Ran's challenge

[Bob_Huntley]

Monterey Peninsula comes through again. Old Del Monte G.C.

Over 100 years old and stretches out to 6300 yards.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-del-monte-golf-course-monterey.

Bob

[Jim Nugent]

Like Senor Ronaldo, I wonder what's magical about 6500 yards.  Will any courses on the GD, GM or GW top 100 lists make the 6500 yard cut?

[Matt Bosela]

Tough challenge:

- Southampton GC (Raynor) has already been mentioned.  6359 (Par 70) from the tips
- Leatherstocking in Cooperstown (Emmet) is 6401 from the tips (Par 72)

Pasatiempo just misses out at 6521 (Par 70)

In Canada, Victoria GC would be ideal and other notable sub-6500 yarders include Lakeview, Burlington GCC, Oshawa GCC and Rosedale.

[Carl Nichols]

Bald Peak Colony Club (NH, Ross):  par 72, 6264 yards.

Hanover CC (NH):  par 71, 6472 yards.

[Dave Falkner]

St Georges 6218 

[Sean_A]

Delamere Forest

Beau Desert?

Yes.

We could be looking at an All-England final. USA needs to pick it up.

White Bear.

Beau Desert - new tees 6458

Kington 5961 all the way back

Cavendish 5721 all the way back

Addington 6284

Brora 6156

Camberley Heath 6426

Portrush Valley 6304

Huntercombe  6301

Knole Park  6459

Stoneham 6392

Prestbury  6382

Edgbaston  6106

Sacred 9 3123

Maybe more to follow.

Ciao

[Bill_McBride]

Painswick 4818.   

[Bill_McBride]

Tough challenge:

- Southampton GC (Raynor) has already been mentioned.  6359 (Par 70) from the tips
- Leatherstocking in Cooperstown (Emmet) is 6401 from the tips (Par 72)

Pasatiempo just misses out at 6521 (Par 70)

In Canada, Victoria GC would be ideal and other notable sub-6500 yarders include Lakeview, Burlington GCC, Oshawa GCC and Rosedale.

Played Victoria two weeks ago today.   It's magic.  Pebble Beach with the waterfront holes right on the water. 

[Jud_T]

I think Ran's got it exactly right.  6500 is the perfect cutoff.  It's plenty of golf for 85-90% of the golfing population.  Obviously if we stretched it out we'd be able to include a lot of really good courses that would make us all a bit more comfortable.  The point isn't to have a comfortable list of courses we already know about.  It's to highlight courses that haven't put in new back tees and are still very fun and playable for that 85-90%, and as a result might cost a bit less in cash, water, effort and time to play.

[John Kirk]

My experience is very limited.

My first choice would be Boat Of Garten in the Scottish Highlands, at 5876 yards.

http://www.boatgolf.com/course/scorecard

[Mark Bourgeois]

Hello Scotland: N Berwick. 6464.

[Bill_McBride]

Hello Scotland: N Berwick. 6464.

Medal tees?

[Mark Bourgeois]

Dang. Well, that's what they have on the card but there's no way they played an Open qualifier at that distance.

DQ.

[Mac Plumart]

Aiken Golf Club
5,734

[Jud_T]

Hotchkiss Golf Club- Seth Raynor 1911:   6072  (9x2)

[Tom Dunne]

I don't have my scorecard handy, but pretty sure Rockaway Hunting is sub-6,500. Given the quality of the recent Hanse/Wagner renovation, it's gotta be a contender here.

[Rich Goodale]

This is a fascinating challenge, but I think if we strictly apply the under 6500 yard rule from the back tees we are going to end up with a motley quirk fest and not a list of substantial quality or great interest.  I would alter the rules as follows:

"All courses under 6500 yards if played from the teeing ground nearest to the previous green."

This, of course, is how golf courses were originally designed, and how they were meant to be played.  If you alter the rule to the above, all sorts of delightful choices become available, including places like Merion, Cypress Point, Dornoch, North Berwick, and NGLA.

[Mark Bourgeois]

I would alter the rules as follows:

"All courses under 6500 yards if played from the teeing ground nearest to the previous green."

No.

[Jud_T]

Courtesy of the CG:

Ashburn (Old)- Stanley Thompson  5158  Par 70
Whitinsville GC- Ross 6427 Par 70 (9*2)
Royal West Norfolk- Ingleby   6457 Par 71
Wawashkomo Golf Club- Smith 5949 Par 72 (9*2)
Brancepeth Castle Golf- Colt 6400 Par 70
Piltdown GC- 6076 Par 68
Strathpeffer Spa- Tom Morris 5001 Par 70
Hindhead Golf Club- JH Taylor 6356 Par 70

[Matthew Runde]

Clearwater CC (Herbert Strong)--6,231 yards, par 72

[Peter Pallotta]

Me thinks Ran et al have been hoisted on their own petards. Spend years promoting the classic golden age courses, and years more celebrating the renaissance, and extolling fast and firm and options and strategies and the ODGs and the modern masters, and throughout all those years debating (well, proscribing actually) what makes for 'great courses' and 'great architecture' -- and then at the end of all this, realize that 6500 yards is all anyone needs only to find that very few of the courses that meet THAT standard/criteria also meet the standards/criteria of greatness that they've spent 20 decades crafting and creating.

Luckily, Sean Arble once again comes to the rescue with a substantial list of courses that DO meet the first standard/criteria; and, because it is Sean -- with his fondness for the modest and unpretentious and so-called 'tier two' courses -- implicitly suggests that this latter standard/criteria that many take as gospel may be only ONE notion of what defines great courses and great architecture.

Perhaps it's time for a new gospel.

There, I said it.

Maybe Mark B will quote this and say "No".

Peter

[Mark Bourgeois]

Me thinks Ran et al have been hoisted on their own petards. Spend years promoting the classic golden age courses, and years more celebrating the renaissance, and extolling fast and firm and options and strategies and the ODGs and the modern masters, and throughout all those years debating (well, proscribing actually) what makes for 'great courses' and 'great architecture' -- and then at the end of all this, realize that 6500 yards is all anyone needs only to find that very few of the courses that meet THAT standard/criteria also meet the standards/criteria of greatness that they've spent 20 decades crafting and creating.

Luckily, Sean Arble once again comes to the rescue with a substantial list of courses that DO meet the first standard/criteria; and, because it is Sean -- with his fondness for the modest and unpretentious and so-called 'tier two' courses -- implicitly suggests that this latter standard/criteria that many take as gospel may be only ONE notion of what defines great courses and great architecture.

There, I said it.

Maybe Mark B will quote this and say "No".

Peter

Yes!

[Peter Pallotta]

I don't want to make this about me, Mark, but do you mean "Yes, you've predicted correctly, and I'm going to say 'no'" or do you mean "Yes indeed -- you described the situation perfectly and I agree completely"?

Please don't answer if your answer will make me blush....

Peter

[Sean_A]

Southerndown 6428, but I wonder if they have a separate championship card?

Carnoustie Burnside is probably less than 6500

Reddish Vale 6088

Hockley  6420

Blackwell 6283

Ciao

[David_Elvins]

Swinley Forest, Healesville, and New Zealand  are the best I have seen.

St Enodoc and Portsea just fail to qualify.