[Patrick_Mucci]

When thousands of people can't decide which is the better golf course, NGLA or Shinnecock, how can they decide which of the thousands of golf courses deserve to be in the top 100?

It's impossible to achieve absolute results.

But,

If you could only play 10 golf courses in rotation, everyday, for the rest of your life, what ten golf courses would they be ?

Please, ONLY indicate courses that you have played.

[Carlyle Rood]

Limited to the ones I've played:

THE ROOD ROTA
Augusta National G.C.*
Atlanta Country Club
East Lake G.C.
Peachtree G.C.
The Farm G.C. (Dalton GA)
Pasatiempo G.C.
Spyglass Hill G.C.
Pebble Beach G.C.
Sea Island G.C. (Seaside)
Ocean Forest G.C.

*I won't play Augusta National until May; however, I'm going to go out on a limb and presume that I would enjoy playing this course regularly.

THE ROOD ROTTEN ROTA (Courses I'll Avoid in the Future)
Atlanta National G.C.
Golf Club of Georgia (either course)

Well, that list wasn't as long as I expected.  Generally speaking, Georgia has been blessed with a lot of quality courses.  There are quite a few I still haven't played.

[THuckaby2]

The Rood Rota looks damn good to me, Carlyle.  

The fact you are going to actually get to play one of the holiest of grails - Augusta - has me green with envy for sure.  I don't know all that many people - including the regulars here - who have actually played the course.  That is very cool.

So ok, the Huckaby Habituals:

Cypress Point
NGLA
Sand Hills
Shinnnecock Hills
Pebble Beach
Royal County Down
Royal Dornoch
The Old Course
Cruden Bay
Rustic Canyon.

I said the last just for the shock value it's going to have for Tommy Naccarato and David Moriarty if they ever read this.  This is also straight off the top of my head with no great thought, and likely has some serious ommissions.  That being said, I could live with a rota of these all the time... assuming I also never had to worry about time, space, cost or crowds... add real world issues into this and the list changes I'd have to guess.

TH

[SPDB]

pat - didn't we have this exercise a short time ago?
also, how come i didn't get any answer on my double or nothing Merion bet regarding the Creek's #5 green?

NGLA
Newport
Creek
TCC
Seminole
John's Island West
GCGC
Merion
Pine Valley
Plainfield

that's a random collection that i haven't really thought over
too carefully, so i'll reserve the right to revise.

[SPDB]

whoops. i forgot about Cali.
Cypress for Plainfield.

[Bob_Huntley]

Pat.

This might change after a particularly awful round.

Pebble Beach
Cypress Point
Monterey Peninsula C.C.
Pine Valley
Augusta
NGLA
Shinnecock
The Old Course
Durban Country Club
Royal Melbourne

[Mike_Cirba]

Sean;

Is John's Island West better than Plainfield?  

I'm going to be near there in June...I assume it's worth a visit?

[CHrisB]

The Old Course
Royal County Down
Pebble Beach
Prairie Dunes
Muirfield
Ballybunion
Merion
Royal Dornoch
San Francisco
Cruden Bay

What are yours, Patrick?

[THuckaby2]

Damn, these are all great lists.  I especially like Mr. Huntley's.  Change my "reality check" and MPCC gets added to my list also... great people, great place, TWO great courses for the price of one (so to speak!).

SFGC may well belong on mine also... very tough to say.  And damn, Prairie Dunes is almost at holy grail status in terms of how much I want to see it and how it's raved about by people who's opinions I really trust...

TH

[JohnV]

Also limiting myself to courses I've played:

The Old Course
Royal Dornoch
Cruden Bay
Ballybunion
Lahinch
Royal County Down
Cypress Point
Pacific Dunes
Pumpkin Ridge - Witch Hollow (with my best 3 golfing buddies)
Goldegg

Goldegg is a 9 hole course in Austria that is possibly the worst course I've ever played.  I would play it once every 10 rounds to remind myself how lucky I was to get to play the other 9.

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

Sure, On the times that I played it, from my drive there was nothing but sky, and perhaps one tree, so if you'll allow a one trunk caveat, I'll double up.

Chris B,

I'll post my list later, but You know that NGLA will be on top.

[ChasLawler]

never mind

[bobbyslo]

Cypress point
Old Course
Valley Club
Pebble
Spyglass
Meadow Club

only six.  I have only been playing a few years so the rest would not make my list hope to have a list of ten in a few years

[Mike Leveille]

Here are my ten, with some explanations:

Sand Hills
Cuscowilla
Pebble Beach
Santa Maria CC, Santa Maria , CA (course I grew up on, of which I have many fond memories)
Royal Dornoch
Lahinch (the course I played a few years ago, anyhow, I cannot speak for the recently renovated course which I have not yet played)
Royal County Down
Ceann Sibeal (I may have butchered the spelling on this one, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable Eddie Hackett design at the far western tip of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland - the scenery and the little hole in the wall pubs are equally wonderful)
Royal Portrush
Settindown Creek, Atlanta GA (in my opinion, as good of a very demanding course as I have ever played - it can wear you out, but will yield a good score when your game is truly on - totally the opposite of a course like Cuscowilla that offers you options galore, Settindown just shows you what you have to do to score well and then challenges you to go do it - I could enjoy a course like that every 10th round)

[THuckaby2]

Great list, Mike.

Tell me more about Santa Maria CC, if you wouldn't mind... I haven't seen it, but you're not the first who has spoken fondly of it... The course is right on the "border" between SCGA and NCGA and unfortunately for us falls on the southern side... so it's unlikely I will see it in the official capacity anyway.  The course does intrigue me though... Feel free to answer by email or I.M. if that's better.

Cheers!

TH

[SPDB]

Sean;

Is John's Island West better than Plainfield?  

I'm going to be near there in June...I assume it's worth a visit?

Mike, of course its not. But I had to include a modern course, and it is was the first one that popped into my mind. I don't think Pat asked for a ranking based on quality. no? Notice I didn't include Shinny and some others that would definitely make it in if it were limited to quality.

Pat - That's the opening I was looking for: unless you had an extremely long rope hook, you were looking at green and trees

[Jim_Kennedy]

Pat,
There are many I would like to add to this rotation but here it goes.

In alphabetical order:
Ekwanok CC(VT)
Essex County CC(NJ)
Farmington CC (CT.)
Fishers Island (NY)
Quaker Hill(NY)
Shuttle Meadow(CT)
Taconic(MA)
Winged Foot East(NY)
WW-Pine Barrens(FLA)
Yale(CT)

I need 11-- Hotchkiss School GC (CT) I work here and sneak out to play whenever I can. Couldn't give that up.  

[Matt_Ward]

Jim K:

Would like to know more about Quaker Hill? Thanks ...

[ddavid426]

US Rota

Pebble
Cypress
TPC at Sawgrass
Pablo Creek
Sand Hills
Members Club at Aldarra
Rustic Canyon
Olympic Club
LA North
Inverness

Outside US Rota

Western Gailes
Kingsbarns
Turnberry
Querencia
Royal County Down
Ballybunnion
Carnoustie
Royal Portrush
The Old Course
The New Course

[Steve_L.]

Limited to courses I've played - it's a frustrating list as compared with the courses I'd like to play...

Having said that - my list goes (in no particular order):

TPC Sawgrass
Pebble Beach
Spyglass Hill
Sand Point Country Club (Seattle - fun beautiful little golf course with unbelievable views - like a comfortable pair of shoes)
Sahalee Country Club
World Woods - Pine Barrens
Ocean Hammock
Sea Island - Seaside
Palmilla
Crosswater
*11. Seattle Golf Club (pre Palmer)

Interesting, but I lived in Phoenix 8 years and none of those courses made my "stream of consciousness" list.  Although Desert Highlands, Talking Stick (either), and The Rim Golf Club (should be in my top 10) would be close.  

[Jim_Kennedy]

Matt,
Quaker Hill is located in Pawling, NY. It's a 9 hole course built by RTJSr. in 1939 on land given for the club by Lowell Thomas. The club's house is in a large, wonderfully converted barn. It is a perfect compliment to the course and the countryside as the conditioning here is first rate but not fussy.
The greens are mostly small but true. They are reasonably fast for the degree of undulation/slope and the bunkers are cut tight to their perimeters.
A couple of holes to note are the par 5 8th with its two tiered green cut into a gently rising hillside. The approach for the longer player trying to reach in two must carry a pond at the base of the hillside but there is a reasonable overland approach to the green from the left side of the fairway.
The par 3 4th is down-slope to a fall away green. The shot from the tee is over a field of tall fescue? but you can just make out the front bunker and see about 1/3 of the green. A rear bunker makes distance control important. Actually there are three par 3s on this course and they are all  good.
It's not a long course at just under 3,000 yds. and you can get a little loose from the tee but the greens add much to the challenge. One of the more quiet, scenic and pleasant places to play in the area,  much like Norfolk CC in Ct., where seeing a handful of players is considered a busy day.
Actually Norfolk has an Alfredo Taylor designed clubhouse that is incredibly beautiful but I don't think the course's designer is known. One other note about Norfolk: the course is a throwback to another era and so is the Pro, Joe Bunk,(lovingly referred to as the lonliest pro in Ct.) who runs the shop and manages the course. He has dual membership in the PGA and GCSAA which I think is a rarity in today's world.      

Casperkill(formerlyIBM) in Po'keepsie and James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley(right off the Taconic Pkwy) are two other RTJSr. courses that are worthwhile plays. The private Wiltwyck CC in Kingston is another RTJSr gem.  

[Jim Sweeney]

NGLA
Shinnecock
Fisher's Island
Crystal Downs
Yale
Pine Valley
Seminole
Pasatiempo
Pebble Beach
Somerset Hills

[Raymond]

My 10 in no particular order..

West coast...
Cypress Point
Pebble Beach
Bandon/Pacific (I can't split them)

Across the Pond...
The Old Course
Cruden Bay
Dornoch
Tralee

Fun Factor...
Kapalua Plantation
Cabo Del Sol Ocean
The Ocean Course

[Patrick_Mucci]

Chris B,

I have a penchant for wind off the water, with a few exceptions.  In the U.S. they are:

NGLA
Newport
Seminole
Cypress Point
Pebble Beach
Pine Valley
ANGC
GCGC
Maidstone
Shinnecock

[Mike_Cirba]

Patrick;

For a guy I debate with so much, we seem to admire many of the same courses.  

All I'd say to you is...get thee to Sand Hills and Pacific Dunes.  You need to see the best of the modern stuff, too!

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