[Bill Shamleffer]

Ruth Park, a 9 hole muni in the inner suburbs of St. Louis.  The St. Louis guys will know it.  It really is not worth spending much time discussing other than a learned how to putt on clover at Ruth Park.  It is actually an OK little course where my brother and I have had many fun mornings & afternoons (and even a few rainy days).  Actually I think it was designed by Foulis, who also designed Glen Echo, Normandie and the original Forest Park courses.

[Will Peterson]

Winter Park Country Club 9 Hole - Winter Park, FL

We need more courses like Winter Park CC.  9 holes for around $10, course is in reasonable playing shape, perfect place for beginners, and still has some fun shots.  Place is usually busy with all sorts of people of all sorts of skill levels.  Everyone is just out to have a good time.

My girlfriend just started playing, and it is the ideal place for us to play.  I actually bought some hickories to use there.

[Mike_Trenham]

St. Da...   ahhh, never mind.   

Yes!

[Rees Milikin]

Island's End
The Patch, Augusta-where I learned to play links golf
Goat Hill (which others consider shitty, but I have in my top 25)
absolutely prime right now-dust clouds when ball lands

Rees,
used to love playing Belle Meade.
Do they still have the 75 yard par 3? #11 I think?
played with a guy in a HS match who drove the 12th? (247 uphill yards to a wicked green) lipped out his uphill 3 footer for eagle, it horseshoed around, rolled past him, off the upper level, off the lower level, and 50 yards back down the fairway
We played our region tournament at Hard Labor Creek one year.(which seemed appropriate given the nature of our team )

That par 3 is still there and I can see what you are talking about on the drivable par 4, which would have been funny to see in person.  The back 9 of that course is very fun.

[Rees Milikin]

Winter Park Country Club 9 Hole - Winter Park, FL

We need more courses like Winter Park CC.  9 holes for around $10, course is in reasonable playing shape, perfect place for beginners, and still has some fun shots.  Place is usually busy with all sorts of people of all sorts of skill levels.  Everyone is just out to have a good time.

My girlfriend just started playing, and it is the ideal place for us to play.  I actually bought some hickories to use there.

The temporary "green" on the 3rd hole is hilarious, just a spraypainted circle on the fairway...love it

PM me if you ever wanna play a round, I live next to Dubsdread.

[Bryan Lewis]

South Haven Golf Club (Michigan).  Clay based soil so it is barely playable most of April.  A total of about 10 bunkers that are grass and beach sand.  The old owner planted trees down the edges of fairways like airport runways.  Condition is awful unless you catch the right weather pattern.  But I love that place!  Nice layout, variety of holes, no weak holes and no tricked up ones.  Bruce Matthews design from the 50's.  Fun golf!  If only someone with vision and a little money (and a chainsaw) would buy it.  <sigh>

[J_ Crisham]

Marquette Park and Evergreen CC(NLE)
              Both of these tracks were my childhood tracks.These courses had some very stout par 4's in the 450-470 range which was big back in the 70's. Once a year I got to play Beverly for caddy Monday golf- the kicker was we were not allowed to hit from the teeboxes but directly in front of them- provided some downhill lies off a tee!

[Carson Pilcher]

Flatirons Golf Course in Boulder, CO.  Robert Bruce Harris.  Square parcel of land, occupied by parallel fairways.  Flat greens and very little character.  And I LOVE that place!  Had a standing game there for years.  Incredible resistance to scoring for such a seemingly innocuous little track.  Has one all-world hole, the par-3 11th.

I love Flatirons!!  I have not thought of that place in years, but played it a bunch when I lived in Boulder.  Thanks for the memory-jog.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Green Meadows Golf Course in Augusta.  First place I ever played golf at the age of 10.  To this day, I can still remember my first tee shot.

As a kid, I would get a Summer all you can play card to the Cabbage Patch in Augusta.  I would hang out at the airport and go flying and then walk over to The Patch and play golf until my Mom would come get me.

Both Green Meadows and Cabbage Patch are certifiable dumps.  No design features and a maintenance budget probably less than some of your homes.  However, the memories of being 10-11 years old with a set of cut-down Patty Berg clubs, searching for lost balls in the woods and drinking a cold Coke at the shack will always hold a special place in my heart.

p.s. It wasn't until years later that I uncovered the best chili dog in Augusta - and a little better course.

[Rees Milikin]

p.s. It wasn't until years later that I uncovered the best chili dog in Augusta - and a little better course.

Where might this chili dog exist?

[Andrew Buck]

Newman Golf Course in Peoria.  For some reason the park district down there has decided to poor it's money into a different Muni, Kellogg, but Newman has a some good character.  

Holes 1, 2, 9 and the back 9 are over some interesting land and make scoring much harder than meets the eye.  

Depending on the definition of sh**ty, I probably have a few more.  

[jeffwarne]

p.s. It wasn't until years later that I uncovered the best chili dog in Augusta - and a little better course.

Where might this chili dog exist?

Carson, It is indeed the best, and hasn't changed in 40 years.
We used to drive out to the halfway house in our cars from High School to eat there.
The Patch in the Red Douglas days had a really good one too, just different

[Tom Ferrell]

Oh, I forgot one...

Evergreen GC, Evergreen, CO.  A crazy-quilt course complete with elk, a true Dell Hole (over the rock with the arrow painted on it!).  Lots of nutty blind shots and huge kickslopes.  Beautiful mountain views.  Not a great course by any means but full of quirk and interest.

Great way to make a 36-hole day, along with the incredible hidden gem Hiwan GC.

[Carson Pilcher]

p.s. It wasn't until years later that I uncovered the best chili dog in Augusta - and a little better course.

Where might this chili dog exist?

Carson, It is indeed the best, and hasn't changed in 40 years.
We used to drive out to the halfway house in our cars from High School to eat there.
The Patch in the Red Douglas days had a really good one too, just different

Red's hot dogs were really good, and he was a helluva guy.

To answer Rees, we are speaking of Augusta Country Club.

I do not come home much anymore, but do make it to The Masters most every year.  We always leave to tournament and head over to the club in the late afternoon.  As the sun starts fading, we take a cart and ride out to grab a chili dog.  Great way to end the day.

[Jim Nugent]

Ruth Park, a 9 hole muni in the inner suburbs of St. Louis.  The St. Louis guys will know it.  It really is not worth spending much time discussing other than a learned how to putt on clover at Ruth Park.  It is actually an OK little course where my brother and I have had many fun mornings & afternoons (and even a few rainy days).  Actually I think it was designed by Foulis, who also designed Glen Echo, Normandie and the original Forest Park courses.

Bill, I played my first round of golf at Ruth Park, when I was 11 years old.  Also was the first place I broke 40.  Caddied there, worked for a while inside the pro shop/grill.  The tees were almost entirely dirt, with little to no grass.  This was back in the mid 1960s.  I'm guessing the greens stimped around 4 or 5?  They were WAY slower than the local country clubs.  

I see on the scorecard that they lengthened some of the holes, turning #3 into a par 5, which makes the course par 35.  Back when I played, we used to hit our drives on #5 on a straight line towards the green, way right of what was supposed to be the fairway.  Is that still the way to play it?  

[Scott Sander]

Hickory Bend.  Zionsville, Indiana.  Immediately next door to -but worlds away from- Wolf Run.

9 rather odd holes on what could still probably be a decent farm field.
But the people who run the place are unfailingly warm and extremely encouraging to youngsters.  And not in a 'isn't that cute' way that can seem condescending, but in a quiet 'you're one of us' sort or fashion that helps shape someone into a lifer.  
  
These days we now have the great good fortune to live on and play a fantastic course, but the boy still asks to return to Hickory Bend.

[Mark McKeever]

St. Da...   ahhh, never mind.   

Yes!

Quote of the year!

Mark

[Sean Leary]

Desert golf in general.  Maybe its because I live in rain country, but I always enjoy desert golf, even on sh!tty courses.

[jonathan_becker]

Desert golf in general.  Maybe its because I live in rain country, but I always enjoy desert golf, even on sh!tty courses.

+1

[Michael Huber]

The artist formerly known as schenley park golf course.  Currently known as the bob o connor golf links at schenely park or something like that.

Not many courses in the world with 7 forced carries over operating roadways.

[Tom Walsh]

Ruth Park, a 9 hole muni in the inner suburbs of St. Louis.  The St. Louis guys will know it.  It really is not worth spending much time discussing other than a learned how to putt on clover at Ruth Park.  It is actually an OK little course where my brother and I have had many fun mornings & afternoons (and even a few rainy days).  Actually I think it was designed by Foulis, who also designed Glen Echo, Normandie and the original Forest Park courses.

Bill, I played my first round of golf at Ruth Park, when I was 11 years old.  Also was the first place I broke 40.  Caddied there, worked for a while inside the pro shop/grill.  The tees were almost entirely dirt, with little to no grass.  This was back in the mid 1960s.  I'm guessing the greens stimped around 4 or 5?  They were WAY slower than the local country clubs.  


I see on the scorecard that they lengthened some of the holes, turning #3 into a par 5, which makes the course par 35.  Back when I played, we used to hit our drives on #5 on a straight line towards the green, way right of what was supposed to be the fairway.  Is that still the way to play it?  

Bill and Jim--I also played the Ruth Park Muni as a kid. Played high school matches there against University City High in the mid 70's. Yes, it was a goat track.

No longer. Completely regrassed with zoysia about 15 years ago. All tees regraded, regrassed with zoysia. Several new tees built. It has a few  good holes. #2, #5, #9--all par four's uphill. (Jim- you can still cut the dogleg on 5)

No one will mistake it for St. Louis CC or the Algonquin GC  , but it has a legit greens super (crew of 2 I think), and the last two pro's were and are great guys--Ron Akin and Doug Castellari. Very pro-junior golf.

Worth a visit if you want a pleasant surprise. About 15 bucks on a weekday to walk.

Oh yeah--go Cardinals!

[Chris Mavros]

Walnut Lane in Philadelphia (Roxborough).  No matter what the conditions, I always have fun and some how find myself there at least a few times a season for some practice rounds. 

[Jim Nugent]

Bill and Jim--I also played the Ruth Park Muni as a kid. Played high school matches there against University City High in the mid 70's. Yes, it was a goat track.

No longer. Completely regrassed with zoysia about 15 years ago. All tees regraded, regrassed with zoysia. Several new tees built. It has a few  good holes. #2, #5, #9--all par four's uphill. (Jim- you can still cut the dogleg on 5)

No one will mistake it for St. Louis CC or the Algonquin GC  , but it has a legit greens super (crew of 2 I think), and the last two pro's were and are great guys--Ron Akin and Doug Castellari. Very pro-junior golf.

Worth a visit if you want a pleasant surprise. About 15 bucks on a weekday to walk.

Oh yeah--go Cardinals!

Tom, when I played it cost about $1.25 or $1.50 to play.  As public courses went back then, it was pretty good, both in conditioning and layout.  You want goat track, try Southmoor in 1970.  

[Tim Leahy]

Lake Chabot in Oakland, CA. You cant walk it because of the changes in elevation and the greens are slow. Road runs through the middle of it and you have to wait for the cars. But the views of both bridges on a clear day and watching your drives sail off the elevated tees makes it worth the trouble.

[Tom Walsh]

Bill and Jim--I also played the Ruth Park Muni as a kid. Played high school matches there against University City High in the mid 70's. Yes, it was a goat track.

No longer. Completely regrassed with zoysia about 15 years ago. All tees regraded, regrassed with zoysia. Several new tees built. It has a few  good holes. #2, #5, #9--all par four's uphill. (Jim- you can still cut the dogleg on 5)

No one will mistake it for St. Louis CC or the Algonquin GC  , but it has a legit greens super (crew of 2 I think), and the last two pro's were and are great guys--Ron Akin and Doug Castellari. Very pro-junior golf.

Worth a visit if you want a pleasant surprise. About 15 bucks on a weekday to walk.

Oh yeah--go Cardinals!

Tom, when I played it cost about $1.25 or $1.50 to play.  As public courses went back then, it was pretty good, both in conditioning and layout.  You want goat track, try Southmoor in 1970.  

Jim- Yes Southmoor later called Bahnfyre, now NLE. Also down south county was Arrowhead (9 holes--NLE). I also played in west county- Pebble Creek, Lakewood, West Par (all public 9 holes and NLE)

When I was a kid the class of the publics was Crystal Lake in Des Peres (18 holes--NLE). The high school district qualifier for state was played there many times. Played in it twice--didn't qualify  

You know Ruth Park occupies a niche in St. Louis--inner suburbs, diverse community, lots of grass, cheap--$12 on a weekday (I looked it up), active junior programs/camps during the summer. There aren't many like it left in St. Louis.

Cheers, Tom

[Thomas Dai]

Remember, as an example, trousers with turn-ups at the bottom of the legs? Once upon a time a fashion fad. Then out of fashion, then back into fashion again etc, etc. A few decades ago folk chuckled at the thought of courses like the Painswicks and Perranporths of this golfing world. Times change, peoples views (the medias views?) change. Not that long ago 'green was good' in golf. Now amongst some circles, like um, posters herein, minimalism is if not good then perhaps a bit better and green is seen as less-good. Just being cynical but how long before the circle turns another few notches and what is now less fashionable becomes fashionable once again?

All the best

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