantly blind. Sea view with the castle in the distance. Fish and chips and face lick. Best clubhouse view to be found. Don't forget the fingerprints of Old Tom. Doesn't get better than this. Very deserving of the cover of The Confidential Guide.

  Pebble Beach

  Most wonderful views in golf. No 7 and No 8 the best back to back holes in golf on the fun metter.Never gets old. Squirls that eat out of you hand and bag pipes at sunset beside the fire. Highly recomminted by MOM.

  Prestwick

  Home of the Open Championship. Himilayas and Allps. Blind par 3 and a magestic bunker with a name(Cardinal). The underatted 16th with uniqueness and charm. Old and Young Tom. Caddies with harsh scottish accents. Wonderful first tee shot. Accomadations a stones throw away.

  Teeth of the Dog

  Carribean weather. The best combination of par 3's in the world. Three par 3's over water and the fourth sets in an island of sand. Tee boxes in the ocean and one of the best green complexes at No 8. Pete Dye's home away from home. Caddies that smile and grilled lobster at La Casita. MOM loves the golf cart that comes with your room.

  The Old Course

  Drivable par 4's. Bunkers with personalities. A start and finish in town. A shout out to Granny. Rock stacked burn and the best photo op in all of golf. The perfect finishing hole leaving you with a smile. Bacon roll and fish and chips. No 12 reminds takes you back in time. A hole that could not be built today.

  Nobb North (Gary Player...Dalton GA)

  The best golf for your money. Risk/Reward off every tee. No 11 a lay up par 4. 18th green like No 14 at PB. 1 and 10 par 5 enantamers. No 16 the longest straight hole like No 8 at Chambers Bay. A pure joy and great price.

  Pacific Dunes

  Back to back par 3's and a back nine score card unique in golf, but you never notice because each hole is captivating. A morning walk with the deer or sunset walk with the wife endears you to the land golf is played on. No other course shuts out the outside world and gives you a purer golfing experience. Caddies that become friends. Crabs at the pier with MOM,this must be a dream.

  Chambers Bay

  Maybe the best collection of par 4's I've found. The cute 11th and signature 15th. Greens with character and no place to loose a ball. Challenging but fair. Shrimp cocktail in an upside down pint glass and calimari with thin slced lemon. A threat to be placed on the yearly must play.

  Himalayas (Lady's Putting Club)

  A great place to be introduced to the game. With The Old Course looking over your shoulder you can play with any one you like. Soul mates of over 60 years on a date  make it a 10 on that alone. Several three/four putts can be found, but the home made soup in The Links Clubhouse next door can easily ease that pain. A course for every day that never gets old.

  North Berwick

  The green site behind the rock fense almost makes it a 10 on its own. But there is so much more. The blind burn fronting a green. The view from the first tee...and 2nd. Rock walls and burns to cross and a relaxing finish. Why is 17 overlooked, one of the stoutest par 4's in golf. The original Redan. The don't make them like this any more.

  Anthony

 

[Garland Bayley]

Anthony,

Am I right in concluding that the experience is as important as the architecture for you?

[Anthony Gray]

Anthony,

Am I right in concluding that the experience is as important as the architecture for you?

  I could never be rater for that reason. I cannot seperate the two. I love just being on the course even if I am not golfing. I will have made it in life when I am the guy that pulls the carts up in the morning and fills up the water jugs or on the mower at Cruden Bay.

  Anthony

[Garland Bayley]

Anthony,

Am I right in concluding that the experience is as important as the architecture for you?

  I could never be rater for that reason. I cannot seperate the two. I love just being on the course even if I am not golfing. I will have made it in life when I am the guy that pulls the carts up in the morning and fills up the water jugs or on the mower at Cruden Bay.

  Anthony

So let me rephrase the original question.

How would you compare the architecture and the experience of playing #1 at Chambers Bay and NGLA?

[Anthony Gray]

Anthony,

Am I right in concluding that the experience is as important as the architecture for you?

  I could never be rater for that reason. I cannot seperate the two. I love just being on the course even if I am not golfing. I will have made it in life when I am the guy that pulls the carts up in the morning and fills up the water jugs or on the mower at Cruden Bay.

  Anthony

So let me rephrase the original question.

How would you compare the architecture and the experience of playing #1 at Chambers Bay and NGLA?

  At NGLA you don't know where your ball goes. Just hit it and walk. CB has a straight foward landing area that lacks confusion with the water visable in the distance.

  Anthony

[Marty Bonnar]

Am I the ONLY one who gets the Gray's Anatomy reference?
Garland, you are WAY too good for this place. But then again, I am three glasses of Corbieres to the good this evening...
FBD.

[Garland Bayley]

Am I the ONLY one who gets the Gray's Anatomy reference?
Garland, you are WAY too good for this place. But then again, I am three glasses of Corbieres to the good this evening...
FBD.

Marty,

What's the other reference alluded to in the subject line?

[Marty Bonnar]

Am I the ONLY one who gets the Gray's Anatomy reference?
Garland, you are WAY too good for this place. But then again, I am three glasses of Corbieres to the good this evening...
FBD.

Marty,

What's the other reference alluded to in the subject line?

anyone? Anyone?? Bueller? BUELLER???

[Joe Hancock]

The references of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Anatomy of a Golf Course" in the title is clever, but not difficult.

Don't beg for yucks, it takes away from the humor.

 

[Marty Bonnar]

The Old Course

"No 12 reminds takes you back in time. A hole that could not be built today."

Please elucidate. Enquiring minds need to know. No, seriously, I am intrigued.....whyever not?

luv,
FBD.

[Tim Gavrich]

The title would be a prime candidate for a clue in a GCA Before-and-After Jeopardy! category. Long live the bastion of nerdity that is GCA.

[Garland Bayley]

The references of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Anatomy of a Golf Course" in the title is clever, but not difficult.

Don't beg for yucks, it takes away from the humor.

 

Yes, I thought it was quite obvious. Marty are you getting up in age with diminished mental facility? Didn't you become about 50 years in age four years ago?

[Jaeger Kovich]

I always though that tv show was for high school girls

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Garland I must be missing something for I find nothing in common between the two starting holes other than both very good holes on great courses.

[Anthony Gray]

The Old Course

"No 12 reminds takes you back in time. A hole that could not be built today."

Please elucidate. Enquiring minds need to know. No, seriously, I am intrigued.....whyever not?

luv,
FBD.

  Marty,

  All the blind centerline bunkers would be so highly criticized and deemed unfair that no one wopuld have them on their course today. The hole takes me back in time when TOC was played in reverse and the bunkers were visable from the tee. For a short par 4 there are just so many ways to play it. Short left. Short right. Very short. Long. Very long.

  Happy Birthday, I'm right behind you.

  Anthony

 

[Anthony Gray]

  Garland,

  Here are some visuals of what makes a 10.


   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
   

[Garland Bayley]

Garland I must be missing something for I find nothing in common between the two starting holes other than both very good holes on great courses.

Tiger,

In the past, there have been many threads doing a match play comparison between two courses. There haven't been many the last few years. The only one I know of recently is the one I did comparing two Harbottle courses.

I have only played Chambers Bay. I have never played a course east of Minnesota. I was hoping a match play comparison between Chambers Bay and NGLA would help me learn more about NGLA. I chose the two, because they are what we might call "links inspired".

[John Moore II]

Anthony Gray: That is interesting how you determine a 10. I have said that I could play Tobacco Road for the rest of my life and it not get boring. However, if I had only one round to play, it wouldn't be there. So I do think that is interesting, at least from my point of view, how you determine a 10. And I would not consider Tobacco Road to be the best course I have ever played. But on that same note, I think the courses I have played that I would consider best, #2, Pine Needles, Eagle Point, would probably become bores after a great number of plays. Interesting.