Jump to content
IGNORED

Best Municipals?


Note: This thread is 3909 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

When I was in high school in Memphis, TN the nearest course to my home was a new course in a extremely hilly area of NE Frayser called Davy Crockett. It had some of just about everything (except Country club manicuring) - elevated tees, target landing areas, elevated greens, doglegs that wrapped around hills that had no level lies, blind shots, lots of water, killer rough (10 yards off the fairway was usually lost), etc. To this day remains one of the toughest golf courses I have ever played and I have played a lot of great courses, including over half of the PGA tour courses. You would have a much better chance at shooting par your first time at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedre (with the famous island green at 17) than at Davy Crockett. I wonder what it is like today some 40 years later?

The worse municipal golf courses I ever played were in Tucson, AZ. If you like flat, bare, wide-open courses with few trees and no water, then those courses are for you - you'll never lose a ball or go out of bounds, but then again half your shots are like hitting from hard sand in neglected fairway bunkers.

I haven't palyed a municipal course in at least 15 years, what do they charge now?

2007 Yamaha Cart
TaylorMade R7 460 Superquad Driver, 10.5, Reg flex (RF)
Taylormade R7 Titanium 3,5 & 7 Fairway woods RF
PING Rapture irons 4-9, PW, UW, SW, graphite RF
Odyssey White Hot Two Ball putter Ping Cart Bag, Pioneer in Atomic OrangeNow playing Titleist Pro V1x balls

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 75
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Crandon Golf Course in Key Biscayne (Miami, FL area) - it's CC quality and has been used on the Senior tour a bunch of times. Greens are stupid fast and heavily contoured making for some tough putting. Balls much off the fairway are OOB and lost to the Mangrove or Water Gods. Very scenic with views of Miami across the water and tons of wildlife including huge iguanas.

Price is ~$30-60.
The Good:
Heavenwood 3h
White Steel Two Ball
Orlimar SOS 56deg SW & 60deg LW
The Free:767 Pro Series 3-9iTomahawk 50deg PWKing Cobra 10.5deg Driver (350cc) 10.5deg Intimidator Driver
Link to comment
Share on other sites


i think any conversation of the best municipal golf courses starts with Tillie's arguably best work, the Black course at Bethpage State Park.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Flickr pics from hacking it up at Pebble, Bandon, Pinehurst, Whistling Straits, the Black, Kiawah & more...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Many of the municipals in L.A. area about $30 on weekends, walking. +$12 for cart. They are cheaper on weekdays.

Rancho Park is supposed to be great, but play is supposed to take forever. I love Woodley Lakes myself.

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I work and play at a municipal course in Albuquerque NM named Arroyo Del Oso GC. At one time it was named in the top 50 Municipal courses in the country. Its a good golf course especially considering its only $25.50 to walk on the weekends. Its nothing spectacular but its a very solid track. The other 3 muni courses in the city are no where near as good.

Danny    In my :ping: Hoofer Tour golf bag on my :clicgear: 8.0 Cart

Driver:   :pxg: 0311 Gen 5  X-Stiff.                        Irons:  :callaway: 4-PW APEX TCB Irons 
3 Wood: :callaway: Mavrik SZ Rogue X-Stiff                            Nippon Pro Modus 130 X-Stiff
3 Hybrid: :callaway: Mavrik Pro KBS Tour Proto X   Wedges: :vokey:  50°, 54°, 60° 
Putter: :odyssey:  2-Ball Ten Arm Lock        Ball: :titleist: ProV 1

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Many of the municipals in L.A. area about $30 on weekends, walking. +$12 for cart. They are cheaper on weekdays.

Rancho is awesome, one of my favorite courses. But yes, takes forever to play. A really great course with challenging holes, and a good amount of history. Used to host the L.A. Open.

Try Brookside (#1) in Pasadena. Or the Griffith Park courses. They are far superior than the Woodley/Balboa courses. If you can, try and play around 10 or 11 on a Monday on any of the mentioned courses. Other than that, you're looking at 5.5 hour rounds for sure.

Callaway RazrFit Extreme 9.5 w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XHot Pro 15* 3Wood w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XTour 18* 2h w/S300
Callaway XHot Pro 4/5 irons w/S300
Callaway XForged III 5-PW irons w/S300
Callaway Forged 52*/58* Wedges
Odyssey 7 Versa 90
Callaway Hex Black Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites




Any municpal discussion has to include Pacific Grove.

"The poor man's Pebble Beach"

$40 on the weekends.
"There is no miracle tip. Fix your swing."

In the bag:
Sumo2 w/ Aldila VS Proto 60g S
Halo 2h Apex Pro 4-PW Vokey 2 52.08/56.10/60.04 Red X #3 34" Tour Deep
Link to comment
Share on other sites


If you get up to the San Francisco area, Harding Park is a fabulous muni. Had it's heyday in 50s and 60s hosting many tournaments. A older acquaintance of mine won a pro tournament there back in the 60s. It fell into disrepair I believe in the 1990s and was redone a few years back and what a course! It's got the muni feel, yet the service is top end. It was in good shape when I played it a couple years ago and has had some tour stops lately. It's a great setting just across the water from Olympic Club (which you can see from a couple holes on the back 9).

Hoofer Vantage Bag Carrying:
DRIVER Fusion FT-3 Driver Proforce V2 65 Graphite Stiff
FAIRWAY WOOD G10 4-Wood
HYBRID G10 21 Degree
IRONS MX-25 Irons 3 thru PW Precision Rifle Shafts & Golf Pride GripsWEDGES CG10 56 & 60 Degree WedgesPUTTER 2-Ball SRT BALL ProV1xCLUB ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


That looks pretty F'in awesome!

Now that you bring that up, '08 US Open site Torrey Pines is also public.

Callaway RazrFit Extreme 9.5 w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XHot Pro 15* 3Wood w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XTour 18* 2h w/S300
Callaway XHot Pro 4/5 irons w/S300
Callaway XForged III 5-PW irons w/S300
Callaway Forged 52*/58* Wedges
Odyssey 7 Versa 90
Callaway Hex Black Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Rancho is awesome, one of my favorite courses. But yes, takes forever to play. A really great course with challenging holes, and a good amount of history. Used to host the L.A. Open.

That's the plan, once this round of quals are over! Even the right day of the week. Hmm... Griffith Park doesn't look as far away as it did when I was looking at courses a few months ago. I'll certainly give them a try at some point in Dec/Jan. Are they more challenging, more elevation changing, or what? Does Brookside take 1-person tee times? The convenience of the L.A. City Golf Card is that I can make 1-person tee times easily. Either way, thanks for the suggestions.

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The best muni in Westchester is Hudson Hills. Clean, tough, challenging, great greens. Actually, probably the best, considering price-$55 with a GPS cart on weekdays and $75 on weekends. I've never played a round slower than 4:15, too. Pace of play is terrific. It's much better than any of the munis in NYC.

Titleist 905T Accra SC75 M4 Shaft

Nike SQ 4W Accra T70 M4 Shaft
HB001 17* Hybrid with Mitsubishi Diamana Thump X Stiff Flex
Baffler Pro 20* Accra Axiv 105 Tour Hybrid Shaft

Taylor Made 24* Burner Accra Axiv 105 Tour Hybrid Shaft

Mizuno MP-32 5-PW Black Oxide Finish Project X 6.0 Shafts

Vokey 52* Oil Can Finish TTDG S400 Shaft

Cleveland 588 60* TTDG S400 Shaft

Rife Bimini Blade Putter

 

Ball-White and Round

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Ancil Hoffman GC in Carmichael, CA is the best muni I've played. Fantastic old parkland style course.

Titleist 907D1 10.5°
Titleist 906F4 15.5°
Titleist 906F4 18.5°
Wilson Staff Pi5 3-P
Titleist Vokey 56.14Cleveland CG12 60°Scotty Cameron Newport Two

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I agree with the Black but dollar for dollar the whole Bethpage complex 5 courses are the best value in all of the country.

In my new FT carry bag
FT-9 Tour nuetral 9.5
FT-15 degree 3 wood
Fussion Hybrids #2&4
Fussion irons with Grapholoy Pro launch Red shafts56&60 Cally X forged wedges with Red shaftsSG9 putterCally I ballBushnell Meadealist range finder

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Anchorage Golf Course- Anchorage, AK

Here's what I play:

Titleist 907 D2 10.5* UST ProForce V2 76-S | Titleist 906F4 18.5* Aldila VS Proto "By You" 80-S | Titleist 585H 21* Aldila VS Proto "By You" 80-S | Titleist ZB 4-PW TTDG S300 | Bob Vokey Spin Milled Oil Can 54.10 | Bob Vokey Spin Milled Oil Can 60.08 | Scotty Cameron Red X5 33" |

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • 3 weeks later...
While Greater Toronto has many fine public play courses (including a few good munis in the cities of Mississauga, Hamilton and Waterloo), the City's own courses - 5 - leave something to be desired.

Unfortunately, they often become political footballs as when some soft-headed politcian argued that they should be sold to condo developers. That was until it was pointed out that they are built in flood planes and that they generate the money which underpin his and his colleagues' profligate ways.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Harding Park in San Francisco is also my favorite municiple golf course. I am bias because I've played this course for the last 23 years. Harding hosted the American Express Championship in October of 2005 with Tiger beating out John Daly in a playoff with a final score of 10 under par.

Harding Park held its own with the top elite golfers from around the world.

Titleist 910 D2 9.5 Driver
Titleist 910 F15 & 21 degree fairway wood
Titleist 910 hybrid 24 degree
Mizuno Mp33 5 - PW
52/1056/1160/5

"Yonex ADX Blade putter, odyssey two ball blade putter, both  33"

ProV-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites


My second favorite municiple golf course is Sharp Park in Pacifica, California just 15 minutes south of San Francisco. Alister Mackenzie designed Sharp Park Golf Course and is best known for designing the Augusta National Golf Course. You can play Sharp Park for only $21 on the weekday and $26 on weekend with a resident card, what a bargain for the San Francisco Bay Area!

Three of my favorite holes are 11-13.

11 holes measures 415 yards dogleg left with a slightly uphill green that I am always happy to just par.

12 holes is 405 yards into the wind protected with bunkers on the right.

13 hole is a par 3 187 yards straight into the wind always playing an extra club or two.

If I can play these three holes with pars, I feel, I am ahead of the game.

Titleist 910 D2 9.5 Driver
Titleist 910 F15 & 21 degree fairway wood
Titleist 910 hybrid 24 degree
Mizuno Mp33 5 - PW
52/1056/1160/5

"Yonex ADX Blade putter, odyssey two ball blade putter, both  33"

ProV-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 3909 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • I would never do the extended warranty on the $50 slow cooker.  I also routinely reject the extended service plans on those toys we buy for the grand-kids.  I do consider them on higher cost items and will be more likely to get one if the product has a lot of "Electronic Tech" that is often the problem longer-term.  I also consider my intended length of ownership & usage.  If my thought is it would get replaced in 2-3 years then why bother but if I hope to use it for 10 years then more likely to get the extension. I did buy out a lease about a year ago.  Just prior to the lease end date the tablet locked up and would not function.  I got it repaired under the initial warranty and would not have bought it out if they had not been able to fix it since IMO once electronic issues start in a car they can be hard to track down & fix.  They did fix it but when I bought out the lease I paid up for the extended warranty the would cover electronic failures because my intent is to keep that car for another 8-10 years and I just do not trust the electronics to last.  Last week the touch screen went black and was unresponsive.  It reset on the 2nd time I restarted the car but that is exactly how the last malfunction started.  I fully expect to have a claim on that on repair under the extended warranty.  I do not recall the exact cost to fix last time since I did not pay it but I think it was @ $700-$800 and I suspect that will be higher next time.
    • Have you looked at Model Local Rule F-9 Relief from Tree Roots in or Close to Fairway?  You could extend this to cover exposed rocks.  The rule is recommended to be used only for areas relatively near the fairway, a player who hits a shot 20 yards in the woods doesn't really deserve relief.   Players can always take Unplayable Ball relief, they're not required to play it from a rock or a root.  Of course, they hate to take the penalty stroke too.
    • I agree with @klineka, you're clearly doing something right.  Its always going to be a bit of a guessing game if you don't have any scoring history.  On the other hand, understanding that it takes only 54 holes to establish an actual handicap, and they have about 6 weeks in which to play and post enough scores, I don't think its at all unreasonable to require them to have an official handicap before they become eligible for prizes.  I don't know how you structure the fees for the series of competitions, but if its possible they'll play with the group without being eligible for prizes, you could consider a way to let them do that without contributing to the prize pool.
    • I run tournaments and want to put in a local rule that allows relief from tree roots and rocks that are not loose impediments. We have some really terrible lies in some of our courses in my area and nobody is getting paid enough to break clubs. Let me know if you think the verbage for this rule makes sense. Local Rule Roots and Rocks You may move your ball from a tree root or buried rock one club length for free relief no closer to the hole. However you may not use this rule to get relief from a tree, bush, boulder, or other foliage hindering your swing. Your only option here is to play it as it lies or take an unplayable for a one stroke penalty.
    • Makes sense.  Like I said, I wouldn't have been upset at their original offer either, and based on the fine print it seems like they've held up their end of the deal.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...