OT-Golf Thu: Top Course You Have Played

Bay Harbor, Forest Dunes, U of M

I have a very short list.  I have had the distinct honor to play Pine Valley.  Easily the coolest golf experience I have ever had and have played many of the courses others have previously mentioned. 

Very midwest for me.  I am a 20 handicap that shows up looking like a 3 until the club face makes contact with the ball. An "enthusiast".

Arcadia Bluffs - played 4x.   Wonderful experience.  The newer South course is decent if you're up there.

Tullymore is a great course.   3x.   St Ives isn't bad but not quite what Tullymore is. 

I like the Sundance Course up at A-Ga-Ming.   2x

Harbor Shores is great.   2x

I really enjoyed the Fazio course at Treetops.  Just once.

Several have mentioned Pilgrim's Run.   Great public option near Grand Rapids.  Some other public options near GR are The Meadows (GVSU) and Thornapple Pointe.

Buck's Run near Mt Pleasant was an enjoyable round. 

I would really like to get back to Harborside south of Chicago.  

Wishlist:   Wuskowhan, Forest Dunes, Crystal Downs.  

Playing the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 4 weeks.  Hopefully that's good. 

Impossible for me to de-couple golf course and overall experience so that is why my list sets up this way:

1. Shoreacres. I'm a Raynor fan through and through and I don't think this can be topped.

2. Sand Hills. Like being on another planet and one of the few places you feel like you have truly gotten away.

3. Pinehurst #2. Don Ross in all his glory - what golf should be.

4. The Country Club.  One of my life's best memories is walking the Primrose on a fantastic Saturday morning with one of my best friends.  Had it almost to ourselves.  

5. Chicago Golf. Hard to find a better example of the purity of golf but you better bring your game, I find it tough.

6. Old Elm. Second only to Pinehurst #2 for vintage Ross, in my view.

7. Ocean Forest. But bring a windbreaker.

8. Dunes Club. Like SA, amazing spot near water that never comes into play!  All about the routing.

9. Chambers Bay. One of the most memorable rounds of my life right when it opened.  Also gettable if you hit it far off the tee.  Unfairly panned when it had the US Open.

10. Huron Hills. Because that's where I played with my college buddies.

1. Royal County Down

2. Pebble Beach

3. St Andrews

4. Ballybunion 

5. Pacific Dunes

6. Crystal Downs

7. Bandon Dunes

8. Lahinch

9. Portmarnock

10. Whistling Straits / Kiawah Ocean

My top 5 probably goes something like this. 

1) Isleworth Country Club 

2) Harbour Town

3) Arcadia Bluffs

4) Tobacco Road

5) True North 

Some Honorable Mentions: Signature course at Treetops, Cedar River at Shanty Creek, and in a couple weeks I imagine I will be adding The Quarry at Giants Ridge to this list. For the price, northern MI golf will always be my favorite place to play. Exceptionally high quality golf courses for the price. Plus, is there truly a better place to be than on a golf course in northern MI in the middle of summer? 

National Golf Links - Played in 2019 the week before they opened.  Buddy's FIL did work on the clubhouse and negotiated in a free round of golf for 4 guys.  Funny part was, the FIL doesn't play golf, but knew how rare of an opportunity to play the course was.  

Pebble Beach - Played back in '95 on Spring Break.   Tee time was early and the grounds were soggy, so the starter had us tee off on #3 and finish on #2.  Played through and got to the green on #2 where the starter was waiting for us to finish.  "Hey...since you're out here, why don't you just play the rest to #18?  No charge."   I looked at my Dad and the 2 Irish guys we were paired with and said "Dad...I'm pretty tired and Mom's probably waiting for us.  Let's just call it a day."   I still wake up in the middle of the night with that echoing in my head with probably not as much disappointment in myself as my Dad had in that moment.  

Bethpage Black - only #18 the day before the PGA Championship in 2019.  We were at the bar after finishing BP Red and the bartender heard us joking about sneaking out to play #18.  He walked over and said "what are we going to do?  Kick you out?  You've already played a round and are leaving tonight anyways" and walked away!   So we snagged 4 clubs and 4 balls each to play 18 with the grandstands surrounding us.   It was spectacular.  

Only other spectacular course would be Saint Andrews, but only watched my Dad tee off and finish on #18 with tears in my eyes, just wishing I was playing with him.  

1). Pebble Beach amazing scenery and history.  Well maintained.  Uplifting just being there.

2).  St. Andrews.  History is palpable and the bunkers have names from incidents in some cases that happened over 100 years ago.

3).  Edgewood Tahoe- for stunning beauty, especially the last 3 holes.

Best munies-  Torrey Pines.  Rancho Park in L.A. and Harding Park S.F. get honorable mention.

Favorite U courses played. Stanford, Duke and Radrick Farms.  U of M course honorable mention.

Would love to play Cypress Point and Augusta National, though most unlikely since I don't know any members.   

Thanks for  the other tips on this board.

We got to play the old course at St. Andrew's.  That was amazing -- all four seasons of weather in one round in July.  If you're in a position to play it, I highly recommend it.

Oak Quarry outside Los Angeles (near San Bernadoo I think) is a cool course.  It got included in the Golf Digest 100 best courses this year, I believe.  Someone's top 100, anyway.

I like Quashnet Valley Country Club (you can play as a non-member) in Mashpee on Cape Cod.  Some holes have tight tee boxes and several have a lot of required carry.  Many holes are along ponds and bogs.  It's challenging, but beautiful.

Last, we took a golf vacation many years ago to the Canadian Rockies.  There we a number of really nice courses, including Kananaskis, Silvertip and Jasper Park.

I have a really hard time putting these in order, so I’ll just list the most memorable ones:  Kapalua Plantation, Oakland Hills South, Pine Needles, Caledonia, Pasatiempo, Forest Dunes, Mauna Lani, Poppy Hills, TPC of Michigan, Tullymore, San Juan Oaks, Thistle, Bucks Run, Otsego Triibute.

Hard to pick 5/10 (and I've been pretty lucky for a guy with no club membership):

- Michigan: Crystal Downs (I can picture every hole), Oakland Hills South, Links/Quarry at Bay Harbor, Arcadia Bluffs (the last 2 I'd put up against any coastal course anywhere)

- South Carolina: Kiawah (damn, it's tough), Caledonia Golf and Fish, True Blue (of course)

- Scotland: Old Course, Castle, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie (eats Kiawah's lunch, IMO)

- Other: Valhalla, Bethpage Black, Pebble, Spanish Bay (my favorite of the 3), Spyglass, Torrey Pines South (meh)

Pinehurst is scheduled and I did get to be at the Masters once.  TV does not do that course justice.

1. Arcadia Bluffs

2. Muirfield Village

3.  The Golf Club

4.  Medina No. 3

5.  Scioto Country Club

6. Cog Hill Dubs 

7. Scarlett before Jack ruined Alister’s design 

8. Double Eagle

9.  Rattlesnake Ridge 

I did not play in Scotland but I worked for ABC Sports at Muirfield. 

Oakmont and Bethpage...prob Oakmont first

In no particular order:

1. Crystal Downs
2. North Berwick
3. Royal Dornoch
4. Cruden Bay
5. Cabot Cliffs
6. Cabot Links
7. Arcadia Bluffs
8. Harbour Town
9. World Woods Pine Barrens
10. Congressional

American Dunes last weekend. 
 

Will never play it again at $150 because it’s too hard but it’s magnificent. Has U.S. Open potential in 5-10 years once it gets some play. 

Erin hills, whistling straits, pebble beach, the ocean course, riviera