Working Man's Golf Courses

[Josh Bills]

Sean,

I have a quite a few more photos of P.C. if you are interested.  It is definitely sloped straight down to the lake on most holes.  I have not played Cassadaga yet.  I did play Moonbrook CC earlier this year whose greens were surprisingly fast!  A nice layout that, as has been discussed on here, was affected by 87 going through.  I spoke with the Super the day we played and the course was in great shape, even though there had been heavy, heavy rain.  Not sure I would want to see those greens in dry weather.  I have heard Lakeview CC in Erie is nice as well, though like Moonbrook, once again not priced for this thread. 

[JC Jones]

The Mines in Grand Rapids.  A very good and very fun Mike DeVries course that I played for the first time, yesterday.  $39 w/cart.  The conditioning could use some help and the greens could be faster and better maintained but it has all of the interest you'd expect from a DeVries course. 

[Jud_T]

JC,

Good call.  The Mines is well worth a visit for anyone passing through GR.  Solid design on a nice piece of property.

[Carl Johnson]

The Valley course at Portrush?  The Portland course at Troon?  Just askin'.

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

Sean,

I have a quite a few more photos of P.C. if you are interested.  It is definitely sloped straight down to the lake on most holes.  I have not played Cassadaga yet.  I did play Moonbrook CC earlier this year whose greens were surprisingly fast!  A nice layout that, as has been discussed on here, was affected by 87 going through.  I spoke with the Super the day we played and the course was in great shape, even though there had been heavy, heavy rain.  Not sure I would want to see those greens in dry weather.  I have heard Lakeview CC in Erie is nice as well, though like Moonbrook, once again not priced for this thread. 

Moon Brook and Lakeview are a few of the best Private courses in the area.  If you have time check out Cable Hollow Golf Club in Russell PA. It's just south of Jamestown on the way to Warren.  Cable is a true working mans country club, less than 50 to play.  It's run by a family that has sent at least two sons through the Turf Prog. at PSU.   My brother plays there regularly and I think you would really enjoy it.  Also in close proximity is Jackson Valley and Blueberry Hills. 

Remember a few years ago Golf Digest rated Western NY as one of the top places for golf in the country.  There is plenty of fun to find up there.  I just never get a chance to get there anymore.

[Jeff Blume]

Here is one you can play for less than $45.00.  It should open early next month and is located in Woodward, Oklahoma.  I posted these photos a few weeks ago.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56230.0.html

It is sort of a working man's Australian Sand Belt type of golf course.

[Howard Riefs]

Quite apropos to share this Golf Digest photo gallery of sand-green courses, "of which there are an estimated 100 or so left in the United States, mostly nine-holers in the Great Plains, offer about as basic a golf experience as a person can have."

Photos of four of the 20 such remaining courses in Nebraska:  Fairview GC in Pawnee City; Riverside GC in Central City; Lawrence (Neb.) CC; and Dannebrog (Neb.) GC.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2013-07/photos-sand-green-courses#slide=1

[Mark Pearce]

Silloth on Solway seems to welcome members from right across the spectrum.

[Michael Whitaker]

Quite apropos to share this Golf Digest photo gallery of sand-green courses, "of which there are an estimated 100 or so left in the United States, mostly nine-holers in the Great Plains, offer about as basic a golf experience as a person can have."

Photos of four of the 20 such remaining courses in Nebraska:  Fairview GC in Pawnee City; Riverside GC in Central City; Lawrence (Neb.) CC; and Dannebrog (Neb.) GC.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2013-07/photos-sand-green-courses#slide=1

Sorry to see the golf carts in the photos from Lawrence CC.

[Richard Phinney]

The Valley course at Portrush?  The Portland course at Troon?  Just askin'.

Not the Portland course, but the three munis in Troon (Lochgreen, Darley and Fullarton) are just about the epitome  working class courses in Scotland I would say. Portland (and Valley in NI) do not fit that description.

The world's very first working man clubs were formed in Montrose in the 1840s, with men from the local jute factories.  The very vibrant Mercantile Club (despite its name) is their direct descendent.  Its clubhouse (still very much in use) was actually built by a local factory owner and handed it over brand new to the workers in the 1890s. JH Taylor joined as a summer member one year during his prime and won a medal or two.

In Ireland, Carne certainly fits the bill - it was built by the unemployed labourers, and many of them became members I suspect.

In Canada, the muni Kings Forest in steel-city Hamilton, sometimes in the country's top 100, is an outstanding course built for  working men (and, to a lesser extent) and women.  Its locker room still feels like a change room at the steel factory (where I worked briefly as teenager).

[Thomas Dai]

Imagine this thread could link in with Artisan system clubs, where folk give up their time to work on the course and in exchange pay lower subs and receive playing rights. There are quite a few Artisan sections at private members clubs in the UK, although perhaps not as many as there once were. Is this approach adopted in other countries as well I wonder?
All the best

[Ken Fry]

JC,

Good call.  The Mines is well worth a visit for anyone passing through GR.  Solid design on a nice piece of property.

I have it on good authority that a certain grandpa of this site who happens to play in dirt for a living raves about another DeVries course named Diamond Springs.  He claims his father-in-law makes the drive to go play there instead of Mines.  That's not a knock on The Mines, he just thinks that much of Diamond Springs.

Ken

[Joe Hancock]

JC,

Good call.  The Mines is well worth a visit for anyone passing through GR.  Solid design on a nice piece of property.

I have it on good authority that a certain grandpa of this site who happens to play in dirt for a living raves about another DeVries course named Diamond Springs.  He claims his father-in-law makes the drive to go play there instead of Mines.  That's not a knock on The Mines, he just thinks that much of Diamond Springs.

Ken

What a coincidence. My father-in-law plays there a lot too. He loves the senior scramble every Monday. And believe me, at 78 y/o, he still is grinding for the win every time he plays.

Joe

[Sean_A]

There are many clubs which cater to working classes in GB&I.  Its is far from a rarity.

Ciao

[Ken Fry]

JC,

Good call.  The Mines is well worth a visit for anyone passing through GR.  Solid design on a nice piece of property.

I have it on good authority that a certain grandpa of this site who happens to play in dirt for a living raves about another DeVries course named Diamond Springs.  He claims his father-in-law makes the drive to go play there instead of Mines.  That's not a knock on The Mines, he just thinks that much of Diamond Springs.

Ken

What a coincidence. My father-in-law plays there a lot too. He loves the senior scramble every Monday. And believe me, at 78 y/o, he still is grinding for the win every time he plays.

Joe

So this is what it takes to get you out of the darkness??

Ken

[Richard Phinney]

There are many clubs which cater to working classes in GB&I.  Its is far from a rarity.

Ciao

I know you of all people know this, Sean, but there is a difference between working class clubs and working class courses in the UK. I think its safe to say that most all pre WW1 links courses in Scotland and Ireland at least were built or at least maintained by the upper classes, though working class or artisan clubs clubs did develop post 1850 to play on them, as many were on public land.

But working class courses in the UK? Ones built for what could be called the working class?  That's something I don't know much about.  Though obviously quite a number of tracks for the wealthy have been more or less taken over by the average bloke - Portsalon, Leven, Montrose, Arbroath,  Monifieth, Borth etc.   There's no tradition of municipal, city built courses to speak of in Ireland (in his early days, Pat Ruddy spearheaded an effort to get one started in Dublin I think) ... in England and Wales?