Courses TD Thinks Are Most Underrated

[David_Tepper]

https://www.linksmagazine.com/the_great_unloved/

[DFarron]

They bogeyed...no Aetna Springs......

[Tom_Doak]

That's weird to see because I wrote it three years ago when Volume 1 of the new book came out.  Don't know where it has been hiding since.


When I saw the title I thought it was going to be someone else's take on my own designs.  Choosing my most underrated is a matter of how to balance good design & awful conditions (Apache Stronghold or Quail Crossing) vs. very good but non-oceanfront courses (St Andrews Beach or Stone Eagle).


Aetna Springs is another good choice - completely off the radar.

[Carl Rogers]

Riverfront, I wonder?
 In Vol 3 of the Confidential Guide, Tom makes a bit of a tongue & cheek comment about the 14th hole, a very good par 5.  The course has too many houses and some long green to tee distances, but the holes themselves have a lot of strategy and character to them.  Bunker maintenance is poor.

[David_Tepper]

Just changed the header of the thread to better reflect its content.

[Jon Wiggett]

Interesting article with some thought provoking points. Shame they could not find a photo for Askernish and it appears that Mid Pines has an identical copy of a hole at St.George's Hill .


Jon

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm led to wonder if anyone who didn't already know about these courses had heard of a Tom Doak. This reminded me of a 10 best OBGYN's in Louisiana article found in an on flight magazine. Where lies the value and to whom?

[Carl Rogers]

I'm led to wonder if anyone who didn't already know about these courses had heard of a Tom Doak. This reminded me of a 10 best OBGYN's in Louisiana article found in an on flight magazine. Where lies the value and to whom?

I discovered Riverfront 12 minutes from my home about the same time I heard of Tom, this web site, won a Golf Magazine Design Armchair Architect Contest that TD judged and met my friend Scott Weersing from this site.  I did not know what to make of Riverfront for a number of rounds back in late 2005.

[John Kavanaugh]

I met Scott Weersing also because of this site. Great guy!!! What does that have to do with this article or Riverfront?

[Carl Rogers]

I met Scott Weersing also because of this site. Great guy!!! What does that have to do with this article or Riverfront?

A little bit of free association.  Sorry for the quasi hi-jack.

[John Kavanaugh]

No need to be sorry any time you mention Scott Weersing. What a guy!!!

[Peter Pallotta]

An aside:
In the comments section following Tom’s article, now 82 year old Dr. Stanford Kunkle shares a wonderful story about playing Crystal Downs years ago with pro Fred Muller. Mr Muller played beautifully and in fact set a new course record — except that he wouldn’t count it or record it!
Why?
Because way back on the 2nd hole, long before he knew what a great round he was about to witness, Dr. Kunkle had given/brushed aside Mr M’s 6 inch par putt... and so Mr M felt that he couldn’t consider his score official.
Man, I love those little inside stories and quiet bits of history.