Best Golf Courses Played

[geordi]

I've been very fortunate to have had entree to a lot of great courses. You've gotta understand that great courses and difficult courses are very different in many respects. Among them, in order of GREAT courses I've played are
Royal County Down
Lahinch
Oakmont
Inverness
Pinehurst #2
The Ocean Course
Congressional
Spanish Bay
Torrey Pines - South
Portmarnock

The Ocean Course is clearly a beast. Almost unplayable in the stiff wind. But there is no question that Oakmont is the most difficult. After playing that course, I firmly believe that Johnny Miller's 63 in the 73 US Open is the best round of golf every played.

My favorite will always be Keney Park, VERY early in the morning, with a case of beer awaiting the winners.

 

[JayKoz]

Tralee, Ballybunion, Old Head and Lahinch in Ireland. Simply amazing.

For the US, I’d have to really sit down and think about a list, but I need to pack.

I leave for Scotland tomorrow.

 

[Deepster]

Prouts Neck in Scarborough ME. Super exclusive where you need to own seaside property to gain golf rights. Half the course is oceanside coastal Maine holes with a Scottish links style inland. There aren’t many pictures online and that’s on purpose.

We got out because of a sales rep pulling a favor. We didn’t see another golfer most of the day. Easily the most enjoyable golf experience of my life.

 

[controlfade]

Well…. Seeing as I am a Golf Course Superintendent I have played all of the top 10 courses in the US and for me Shinnecock is far away the the best course. Pine Valley , Merion are prolly the 2 best designed golf courses architecturally.

 

[jleves]

Not the best course by any means based on places a lot of you have played, but as a kid/teen, I loved playing the Highland Course at Quechee Lakes (my folks had a condo there). Didn't like the Lakeland Course so much.

Any of you played those?

 

[TheShot1990]

Bethpage Black
Winged Foot
Old Head
Maidstone
The European Club
Trump West Palm
Quaker Ridge

 

[storrsroars]

Prouts Neck in Scarborough ME. Super exclusive where you need to own seaside property to gain golf rights. Half the course is oceanside coastal Maine holes with a Scottish links style inland. There aren’t many pictures online and that’s on purpose.

We got out because of a sales rep pulling a favor. We didn’t see another golfer most of the day. Easily the most enjoyable golf experience of my life.

Of course you loved a round with no one else on the course. You hate people.

That's why GHWB was an ok guy in my book. He didn't need all that. He played Cape Arundel in KPort like the rest of us schlubs.

 

[UConnJim]

Biggest regret of my life was being invited to play Augusta National, but I couldn't go. In hindsight, I should have gone. Still regret it.
Most of golf has been played in the Northeast and I have played almost all of the top courses near Boston. My favorite courses that I've played:
1) The Country Club
2) Ocean Course at Kiawah
3) Old Sandwich
4) Hyannisport
5) Charles River
6) Farm Neck (because I love playing on Martha's Vineyard)
7) Eastward Ho

 

[Tuna]

I've been very fortunate to have had entree to a lot of great courses. You've gotta understand that great courses and difficult courses are very different in many respects. Among them, in order of GREAT courses I've played are
Royal County Down
Lahinch
Oakmont
Inverness
Pinehurst #2
The Ocean Course
Congressional
Spanish Bay
Torrey Pines - South
Portmarnock

The Ocean Course is clearly a beast. Almost unplayable in the stiff wind. But there is no question that Oakmont is the most difficult. After playing that course, I firmly believe that Johnny Miller's 63 in the 73 US Open is the best round of golf every played.

My favorite will always be Keney Park, VERY early in the morning, with a case of beer awaiting the winners.

I think Oakmont is absolutely awesome. Brutal but totally fair. My personal #1.

 

[NJHusky]

Well…. Seeing as I am a Golf Course Superintendent I have played all of the top 10 courses in the US and for me Shinnecock is far away the the best course. Pine Valley , Merion are prolly the 2 best designed golf courses architecturally.

I was planning to make a snarky comment…what no one’s played Pine Valley…and then this post. Lol. Was it as fabulous as it’s reported? I’d just like to see it.

 

[uconnfan68]

Hard to judge them.

Most scenic: Pebble Beach, Banff
Second tier: Baja Mar (just north of Ensenada on Baja California), Farm Neck

Hardest: Torrey Pines South
Second tier: Lake of Isles North
# Pebble Beach should be here too, but I think it would have been easier if I knew where to aim. Played it long before tv showed it all.

 

[UConnKev]

Tralee, Ballybunion, Old Head and Lahinch in Ireland. Simply amazing.

For the US, I’d have to really sit down and think about a list, but I need to pack.

I leave for Scotland tomorrow.

Played all of these.

Old Head visually is my #1 but wasn’t the most challenging test.

Ballybunion was amazing. That first tee ball you’re hoping you don’t cut/slice one into the cemetery.

 

[Excalibur]

Bethpage Black
Winged Foot
Old Head
Maidstone
The European Club
Trump West Palm
Quaker Ridge

Maidstone is my absolute favorite track anywhere.

Also played Shinnecock, Bethpage, Patterson, Hobe Sound, Aurora (Anguilla), Boothbay Harbor.

Not on the level of those, but I’m a big fan of New Haven as well - I just love those Willie Park Junior courses.

 

[UConn3432]

Playing Fishers, Friars Head, Maidstone, Atlantic, Piping Rock, Garden City and The Creek on LI this summer. Ridgewood in NJ as well. Very excited. Played Fishers last year and it was the best golf experience I’ve ever had. Played Winged Foot (West) earlier this year and it was toughest course I’ve played. It’s fun watching the US Open and remembering how hard it was to hold the greens at Pinehurst #2.

 

[Jaker]

Bandon and Pacific dunes, Spanish Bay.

 

[Northbound]

Wolf Creek
Southern Hills
Westchester West
TPC Sawgrass
Atlanta Athletic Club
Bethpage Black
Tanglewood
Pinehurst 2
Hominy Hill
Somerset Hills
Golf Club of Oklahoma

No order

 

[DemonDeac22]

Some of my personal faves:

National Golf Links of America
Pinehurst No. 2
Winged Foot (West)
Fishers Island
Winged Foot (East)
Yale
Pinehurst No. 9 (originally Pinehurst National)
Westchester
Ridgewood
Pinehurst No. 4
Old Town Club
TPC at River Highlands
The Misquamicut Club
Mt. Mitchell
Richter Park
Mohegan Sun

 

[uconn_jack]

I'm tempted to name drop a lot of the courses mentioned by others as well, but out of all the courses I've played, Lahinch is the course I enjoyed the most.

Although I agree with others that it's not necessarily the best course, Old Head was an amazing spectacle.

In the spirit of the US Open, Pinehurst #2 was very fun as well. When not set up for the pros, it's actually a very playable course. Hard to score well, but not too hard to post a decent score.

 

[itsasport]

Navatanee Golf Club near Bangkok. Now golf carts are mandatory. When I played, over 25 years ago, they were prohibited. The girl caddies carried the bags and an umbrella for us and smiled the whole time. They were sweet country girls who were making a fortune them- $7.00 plus another, against club rules, $7.00 that we snuck to them.

There were (and presumably still are) thatched huts serving sweet sticky rice and ice- cold beers. I was visiting a cousin and did not bring golf shoes, so I was slicing the ball with my woods off the tee, but my irons were running straight.

At the fourth tee, my caddie handed me an iron and that is all I got for the rest of the holes. We both laughed every time.

 

[jimva]

Baltusrol, lower
Chicago Golf Club, twice
Pebble
Firestone
The Country Club
Fields Ranch (new course but a bunch of majors already scheduled. If ever in Dallas and have the opportunity it’s a must play)

 

[EROCK CONN]

Fishers Island
Shinnecock
Pine Valley
Friars Head
Bethpage
Bandon Courses (Pacific, Bandon, Sheep Ranch)
The Country Club, Brookline
Calusa Pines
Interlachen
Tamarack
Essex County Club
Hudson National
Streamsong Black
Ocean Course, Kiawah
Spring Hill, MN
Deep Dale
Fairfield CC
Shuttle Meadow
Stanwich

 

[coachn]

Simsbury Farms

 

[Edward Sargent]

Doral, Ocean Course (with 3 Brits in a driving rain storm - we were the only one on the course and laughed our arses off), Gullane (another story I was with a colleague doing an in life visit at a lab in Edinburgh and getting a round of golf in the lab director apologized that we couldn’t play Muirfield. Turns out a Japanese CEO visiting the lab for a big contract wanted to play Muirfield. On the first tee he essentially whiffed and the starter came up to him and said sorry sir but you won’t be playing Muirfied today!! Recently I played a member guest at Estancia which just got rated the top club in AZ. In August I have a round planned at Adare Manor. Our west course at Belleair CC just got rated 4 in FL. Some other courses I like, Baltustrol, Fiddlers Elbow and Plainfield CC.

 

[Deepster]

Of course you loved a round with no one else on the course. You hate people.

That's why GHWB was an ok guy in my book. He didn't need all that. He played Cape Arundel in KPort like the rest of us schlubs.

I don’t hate all people. Just the ones like you.

 

[mauconnfan]

TPC Piper Glen
TPC Myrtle
TPC River Highlands
Pine Needles
Teeth of the Dog
Torrey
Spanish Bay
CC of Wellesley
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Caledonia
Pine Hills
New Seabury
Hartford GC
New Haven CC