Private Golf Courses

[MJW]

I "volunteered" for a group of recently retired guys who are now on a mission to play a lot of golf including tapping into our networks to play private courses.

We want to focus on ones we haven't play across the US.  Does anyone know of a site or source where I could download private courses (by state)?

Appreciate any and all feedback.  Thanks

[iacas]

You can look on Google Maps and find golf courses. I'm not sure why you'd want to limit yourself to playing only private courses. While many of the top 100 courses in the U.S. are private, in any given city many of the private courses are no better than some of the better public courses nearby.

[ChetlovesMer]

  On 12/30/2023 at 8:07 PM, MJW said:

I "volunteered" for a group of recently retired guys who are now on a mission to play a lot of golf including tapping into our networks to play private courses.

We want to focus on ones we haven't play across the US.  Does anyone know of a site or source where I could download private courses (by state)?

Appreciate any and all feedback.  Thanks

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You could start here:

Top 100 Golf Courses

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The best golfing website in the world for reviews articles travel holidays and vacations

 

[MJW]

  On 12/31/2023 at 1:13 AM, iacas said:

You can look on Google Maps and find golf courses. I'm not sure why you'd want to limit yourself to playing only private courses. While many of the top 100 courses in the U.S. are private, in any given city many of the private courses are no better than some of the better public courses nearby.

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No doubt - someone else tracking public courses for us.  Just doesn’t seem like there’s an easily downloadable list available for private courses.

[bkuehn1952]

You might try Golf Link.

Example: 

72 Golf Courses near Ann Arbor, MI - Public & Private | GolfLink

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A comprehensive list Of golf courses In the Ann Arbor, MI area, together With nearby courses In MI. Included are course descriptions, reviews, ratings, yardage maps, scorecards, course flyovers And more.

 

I have never checked their accuracy. They seem to have all the Ann Arbor, MI, courses listed properly as "Private" or "Pubic."

I have never tried the service named Boxgroove. They claim to have access many private courses.

Boxgroove - Golf at Private Clubs

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Book tee times and play golf at the largest network of private country clubs in the nation with Boxgroove

 

 

Edited January 1, 2024 by bkuehn1952
Presentation

[RayG]

Start a YouTube channel, get a million or so subscribers and apparently they welcome you with open arms if these guys are to be believed. Well, not some of the *Big name* courses- Pine Valley as an example, since even Augusta has allowed a YouTube channel access to their course.

[klineka]

  On 1/2/2024 at 2:07 PM, RayG said:

Start a YouTube channel, get a million or so subscribers and apparently they welcome you with open arms if these guys are to be believed. 

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Why wouldn't they? 

I don't see a problem with it personally.

There are plenty of YouTube golfers that have large followings and that are legit scratch or better players.

[jsgolfer]

  On 12/31/2023 at 3:20 PM, MJW said:

No doubt - someone else tracking public courses for us.  Just doesn’t seem like there’s an easily downloadable list available for private courses.

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In general, you're unlikely to get on most private courses, without knowing a member. Or if you are already a member of a country club, the golf pro can call and see if they can get you on. In general this has worked almost anywhere I've gone (as long as I was flexible on day and time), except for the exclusive private courses.

 

[mcanadiens]

A comprehensive list of only the private courses isn't something that is readily available. 

The USGA will show you every course in each state that carries a course rating. You could then determine for yourself if that is a public or private course. The local associations' web sites will list out their member courses and might indicate if they are public or private. The Northern Ohio Golf Association has lists for both their publics and privates. My local Miami Valley Golf Association does not list them separately. 

Other than that, there is the usual assortment of pages that will rate the best courses in each state like what some of the others have posted links to. 

[StuM]

  On 12/30/2023 at 8:07 PM, MJW said:

I "volunteered" for a group of recently retired guys who are now on a mission to play a lot of golf including tapping into our networks to play private courses.

We want to focus on ones we haven't play across the US.  Does anyone know of a site or source where I could download private courses (by state)?

Appreciate any and all feedback.  Thanks

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So, are you thinking “6 degrees of separation” and trying to identify a course then find someone who knows someone to get on a specific course?

[MJW]

  On 1/3/2024 at 1:09 AM, StuM said:

So, are you thinking “6 degrees of separation” and trying to identify a course then find someone who knows someone to get on a specific course?

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  On 1/3/2024 at 1:09 AM, StuM said:

So, are you thinking “6 degrees of separation” and trying to identify a course then find someone who knows someone to get on a specific course?

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That's part of it.  Among the 12 of us, we probably know people at 7-80 clubs nationally.  From there it's networking to see if we can cover all of them over next 10 years.

[SG11118]

MNGolf.org

Minnesota Golf Association has the Minnesota member courses listed and separated by public, private, semi-private, etc.  I'd assume other associations have similar lists.

[StuM]

  On 1/3/2024 at 4:09 PM, MJW said:

That's part of it.  Among the 12 of us, we probably know people at 7-80 clubs nationally.  From there it's networking to see if we can cover all of them over next 10 years.

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Not to doubt your abilities, but I doubt you could golf all in 10 years.  I did a google search and it indicates over 5,800 Private Golf Courses in the US.  That would be over 580 rounds per year.

I can't vouch for the validity of the search result, but good luck.

 

[klineka]

  On 1/3/2024 at 9:18 PM, StuM said:

Not to doubt your abilities, but I doubt you could golf all in 10 years.  I did a google search and it indicates over 5,800 Private Golf Courses in the US.  That would be over 580 rounds per year.

I can't vouch for the validity of the search result, but good luck.

 

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I think (might be wrong) that he meant the 70-80 private clubs where people in his group know members. That feels more reasonable in 10 years considering they're all retired.