Anyone talking about Golfweek ratings?

[Brian Finn]

Regarding the Dunes Club and trees, it is my understanding that they have been working on a handful of things (over the past few years), one of which is cutting back and thinning out trees.  I visited in September 2014, and both our host and caddies detailed various areas where trees can been reduced or eliminated.  Personally, I can't recall any particularly tight or overgrown holes.  I thought the place was outstanding.  I could have gone around and around (more than the 18 we played) and never get bored.  I believe there are some gca members (or at least guys who play it regularly) - perhaps they can provide some updates if they see this.

[BCowan]

To get our discussion back on track:   

1) Is Glens Falls as good as Holston Hills, MPCC Dunes, Fenway, Cascades and Augusta CC? 

2) Where would you insert Castle Stuart in America's top 100 modern list?  I'm thinking 5th.

3) Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island.

Discuss.

Mr Bogey,

   Is Glens Falls top 100 material IYO?  The course blows me away from photos. 

[CJames]

I have been playing at the Dunes Club since 2003, and, consequently, I'm appropriately biased.  Brian is correct in that there has been an awful lot of tree thinning/removal over the past handful of years.  While the Dunes may have had an element of 'wilderness golf' to it in the early years with a relative proliferation of trees, in no way do I presently find the course narrow; to the contrary, I can't think of a single fairway that feels tight off the tee -- and I'm an 11-index.  (I do find, however, that the illusion of narrowness is present in many of the photo threads that I have seen on our site).  The lack of an additional nine holes, to me, is more than offset by the unique variability afforded by the multiple tee boxes and the mid-morning cup change.   

[John Kirk]

Sometimes "pesky" has been used to describe a leadoff hitter in baseball.  Maury Wills, Eddie Stanky and maybe Richie Ashburn could have been referred to as a pesky leadoff hitter.  So maybe the adjective pesky came to mind because it is first.

[Mike Hendren]

To get our discussion back on track:   

1) Is Glens Falls as good as Holston Hills, MPCC Dunes, Fenway, Cascades and Augusta CC? 

2) Where would you insert Castle Stuart in America's top 100 modern list?  I'm thinking 5th.

3) Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island.

Discuss.

Mr Bogey,

   Is Glens Falls top 100 material IYO?  The course blows me away from photos.

In my opinion it's as good if not better than the courses I listed.   Some might not care for the opening blind uphill tee shot, the truncation of the 16th due to the street and the relatively weak one-shot finisher, but the routing is stellar over a hilly site and there's a nice mix of pushed up and ground level greens with abundant interest.

[Bob Montle]

I guess I do have an issue with necessary carts for golf.  To me it suggests either the terrain isn't suitable for golf, the project isn't suitable for golf or the design is poor.  I do have a handful of what I call awful walks in my Happy 100, but not many.  When the walk is that bad I automatically tick a course because my ideal course is a good walk. 

Ciao

I argue that carts are necessary if you are over 65 and both the temperature and humidity are over 90.

[Rich Goodale]

Firstly, let me confess that I was drawn to golf for various reasons, but one of them was the rankings.   Firstly in Golf Digest in the 60's and 70's when I found out early that of the few courses I was able to play in those days many were highly ranked--Winchester, Stanford, Myopia, Wee Burn, etc.  My math gene kicked in, and I was hooked.  My addiction moved onto places like Pebble and Spyglass, SFGC and Harbourtown, but that wasn't enough.  In 1978 I bought and read the original World Atlas of Golf and then took a 3 week holiday to Scotland and played (in rough order) Turnberry, Troon, Prestwick, Western Galies, Dornoch, Dornoch  Dornoch and Dornoch and then Gleneagles, Carnoustie, St. Andrews, and Muirfield.  Possibly others, but my mind was was overloaded all the way from Dornoch to back home in San Francisco.


Over the next 20+ years I got married and had sprogs but still needed the monthly Jones of single figure ranked golf courses and spreaded my testosterone over Olympic and Cypress and the Valley Club and all four couress at Banon and all the 3 courses in the Nowhere place which is Mullen, and NGLA and Merion and Shinny and gulph Mills and the rest of the British rota plus Rye and Westward Ho and Aberdovey and Alwoodley and Hunstanton and Swinley and far too many others to try to google to tweak my curiosity.


Since then I've taken the 10,000 step oath per FitBit, and have confirmed my long term held belief that there are c. 30-35 golf courses in the world that are separated from all the other ones, and I play them when I can, but don't really care to play any more courses except those which others whom I know and respect proclaim to have found a possible gem, but by far most importantly, can bring some interesting people who will play with me and talk silly things in the bar afterwards.


Rich

[Sean_A]

I guess I do have an issue with necessary carts for golf.  To me it suggests either the terrain isn't suitable for golf, the project isn't suitable for golf or the design is poor.  I do have a handful of what I call awful walks in my Happy 100, but not many.  When the walk is that bad I automatically tick a course because my ideal course is a good walk. 

Ciao

I argue that carts are necessary if you are over 65 and both the temperature and humidity are over 90.

Bob


Sure, medical/health reasons not withstanding.  I think this is a given and understood not to be a design/teerain issue.


Ciao

[Mark Pritchett]

Great post Rich, especially the last paragraph. 

[MCirba]

I see we are up to Page 3.   


Those who think ratings don't matter to the elite clubs should have been at Pine Valley the day after GD rated Augusta National #1 about a decade or so ago as I was.   

[John Kavanaugh]

I don't deny that Mike but why is so little talk about the actual courses? Did I read it wrong or did anyone go through the trouble to give Sweetens Cove architectural attribution? Why is the huge news of this course making the top 100 not being discussed? Conspiracy theory anyone?!?

[Tom_Doak]

I see we are up to Page 3.   


Those who think ratings don't matter to the elite clubs should have been at Pine Valley the day after GD rated Augusta National #1 about a decade or so ago as I was.

Since you were there, let me ask, how did that change anything in golf, for better or worse?


Was it the impetus for the lengthening of Pine Valley?  Or was it just a reason for a bunch of members to get up in arms?

[John Kavanaugh]

I see we are up to Page 3.   


Those who think ratings don't matter to the elite clubs should have been at Pine Valley the day after GD rated Augusta National #1 about a decade or so ago as I was.

Since you were there, let me ask, how did that change anything in golf, for better or worse?


Was it the impetus for the lengthening of Pine Valley?  Or was it just a reason for a bunch of members to get up in arms?

If anything it was an impetus to get more raters out on the course. In that way it harms the value of being a member. No wonder they were pissed.

[MCirba]

Good questions Tom and John.


I wish I knew the answer but suspect one contigent argued the course was becoming too short for top modern players while another argued that it had become overgrown, cluttered, and incongruently, overly manicured in the waste areas. 


All were probably true to a degree so it will be interesting to see the direction the club takes as a new generation takes over in coming years.


On the positive side, I think ratings can serve as an early warning system when the course veers into less than optimum playability and presentation. Conversely, a number of courses have been rewarded such as Philadelphia Cricket for restoration and tree clearing that have brought them closer in alignment with their heritage.

[John Kavanaugh]

Mike,


What about Sweetens Cove?

[Mac Plumart]

find it quite humorous that The Alotian is in their top 20, but so many people on this site had a hissy fit that The Alotian was even in the Golf Digest ratings. Comical actually. I am not saying The Alotian is not worthy or is worthy. It is funny that such a horrendous cartball fiasco would make the GW top 20. Thoughts?

My thoughts are it must be good.

[Jim Franklin]

find it quite humorous that The Alotian is in their top 20, but so many people on this site had a hissy fit that The Alotian was even in the Golf Digest ratings. Comical actually. I am not saying The Alotian is not worthy or is worthy. It is funny that such a horrendous cartball fiasco would make the GW top 20. Thoughts?

My thoughts are it must be good.

Mac -

I agree with you.

[MCirba]

Mike,

What about Sweetens Cove?

John,

I have to think that was an unintentional oversight that has since been thankfully corrected.   

On the other hand, I think any listing that recognizes both Sweeten's Cove (which I haven't played yet) and Swope Memorial can't be all bad. 

[Cliff Hamm]

3) Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island.

Discuss.

Rhode Island is actually State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  The Rhode Island part refers to Aquidneck Island, think Newport.  Roger Williams referred to Aquidneck Island as Isle of Rodes...


Plantation was an English name for a colony.  Hence Providence Plantation (colony) founded by Roger Williams.  An adjacent area was Warwick so Plantation became plural.
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