A Course You Could Play Every Day

[Stewart Abramson]

There are a bunch of heathland courses I don't think I'd tire of... Woking, Worplesdon, New Zealand. They don't beat you up yet are challenging and attractive. They also have a good vibe. In the US, it would be Ballyneal. In Scotland I could play a links like Elie, Dunbar, Crail Kilspindie or Lundin regularly

[Steve Lang]

   Sorry Tom,

Wolf Point Sept-May and then there's...

There's two courses I could play every day, but only during May-Sept, as i like at least 40 degF minimum temps,  The Loop Black & Red... 


Both very walkable with some nice little hills and sloped topography to utilize and deal with, 3 tees but can pin it almost anywhere for match play as green to tee distances are modest and open, one can hit away and bomb it on many holes or tack around to set up getting it in the hole, matriculating down the fairways is more or less half the battle, with pitching and chipping (as needed) either a mixed blessing or curse sometimes both on the second try.  Greens and surrounds elevate the meaning of challenge if your touch and sense of gravity are off.  Beginners luck is in play with a little ground game forethought, better player head scratching is fun to watch, until they figure it out...

[SteveOgulukian]

NGLA and Shinnecock for me.


I haven't played Cypress or Fishers, but I'm guessing those would be up there as well.

[Tal Oz]

I'd highlight a few that are consensus Top100 that have been mentioned in the thread and a few that are on my personal course I could play every day and never tire of.

Cypress Point
Cal Club
Riviera

Rustic Canyon - I probably have 250 loops under my belt and I'm still finding new nuances/breaks/strategies every roundWilshire - 6500y, fun, easy walk, perfect weather, a few good short loops back to the house, and a lovely setting.

[David Whitmer]

Staying in my home state of Ohio, I would love to play The Golf Club every day. I’ll throw Moraine and Camargo in there as well.

[Greg Smith]

Merion East.  It's very, very hard -- but also not so long.  As I get older, power declines faster than putting, so I appreciate being able to hit approaches that are not hybrid-length.  The set of greens there is difficult, but of the remaining middle-age skills putting is my best.  I performed decently well there with the flat stick and feel I could survive long-term daily play on those greens.


Merion would be a great challenge, with the bar of achievement always shifting.  But it's a great challenge that is not hopeless for me.


I think Pinehurst #2 would be my inverse of that.  I've never played it, but I feel I'd just have no shot at survival.  It'd be like getting beaten with a sand-filled hose every hole.  That course must have higher demands on precise approach shots than just about anywhere, and I just don't have the accuracy to cope.

[mike_malone]

TOC. So much to learn about on each play and it doesn’t beat you up.




  Otherwise I’m fine where I am.




Sorry I didn’t read all the way down.


Of the top 100 I have played I would say NGLA. It’s interesting and playable.

[JC Jones]

Sticking to Tom’s parameters (US 100):


Pinehurst #2 - the only course in America that is played daily by men and women, both old and young alike, but could also host a US Open tomorrow.  A treat each time I get to play it.


HarbourTown - played a couple of weeks ago behind a group of members all in their 60s and 70s, walking, and we barely kept pace playing in 3:45 ourselves.  What a great puzzle and place that is.

[Michael Wolf]

Walkability, relatively few water hazards and not searching for golf balls would all be important factors to me if I was going to choose a course to play every day. Courses I'd consider ideal would be:


SFGC
The Valley Club
Old Elm
LACC North


But my first choice would be Seminole. I think Seminole is the course that combines my three priorities PLUS has a changing wind that could be counted on to provide different challenges every time I played.


The list would be a lot longer if I included overseas courses - and Royal Melbourne and St Georges Hill would definitely be near the top of that list.


Michael

[Sean_A]

Merion East.  It's very, very hard -- but also not so long.  As I get older, power declines faster than putting, so I appreciate being able to hit approaches that are not hybrid-length.  The set of greens there is difficult, but of the remaining middle-age skills putting is my best.  I performed decently well there with the flat stick and feel I could survive long-term daily play on those greens.


Merion would be a great challenge, with the bar of achievement always shifting.  But it's a great challenge that is not hopeless for me.


I think Pinehurst #2 would be my inverse of that.  I've never played it, but I feel I'd just have no shot at survival.  It'd be like getting beaten with a sand-filled hose every hole.  That course must have higher demands on precise approach shots than just about anywhere, and I just don't have the accuracy to cope.

If not for the stupid rough I might well have chosen Merion.

Happy Hockey

[Ben Jarvis]

Blatantly stealing a topic here from Jeff Brauer, on the thread about Ordinary Courses.


I think he was right to say that for all but destination golf, building a course you could play every day and not get bored on is one of the most important aspects of golf design.  So, which of the famous courses stand out in this respect?  Not too hard to play every day, but something you'd never get tired of?


For me, the list would have to start with The Old Course and Royal Melbourne.  Actually, in general, most UK links and most of the Sand Belt courses are going to do rather well by this metric, so let's skip them for now and confine the discussion to American courses.  Which of the top 100 courses in the U.S.A. would you want to play every day?


[Please list no more than a handful.]

This subject title is pretty much how I define my "favourite" golf courses. Of those I have been fortunate to play in the U.S.A., I'll opt for:


Cypress Point
National Golf Links of America
San Francisco Golf Club
Valley Club of Montecito
Quogue Field Club


Hope you're well Tom! How things have changed since we saw you "down under" in February.

[Paul Rudovsky]

having played just about every World and USA Top 100 ever (missing 4 courses to return to perfect record), I would say it almost has to be seaside.  Reason...the variety in "looks" and "playing conditions" means that it would feel much less repetitive. 


My overwhelming first choice would be Cypress Point (partially because it is simply so beautiful, so much fun, and so relaxing).  Second choice...TOC because it has so many hidden aspects and mysteries that one might not ever stop learning.


Interesting that this thread has been up less than 13 hours and already has 86 posts

[Mark Pearce]

As the OP said, most UK links will qualify here, so I'll just mention the one I'm a member at, Elie seems to me to be the poster boy for this question.


Elsewhere, I like the suggestions of Swinley Forest and Huntercombe.  CPC seems an obvious choice and I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only one for whom Lawsonia Links sprung to mind.


In Australia, it seems to me that the great sandbelt courses pretty much all qualify but I'll throw in Port Fairy and RACV Healesville and, up there with the sandbelt, Royal Adelaide.  Finally down under, the courses at Barnbougle also seem to be ideal for this.


And, in continental Europe, how about Utrechtse de Pan?

[Niall C]

One course that I could play every day? No way!
I've been and indeed still am a member of some clubs that are always in the highest echelon of World rated courses. As wonderful as the courses are however, and as often as I've played them, familiarity does breed contempt and boredom.

atb

That's because you're such a damn good golfer  Being an average golfer myself ie. lack of consistency, and with variable conditions that you get on links, I don't see getting bored with a links through lack of variety being an issue at all. I've been a member at 3 top UK links (or at least top in my estimation) and I'd happily play any of them every day.

However I have to say the first course I thought of when I read the OP was Gullane 3. Yes some of the walk might get a bit tiresome as I got older but for fun, variety and just being a lovely place to be, it would keep me happy.

Niall

[Sean_A]

One course that I could play every day? No way!
I've been and indeed still am a member of some clubs that are always in the highest echelon of World rated courses. As wonderful as the courses are however, and as often as I've played them, familiarity does breed contempt and boredom.

atb

That's because you're such a damn good golfer  Being an average golfer myself ie. lack of consistency, and with variable conditions that you get on links, I don't see getting bored with a links through lack of variety being an issue at all. I've been a member at 3 top UK links (or at least top in my estimation) and I'd happily play any of them every day.

However I have to say the first course I thought of when I read the OP was Gullane 3. Yes some of the walk might get a bit tiresome as I got older but for fun, variety and just being a lovely place to be, it would keep me happy.

Niall

It's a New Years free for all. The man asked for top 100 USA and you don't even give him top 100 Scotland. If its not Scottish its crap?

Happy Hockey

[Niall C]

You can take your hockey stick and shove it..............sorry, what I meant to say was Happy New Year to you too !

4 pages in and the thread was already going off at tangents before I joined in. Besides Tom D mentioned lesser courses in his OP.

Hugs and kisses

Niall

[Sean_A]

You can take your hockey stick and shove it..............sorry, what I meant to say was Happy New Year to you too !

4 pages in and the thread was already going off at tangents before I joined in. Besides Tom D mentioned lesser courses in his OP.

Hugs and kisses

Niall

The earlier miscreants knew it was only a matter of time before you turned up so a free for all was always on the cards. Make no mistake, you are the ring leader even if it was blindly so.

Happy Hockey

[Mark Pritchett]

Sign me up for Rolling Green and Cuscowilla.

[Tim Martin]

Sign me up for Rolling Green and Cuscowilla.

+1 for Rolling Green

[Craig Disher]

Trying to be literal about the question, my every-day course would have to be playable every day of the year.

Indian Creek

In a fantasy world,

Myopia Hunt Club
Old Town (in a good year, it could be playable every day).

[PCCraig]

I'll say -


White Bear Yacht Club - I'm biased but see Ran's review where he notes it may be the perfect members course. Doesn't beat you up but with the fairway and green contours it plays differently every single time you play it.


Shoreacres - Just a wonderful walk and a good old fashioned fun golf course with a great set of greens. Also perhaps some of the best conditioning (F&F) of any course in the country.


TCC Brookline - Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. The member course at Brookline is an awesome member's golf course.  Fun, a beautiful walk, and quick play. Hard to imagine ever getting to the point of starting at the 11th hole and not wanting to play golf immediately.


Pinehurst #2 - Those greens would only get better and better with more play. Easy walk, hard to lose a ball, an a world class set of greens...what else could you ask for? However to John Kavanaugh's point I'm not sure I'd want to play everyday in a 5-hour round behind 4 resort guests....so...maybe not?


Cape Arundel - Not on any Top 100 list, probably due to its length/par, but an incredible set of Travis greens and the perfect vibe.


Edit: And Lawsonia!!

[Paul Jones]

No particular order:

t
Fishers Island (2nd favorite)
Myopia Hunt
Cypress Point (my favorite)
Moraine
White Bear Yacht


PV, Oakmont, Shinny, etc. - great courses, but too difficult to play everyday

[Paul Rudovsky]

PV, Oakmont, Shinny, etc. - great courses, but too difficult to play everyday


Paul--exactly regarding play every day...which is in part why I asked the alternative question...one round left, where do you play it?

[Paul Jones]

PV, Oakmont, Shinny, etc. - great courses, but too difficult to play everyday


Paul--exactly regarding play every day...which is in part why I asked the alternative question...one round left, where do you play it?

Cypress Point

[Mike Hendren]

In the U. S.

Cape Arundel
Lulu
Blue Mound
Rolling Hills (TN)


Bogey