2021 YANK AWARDS

[Sean_A]

2021 has been a far better year for golf than 2020. I think I played 16 new courses, the most in years. Three of these made my ever changing Nifty 50. Probably more enjoyable are the revisits and I did get back to many this year. 

Most Surprising New Play Course: This has to go Harewood Downs. Considering I never heard of the course until this past summer it was a very pleasant surprise. There are many very good holes, but the 14-18 stretch really sends home the message as to how deep England is for quality courses.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70290.msg1689496.html#msg1689496

The runner-up is Covesea. A little 9 holer practically next door to Moray. If in the area...do stop by!

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,69959.msg1686061.html#msg1686061

Most Disappointing New Play Course: Without a doubt this goes to Cullen.

Best New Play Inland Course: JCB...The greens win the day.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70097.msg1691263.html#msg1691263

The runner-up is probably Aldeburgh or Berkshire Red. I heard horror stories about Aldeburgh being a tightly gorse lined slogfest...not so. In recent years the course has been widened and remains difficult, but playable.

Best New Play Links: This one is very close, but I think Moray Old just pips it.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,69964.msg1685468.html#msg1685468

Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: I think this one goes to Swinley Forest. The greens are better than memory suggested and the conditioning/presentation has improved a great deal. Its been a course I avoided for many years until I read positive reports...well worth visiting.

Favourite New Play Links: Seaton Carew New. The setting is awful, thankfully, the course is a cracker. Its seriously under-rated and I haven't seen the best iteration yet!

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70404.msg1693517.html#msg1693517

Favourite New Play Inland Course: Harewood Downs just pips several. I thought Flempton would take the prize, but Harewood certainly turned my head.

Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55) Course Played This Year: This is the first year since 1998 that I haven't played Kington.  Step up Cavendish. Although, I suspect the green fee will go over £40 next year.

Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Played This Year: I think Cavendish surprisingly takes this category as well...its that good!

Best Course Played This Year: North Berwick just pips Swinley Forest.

Favourite Course Played This Year: Once again, Cavendish! Alnmouth Village & Gullane 3 are right behind.

Forget the Doak score stuff. Lets see a varied list from the you lot.

Ciao

[Peter Pallotta]

I love the Yank Awards!
I love the courses that the Yanks Awards celebrates!
I love the timing of this celebration, as we approach the Winter Solstice. 
I would love the likes of Cavendish, Berkshire Red, Swinley Forest and Seaton Carew, if I ever played them.
And if I can't play them -- and, in all likelihood, that window for me is closed -- I love the fact that the Yank does play them.
Really: are there any other ratings or rankings or lists that can compare to the significance/influence of the Doak Scale or to the essential and inherent meaning of the Yank Awards?
No, I don't think so.
Now, please: go out and do likewise, gents, i.e. provide us with your own Yank Awards!

[Anthony Gray]

 I had made nearly 10 trips to Scotland before I ventured to north berwick and was so angry when I did. This course never seemed to crack the top 100 and I was livid at the people that did not put it there. It was the second most memorable course I had played. Memorable features on almost every hole. I hated myself for not going there sooner. For me the Redan may not make the top 9 holes on that course. I think the second shot on 17 is 0ne of the bests in golf. That question of if you only had one corse to -lay for the rest of your life NB finishes second for me. Glad it got the Yank this year.

[Thomas Dai]

Not so many played this year what with Covid restrictions and courses being busier than during previous years.
Highest echelon course played - Swinley Forest (thanks Detroit Golfer). Class, shear class.
Most interesting part I - Rhayader - not played (as it ceased to be playable in the 1960’s) but walking the severe rocky terrain where MacKenzie laid out 9-holes in the 1920’s was a bit of an eye opener design, construction, playability etc wise. Visit and learn. Hardy folk and very keen golfers lived in times now well past.
Most interesting part II - Knighton - 9-hole rural and rustic golf that likely hasn’t changed much since Vardon laid out the course pre-WW1. Visit and learn. Hardy folk and very keen golfers back 100+ years ago.
Most enjoyable (other than above) - Westward Ho!/RND with Lighthouse son. Special opportunity.
Animal grazed (a favourite category) - some courses above plus Sutton Coldfield, Tavistock, Cleeve Hill, Painswick, Minchinhampton Old, Southerndown, Kington.
Others - Pyle & Kenfig, Blackwell, Newport/Rogerstone, Burnham & Berrow, Llandrindod Wells, Stinchcombe Hill.
Atb

[Michael Moore]

Most Disappointing New Play Course: Without a doubt this goes to Cullen.

Thank you. My trip to Inverness has been postponed for two years, so I have been doing three times as much research. I don't care what the nerds say, there was no way I was going to play this course. Fred Flintstone can have it.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I didn’t play in enough different places to participate. But without a doubt, the best new course was St.Patricks. And it was really cool to finally get to Cruit Island.


Tend to agree on Cullen. There are some really great shots and there’s undoubtedly a novelty factor. But beyond the sea stacks and a bit of links ground, there’s an awful lot of Doak 2 stuff…

[Sean_A]

Most Disappointing New Play Course: Without a doubt this goes to Cullen.

Thank you. My trip to Inverness has been postponed for two years, so I have been doing three times as much research. I don't care what the nerds say, there was no way I was going to play this course. Fred Flintstone can have it.

If you don't like quirk don't bother with Cullen.

Cullen is a classic case of less would have been much better. That said, a decent archie could improve it a ton without spending a lot of dosh. Cullen has great potential.

Ciao

[BCrosby]

Sean -


For me the best part of your Yank Awards is to hear your reasons for them, even though I have played very few of the courses mentioned.   


Any chance you could provide links to previous Awards?


Bob   

[Tony_Muldoon]

Most Surprising New Play Course:  Covesea.  Didn’t like it first time round and then I warmed (a bit) on second round but have been thinking about it a lot since.

Most disappointing New Play Course: Without a doubt this goes to Winterfield (the other course at Dunbar).

Best New Play Inland Course: JCB I don’t even like modern links that much let alone inland courses.  Exceeded expectations.

Best New Play Links:  Moray Old just pips it. Lots of interest and one of the great finishing holes.

Most Surprising Repeat Play Course:  Gullane 1.  Been 12 years since last time and memories weren't that strong. But really enjoyed everything about it.

Favourite New Play Links:  Seaton Carew.  Another that exceeded expectations and its not that inaccessible to me!

Favourite New Play Inland Course: Elgin Maybe nothing to dramatic but a fine mix of holes  and a lovely walk. Could play everyday.

Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55) Course Played This Year: 
Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Played This Year:  If you are looking for value. Elgin was £20 for an evening round. Pound for pounding, probably the best value I’ve ever had.

Best Course Played This Year: Deal.  James Bledge has polished this gem and now he’s moving on.  I hope I’m wrong when I say it may never be quite as good again.

Favourite Course Played This Year: North Berwick

[Adam Uttley]

Ok here goes.  For better or worse I’ve tried to ensure no course got more than one award.


Most Surprising New Play Course: Dunbar.  Dunbar was completely off my radar but enjoyed it immensely.  For some reason I had no idea how much ocean frontage it had or the quality of the golf. 

Most Disappointing New Play Course: Mach Dunes.  I wanted to love the course but this summer’s conditions resulted in baked, brown fairways and lush green rough.  It’s hard enough to visualise the course but this meant it was very disorienting. 

Best New Play Inland Course: Huddersfield.  Haven’t played many new in lands this year but Huddersfield is an excellent parkland / moorland course and seems completely under the radar. 

Best New Play Links: Hoylake.  I love strategic courses and Hoylake was soooo good.  Can’t wait to get back there.  Only aspect I didn’t like was the routing that the new hole has created.

Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Brora.  I don’t know if surprising is quite the word but I didn’t love Brora on my first visit even though I expected to.  Perhaps the sheer number of blind shots on the front hampered my memory.  However I was absolutely blown away when I returned in November and despite playing in a storm, loved the rollercoaster ride it presented. Also the best greens I played all year….in November!

Favourite New Play Links: Golspie.  I loved the variety and after a blandish opener the links holes by the sea were superb.  What knocked me for six, though, was the quality of the heathland holes in the middle. Almost as good as Formby and a fraction of the price.

Favourite New Play Inland Course: Sandiway.  A compact and really well balanced heathland course. 

Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55) Course Played This Year: Dunaverty.  Short, firm and very fast.  An absolute scream of a course, I have never had so much fun playing golf. 

Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Played This Year: Hallamshire.  I could easily have picked Cavendish but have elected not to as I’m a member and perhaps biased.  Hallamshire is great quality for £60.  After a slog on the opening holes there are some superb Colt holes in the middle of this moorland course.

Best Course Played This Year: TOC.  Extra special this time as we got round in under 3 hours due to being a two ball thanks to COVID rules!

Favourite Course Played This Year: North Berwick. My second visit and it was just as good second time around despite how much I’d hyped it in my mind.

[Robin_Hiseman]

It was a half decent year for golfing adventures, so here's my own take on the Yank awards.

Most Surprising New Play Course: The Island. I had a picture in my mind of what it would be like (a bit Portmarnocky) and it was far more duney than I expected. Liked it a lot.


Most Disappointing New Play Course: Pyle & Kenfig. It didn't float my boat in the slightest. Won't be going back anytime soon.


Best New Play Inland Course: Ganton. Class from start to finish.


Best New Play Links: St. Patrick's. By a distance...


Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Narin & Portnoo. A very different course to the one I played 15 years ago and much better for the changes.


Favourite New Play Links: St. Patricks's (again).


Favourite New Play Inland Course: Beaverbrook. I thought it would be Ganton, but I could imagine myself enjoying playing Beaverbrook over and over again, whilst one might get weary of the constant battle at Ganton.


Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55): Cleeve Hill. Always insanely good value for money. Cavendish a close second.


Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Played This Year: The Caversham. A surprising one perhaps. A very impressive redesign by Thomas MacBroom of an underwhelming course near Reading. Well worth £50.


Best Course Played This Year: JCB...obviously! Oh, go on then, it was St. Patrick's...but only because it has a better site.  


Favourite Course Played This Year: Cruit Island. Nobody plays Cruit by accident. So glad to have made the detour to play this crazy little course at the edge of Ireland.

[Ben Stephens]

Robin,


Have you seen the latest works at Ganton - they have just built an enormous sandy waste area to the left of the 9th replacing the thick gorse there.


Cheers
Ben

[Robin_Hiseman]

No, I was there in August.

[Garland Bayley]

Sean -


For me the best part of your Yank Awards is to hear your reasons for them, even though I have played very few of the courses mentioned.   


Any chance you could provide links to previous Awards?


Bob

Here's what I could find.
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,67817.msg1622270.html#msg1622270

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,65278.msg1556489.html#msg1556489
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,63868.msg1520525.html#msg1520525
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,62208.msg1478231.html#msg1478231
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60104.msg1420510.html#msg1420510

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57517.msg1344634.html#msg1344634

[BCrosby]

Thanks Garland. Good stuff.


Bob

[Sean_A]

It was a half decent year for golfing adventures, so here's my own take on the Yank awards.

Most Surprising New Play Course: The Island. I had a picture in my mind of what it would be like (a bit Portmarnocky) and it was far more duney than I expected. Liked it a lot.


Most Disappointing New Play Course: Pyle & Kenfig. It didn't float my boat in the slightest. Won't be going back anytime soon.


Best New Play Inland Course: Ganton. Class from start to finish.


Best New Play Links: St. Patrick's. By a distance...


Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Narin & Portnoo. A very different course to the one I played 15 years ago and much better for the changes.


Favourite New Play Links: St. Patricks's (again).


Favourite New Play Inland Course: Beaverbrook. I thought it would be Ganton, but I could imagine myself enjoying playing Beaverbrook over and over again, whilst one might get weary of the constant battle at Ganton.


Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55): Cleeve Hill. Always insanely good value for money. Cavendish a close second.


Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Played This Year: The Caversham. A surprising one perhaps. A very impressive redesign by Thomas MacBroom of an underwhelming course near Reading. Well worth £50.


Best Course Played This Year: JCB...obviously! Oh, go on then, it was St. Patrick's...but only because it has a better site.  


Favourite Course Played This Year: Cruit Island. Nobody plays Cruit by accident. So glad to have made the detour to play this crazy little course at the edge of Ireland.

Doc

I too was impressed by Beaverbrook. I was surprised how walkable it was given all the elbow room. The greens are sensible, but interesting. There are a few highlight holes. Good short holes. A secret garden in 13-17. I would like to go back.

Ciao

[jeffwarne]

Most Surprising New Play Course: The Whiskey Routing at Ohoopee.Two of my favorite greens on the course exist here and the "A" green(the one where you hit away from 11 tee) is simply all world.I had not played the Whiskey routing, just the original 18



Most Disappointing New Play Course: New to me as in renovated. Narin and Portnoo. This one hurts my soul.

Best New Play Inland Course: Wolf Point,Southern Pines

Best New Play Links: St. Patrick's

Most Surprising Repeat Play Course:Rosapenna Sandy Hills-much improved via cutting marram grass back-so many good holes

Favourite New Play Links: St. Patrick's


Favourite New Play Inland Course: Southern Pines, Wolf Point

Best Affordable (no deals, under £40/$55) Aiken Golf Club, Cruit Island, Dunfanaghy

Best Moderately Priced (no deals, under £60/$80) Memorial Park, Northwest GC

Best Course Played This Year:NGLA, Ohoopee, St Patrick's, Wolf Point

Favourite Course Played This Year: Fisher's island, Portsalon, Maidstone, St patrick's

[Garland Bayley]

...
Most Disappointing New Play Course: New to me as in renovated. Narin and Portnoo. This one hurts my soul.
...

...
Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Narin & Portnoo. A very different course to the one I played 15 years ago and much better for the changes.
...

OK, time for you two to slug it out.
I've seen threads mentioning the changes scheduled for the course, and have to admit that I didn't see how they could be improving the course.

[Thomas Dai]

...
Most Disappointing New Play Course: New to me as in renovated. Narin and Portnoo. This one hurts my soul.
...

...
Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Narin & Portnoo. A very different course to the one I played 15 years ago and much better for the changes.
...

OK, time for you two to slug it out.
I've seen threads mentioning the changes scheduled for the course, and have to admit that I didn't see how they could be improving the course.

145 Euros (72 off-season) to play these days.
Atb

[Robin_Hiseman]

Garland


The course I first played is the one that had very recently been redesigned by Eddie Connaughton, with the three par 5's in a row at the end, so it had its flaws.


On balance, the Hanse work is a great improvement on that, with the caveat of one wildly misjudged green design on the 7th hole out at the point. One might also point to the lack of variety in the length of the par 3's, but I doubt that the average handicap golfer is going to be lamenting the omission of a long par 3.


What both Ally McIntosh and I found interesting was how the hand of man was much more evident with the Hanse work than with the Doak work we played the day before. I really enjoyed the course though.

[Ally Mcintosh]

What Robin said…. I do think there seemed to be more done than was needed at Narin & Portnoo and there were a couple of missteps.


But a really exciting course and some wonderful holes.


Not to be missed, especially when combined with Cruit Island.

[jeffwarne]

What Robin said…. I do think there seemed to be more done than was needed at Narin & Portnoo and there were a couple of missteps.


But a really exciting course and some wonderful holes.


Not to be missed, especially when combined with Cruit Island.

Nothing to slug out, and I agree with Ally and Robin's "praise" in their posts.
I have avoided commentary on this because I've really wanted to think it out as it is one of my favorite places in my favorite part of the world.
I should mention that it was my favorite golf in Ireland up until the renovations of 2003?ish, so it's not as if I don't and didn't love the course.I still love the course.

[John Mayhugh]

My 2021 was sadly devoid of links courses and UK travel. Still, I did have some interesting new plays and will try to follow Sean’s format:
 
Most Surprising New Play Course: I only played about 16 new courses in 2021, and the most surprising one for me was Exmoor. Really good greens with a lot of variety and some good subtle movement on a seemingly flat site. Also a great place to enjoy cold Schlitz.....
 
Runner up is Ozaukee. Too many trees by far, but if you like interesting putts, you’ll have fun there.
 
 
Most Disappointing New Play Course: Harvester, but hear me out. Second best conditioned course I played this year,and for 16 holes you think “how isn’t this ranked higher?” The last two holes leave you somewhat let down, but the overall course is terrific. It’s just hard not to think about how much better the ending could be.
https://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/the-harvester-club/
 
Runner up: Rolling Hills in Paducah KY. The Maxwell holes come early in the round and have you thinking this is such a hidden gem. Then the post-Maxwell holes leave you deflated. Could be much improved with some $.
 
 
Best New Play Course: Shoreacres was the best conditioned course I played all year, with the ground game possible anytime you wanted it. This firmness combined with fairway width, huge greens and some wild possible hole locations make it a great study in angles and how differently holes could play from day to day.
 
Runner up:  Somerset Hills could easily have been the top choice, but I’m such a sucker for Raynor.
 
 
Most Surprising Repeat Play Course: Beverly just keeps getting better and better. The latest version embraces fun as well as challenge.
 
Runner up: Seeing the impact of the derecho at Cedar Rapids was eye-opening in a way that photos can’t show.
 
 
Favorite New Play Course: Shoreacres is a place I can’t wait to return to. Hopefully I will.
 
 
Best Affordable Course: The Links at Rising Star is idiotically named, but it’s loads of fun. https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68389.msg1639116.html#msg1639116
 
 
Best Moderately Priced Course: Memorial Park is only $38 in prime time for residents, and $140 for out-of-towners. Neither price fits Sean’s range, but the average is close and I had to mention this course. Doak’s work showcases how clever green complexes can turn a pro’s small miss into a bogey, yet accommodate a wide range of recreational player skill.
 
 
Best Course Played This Year: Shoreacres. I didn’t have the opportunity to choose between best inland and best links this year, but hopefully can make up for that in 2022.
 
 
Favourite Course Played This Year: Shoreacres, but Holston Hills still puts a smile on my face every time I’m headed down there.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Jeff


The pedant in me has to point out that N&P was "my most surprising repeat play course."


You can see all the courses I played this year in my 'signature' and this was clearly (for me alone) the one to chose in this category. It matters not a jot to anyone else.


I've only played the course once before, when it was a complete mish-mash of original, new and incomplete holes. Without your knowledge of what it was originally, I only had the Connaughton version to go on. It was a nice surprise to me just how much more I enjoyed the course, because I had a lot of fun there previously. I do miss the old 17th though. I was looking forward to playing that one.

[Niall C]

Best New Play Inland Course - it's been a quiet golfing year for me so very few candidates with the choice being Ganton, Cavendish, Reddish Vale and Beith. As much as I enjoyed the other three the winner for me is Ganton with Cavendish not that far behind. Two contrasting courses with the overall boldness of Ganton winning out over the charm and the individual highlights of Cavendish.


Best Course Played this Year - on the basis that a links beats an inland course I'll go for Moray Old despite the issues with conditioning.


Best Inland Course Played this Year (other than Ganton) - I'm going to hand this award to Elgin. As much as I enjoyed Cavendish and Reddish Vale, I was very pleased to discover that Elgin was as good as I remembered it and maybe even better.


Best Nine Hole Course Played This Year - having been on a mini-tour of nine holers with Mr Muldoon there were plenty of contenders including Covesea, Strathtay, Nethy Bridge, Carrbridge, Killin and Beith. A tough choice and tempted to go with Covesea because of its links appeal but more inclined to go with Killin which has fewer duff moments. Beith gets the nod for Best New Play Nine Holer by dint of the fact that it is the only new nine holer played this year while Carrbridge gets the award for Most Surprising Repeat Play of a Nine Holer. I'd very little memory of the course that I played 20 years ago and had assumed that it couldn't be up to much when in fact it had some very good golf.


When I review the year I note it is a very modest offering but I have to say I enjoyed my trips to BUDA, to Moray and a day trip to Ganton, not just for the golf but also for the company. Hopefully do a lot more of it next year.


Niall