If this is a repeat topic I apologize in advance, still new here. But I want to hear what everyones top five public and private courses are that they have played. I will start it off, list isn't going to win any awards but I can't really complain.

Connecticut

Public

1. Lake of Isles
2. Wintonberry Hills
3. Ricter Park
4. Fox Hopyard
5. Oxford Greens

Private

1. Shorehaven GC
2. Brooklawn GC
3. CC of Fairfield
4. Yale
5. TPC River Highlands

Here goes

1: The K Club (Ryder Cup 2006)
2: Hacienda del Alamo (Spanish Open 2009 I think, unreal course)
3: Fota Island (irish Open 2001, 2002)
4: Cork Golf Club (Alistair MacKenzie design, 10 minutes from the door)
5: Harbour Point (Home club, a real toughy)

I don't mind about the course once the greens are fast and the fairways are short

After playing Forest Creek in Pinehurst this summer, I can't put together a list anymore. It tops all of the few good courses I've played by a long margin.

Top 5 Public and Private:

1. Teeth of the Dog (Dominican Republic)
2. Arnold Palmer Design Four Seasons Golf Club Costa Rica Peninsula Papagayo (Incredible)
3. Dye Four (Dominican Republic)
4. The North and South Course at the Boulders (Scottsdale)
5. Cape Cod National and Boone Valley

Forgot Forest Creek, both courses are awesome.

1. St. Andrew's Old Course
2. The Olympic Club
3. Orange County National Crooked Cat
4. Newport National
5. The Orchards(Home Course)

Sean

HI,

#1 = PINE VALLEY G.C. Pine Valley, N.J.

#2 = OAKLAND HILLS C.C. (South) Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

#3 = WHISTLING STRAITS (Straits) Haven, Wis.

#4 = THE QUARRY AT LA QUINTA La Quinta, Calif.

#5 = Point O'Woods G. & C.C. Benton Harbor

Honorable mention:

Shepherd's Hollow G.C. (2nd/3rd) Clarkston, Radrick Farms G.C. Ann Arbor, Lakewood Shores Resort (Gailes) Oscoda, University of Michigan G.C. Ann Arbor, R. & S. Sharf G. Cse. Rochester, TPC of Michigan Dearborn, Oakland Hills C.C. (North) Bloomfield Hills, Atlantic City C.C. Northfield, Ballamor Golf Club Egg Harbor Twp., Pine Barrens G.C. Jackson, Aronimink G.C. Newtown Square, Pelican Hill G.C. (Ocean North)Newport Coast, Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (No. 8), Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (No. 7), Bulle Rock Havre de Grace, The Links at Lighthouse Sound Bishopville, Beechtree G.C. Aberdeen

Special mention of Blue Heron Pines (East Course), just awesome and closing to be turned into a private 9 hole course and a 55 + housing development.

Top 5 Over Rated

#1 = INVERNESS CLUB Toledo, Ohio

#2 = SPYGLASS HILL G. CSE. Pebble Beach

#3 = Bay Hill Club Orlando

#4 = The G. Cse. at Glen Mills

CJD

In no particular order...

Olympic Club
Butler National
Pasatiempo GC
Eugene CC
Rancho Santa Fe CC

Others right up there are Hazeltine Nantional and the Farms at Rancho Santa Fe.

Pine Valley
Cypress Point
Augusta National
Pebble Beach
Whisper Rock
Whistling Straits
Crystal Downs

HI,

Wow, not many get on Crystal Downs. Anyone have pictures of this sourse?

CJD

In no particular order:

Pebble Beach
Cog Hill #4
Kemper Lakes
TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course
Bay Hill
Longaberger Golf Club

HI,

I forgot I played Cog Hill and Kemper Lakes, but thought both were over rated.

CJD

Top 5:

National Golf Links of America
The Old Course
Carnoustie
Winged Foot
Bethpage Black

Tough to get on but absolutely incredible. Probably in the top 1 or 2 I've played to date. Was a few years ago with a tour player and 2 of his sponsors. Great day.

1 CYPRESS POINT-PEBBLE BEACH, CA
2 PEBBLE BEACH-PEBBLE BEACH, CA
3 SPYGLASS HILL-PEBBLE BEACH, CA
4 KAPALUA PLANTATION-KAPALUA, MAUI
5 WE-KO-PA-FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ

In no order

Torrey Pines - South Course
Dragon Ridge - Henderson, NV
Tournament Club of Iowa - Polk City, IA
Branson Creek - Branson, MO
TPC Deer Run - Moline, IL

Only one big namer but I'm only 26 a lot more golf left in me and a lot more courses to be played.

Tough question but here goes, in no order:

Pebble Beach
Peachtree CC - Atlanta
TPC Sawgrass
Pine Barrens - World Woods
Bay Hill

Honorable Mention

Doral Blue Monster
Atlanta Athletic Club
Panther Lakes - Orange County National
Osprey Ridge at Disney World

Here they are (in no order):

Public:
1. Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach, CA
2. Ghost Creek (Pumpkin Ridge), Portland, OR
3. Pasatiempo, Santa Cruz, CA
4. Ocean Course @ Kiawah, South Carolina
5. Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach, CA
6. TPC @ Sawgrass, Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra, FL
7. Harbor Town, Hilton Head, SC
8. Edgewood Golf Course, Stateline, NV


Private:
1. The Honors Course, Chattanooga, TN (By far the best Pete Dye course I have played)
2. Eugene Country Club, Eugene, OR
3. Witch Hollow (Pumpkin Ridge), Portland, OR
4. The Waverly Club, Portland, OR

Olympia fields
Newport CC
TPC of Boston
World Woods Pine Barrens
Pinehills Nicklaus

How about Great River?

I throw in a Canadian Flare...

#1. Glen Abbey
#2. Nicklaus North
#3. Kananaskis Mount Kidd
#4. Silvertip
#5. Blackhawk or Grand Niagara

You know what, I honestly feel Fazio blew it with Great River. I think the practice facility and clubhouse are second to none but I can't put it above any of the 5 public I listed. The reason I think he messed up is he has a parcel of land seperated by train tracks. However, instead of using the upper section where there was adequate land he opted to use the land along the Housatonic River. This caused the course to be squeezed into a piece of land too small for what they were trying to accomplish causing many holes to run parallel with one another. Just my opinion take it for what its worth.

To each his own, but they are in my top tier and that's what I was asked to provide. It's my list and opinion, and you shared yours.

Hi,

I thought that both Doral and Bay Hill were over rated, big time!!

The only thing that was worth it at Bay Hill was hitting balls a couple places down from Arnie on the range, and a couple groups ahead of him on the course.

CJD

Private - No Order
Los Angeles CC (North)
Bellerive CC
Southern Hills
Riviera
Colleton River (Nicklaus Crse.)
Champions (Cypress)

Public or Public Access - No Order
1) Kingsbarns (My favorite course!)

Muirfield (Scotland)
Old Course at St. Andrews
New Course at St. Andrews
Pebble Beach
The Gallery (North)
We-Ko-Pa
Torrey Pines (South)
Harbour Town GL
Troon North (Monument)
Annbriar

Can we please keep to the topic at hand which is "Top 5 Courses You Have Played"? Not "Why I Think Everyone Else's Top 5 is Overrated."

Thanks!

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/crystal1.html

PUBLIC:

1. Oleander GC, Jekyll Island GA
2. Shennecossett GC, Groton, CT
3. Elks CC - Portsmouth, OH
4. Manakiki GC Cleveland OH
5. Penn National Iron FoRge GC




Private:

1. Camargo Club Indian Hill, OH
2. Piqua CC Piqua, OH
3. Coldstream CC, Cincinnati, OH
4. The University Club, Blythewood, SC
5. Fort Jacckson, GC Columbia, SC

My list:

Los Angeles CC - North / shot a 81
San Francisco Golf Club / shot a 82
Olympic Club / shot a 79
Philadelphia Cricket Club / shot a 77
Lochinvar Golf Club Houston, TX / shot a 89

I'm playing Cypress Point this December, so my top 5 should change after that.

Erik

US

National Golf Links of America
Pine Valley
Cypress Point
Sand Hills
Merion Golf Club

Overseas

Royal Portrush
Royal Dornoch
Muirfield
Ballybunion Old
The Old Course

Public

Bethpage Black
Pasatiempo
Lawsonia Links
Bethpage Red
Erin Hills

Bethpage Black
Bay Hill
Keene's Pointe
Fox Hopyard
Crescent Pointe

Not in any particular order.....

Hazeltine National
Olympic Club (Lake)
Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach
Riviera CC

In order:

1) Myopia Hunt Club, S. Hamilton, MA

2) Essex County Club, Manchester by-the-Sea, MA

3) Doral Blue Monster, Miami, FL

4) Old North State Club, Badin Lake, NC

5) Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst, NC

Honorable mention: The Country Club, Brookline, MA, Long Cove Club, Hilton Head, SC

Bethpage Black
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Blackwolf Run (River)
Pebble Beach
Spyglass Hill

Bethpage Black

Merion CC East Course (site of 2013 US Open)

TPC at the Canyons

Kiawah Island Ocean Course

Bulle Rock

Grimace

Merion WEST is their second course which is a fantastic quirky 6000 yard gem about 1 mile away from

Merion East which will hold the US Open once again in 13. Merion East might just be the best parkland golf course in the world.

No prob. I'm from CT and moving back in the Spring next year, never got the change to play at any of those expect Richter and Oxford. I thought Oxford was a bit overated... When I played it the rough hadn't grown completely in, and I noticed quite a few rocks when I was taking divots...

My top 5 would be:


1. Muirfield
2. Woodhall Spa
3. North Berwich (West)
4. Carnoustie
5. Walton Heath (Old)

Ian

My Top 5:

St. Andrews - Old
Merion East
Muirfield
Turnberry - Ailsa
Prestwick/Royal Dornoch (tied)

No specific order.

Public
The old course
Turnberry - Ailsa
Longenberger - OH
Avon Lakes - OH
Troon North - AZ


Private
Loch Lomand
Double Eagle - OH
The Golf Club - OH
Muirfield Village - OH
Querencia - Cabo

Can everybody guess the pics?

Sorry I put the wrong course in my post. I am very familiar with Merion as I have lived with within 20 minutes of the course most of my life and my uncle has been a member there since I was a kid. I grew up playing both the east and the west.

The Old Course, St Andrews
Pebble Beach
Pinehurst #2
Barnbougle Dunes
The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island

Also thoroughly enjoyed:
Harbour Town
TPC Scottsdale
TPC Los Colinas
TPC Scottsdale
Bay Hill

Public and Private

1. Seminal
2. Pinehurst #2
3. Mirasaw (Honda Classic)
4. Old Works (Jack Nicklaus Montana)
5. Tobacco Road, Tot Hill Farm (Both George Strantz)

Most of what I have seen of these "Top 5" are courses that I will not probably play. So my list will mostly be for the everyday man.

In no particular order:

Hermitage Golf Course - Presidents Reserve Old Hickory, TN
Old Hickory Country Club Old Hickory, TN
Ted Rhodes Golf Course Nashville, TN
Huntington Park Golf Course Shreveport, LA
Bear Trace at Ross Creek BFE, west TN

Honorable mention:
Twin Bridges Arab, AL
The Links at Novadell Hopkinsville, TN
Windance Country Club Harrison County, MS
Great Southern Golf Club Biloxi, MS
Saddle Creek Golf Club Lewisberg, TN (I pu5 this in 'cause I shot my best round ever on this course (73, +1).

Pine Valley - NJ
Merion GC - PA
Congressional CC - MD
Pebble Beach - CA
Aronomink - PA

Shinnecock Hills
Cypress Point
Pine Valley
Augusta National
National Golf Links
The Golf Club (New Albany, OH)
Waterville Golf Links
Pacific Dunes

Bokskogen old course, Sweden, lovely course.
PGA Centinary at Gleneagles, Scotland.
Panmuir, Scotland, nextdoor to Carnoustie and well worth a look!
The Machrie out on Islay, Scotland - an awesome challenge!

Public
1. Pacific Dunes
2. Pinehurst #2
3. Pasatiempo
4. Lawsonia Links
5. Homestead Cascades


Private
1. Sand Hills (Overall #1 by a large margin)
2. National Golf Links
3. Pine Valley
4. Oakmont
5. Shinnecock

UK
1. Royal County Down
2. Lahinch
3. Royal Cinque Ports
4. Royal Portrush
5. The Addington

i haven't played any really great famous courses

but come next year i have preliminary plans
to play

pacific dunes
bandon dunes
royal county down
royal portrush
ardglass
portmarnock

AND IF SOMEONE WANTS TO INVITE ME AS A MEMBERS GUEST I WILL
DIP FURTHER INTO MY LINE OF CREDIT AND FLY OUT TO NEW YORK TO PLAY
SHINNECOCK HILLS

Wow...those are some big plans! RCD is the best course I have ever played. Beautiful and Challenging!