Your Final 10 Rounds

[iacas]

So it goes like this… of the courses you've played, you have ten rounds left to play in your life. Where do you play them and, briefly, why?

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In no particular order…

1. Oakmont - One of my absolute favorites, partly in how unrelenting it is, and partly because of the connection I feel with the place growing up in the area. Plus, I can stop at Oakmont Bakery on the way to and from the course.
2. Pine Needles - One of my favorites and for a course that's not near to me, one that I've played a fair amount. Until Pinehurst #2 was renovated I'd have rated this one well above #2.
3. Bedford Springs - One of the first courses I played before the renovation, and a really nice course now after the renovation. Special memories here.
4. Lake View Country Club - The course I grew up playing years 2-4 of my golf life. Always a pleasure to play there again, despite 17 having a 17-yard-wide fairway.
5. Kiawah Island - One of the few Pete Dye courses I've enjoyed, and a big chunk of that has to do with the scenery and the challenge of playing by the ocean.
6. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club - The Myrtle Beach-area course that I enjoy the most, by far. And one of these days, I'll actually be playing decent golf when I get there…
7. Whispering Woods - It's still a fresh challenge every time I play it, and it takes every club in the bag.
8. The Old Course, St. Andrews - What more do I need to say? I thoroughly enjoyed my round there, and it exceeded my high expectations.
9. North Berwick - The Redan, the first green, the 18th hole, the crazy 16th Biarritz… just a really great and under-rated, FUN course.
10. Camargo Club - One of Seth Raynor's famous template courses, this one has perhaps the best collection of his par threes in the world.

[Hardspoon]

Fun topic.  I haven't played many really good courses, so nothing really spectacular on here.

1. Riviera Cancun Golf Club (Cancun) - Nice course, designed by Nicklaus, but also...all-inclusive.  All you can eat/drink in the clubhouse after the round.

2. Paxon Hollow Golf Club (Philadelphia) - My "go-to" course when I lived in Philadelphia.  Great layout, walkable, and fun.  If I visit Philly and have the chance to play golf, this would be at the top of my list.

3. The Golf Course at Glen Mills (Philadelphia) - All-around, the nicest course I've ever played.  This is my "if I could only play at one course for the rest of my life" course.

4. The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club (Sanibel Island, FL) - Not necessarily a great design, but tons of water and the quintessential Florida "vacation" course.

5. Birdsfoot Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - One of my Pittsburgh favorites.  Walkable (barely, but still), scenic, and fun.

6. St. Clair Country Club (Pittsburgh) - Mostly for the ritzy "country club" experience, which I don't get every day...amazing food, drinks, and conditioning.  Not a fantastic course, but beautiful (and tough).  Hell - since it's one of my last ten rounds ever, I'd rent a Ferrari for the day, to fit in.

7.  Boulder Creek Golf Club (Ohio) - One of the more fun layouts I've ever played.  Very different, great variety.

8. Cobb's Creek Golf Club (Philadelphia) - This is a total crap municipal course.  Actually not a bad design, but truly awful conditioning.  But...it was the first place I ever played, so screw it - I'd bring my golf career full circle.

9. Quicksilver Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - Nothing spectacular, but one of my favorite public courses in Pittsburgh.  Very good design, some fun holes, and walkable.

10. Olde Stonewall Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - One of the more scenic courses I've played...and, bonus, one of the most ridiculous clubhouses I've ever seen (think Disneyworld crossed with Medieval Times). 

 

 

[DaveP043]

I'll think on this some more, but at the top of my list are:

MidPines.  I like this a little better than its sister course across the street, Pine Needles.  Both are great.

The Old Course

Royal Dornoch

Lahinch Old

Ballyliffin Old

North Berwick

Crystal Downs  I played here as a college student, before I knew what I was doing.  I'd like to see it with more educated eyes.

I'll have to work through a few more, and flesh out some descriptions.  A very interesting question.

[Buckeyebowman]

56 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

Fun topic.  I haven't played many really good courses, so nothing really spectacular on here.

1. Riviera Cancun Golf Club (Cancun) - Nice course, designed by Nicklaus, but also...all-inclusive.  All you can eat/drink in the clubhouse after the round.

2. Paxon Hollow Golf Club (Philadelphia) - My "go-to" course when I lived in Philadelphia.  Great layout, walkable, and fun.  If I visit Philly and have the chance to play golf, this would be at the top of my list.

3. The Golf Course at Glen Mills (Philadelphia) - All-around, the nicest course I've ever played.  This is my "if I could only play at one course for the rest of my life" course.

4. The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club (Sanibel Island, FL) - Not necessarily a great design, but tons of water and the quintessential Florida "vacation" course.

5. Birdsfoot Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - One of my Pittsburgh favorites.  Walkable (barely, but still), scenic, and fun.

6. St. Clair Country Club (Pittsburgh) - Mostly for the ritzy "country club" experience, which I don't get every day...amazing food, drinks, and conditioning.  Not a fantastic course, but beautiful (and tough).  Hell - since it's one of my last ten rounds ever, I'd rent a Ferrari for the day, to fit in.

7.  Boulder Creek Golf Club (Ohio) - One of the more fun layouts I've ever played.  Very different, great variety.

8. Cobb's Creek Golf Club (Philadelphia) - This is a total crap municipal course.  Actually not a bad design, but truly awful conditioning.  But...it was the first place I ever played, so screw it - I'd bring my golf career full circle.

9. Quicksilver Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - Nothing spectacular, but one of my favorite public courses in Pittsburgh.  Very good design, some fun holes, and walkable.

10. Olde Stonewall Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - One of the more scenic courses I've played...and, bonus, one of the most ridiculous clubhouses I've ever seen (think Disneyworld crossed with Medieval Times). 

 

 

Pssst! Olde Stonewall isn't in Pittsburgh, it's in Elwood City! As far as the clubhouse is concerned, yes! It's like Game of Thrones golf!

Happy to see you mention Boulder Creek. One of my local favorites.

And your mention of Cobb's Creek in Philly merits my mention of the Henry Stambaugh Muni in Youngstown, OH. The conditioning is atrocious, but that's not what makes this course difficult. It's the design! Early on I could recognize that some thought went into this thing! This is basically where I learned to play. During Summer vacation my Dad would drop me off on his way to work and pick me up on his way back home.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Pssst! Olde Stonewall isn't in Pittsburgh, it's in Elwood City!

Where's your list @Buckeyebowman?

If you're gonna comment on someone else's, put yours out there.

Fair is fair. 

[14ledo81]

I don't believe I have even played at 10 different courses.

[bkuehn1952]

Not in order:

 

• Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland – I still feel myself fill with nervous energy thinking about walking on the first tee where so many others have been. "Oy lad, yer in Hell!"
• Riverview Country Club, Appleton, WI – This 9-hole course no longer exists but it is the place I first teed it up back in 1960 as a 8-year-old.
• Pebble Beach, CA – The history, the scenery, the real estate, the GREENS FEES.  Nuff said.
• Leslie Park Golf Course, Ann Arbor, MI – My “home” course for over 30 years.  Every hole is different with a nice mix of features.  Lots of memories.
• Ballybunion, Ireland – Weaving one’s way through the dunes is quite an experience
• TPC Prestancia – Stadium Course, Sarasota, FL – my parent’s club.  The location where my father led “Team Kuehn” to victory in the Member/Guest.  Also the course where I played my last round with him and my mother.
• Kingsbarns, Scotland – Great memories of walking along the North Sea, sun shining and Andrew carrying my bag.  I recommend you hit the “B”, sir.
• Little Pines Nine, Ypsilanti, MI – The course where I introduced my granddaughter to the game, along with driving a cart. I still can’t believe I let her drive over some of those narrow & steep bridges.
• Cedar Creek, San Antonio, TX – The muni that is my “home away from home” course when visiting the grandkids in Texas.  Lots of elevation changes. 
• Waterville, Ireland – A pure links course.  Carried our own bags as all the caddies had much too good a Friday night.  Sunshine interrupted by brief squalls and sideways rain.  “On a clear day, lads, you can see New York, har har har!”

 

[mcanadiens]

Based on what I actually have played, my list is rather limited and rather local.

1, Beavercreek Golf Club, Beavercreek, OH - This place is just a couple of plats over from my mum's house. It's one of those 90s style courses built to spur real estate development. Course conditions are solid, there is a good variety of holes and it won't beat me up to much from the right tees.

2. Nags Head Golf Links, Nags Head, NC - The most beautiful golf course I've ever played is on the sound side of the Outer Banks. 

3. Community Golf Club Hills Course, Dayton OH - Probably the most interesting of the city's courses. As the name suggests, plenty of up and down here. Don't try to walk it.

4, Pipestone Golf Club, Miamisburg, OH - The only real reason I want to play here is that as a beginner my buddy busted my teeth out on this course. I'd like to think I'd do a bit better now.

5. Community Golf Club, Dales Course, Dayton, OH - The shorter, easier sister of the Hills would figure to be my last real chance at breaking 80.

6. Shelby Oaks Golf Club, Sidney, OH - Decently conditioned public course that I've played several times with @Jeremie Boop

7.  Avon Fields Golf Course, Cincinnati, OH - Like Community, this is a short, old-school course. I played it in mid January a few years back and have meant to go back in better weather.

8. Kittyhawk Golf Center, Eagle Course, Dayton, OH - What can I say. This is my home course.

9. Kittyhawk Golf Center, Hawk Course, Dayton, OH - Same as above, but I like the Eagle better. Too damn many hazards on this one.

10. Miami Shores Golf Course, Troy, OH - My home away from home. Fairways wide enough to land 747s on. Only one bit of water. Very ideal for a hacker like me.

[DaveP043]

I've had a chance to think this over, and I'll try to do a little better job now.

MidPines -  I like this a little better than its sister course across the street, Pine Needles.  Both are great.

The Old Course -  Playing here feels magical somehow.  Lots of people say its not great as a test of golf, but its a lot of fun.

Royal Dornoch -  Childhood home of Donald Ross, more scenic than your typical links, but each hole seems different and special.

Lahinch Old - Home of some of the goofiest golf holes prior to Mike Strantz, a blind par 3, a blind second on a par-5, crossing another fairway.  And surrounding these, a bunch of excellent holes, and a lovely beach resort town.

Ballyliffin Old - Who knew there was a beach resort on the northern coast of Ireland, with two excellent courses.  The Old was a blast, I've never played more uneven fairways.

North Berwick - The second course I played in Scotland, in a heavy fog in the morning.  A simple old links with a bunch of great holes.

Crystal Downs  I played here as a college student, before I knew what I was doing.  This is an Alistair McKenzie gem perched above Lake Michigan, I'd like to see it with more experienced eyes.

Stoneleigh Golf Club - My home course, I've become a reasonably good golfer since I became a member.  Its odd, occasionally unfair, scenic, and challenging.  Its home for me.

Cumberland Country Club, Cumberland MD.  My Father-in-law's home club.  We lost both her parents a few years ago, but I was blessed to have two of the best in-laws ever, and I shared a lot of time with him at Cumberland CC.  I had my first ace playing with him about 3 months before the wedding.  He covered the tab 

I've kind of thought through the rest, and haven't come up with one more.  Sure, there are bunch more I like, and that I've been lucky to play, Classic Club near Palm Springs, Whistling Straits, Ballybunion, Caledonia, Tobacco Road, Pinehurst #2, but I'm not sure that any of them rise much higher than the others.  I'll take an extra round on the Old Course and be happy.

[Golfingdad]

Shouldn't be too difficult for me as I've not played THAT many nice courses.  Let's see ...

Kapalua Plantation (Maui):  My list is heavy with courses that I get to watch the pros play, and this one is no exception.  Also, it allows you to hit drives 50-100 yards longer than you normally would; who wouldn't like that?

Kapalua Bay (Maui):  Not as grand as Plantation, but just as beautiful.  Also, a little more playable for all, and with a couple of great seaside holes.

Old Works (Montana):  Because it's in the middle of nowhere, on top of a toxic "Superfund" site, and it has black sand bunkers.

Classic Club (Palm Desert):  Very straightforward and immaculate.

PGA West Stadium Course (La Quinta):  My first Dye course, and I played it for the first time just a week ago.  Hope to play it more in the future.

PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course (La Quinta):  Much more "fair" than Stadium, also gets the nod because its a "pro" course.

Pelican Hill South Course (Newport Coast):  Most beautiful course in my immediate vicinity.

Torrey Pines South Course (San Diego):  It's a US Open Course!

Torrey Pines North Course (San Diego):  Can't wait to play it for the first time post renovation.

La Costa (Carlsbad):  Again, leaning towards courses that I got to see the pros play, I'd choose to play this one like the pros played it as well (the combination of 9 holes from Champions and 9 from Legends)

Note:  You go back to just before 2017 and 4 of these courses come off the list.  Go back about 4 years and 8 of them are gone.  My point is I'm hoping to really expand my options for this list exponentially in the years to come. :)

[jsgolfer]

As much as I love Springfield, the ten I would want to play, in no particular order are:

Kapalua Plantation Course - Spectacular Views and overall great course.  Plus your in Maui.  

Baltimore Country Club at Five Farms - East Course - Fantastic course and such a good test. One of my all-time favorite courses.  Playing there next week.  

Calusa Pines - Amazing the amount of land they had to move too build this course, and a great course it is.

Caves Valley CC - Great layout, great conditions, great course to play, haven't played since the renovation.

Wolf Creek Golf Course - Loved this course, hitting over the cliffs, rocks, sands traps to green fairways

Sugarloaf Golf Club - Carabasset Valley ME - Great great RTJ Jr course, every hole stands alone, no spraying it into the next fairway and the Par 3 11th is superb.  Play the course in the fall and with the leaves changing, not many better views.

Torrey Pines - South - Hard to beat views of the Pacific, plus as @Golfingdad, it's been a US Open course. 

Arrostook Valley CC - Love the layout and the history, built during prohibition so US Residents could drink and play golf.  Parking lot in US, but course and Clubhouse are in Canada. 

Treyburn CC - I get to play here a couple times a year, really really great course in the Raleigh area.  Fantastic layout. I could retire and play this course every day. 

Golden Bear Club at Keene's Point - Great Nicklaus Layout in Florida, right near Isleworth CC.  

 

 

 

[Hardspoon]

2 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Old Works (Montana):  Because it's in the middle of nowhere, on top of a toxic "Superfund" site, and it has black sand bunkers.

I had to look this one up...

[Golfingdad]

3 hours ago, Hardspoon said:

I had to look this one up...

@Fourputt knows this place better than I do. :)

[mchepp]

1. Pebble Beach - Don't think this one needs much introduction or belabored comments. It is just an outstanding day.

2. Pasatiempo - I love the history of the place place plus the MacKenzie history there is palpable.

3. La Purisima - Great test of golf that most people will never hear of. The best hidden gem I have ever played. 

4. Pacific Dunes - Best among the Bandon Dunes courses and a wonderful place to play

5. Portland Golf Club - Awesome old time course with a ton of history. I love it every time I get to play here.

6. PGA West Stadium - Another outstanding test of golf.

7. English Turn CC - A great golf course

8. Taconic Golf Club - Fun to play and a great course on a college campus

9. Pinehurst #2 - Played with a caddy, just how golf was meant to be.

10. CordeValle - Beautiful golf course in an outstanding setting.

[cipher]

Not sure it I have a complete 10 that deserve being on this list but it sounds like fun so here it is. This may end up more as a reflection on time, family, friends and experience.

1. The Straits at Whistling - Kohler, WI - It needs no explanation.  

2. The Irish at Whistling - Kohler, WI - It is basically attached to The Straits and is an incredible course with a bit more forgiveness than it’s big brother. In some ways I like the design even more than the Straits. 

3. Wild Rock - Wisconsin Dells - It has some beautiful views and some very fun holes.  I really like the design of the course and the simple yet effective placement of the bunkers. It would be great to play one more time with my buddy @Jakester23.

4. Oconomowoc Golf Club - Oconomowoc, WI - A Donald Ross design and is a private course in which I have had the pleasure of playing twice.  It is my dream course as far as being a member one day.  It is the most well-manicured course I have ever played and looks like a piece of land stolen from the North East.

5. Hidden Glen Golf Club - Cedarburg, WI - Designed by Pete Dye's son, I recently had the pleasure of playing this private course.  It is very challenging and requires great decision making and from tee to green on shot zones.  It is one of the most engaging courses I have played

6. Erin Hills – Erin, WI – Okay, I admit I am cheating here.  I have not played it.  However, I was supposed to and would have if I did not get injured.  I also walked most of the course a number of years ago during the US Amateur.  I have to play this one, I just do.

7.  Whispering Woods, - Erie, PA - One of the most unique, and challenging wooded courses I have played.  My two trips out to Erie changed things for me in a couple ways.  Lessons were learned on the course and in life.  Maybe a final chance to play a round with my coach as well.  

8. Magnolia Landing – North Fort Myers, FL – It is a typical but beautiful Florida design.  I never actually got to play the second nine holes at this course.  This course changed my life on the ninth hole, one swing, one injury, and two years left to reflect on life.  Things will never be the same, they are better.  Time changes many things, but not my desire to finish what I started on this course. 

9. Superior National - Tofte, MN - My Father's favorite course and I would love for this to be our final round of golf together.  It has some incredible views and some beautiful holes.  A great place to reflect on our time together.

10.  Baker National - Hamel, MN – This is the course I grew up on back in MN and where I learned to play golf.  The design is a good one, although I have no clue what condition it is in these days.  I would love to end it where it all started. 

[VOX]

Royal County Down -- best course

The Old Course -- best town and always in awe

North Berwick -- most fun

Lahinch -- What Ireland is all about

Augusta -- best experience, fried chicken and olives

Kingsbarns -- most dramatic

Fishers Island -- most scenic

Ballybunion -- best craic

Cypress  -- best combination of scenery and shot value

The Misquamicut Club  -- Home

Edited September 12, 2017 by VOX

[Fourputt]

On 9/11/2017 at 11:27 PM, Golfingdad said:

@Fourputt knows this place better than I do. :)

Yep... took this shot of my brother playing from one of those pain-in-the-ass bunkers.

[Wally Fairway]

I'm pretty sure if I only had 10 rounds to play in my life it would be much more about who I played them with then it would be about where I played them.

1-10. Family & friends, but I would like to travel to see them near where they live and therefore play courses there - so some of the rounds in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Florida, North Carolina & California.