What courses would you love to perfect?

[Wade Schueneman]

I am interested to know which courses all of you out there would love to get your hands on and modify.  I can think of several great courses that I feel could still be substantially improved upon (ignoring legal and financial limitations).

Royal County Down - I would excise 10-12, 14, and 16-18 and modify 15.  I would steal 2 holes from Annsley and thread 4 new holes through the dunes behind the front 9.

Royal Portrush - I would excise 10, 11, and 15-18, and I would thread six new holes from the Valley (including holes 5 and 6).

Royal Aberdeen - The greens could be far more interesting, the bunkering could be improved, and a few holes on the back 9 could be modestly rerouted.

Cypress Point - Great course, but given the natural attirbutes it could be even better.  The routing essentially stays, but the bunkering and tie-ins would be modified to take full advantage of the surroundings and the greens would be recontoured to add even more fun.  As for the 18th hole, couldn't it be routed parallel to the 17th with a green pirched by the cliffs somewhat near the 16th tee?

Spansih Bay, Bandon Dunes, etc.


Anyway, I really just mention these musings for illustrative purposes.  My goal is to see what courses the rest of you would tinker with if you had your drothers.   

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tokatee, Fairmont and Spanish Bay off the top of my head.

[Tim Gavrich]

Vista Links; Buena Vista, VA

Pawleys Plantation

[Kevin Pallier]

The Coast and Randwick and St. Michael's in NSW - surely one outstanding course could be built on that land.

I also wouldn't mind tinkering with my home course.

[Michael Taylor]

Which is your home course Kevin?

I wouldn't mind tinkering with NSWGC and Oatlands.

I think many people here would like to alter some courses they know well, like their home course for example. 

Pup

[Jon Wiggett]

Tain. Tee to green it is one of the best courses I have played but the majority of the greens are very dull.

[Sean_A]

The list is endless, but if I got to muck architecturally (rather than on the fringes) with them may all start taking on characteristics I like rather than enhancing their existing character. 

Two courses in particular which I think would benefit from total green overhauls are Stoneham and Delamere Forest.  Both are charming courses, but would be Swinley Forests with better greens. 

The one single championship I would like muck with is Portrush.  This is an awesome design with so many great and varied holes which is totally compromised by the lack of width.  Add 20 yards of width to many fairways and you probably have one of the most enjoyable championship courses in the world.

On the American side - Merion - yes, Merion.  Push the fairways out to the wing bunkers and Merion would probably be the most enjoyable championship course in the world. 

The one course of all I would love to get hold of is Beau Desert.  I wouldn't be interested in changing the the design, only ripping out loads of trees, pushing the fairways wider and redoing the bunkers to a uniform style (perhaps take out some as well). 

Ciao

[James Boon]

The one course of all I would love to get hold of is Beau Desert.  I wouldn't be interested in changing the the design, only ripping out loads of trees, pushing the fairways wider and redoing the bunkers to a uniform style (perhaps take out some as well). 

Ciao

Sean,

You should replace one of the clubs in your bag with a chainsaw as your 14th club 

Cheers,

James

[Sean_A]

The one course of all I would love to get hold of is Beau Desert.  I wouldn't be interested in changing the the design, only ripping out loads of trees, pushing the fairways wider and redoing the bunkers to a uniform style (perhaps take out some as well). 

Ciao

Sean,

You should replace one of the clubs in your bag with a chainsaw as your 14th club 

Cheers,

James

Boony

Can I have a bigger chainsaw if I only carry 11 clubs?

Ciao

[Scott Warren]

I think the R&A ruling is that if you carry 8 or less clubs you can ride on a D9 dozer instead of taking a buggy.

[James Boon]

Sean, Scott,

Very good

Cheers,

James

[Mike Nuzzo]

Cypress Point - Great course, but given the natural attirbutes it could be even better.  The routing essentially stays, but the bunkering and tie-ins would be modified to take full advantage of the surroundings and the greens would be recontoured to add even more fun.  As for the 18th hole, couldn't it be routed parallel to the 17th with a green pirched by the cliffs somewhat near the 16th tee?

 

What does take full advantage of the surroundings mean?
Are there any greens you wouldn't change?

[Troy Alderson]

Hi Wade,

My list is very simple, any golf course that does not fit my vision of wide fairways, undulating greens, large waste bunkers, F&F, and low-cost maintenance practices. 

Troy

[Wyatt Halliday]

How about Arrowhead?

Paging Doug Wright.

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

The Olympic Club (Ocean) - think it would be interesting for this to be an open, virtually treeless, links-like course which would be a foil to the Lake course and its tight, tree-lined corridors.

The Springhaven Club - Although i've never played Chicago GC, Garden City, or Walton Heath, looking at photos and reading accounts, it seems that these courses, better than others, utilize the flat topography to full extent.  Since Springhaven is primarily flat, and also of a similar vintage, it would be interesting to see incorporating the angles and features like those found at the above courses.

[Matthew Hunt]

Wade, at RCD do you want to use 8 and 11 from the Annesley to skip 14 on the Championship? They are two imense holes but a lot of golfers would think them too unconventional.

[Kevin Pallier]

Which is your home course Kevin?

I wouldn't mind tinkering with NSWGC and Oatlands.

I think many people here would like to alter some courses they know well, like their home course for example. 

Pup

Michael

Wollongong GC - if you ever want a game at a "poor mans" beachside course let me know 

What changes would you propose at NSW ?

[Sean Leary]

I'd love to have a stab at my home course. Fazio did some things that are easily correctable and some that are not. Planted too many trees, misplaced some bunkers (imo)and created one green complex that just doesn't make any sense and cries out for a small severe green.

Can't wait until I become dictator.

[John Moore II]

I'd love to do some work on Tobacco Road. I've detailed on here before what I'd do, working in a new par 3 to do away with the long walk from 12 to 13 and add a new tee on the par 5 13th (would then be the 14th).

I'd also be able to do some work on my original home course, Silver Creek on the coast of North Carolina.
I think at Foxfire where I worked, they could lengthen the course by a fairly large amount and make it a better course than it is currently.
At The Neuse in Clayton, NC, I'd cut down some trees on #2, put the entire hole down closer to the river and move the green on #3 down closer to the river, right beside the river if possible. And then open up the river views on #4. Those holes are the closest to the river, yet you can barely see the river itself from any of the holes. #2 runs parallel to the river its entire length, but you can't see the river at all. What a waste of some great views.

I could probably think of some more courses if I wanted to, but its getting late.

[Kirk Gill]

Wade, Arrowhead would be fun, as it has a lot of imperfections to play with, and has enough natural beauty that no one would complain too much. For myself, in this area, I'd love to get a commission to upgrade Willis Case Municipal Golf Course. I think the place has "good bones."

I love to hear folks here talk about the hypothetical changes they'd make to some really renowned courses, when they're not complaining about the real changes that other people have already made!

[Mike Hendren]

I'd love to have a stab at my home course. Fazio did some things that are easily correctable and some that are not. Planted too many trees, misplaced some bunkers (imo)and created one green complex that just doesn't make any sense and cries out for a small severe green.

Can't wait until I become dictator.

The 17th?

[Sean Leary]

Bogey,

Yes.

The sod walled bunkers are gone and it looks much better but it still doesn't fit. That could be a great hole with a better green complex.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

My home course of Texarkana CC
I would like to restore some of the greens to the original Langford/moreau look..return the sand into the old fairway bunkers and build two new green sites..in places that would enhance thoe course's existing beauty.
It is a truly classic course, in great condition and with ridiculously cheap dues/initiation...however the membership is equalyy as cheap
but that applies to most clubs I am sure.

[Chris_Clouser]

I've said it at least a hundred times and I'll say it until I'm dead.  Dornick Hills to the original 18 hole layout by Maxwell, prior to his revisions in 1936 would be my choice.  I am hoping to be back there this fall and I can still see in my head the original layout that is so clearly still in the ground there. 

[Tim Nugent]

PEBBLE BEACH

I have long wished for the unthinkable - for someone to re-Eganize PB.  When I first saw old photos of the '29 Am, I feel in love with the links look it had back then.  The natualized "hairy" bunkers and less maintained outer rough areas I believe were far superior to today's look.