Your Top 5 Most Pleasant Surprises

[Josh Tarble]

Donald Ross at French Lick

This was a pretty big surprise for me a few years ago.  Such a cool course and really a great example at how Ross could route a course over challenging terrain.

[Ed Brzezowski]

North Berwick, expected a great course and told my pals how well it was reviwed. So we change our trip and went two days early.
Surprised the reviews were not better , a really great course and layout.

Second Gullane One playing behind some rugby guy that was marrying a real princess the next day, very liquid round. Beautiful course and views, playing back into town and down Gullane hill is a treat.
 

3,4 and 5  Merion of course.

[Rich Goodale]

I played 10 new courses in 2014 and am unlikely to play another new one this year.

All surprised me, 50% exceeding expectations and 50% not.  The "nots" were mostly, but not exclusively highly "rated" places, which generally deserved their ratings, and were pleasant, but never really surprised me, and in some cases disappointed me (given my probably infllated expectations).

My 5 are, in order of pleasantsurprisedness:

1.  Panmure.  If there are 20 better courses in GBI I will eat my hat (if I had one).
2.  Midland Hills.  Lots of interesting simplicity.  Lots of pure Raynor.  Lots of fun.
3.  Hunstanton.  I had high expectations and they were exceeded.
4.  The Northumberland.  A goofy course in places but how can you not enjoy sharing a golf course with a horse racing track?  The most confusingly unputtable greens I have ever played.
5.  Dismal-Nicklaus.  Jack can do some good stuff, and even be ironic by placing a real windmill in front of a reachable par-5 green.  Not better than Doak's course there, but more fun.

[Tom Kelly]

some rugby guy that was marrying a real princess the next day

Nice way to play it down..

World Cup winning, England captaining, dwarf throwing Mike 'The Fridge' Tindall about to marry Olympic medal winning Princess Zara Phillips.....playing Gullane the day before the wedding?! My estimation of him has gone up even more. I would have loved to be playing in their fourball.

[Adam Lawrence]

some rugby guy that was marrying a real princess the next day

Nice way to play it down..

World Cup winning, England captaining, dwarf throwing Mike 'The Fridge' Tindall about to marry Olympic medal winning Princess Zara Phillips.....playing Gullane the day before the wedding?! My estimation of him has gone up even more. I would have loved to be playing in their fourball.

Tindall went to the same school as I did. Along with Alistair MacKenzie, a couple of archbishops and two serial killers

[Pete Garvey]

I'd like to hear/see more about

Hope Valley
Idle Hour in Kentucky
Sand Hollow

Ciao

Sean,

Contact me anytime and let's see if you can see Idle Hour firsthand in the near future.

[Ed Brzezowski]

some rugby guy that was marrying a real princess the next day

Nice way to play it down..

World Cup winning, England captaining, dwarf throwing Mike 'The Fridge' Tindall about to marry Olympic medal winning Princess Zara Phillips.....playing Gullane the day before the wedding?! My estimation of him has gone up even more. I would have loved to be playing in their fourball.

Well no little people were tossed anywhere that day. We did find it widly humerous when watching  the news that night and hearing he was out getting a jacket measured when he was actually tossing down a few on the fairways. Honestly afraid to say no when he asked if we would toast with him, you could see that he wa/is a firece competitor. The club asked if we would mind letting him play in front of us, had a known i would of had him autograph my head.

ed

[Jon Cavalier]

I'd like to hear/see more about

Hope Valley
Idle Hour in Kentucky
Sand Hollow

Ciao

Sand Hollow is a pretty neat place.  Worth the drive from Vegas, in my opinion.

[Mike Hendren]

Kinloch - I was expecting a good golf course.  I got what possibly was the best parkland course that I have ever played.  The rolling terrain is simply stunning and the strategic value of the golf holes make every round different.  One of the best courses in the US.

I know that Augusta is Augusta, but I don't need to play it or any other similar course, having played Kinloch. I concur 101%.

I have a long-standing confession to make:  I firmly believe Augusta National Golf Club is a full 3 points better than Kinloch.

You do the math.

Just my opinion.  Respectfully,

Bogey

[Sean Leary]

I know that Augusta is Augusta, but I don't need to play it or any other similar course, having played Kinloch. I concur 101%.

One of the most absurd comments ever made on this website..

[Matt Meyer]

In no particular order of preference.

The River Course at Kiawah Island
Moraine CC in Dayton, Ohio
Eugene CC
Tralee
Hope Valley

[BCowan]

For 2015,

Diamond Springs
Muskegon CC
Ravisloe
Mt Prospect
Bloomfield Hills

[Sean_A]

Well, since December 2014 there is probably only one course I would add as a very pleasant surprise...Leckford Old

Pennard
Cleeve Cloud
Strandhill 
The Sacred 9
Carnoustie Burnside

Ciao

[James Brown]

Seaview(NJ) Bay Course - What a great seaside(soundside) lay out
Penn State White Course - Pure Willie Park Jr. in the middle of PA
Golden Horseshoe Gold Course - Really does have some awesome holes
Kingsbarns - Much better than I expected
Pebble Beach - The inward holes were SO much tougher.  Especially 14

[Dave McCollum]

I would have to say links golf in general.  I played Bandon Dunes in a white-out fog and my back went out after only nine holes.  You could see maybe 10 yards.  So, when I got a tee time on the Old Course, I read a bunch of books and planned a Scotland trip.  Honestly, my two main motivations were to see where it all started and to see how the local communities supported and interacted with their courses.  To me, it was just another “style” of golf.  I had no idea how much I’d love it.  I didn’t know much about GCA, but was very lucky with my picks:  Aberdeen, Cruden, Dornoch, Brora, Gairloch, Machrihanish, Elie, Old and New in SA, Crail, Gullane, and North Berwick WL.  I’m sorry we didn’t play The Glen in NB, but, after playing the West Links and having so much fun, we went around again.  OK, that’s 12.  Yet, a good introduction to links golf.  I came home a changed, immensely surprised, golfer.  I’ve had many others since, but there is nothing like discovering your first love.

[cary lichtenstein]

Pebble Beach
Spyglass
Cypress
Pine Valley
Cog Hill
Doral
Olympic
Eastward Ho
Highland links
Sanctuary
Casa De Campo

[Jeff Shelman]

Here are my most pleasant surprises over the past few years:

- Orchard Lake
- Olympia Fields South
- Crooked Stick
- CC of Buffalo
- Cedar Rapids CC

[Paul Jones]

White Bear Yacht
Pasatiempo
Wolf Point
Myopia Hunt
Nanea
Sleepy Hollow

Sorry, I cannot count and listed 6 - just cant think of one to remove.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I just returned from playing Biltmore Forest. I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as good as it was. It wasn't long but the terrain and the uneven lies kept me off balance most of the time. The bunkering was not what I had hoped but the greens were very good with interesting slope and undulations.

[John Connolly]

I was pleasantly surprised how much more I enjoyed Pasatiempo the second time I played it compared to the first. It's a place that grows on you.

[Paul Jones]

I was pleasantly surprised how much more I enjoyed Pasatiempo the second time I played it compared to the first. It's a place that grows on you.

WOW - I loved it the 1st time.  I will HAVE to play it again then :-)

[Cory Lewis]

Hope Valley
Northland
Congress Lake
Moraine
Full Cry @ Keswick Hall

[Paul Jones]

Hope Valley
Northland
Congress Lake
Moraine
Full Cry @ Keswick Hall

I haven't heard of any of those courses :-(

Which one was your favorite?

[Cory Lewis]

Which one was your favorite?

Moraine, and that was before the restoration.  Probably even better now.

[Bob Montle]

Machrihanish.

The aura/mood/feeling/setting ....

It was as if I had been magically transported to Brigadoon