Ran's challenge

[Mark_Rowlinson]

In his introduction to his profile of Reddish Vale Ran Morrissett said:

I was talking with Steve Lapper recently about GolfClubAtlas.com starting a ranking. Groan, groan, groan, you think as your eyes roll back in your head.   Wait! Ours would be of the world’s best 6,500y and under courses. Let’s give clubs a reason NOT to expand their tee boxes backwards. Let’s herald courses that still value walking by keeping the green to tee walks tight. Though we may never compile such a ranking, it is wonderful to tip the hat to exceedingly worthy places such as Reddish Vale and Fraserburgh.

Should we try to compile a list of the top 50 qualifying courses? The list could be expanded to any number of courses you fancy. We could have separate compilations for courses under 6,250 yards, 6,000 yards and maybe even under 5,750 yards.

[Dan Herrmann]

Under 6500 from the tips?

[Mark McKeever]

Fisher's Island is right on the cusp

6544 Yards from the back tees


Mark

[Howard Riefs]

Shoreacres at 6,521 from the tips:

http://www.shoreacres1916.com/scorecard_guests.php

[Jordan Standefer]

Wilshire CC - 6506

[Mark Bourgeois]

Three suggestions right out of the box and none under 6,500 yards. 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

UNDER 6,500, so those are just too long. Yes - tips. As an Englishman I am thinking in terms of the men's medal plate, the one from which you play all significant club competitions during the season.

[Sean_A]

Mark

I don't know.  If the course has some sort of champ tees that stretch past the 6500 mark I would disqualify it simply because it is more likely that the course is less walker friendly from those tees - which sort of defeats the purpose of encouraging clubs not to expand their tee boxes back.

Ciao

[Jud_T]

Old Elm Club, Highland Park, IL (Colt/Ross 1913)  6465 Par 73

Spring Valley Country Club, Salem, WI (Langford/Moreaux 1927) 6,451 Par 70

Kingswood Golf Club, Wolfeboro, NH (Ross 1915) 6,366 Par 72

[Mark Bourgeois]

Mark

I don't know.  If the course has some sort of champ tees that stretch past the 6500 mark I would disqualify it simply because it is more likely that the course is less walker friendly from those tees - which sort of defeats the purpose of encouraging clubs not to expand their tee boxes back.

Ciao

Stop arguing. New Zealand.

[Alex Miller]

Eastward Ho!
St. George's
Southampton
LACC South

[Mark Bourgeois]

Rye

[Mark Bourgeois]

Delamere Forest

[David Stewart]

Crystal Downs (6518) just misses as well.

[Bill_McBride]

Delamere Forest

Beau Desert?

[Ronald Montesano]

54 yards is 3 yards per hole...that's 1/5 of a club longer per hole...I think that you toss 6600 as your arbitrary number, as it is just as arbitrary as 6500...My three categories would be 6201-6600, 5801-6200 and 5800 and below.

[Mark Bourgeois]

54 yards is 3 yards per hole...that's 1/5 of a club longer per hole...I think that you toss 6600 as your arbitrary number, as it is just as arbitrary as 6500...My three categories would be 6201-6600, 5801-6200 and 5800 and below.

No.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Delamere Forest

Beau Desert?

Yes.

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

White Bear.

[Tim Gavrich]

My nominations:

CC of Farmington (CT)
Copake CC

[Mark Bourgeois]

Myopia

Nope. 6539

[Kevin_D]

Maidstone
Swinley Forest

[Greg Tallman]

just make it 6800 and see how many truly great courses there are and how much of the modern stuff is excluded... would look a lot like Golfweek's classic list.

[Dan Herrmann]

UNDER 6,500, so those are just too long. Yes - tips. As an Englishman I am thinking in terms of the men's medal plate, the one from which you play all significant club competitions during the season.

Based on that, Hanse's French Creek is 6307.  Tips are > 6700, but that's not where the men's medal plates are located.

[Greg Clark]

There are a bunch of very walkable golf courses over 6500 yards.  Bump it up a few hundred yards and the list would be quite a bit more interesting.

[PCCraig]

I started a thread on this subject two years ago, which received 3 pages of responses:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50124.0.html

Old Elm is a great choice. As is White Bear YC.

My home course is sub-6400 yards from the tips. It also had an over 80 scoring average in the State Mid-Am last fall. Courses don't have to be long to be interesting and challenging!