What's the Most Exclusive Course You've Ever Played?

[LfSideStrngSide]

I cannot even begin to describe how much I envy you. I got to go to the tournament in 2010 and absolutely fell in love with the place. Before that I always enjoyed watching the tournament, but now... It is like my favorite thing in the world. I was so bummed when I found out I didn't win tickets for 2012 that I almost cried! Not really, but it was a total drag. Can hope for practice tix!

Congrats on that, I am sure it will be something you will always cherish and tell your kids, grandkids or what have you

Originally Posted by Chief Broom

I got to play the Augusta National this year during their end of season outing week for tournament volunteers, club employees, and other invitees who participate in some way with the tournament.  It was an awesome time.  It's an all day thing.  The gates open for invitees at 6:30AM and close at 8PM.  Pretty much everything is open to you from the practice facilites to the clubhouse and pro shop.  They serve a buffet lunch on the grounds behind the clubhouse that is top notch, beer, soft drinks, and light snacks are provided all day.  You can eat on the veranda of the clubhouse or on tables under the big oak tree.  You're given a tee time and can only play the big course once, but the par 3 course is also open for play.  Depending on your tee time you play the par 3 before or after and plan on having lunch some time inbetween.  I had a 8:52 AM tee time (the last tee time of the day was 3PM), so I played with a foursome (3 guys I'd never met, but who like me do business with the club during the tournament) after warming up on the range.  We ate lunch together afterward, then we played the par 3.  We then put up our gear and just hung out at the clubhouse drinking beer and touring the buildings.  It was fantastic made better by the fact that it didn't cost a cent.  I left about 5PM and just went home (I'm an Augusta native) and basked in the afterglow.  I preferred the par 3 course over the big course, but that was mainly because I was a nervous wreck for most of the front nine.  I played horribly with what has to be near a career high 41 putts.  A caddy would definitely be worth it, but with the number of people who go out on those outing days (I think they said about 250 that day) the course is full and they aren't offered. They provided golf carts and you were on your own.  It's funny because there are no ball washers on the course (that would be your caddy's job) and there are no hole markers.  We almost teed off on number 9 tee because the number 2 tee is a bit of a hike from the number 1 green.  Again your caddy would take care of that.  I nearly aced the second hole on the par 3 course and I wondered aloud to my partners why I was able to play so much better there rather than out on the big course, but of course there was no pressure there.  I did par the two par 3's on the back nine of the big course (12 and 16).  Should have birdied 12, but I never figured out how to putt those greens.  Another bright spot was teeing off on the first tee.  The tee was crowded because no one wanted to miss their tee time, and as I was about to hit a guy standing about 10' behind me dropped his fully loaded staff bag.  He began appologizing profusely, but I ignored him and took my swing and striped one down the center of the fairway to about 100 out from the green.  Everyone was really impressed and the honest truth was I was so nervous that there could have been an earthquake and I still was going to take a swipe at the ball.  All in all a good time and I hope to be able to do it again next year.

[MGAD]

Medinah Country Club

I caddied there for 2 years, including the 1990 US Open year.  They let the caddies and other course workers play #3 once a year on Columbus day.  I only qualified to play one year (minimum # of loops), started on #1 and unfortunately was rained out after #11 which means I missed out on the best part of the course.  The highlight of an otherwise atrocious round was a chip in from the sand on #8 for birdie.

Played the other two courses at the club a few times on Mondays but only played #1-11 on the championship course.  I am looking forward to watching the Ryder cup next year as I still remember details for each hole (at least the ones they havn't changed).

[Tomboys]

The Olympic Club Lake Course in San Francisco.  The day I played, I bumped into actor Cheech Marin and his manager.  While my buds and I were playing for $10/$10/$10, according to Cheeh's manager, they were playing for $6K...per hole.

[Chief Broom]

At the ANGC the caddies have it even better than the volunteers.  On caddy day they get all the same perks as outings week, the food, access, etc., but they get to play the big course as much as they want.  I know several local caddies who talk of playing nearly 54 holes before they ran out of daylight.  There are guys who live all over the US and fly into Augusta to caddy only so that they can get the opportunity to play each year on caddy day.  That's devotion, but it's also about the only way someone can get to play the course unless you're friends with a member.

[Daniel Watkins]

Blessings GC here in Arkansas. You cant get in the gate unless a member is with you....and its costs $500 bucks to play.  Its also the third hardest course in america

[Dartguy]

I played Valhalla a couple of times.  It was just immaculate.  I got to play Heathrow, and Keene's Point in central Florida.  I think they are exclusive, but I had a friend who was a cart rep, so he got us on several nice courses in the area.  That's a great friend to have!

[phillyk]

The only 2 places I could consider for this would be TPC at Deer Run and The Glen Club (Nationwide Tour event course).  Deer Run is a cool course, not as difficult as I imagined but still pretty difficult, of course the greens probably weren't even near the speed for the PGA event.

[uttexas]

I've been lucky to have played Brook Hollow Country Club in Dallas--George W Bush is a member and Colonial Country Club in Ft Worth. Brook Hollow is the more exclusive club, but not the most exclusive in DFW. I believe Preston Trail CC only has male memberships, but allows women to play on Valentine's Day. Brook Hollow is a challenging, but fair A.W. Tillinghast design--you can go low at Brook Hollow. They have an amazing bent grass green system at Brook Hollow. Growing healthy bent grass is a challenge in DFW, so the members at Brook Hollow installed below ground irrigation that circulates warm water in the winter and cold water in the summer below the greens. Tilli also designed Colonial, which is definitely more difficult. I really enjoyed my rounds at both courses; we were just about the only people on the course (early tee times). Both courses had employees that had been working their for several decades. Lots of history at both courses, especially Colonial.

[tx_basser]

Humm..   I have not really played as exclusive as some of the ones y'all are talking about, but I played La Cantera in San Antonio the day after they played the Texas Open and it almost killed me.  The event was played from the Gold and I shot a 94 and was finished in the top 20 out of 70 people.  The conditions for the course was immaculate, but it was extremely difficult as it had not been reconditioned for the normal playing public.

[rw21217]

I've been fortunate enough to play Fisher's Island CC.  A private course on an island in Long Island Sound ranked somewhere around no. 7(I think) by Golf Digest this year.  The course is amazing, often referred to as the Pabble Beach of the east.

[PhillyMac]

Many years ago while on vacation is Panama City Beach, I played the Hombre GC. Even though it's not really an exclusive course, it was a course where I believe the Nationwide Tour (formally Nike Tour) played. Anyway, after our round we went into the clubhouse to have a beer at the bar and sat down next to Hubert Green. We had a few beers while chatting it up with him, very cool experience none the less.

[markpf189]

Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the most beautiful golf course by far that I have ever played. The green fee is an insane $500, which we luckily didn't have to pay.

[TheSavage]

Not "exclusive" but by far the nicest course I've played is Pacific Grove Golf Links on Monterey Bay. The entire back nine has views of the Pacific Ocean that would rival Pebble Beach. Best $60 I ever spent.

[WUTiger]

Most famous: I played Pebble Beach back in March 1978, the last week of winter rates. If I remember right I got to play it for $36, plus fee for cart. It was a world-famous course back then, but not as exclusive during winter as it now is. Got major price breaks during off-season back then.

My wife and I stayed at a decent motel in a nearby town, but didn't spring for the Del Monte Lodge experience. Course was run with a light crew during winter months.

Nicest experience was at Cape Fear CC in Wilmington, NC in Spring 1976. My wife's aunt and uncle were members there, and we got the full southern club experience. Course hosted the Azalea Open from 1946-1971, a national level tournament often held the week before the Master's.

We played nine holes, stopped and had a full lunch for 45 minutes, and then played the back nine. Most of the foursomes stopped for lunch. Not super fancy, but the clubhouse, and tees, greens and sandtraps were all well maintained. Very gracious staff too.

Can't remember details, but I did manage to break 90 the first time I played it.

Deja vu: Played in a May scramble at Algonquin GC, where I used to caddie back in 1960s before I shifted to Old Warson (Ryder Cup). I had returned to St. Louis in 2002 after decades in other places, so this was a nice trip back in time. Several of the Algonquin holes had been rerouted or redesigned, mostly for the better. This is one of the oldest clubs in the St. Louis area.

Lunch was great, and supper was great. Golf was cold and rainy, but hey, it was still golf!

[RPMPIRE]

Not really exclusive but I played Half Moon Bay where they had an LPGA event a couple years back.

I knew a friend who was invited through one of his clients to play at San Francisco Golf Club. Probably had one of the most jealous feelings ever...

[JoelCochran]

I've played a lot of very nice courses but the only one I ever thought of as "exclusive" was Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville.  The golf course itself is really nothing special, but the Country Club part is fantastic.  One of those places where every wall, down to the toilet stall, is hardwood.  The locker room is a mile of hardwood floor-to-ceiling lockers, travertine floors, and granite counter tops.  There was an employee in the locker room whose job it is to clean shoes.  Everyone was called "Mr. so and so" and between lunch, golf, range balls, and snacks, I never saw a dime change hands (everything was just "taken care of").  It's the only time I've ever been in a club like that.

[FLOG4]

I have been fortunate to play many great courses.  Pine Valley was the ultimate.  It was 105 degrees the day I was there. My caddie was not the best either.  He misclubbed so bad on a par 3 that my ball hit in a tree over the green. The other caddie asked my caddie what club he had me hit....6 iron...The other caddie actually punched him and told him I shouldn't have hit any more than a 9 iron.[it was our 4th hole but we teed off on 10]  There are no yardage markers. Not on any teebox or on any sprinkler.  You must have a caddie and you must trust each other. The par 3 was a severe downhill hole. Pine Valley is like entering a foreign territory.....You meander all over trying to find it and then as you go down this seemingly deadend trash dump side road you turn right 90 degrees  cross over some RR tracks to enter Shangra La. It's set up as it's own town.  Pine Valley.  So they can govern their little kingdom as they see fit.  Due to numerous misclubbings I knocked down a 90.  While capping at 6 at the time.  And I actually hit a lot of good shots.  But blowing a driver thru a dogleg and second guessing your caddie all day hurts.   Two holes with multiple greens.  Just a spectacular place.  I'd recommend World Woods in North of Tampa as a very nice knock off. If you are the adventerous type.  Find Pine Valley on the map[so jersey near philly].  Drive to the end of that dead end type road.  Park your car on the left and act like you have a flat.....The first person that stops and asks if you need a hand.....He's the guy that will get you on the #1 course in the world for the past 2 decades if you can close the deal.  Just look and act the part.  I am quite envious of the Augusta posting.  And for me, That is saying a lot.

[senorchipotle]

got to play colonial back in college the week before the tourney, one of my college buddie's g-grandfather was a founding member. we were 5 playing tournament conditions and we were the only ones on the course. it was pretty surreal. i was playing with close to a 0 handicap back then and shot a 78, so it was definitely a memorable experience.

also played river oaks and champions in houston numerous times. they're pretty prestigious courses here in texas, but i'm not sure if those outside of texas and louisiana would have heard about them.

btw broom, i hate you.