I was very fortunate to play some great golf courses this year, but a couple that I would classify as "surprises" would be these 2, but for different reasons.
1.) Indianwood CC Old; Living in Michigan for the past 7 1/2 years, I really never heard much about this course, but found the course to be very interesting and enjoyed the layout very much with the exception of a couple holes around the turn. I can see why they are hosting the US Senior Open next year, and I think its likely that they could set it up in a manner that produces higher scores than we saw this year at Inverness Club. Had to hit lots of different shots...blind shots, knockdowns ,etc w/ lots of elevation changes and truly enjoyed the round.
2.) Bandon Trails; Ok, so this might not be a course that should surprise someone, but leading up to my first trip to Bandon a lot of what I had read had me not as excited for this inland cousin of the other Bandon courses. However, after only a few holes I found the variety of landscapes and some great golf holes and I knew I was in for a treat. Hard for me to pick a favorite on Mr. Keiser's property, but I will say that if BT was a lone course all to itself, it would recieve a lot of aclaim in my opion for being a top top course instead of the course that is thought of after PD and BD.
Hopefully I can add some new suprises for 2012!