[Kevin Lynch]

My first experience with Stphen Kay - The Links at Union Vale.  Centerline hazards, multiple ground / aerial options, and the biggest surprise of all - a $49 walking rate.  One of the most fun rounds of the year.

I'll also second Ron Montesano on the "second tier" Bethpage courses.  I expected very little and thought these were going to be uninteresting courses with simple greens.

[Ross Harmon]

Ballyneal.

I had high expectations, but didn't expect it to shape my view of golf course architecture.

[Jason Mandel]

I'll throw in a 3rd vote for Eastward Ho!

I had a hint that the place was going to really good, but I too was absolutely blown away by the place.

The best piece of land I've ever played golf on, stunning views every where you turned, and FUN golf holes.

It was well worth the 7 hour drive up.

[Simon Holt]

The short answer, by far my stand out surprise was The Scarlet Course at OSU.  Loved the back 9.

The lengthy version.....

Other first visits I really enjoyed- Royal Aberdeen, Sebonack (I really liked this course, although if I'm being honest the greens seemed a bit small for the movement), Muirfield Village, The Bridge, Moray Old (really great fun!), Machrihanish (cool place, around 12 to 14 really enjoyable holes and the rest are ok)

Great return visits- Loch Lomond (perhaps one of the best back 9s in Scotland) Maidstone, NGLA (perhaps a bit too 'green' and soft compared to how I remembered them for my liking, it was post hurricane though!)

Old favourites- TOC, The New Course

Regulars that I love and will not be moved on- North Berwick, Luffness, Muirfield

There are of course many others but I felt all of these were noteworthy for various reasons.

Carnoustie failed to impress- after playing links golf my whole life and having played the majority of 'great' links in Scotland I was left wondering what all the fuss is about.  I have walked it many times before but never played.  Fun is not on the menu and I felt like I had played pretty well!  The front 9 is nothing to write home about in my opinion.  God knows what high handicappers think of it unless they are golf sadists.  I will say the greens were in fantastic condition.

[Jud_T]

Spring Valley Country Club, Salem WI-  Great for the wife and kid (no bunkers!) and fun and quirky Langford for $18 walking...

[Tim Martin]

I have to add Wanumetonomy to my earlier post. A cool Raynor on a smallish piece of land(less than 125 acres) with some great greens overlooking Narragansett Bay. With Newport CC a town away it gets lost in the shuffle but should not be passed up if the opportunity presents itself.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I can go along with Pine Dunes...especailly once you get past the first two holes.....
Diamante simply blew me away,with its wind swept dunes and the appearence of Cypress in its early days at least in my mind.

[Scott_Burroughs]

The Virginian, T Fazio, Bristol, VA

CC of Salisbury, Ross, Salisbury, NC

Cannon Ridge, Weed, Fredericksburg, VA

[Carl Nichols]

Cal Club -- my expectations were pretty high, but with the exception of one or two holes, I thought it was terrific.

Bald Eagle Colony (NH) -- a great example of how fun/tricky greens can make a short course interesting and challenging.

[David Kelly]

1.) Indianwood CC Old;

Agree. I played it for the first time this year and really enjoyed it.  Agree with you about the turn, especially #10 which was really out of character and kind of contrived.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

A return visit after more than 40 years to Harborne in Birmingham with Sean Arble. Some wonderfully contoured greens and superb condition.

[Lou Cutolo]

I would say Bayonne Golf Club. Not knowing what to expect for a course build on an old landfill with 7 million cubic yards of New York harbor waste it was sensational. I don’t think it hurt that I arrived by ferry from lower Manhattan.

Lou

[Dan Kelly]

Lawsonia.

And in the category of cheap muni w/o pretension, walked but not played: Emeis GC, Davenport, Iowa. Nothing world-class, but for my money, a very well designed and maintained municipal. I wish it were in the Twin Cities.

One more: Tagalong, in Birchwood, Wisconsin. Proving that a golf course w/ almost no bunkers can still be a lot of fun to play.

One more one more (also walked but not played): Mission Inn (El Campeon), Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Expected flat and water-clogged; found dramatic ups and downs, with manageable water.

[Jud_T]

Oh, another one I forgot was Big Fish Golf Club in Hayward, WI.  One of the more fun Pete Dye tracks I've played on an interesting piece of property.  Went to visit my kid at camp and found this gem...

[Andy Troeger]

This is always an interesting question. In some ways participating here makes it tougher to be surprised, because there aren't that many worthy courses that haven't been discussed here, usually with photo tours! I could say Bandon Trails, mainly because its my favorite course played this year, edging out the rest of Bandon, Pinehurst #2 and Dormie, Pete Dye GC, and other worthy options. I could also go with Tobacco Road, but I pretty much expected to like it based on photos and its level of uniqueness. Both beat expectations, but are the runners up to my choice of...

...Milwaukee CC. To be honest, I had at least a few people tell me prior to my visit that it was overrated and not 100 Greatest material. The photos I had seen didn't really inspire me either. But...its a heck of a golf course. The river holes are without question the prettiest, but the work done to clear out some trees and add more short grass around the greens and bunkers really makes it a fun and interesting place to play. Its most certainly 100 Greatest material and my pleasant surprise of the year.

[Jackson C]

Pinehurst #2. Visually, it's as good as everyone expected; but it's just so much more fun to play.

Completely agree.  Beautiful and very playable.

[Mac Plumart]

This one...











Balcomie.

[David_Elvins]

Bandon Trails

[JC Urbina]

I have had the pleasure of seeing a few new ones this year and luckily a chance to revisit a few of my all time favorites.

Fenway was a treat to see.  The greens complexes and bunkering were really impressive but it was the way the Tillinghast group moved the dirt to create the bunkers and greens shapes  in a very compact area.   I had driven by this course several times over the years to see Wing Foot or Quaker Ridge.  I should have stopped in a long time ago.  Two par 4's that measure 295 and 305 yards.

The work that the  C & C crew did at Wykagil was impressive.

[Kevin Cahoon]

Like Mr Chaplin, Essex County in NJ. The green complexes were dynamite. The back 9 is especially impressive.

[Sam Morrow]

I forgot to add The Wilderness in Lake Jackson, TX. It's a Brauer design that's very good and well worth the short drive from Houston.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Formby. Exceeded high expectations.


The change of landscape is totally captivating.


I feel I must mention the perfect fescue rough - a pleasure I doubt I've ever commented on before.


The best Dormy house I've seen.

Those who venture their post BUDA in 2012 are in for a treat.

(PS I even enjoyed the strange aircraft taking off next door on the Sunday afternoon.)


(PPS has the font recently got smaller here?)

[Ronald Montesano]

I've got to offer up a modification, as it just occurred to me that I had left out one very important course. Perhaps it's due to the fact that my camera crapped out on the second tee (it's a temperamental machine whose ego and contact points need to be salved from time to time), but I don't have the opportunity to revisit a photo series from the course. This necessitates a return trip to a place with terrific natural topography, an excellent collection of golf holes and a plan for moving forward to the past, despite a local road that bisects the property. I speak of Paramount and look forward to a return in 2013 ( to give JC a couple years to work his magic. )

[Rob_Waldron]

I knew The Dormie Club by C&C would be good. I just did not think it would be as good as it is.

I cannot stop talking about Viniterra near Williamsburg. Rees Jones designed a monster here. Just be sure to play the right tees otherwise the course will eat your lunch!

[Mike Hendren]

Peachtree Golf Club.  With just one week's preparation it could host a major championship, logistics aside.

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