The most anticipated golf course opening in the last 50 years

[Garland Bayley]

How about Common Ground and The Home Course. Much anticipated courses for the everyman.

How about the second public course in Philadelphia as Cirba wrote about since Cobbs Creek was doing 80000 rounds per year as the first.
EDIT: Woops, I forgot this was to be in the last 50 years.

[Jud_T]

In the last 15 years for me its Old Mac, but that may just be because it took me a while to get a clue.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff Brauer,

I'm with you.

Shadow Creek

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Everything is much lower key in the UK, but I recall that the British golfing magazines gave a great deal of hype to Letham Grange, East Sussex National, The Oxfordshire and Chart Hills in their time - much greater profile than the original Loch Lomond, if I remember correctly.

[Mike_Young]

Harbor Town

[V. Kmetz]

We've churned em' out pretty good in the last 25 years...but in the NY area...

Atlantic (1990?)
Hudson National (1995?)
Friar's Head (2004?)
Sebonac
Liberty National

and the Trump courses in Briarcliff and Bedminster got a tremendous amount of ink.

cheers

vk

[Garland Bayley]

Jeff Brauer,

I'm with you.

Shadow Creek

I'm sorry, but 99.9% of the golfing public could care less that a course with a $500 green fee is opening.
99.8% of the golfing public thinks anyone paying that for a round of golf is a sucker.
 

[Mac Plumart]

Garland...What did you call me?!?!?!?   

 

[Garland Bayley]

Garland...What did you call me?!?!?!?   

 

I didn't call you anything. I was just reporting what the golfing public thinks of you. 

[Mac Plumart]

I've been called worse...that is for sure!   

[Jeff_Brauer]

Garland,

The same lack of excitement would be true of most of the other courses listed, too, since they are remote, private, or both.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,

The same lack of excitement would be true of most of the other courses listed, too, since they are remote, private, or both.

Exactly! That's why I listed Common Ground and The Home Course!

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff Brauer,

I'm with you.

Shadow Creek

I'm sorry, but 99.9% of the golfing public could care less that a course with a $500 green fee is opening.
99.8% of the golfing public thinks anyone paying that for a round of golf is a sucker.
 

Garland,

You're starting to mimic the style of the resident idiot-savant, TEPaul.

Please reread Mathew Mollica's opening post.
He doesn't mention a thing about "the golfing public"

Secondly, when Shadow Creek opened, it had NO GREENS FEES.
You couldn't get on the golf course unless you received special dispensation from one of a very small group of individuals.

The "Shadow Creek" project was greatly anticipated and surrounded in mystery.

Since you have a difficult time remembering what happened last week, it doesn't surprise me that you don't recall all of the excitement surrounding Shadow Creek circa 1989.

Steve Wynn had a vision and he had the intelligence, desire and funds to pursue it.
He also had the intelligence to chronicle his vision and his efforts in "Shadow Creek, From Barren Desert to Desert Oasis"

When Shadow Creek debuted, it quickly ascended to a top ten ranking by "Golf Digest", being assigned ranking #  8.

It was considered one of the eight wonders of the golf world. ( don't ask me what the other seven were/are)

It's opening was greatly anticipated by the golfing world, and, while Tom Fazio was visible on the architectural radar screen, Shadow Creek certainly helped make him a major, major blip.

Everything about Shadow Creek was novel.

Tom Doak, in his book, "The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses" rates Shadow Creek in his "Gourmet's Choice", top 31, giving the course glowing reviews, calling it, "a Masterpiece"

Tom goes on to state:
" There isn't any objective way to evaluate the perfection of a work of art that's entirely manufactured. but Shadow Creek is NOW the standard by which  all other works of this type will be judged."

Shadow Creek was a highly anticipated golf course, surrounded in the mystery of the visionary, the architect, the specific site, Las Vegas and the glamour of the method for attracting gamblers/golfers.

Rumors and stories of its construction, progress, style and opening date pervaded the golfing world

Were you and TEPaul "confined and deprived of all contact with the outside world" while all of this was going on ?

Shadow Creek has to take the cake/prize.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,
...
Please reread Mathew Mollica's opening post.
He doesn't mention a thing about "the golfing public"
...

Patrick,

Since he didn't mention "the golfing public" I assume you think he was referring to the America's Cup crowd.
Clearly you don't think there is enough context to establish that he meant it was golfers that cared. Then perhaps you think it was sailors.


 

[Tom_Doak]

Patrick:

I do not remember any advance press for Shadow Creek at all.  All of it that I can recall was post-opening.  That's why I didn't mention it in my earlier list of what I thought were the "most anticipated".

[Gene Greco]

Patrick:
 

     The moment this topic was posted I immediately thought Shadow Creek.

However, as I recall and as Tom Doak has mentioned, most of the excitement about the course was experienced after it was opened.  

When the course made its debut in the Golf Digest Top 100 at #7  is when Shadow Creek stirred the golf world.

[Greg Tallman]

oficial announcement and opening of Sheep Ranch perhaps?

[John Moore II]

Pat Mucci-If the golfing public doesn't anticipate a new course opening, then who does? The designer? You? I could care less that Shadow Creek opened, I could care less that they recently did some work out there, and I wouldn't care if it closed permanently tomorrow. I could also give less than a damn about Sebonack (sorry Mr. Doak), Friars Head, Liberty National, or any of these other high dollar places to play. Show me an affordable public course of high quality and I'll show you a course that the average golfer is anticipating. There has been far more press lately on the NCSU golf course in Raleigh prior to its opening than was ever spent on Dormie Club. Why? No one in NC gives a damn about Dormie because only 100 people in the whole state will ever get to see it. However, they've probably ran through 10000 rounds at NCSU so far. Thats a course that people care about. To hell with the rest of them.

[jim_lewis]

Pinehurst #8 opened in 1995, the 100th anniversary of the founding of Pinehurst. It was billed as the Centennial Course and intended as a tribute to Donald Ross. There was considerable fanfare and high expectiations in anticipation of the course. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the expectations.

Pete Dye Golf Club took 13 years to build as the construction was on again, off again. Some were beginning to wonder when/if it would be completed. The long construction process led to considerable anticipation. It DID live up to expectations.

[Patrick_Mucci]

JKM & Garland Bayley.

The golfing "pubic" was never going to set foot on Shadow Creek.

Like it or not the golf world is tiered and the "public" tier was not going to play Shadow Creek.

Tom Doak & Gene,

Shadow Creek didn't pop out of a cake as a birthday surprise to the golfing world.
There was a good deal of anticipation with respect to the project, primarily due to the visionary behind it.
In addition, Tom Fazio had already established himself as a highly regarded architect in America, thus, any of his new works were greatly anticipated.  

When you combined, Steve Wynn, Tom Fazio and Las Vegas in the late 1980's tell me who wouldn't be anxious to see the final product ?

Those who knew of Steve Wynn were anxious to see what he was creating.
Those golfers who came to Las Vegas were anxious to see what he was creating.
Those golfers who were Fazio fans were anxious to see what he was creating.
Those who were naturally curious were anxious to see what was being created.

Almost every club I know of has a group of golfers who take junkets or visit Las Vegas for a variety of reasons.
The rumors and/or facts that they carried back to their home clubs helped energize the buzz, the anticipation about Shadow Creek before it opened.

Perhaps golfers who gamble make up narrow slice of the golfing spectrum

I would venture a guess that they might outnumber the participants on this site.

There was a discernable buzz/anticipation predating the opening of Shadow Creek that was pretty substantial in my neck of the woods.

Yet, some would have you believe that Shadow Creek was a better guarded secret than the "Skunk Works" development of the SR-71

The fact that you COULDN'T play it after it opened made it even more intriquing.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat Mucci-

If the golfing public doesn't anticipate a new course opening, then who does?

It's target market

The designer? You?
Yes, Yes

I could care less that Shadow Creek opened, I could care less that they recently did some work out there, and I wouldn't care if it closed permanently tomorrow. I could also give less than a damn about Sebonack (sorry Mr. Doak), Friars Head, Liberty National, or any of these other high dollar places to play.

Show me an affordable public course of high quality and I'll show you a course that the average golfer is anticipating.

Shadow Creek was NEVER intended as an affordable golf course for the average golfer.
You're viewing this in a narrow negative perspective, as if Shadow Creek didn't have a substantial impact on GCA in America and elsewhere, which it did.

There has been far more press lately on the NCSU golf course in Raleigh prior to its opening than was ever spent on Dormie Club. Why? No one in NC gives a damn about Dormie because only 100 people in the whole state will ever get to see it.

Then why don't you propose the NCSU golf course as the most anticipated course ?

However, they've probably ran through 10000 rounds at NCSU so far. Thats a course that people care about.

So, it's your position that people in Texas, California, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Mississippi, Maine and Ohio care about the course at NCSU ?
I'd venture to say that nobody in those states not connected to NCSU ever heard about the golf course.
Shadow Creek was greatly anticipated by golfers in every state, not just by golfers in one or two zip codes.

You have to expand your provincial thinking 

To hell with the rest of them.

[John Moore II]

Pat-Perhaps you may be correct, but really, how much press did these high end courses get? How many average course golfers have ever heard of Friars Head or Rock Creek, etc.? Hell, I'll be honest and admit that prior to joining this site that I'd barely heard of NGLA, and certainly hadn't heard of places like Garden City, Atlantic City, or any number of 'highly' reputed courses out west. That probably goes for the normal American golfer. Like I say, I don't think anyone outside of the 'inner circle' or whatever you want to call it has anticipated the opening of Shadow Creek, Friars Head or any of those other top end private courses. I would be though, that a great number of people anticipated the opening of courses like Pac Dunes, The Ocean Course and other top level open-to-the-public golf courses.

[Kevin_Reilly]

I agree with Dave...my first thought when I opened this thread was Spanish Bay.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat-Perhaps you may be correct, but really, how much press did these high end courses get?

JKM,

I tend to think that "press" coverage tends to be more local or regionally oriented, unless a name architect or golfer (read Tiger Woods) is involved with the project.

I live far, far away from "The Cliffs" newest development, but have heard much about it due to Tiger Woods' involvement.
But, most courses in development probably have limited press beyond their region.

How many average course golfers have ever heard of Friars Head or Rock Creek, etc.?

Average golf course golfers ?  Very few I'd imagine, but, you know, golfers are a passionate lot, thus it wouldn't surprise me if a good number of "true" golfers know of Friar's Head.

Hell, I'll be honest and admit that prior to joining this site that I'd barely heard of NGLA, and certainly hadn't heard of places like Garden City, Atlantic City, or any number of 'highly' reputed courses out west.

Is it your contention that the average golfer doesn't read "Golf Digest" or any of those publications that list America's Top courses in X category.

Evidently, the publishers feel that the average golfer is interested in good to great courses, private, resort and public.

I couldn't tell you what the level of awareness is, but, I have to give credence that the publishers know what their target reader base is interested in, and it appears to be great courses.

That probably goes for the normal American golfer. Like I say, I don't think anyone outside of the 'inner circle' or whatever you want to call it has anticipated the opening of Shadow Creek, Friars Head or any of those other top end private courses.

Again, I'd cite "Golf Digest" and the other magazines that make a big deal out of the top courses.
Like the "Sports Illustrated" and the "Swin suit" issue, I think the editions listing the top courses get heavier sales.
Someone other than those on GCA.com must be buying those magazines.

I would be though, that a great number of people anticipated the opening of courses like Pac Dunes, The Ocean Course and other top level open-to-the-public golf courses.

I'd disagree on that.
Pac Dunes was the second course established at Bandon, a site far, far removed from the golfing masses.
It's hard to get to and expensive to play.
The same applies to the Ocean Course.

Locally, they might have enjoyed anticipation by the 2,200 golfers close by, but, nationally, I don't see the anticipation that you do, especially when you factor in the cost to get there, stay there and play them.

[Sean_A]

Enough monkeying about.  The Ocean Course at Kiawah in a landslide.

Ciao