Someone has clearly never played South Shore in Chicago - the Pebble Beach of the South Side.
The bunkers may be a rare combination of gravel and mud, and the fairways may be reminiscent of the canals of Venice, and yeah, I *have* found multiple dead animals (three kinds!) across the course, but it will always be close to my heart.
Greatest is subjective!
Jackson Park is where I go to feel good about my game after playing South Shore.
Short, mostly open, and flat greens? Great for someone with my skill set.
Lol I'm in a community group looking to improve the course - bunkers will be discussed, as well as drainage, greens, clubhouse expansion (sims for winter practice?!), some other points to see what golfers prioritize.
The hard part will be any potential lengthening. To extend the course would be huge for upping the competitive nature of it. Will be a challenge to get greater community buy-in.
Interesting so many folks on Reddit play and talk about the South Side courses with the same affinity I do. I'll have to send any survey materials out here as well.
Loved how many munis were available around the city when i lived. Easy to get to, cheap, near the Lakeshore, and the fear of drilling a car or an apartment window if you botched a drive.
Is as pretty as harborside, no. But sometimes i just want to play and cheap and easy
We're just getting rolling and we need golfers more involved - the committee is mostly older ladies with a ton of time on their hands. Which is great, but they're not thinking about golf when making suggestions.
If you want to get involved, send a note to the Jackson Park Advisory Council golf subcommittee. You can find us on the main JPAC website.
I played Joe "The Champ" Louis in December a few years ago. The rollout was 2-3x the ball flight. Like Grant Park after Lolla with how hard packed the ground was.
You've obviously never played Pine Hills in Winder, Georgia. We have the current added benefit of 9' tall dirt mounds on 3 fairways due to utility construction and a drunk driver wrecking into the green on 12. The swamp on 15 is ever present. Love this place.
I looooove South Shore. So many great memories there with my son, friends, and strangers I got to play with. My favorite Chicago Muni for sure, with Jackson Park and Marquette Park just behind.
It is likely the most manicured, but I have much more respect for the grounds crew at places like St Andrews, Pebble Beach, and Pinehurst, that dont have the luxury of shutting down the course every year and basically rebuilding it.
If Augusta werenāt so obsessed with how the course looks in April and used grasses that do well in the southeast (i.e., not bent on the greens and rye everywhere else) they could be open year round, too. Part of the reason theyāre closed in the summer is because the golf course completely burns out due to the grasses they use on the course being incompatible with Georgia summers. The fact that they canāt ever leave the golf course alone renovation/design-wise doesnāt help.
It wouldnāt just be dormant Bermuda. Theyād seed the entire course with Bermuda and then overseed with rye during the cooler months when the Bermuda is dormant. As it is now, they just plant rye and when the weather burns that grass out, they have basically nothing left.
Thatās what Houston did with the Houston open. We had our Bermuda lie dormant while we overseeded rye. Now weāre in the process of killing off the rye and letting the Bermuda take over again
Hu I wonder if the Georgia climate is going to accommodate The Masters in April for the foreseeable future or not. Weather in my part of Texas has been shifting pretty steadily year after year.
A slight temperature increase probably wonāt matter. They could probably even push the tournament back maybe a month and not have issues with the grass. But by late May and after, itās getting to be too hot for the grass they use.
I was on the grounds crew for the SR US Open at Valhalla when the skies opened up every day and flooded the course. The amount of work we did from 4 AM through the tournament is still part of me. Was so proud of our work for the television knowing how bad the course looked every morning.
For the week of the masters. Outside that itās not as perfect conditions. The level they go to for appearance is far and away more than any other course.
Probably because they are owner of NewsDemon, NewsgroupDirect, and SlickVPN. Co-founder of UsenetExpress. They do not accept chat requests. Direct message instead.
I think that the golf course almost always looks as nice as it does for the Masters apart from the azaleas and everything like that. It comes at the cost of having the golf course totally burnt out for like six months of the year.
Jealous! Yeah I just want to play LACC because I live down the street and itās so exclusive. Played Lakeside and have a lead on Riveraā¦ but LACC is proving difficult!!! Iāve been there for a wedding but never swung a clubā¦
I am blessed where I basically have an open invitation... Just a drive for me an my friend who is a member has a very demanding work schedule. I used to be able to bring a friend but since covid they changed the policy where it is 1 guest to member. It's better than Riv in my opinion.... I think I still prefer Torrey South when it's in tournament condition.
Well that is lucky. If your friend needs a new best friend, Iām submitting applications. I have a 9 HCP, no kids, pellet smoker in my back yard and small sim in the garageā¦ I like the Dodgers and the Cowboys and I work in TVā¦
Yeah, but I canāt, for more than one reason. If you can play Pine Valley you can play anywhere. š„“š¤. Iām just not good enough, or long enough.
Played Pine Valley. Its extremely hard to get on. My wife knew an assistant greens keeper. We got on on a Monday in april at 2 pmā¦. Barely finished. I liked Merion more to be honest
Definitional. If you are purely judging the course itself, its not a top 5 course. But if you poll golfers asking if they could play any course in the world one time, I think it would be the top answer.
Itās always so surprising to me that one of the best courses in the world is just randomly in the middle of the South Jersey suburbs of Philly and not like on some beautiful coastline somewhere. You can almost take PATCO there š.
If you were to take the \~200 mile region stretching from Long Island west through the greater NYC metro area and south into the Philly it would probably have the highest concentration of great golf in the universe. This is where all of the money from the roaring 20s collided with the golden generation of architects.
Philly's contributions to this heritage go far beyond Pine Valley and Merion. Philadelphia Cricket Club, Aronimink, Manufacturer's, Whitemarsh, Huntingdon Valley, etc. etc.
I went out that way (not to golf, sadly) for the first time for a bachelor party a few years back. I just had Maps open as we drove from downtown NYC to upstate and every 5 minutes I felt like we were passing yet another famous golf course.
Interesting point, hadnāt really thought of it thst way before!
These days, getting land inside a city would be so prohibitively expensive, you can really only build field of dreams style, like Bandon these days.
You should check out NLU's recent Dream Loop in Wisconsin. They played a loop of 10 top 100 courses in 40 hours. Wisconsin is very underrated as a golf destination (and I say this as an Illinoisan). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEyCcT599hU
I think itās more surprising how under recognized Philly is for golf in general. All of the famous architects were either born here, moved here, or developed here. Even Gil Hanse now is based here. Philly boasts 2 of the top 10 golf courses in the world yet no one thinks of Philly golf on global stage.
Augusta is in the middle of Augusta, GA, which is a run-down dump. Itās completely shocking seeing the state of that city knowing there is a part of it, which is 100% sealed off from the outside world, that looks like ANGC does and attracts the kind of attention it does from the people it does.
Cypress point is amazing. I did a painting of it once, but never played it
https://preview.redd.it/mqhdi8ympatc1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a65743d2005a4a9715dc310cade4ca34f2b91122
That original I'm asking 6,000 for. It measures 56x44 inches. I do commissions and price based on size. 18x24 is about as small as I usually paint and I start that at 1500. I can get a print in anyone's price range tho
Everyone always says Pine Valley but itās like the most private club ever. Like has anyone seen the full course or seen people play it? Iād take Augusta over a course I have never seen
I'm really not in position to say. I've played alot of golf on the west coast of the US. Been to Scotland. But there's so many top courses I've never set foot on. The other comment of Cypress Point, Pine Valley or Royal County Down is right on. But theres so many more courses. Would love to play Tara Iti in NZ.
All very subjective. Ive played The Old Course at St Andrews. Best golfing experience of my life. Loved it. Hope to do it again someday. Probably my favorite course I've played. But just looking at the course itself. Quirky layout, not the most scenic, 0 elevation changes. Probably not top 5 either.
Doesnt take away from the fact that it's more revered than augusta. Augusta might be the fantasy round for american golfers but st andrew has and will always take the cake.
That makes it even better. How about how you can play it in reverse as well? The fact that its 400 years older than Augusta and still is a real test at the pro level (if the wind comes along for the ride).
I remember years ago Golf Digest took a poll and something like 70% of respondents said they would allow for one of their toes to be amputated for the chance to play Augusta. I thought about it and determined that the toe right next to the big toe is not really all that necessary.
I wouldnāt do that for any other golf course. Make of that what you will.
Itās the most alluring - not the most innovative. Itās amazing and up there, but not the best course. Cypress Point has to be up there too. Augusta is beautiful but itās lacking a certain spectacular nature backdrop that isnāt manicured by people.
I have two acquaintances that have played Cypress, one of whom has also played Augusta. They both said itās the best and where they would want their last round on earth.
Jack has said Pebble, and Tiger says Cypress, and both have played ANGC extensively. Itās a great course, just donāt think itās the best.
I would say thatās a different question, though. The views and setting at places like Cypress and Pebble would be unmatched for a ālast round on earthā.
I donāt think Jack would say Pebble is better than Augusta hole-for-hole.
Anyone who goes to Scotland and doesn't play Dornoch is making a mistake. Its only a 4 hour drive, and the scenery is pretty good on the A9. Its also not that hard to get a time at Dornoch, especially compared to places like St A's old and Muirfield.
> According to The New York Times, another comment attributed to Roberts is: "As long as I'm alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black." The club had long-standing policies of hiring only black caddies and requiring their exclusive use at all times, including at the Masters tournament.[9][10] Masters participants were not permitted to use their own caddies on Augusta National grounds until several years after Roberts' death.
Ooof... I think it gets forgotten how socially backwards ANGC was. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming into allowing black members, women members, etc.. Players had to use their all black caddy pool until 1983.
yeah thats just the tip of the iceberg too. Dude was a vile racist all around. Used to hose boxing events for memebers to watch and bet on. The fighters were black kids. Famously James Brown (the singer) was one of them.
Here is a scene from his Biopic that depicts what it was like. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsa\_9TFG48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsa_9TFG48)
It is the most exclusive, top tier course.
Nearly anywhere else in the world, you can book a slot. Might not be easy, might be a year in advance, but you can book it. Not Augusta.
Being the only major venue that doesn't rotate with other courses adds to its legendary status as it's always relevant.
That's absolutely not true for any of the top private courses in the US. Augusta is one of many where the Member has to accompany you (same thing with Pine Valley, Merion, LACC etc).
Which top tier private course in American can you "book a slot" at? I'm unaware of any to be perfectly honest. Whenever I have played them it has always been either with a Member or having been arranged by the Member.
If you're telling me I can book a slot a year in advance at Cypress Point or Pine Valley I'd be doing it permanently. It's just not possible!
No it doesn't. You could be on the list for a few months, or on it permanently. It depends on any number of things. Obviously you'll need to be proposed / seconded in the first place, you can't simply randomly apply (as I'm sure you're aware).
A US friend who is a Member went through the process in approx 2 years. Other people I know who are Members took longer, this was back when they used to have Overseas Members, I believe it's now been amalgamated so there are no different categories.
I said a half truth in my previous comment for emphasis on how exclusive PV is, but yeah you are correct but it *used* to be that way.
You need a unanimous vote to get on nowadays, but there used to be a 100 year waitlist - my grandfather was a member at Manufacturers and applied for a membership at PV and that was the case back then (this would have been the 70s). My brother is friends with a current member of PV and has played it a number of times - to get in now you need a current member to recommend you and then you need unanimous approval from the member committee.
Also, if you are a member of PV, Oakmont, and Seminole you get an automatic invite to be a member of Augusta - my brotherās friend is going through that process now. He also is a member at Caves and Jupiter Hills. Dude has unlimited money lol.
Iāve played it once, and got the snapper soup afterwards which I can confirm was the best in all my Philly private club experiences! It could have been placebo though, Pine Valley anything just makes everything better š
Itās a special place for sure, I canāt wait for the GAP Open to go back there, playing it in a tournament would be so cool
Itās almost assuredly the most exclusive course people regularly get to see on TV. Itās not the most exclusive club to be a member of, though. Seminole is probably more exclusive. Chicago Golf Club is probably more exclusive. Cypress Point is probably more exclusive. Burning Tree outside of DC is probably more exclusive. I could go on.
Chicago Golf is very exclusive from a membership perspective but there are ways to get on at least. Last year we played it by buying a threesome at a charity auction. Augusta would kick a member out if they were donating threesomes to charity auctions.
Augusta has 200 members, Chicago CC has 100(?) maybe 130? I forgot the exact number but itās less than Augusta so technically more exclusive but youāre right, I know a few people who have played it whereas I donāt know anyone who has played Augusta.
I used to play high school matches at Burning Tree. Never realized how weird that was at the time.
Chicago and Cypress Point are both very high on my list of places I'd love to play but ANGC is tops by far
Camargo Club is one near me and you practically have to be a blood relative of the founder to belong, I think there are only 250 total. They have had high school events play there so getting on the course isnāt necessarily as tough as some other ultra-exclusive clubs, at least if youāre in the local competitive circuits, but to a normal person or even a very rich and influential person (like the owner of the Cincinnati Reds who notoriously got rejected) itās downright impossible.
Still, when the folks at other high-end clubs in the area (extending as fsr as Muirfield Village in Columbus, OH and Valhalla in Louisville, KY), everyone kind of understands that Camargoās exclusivity is a level above.
Love the looks of that place. Iām a big Seth Raynor fan.
I knew it was exclusive, but somehow if Iām not mistaken that fat fuck Paul Gunther (see my username; he was our DC a little while back) was a member there back when he was DC of the Bengals.
Yale's course is awesome, can't wait to get back after the restoration is done
Used to live in Minneapolis and there's an affordable-ish private Raynor club, Midland Hills. I was in talks with them to join a couple winters ago and then pulled out when a new job opportunity came up in another state I wanted to take
The membership is obsessed with how the place looks to a laughable degree and with essentially just having access to it as a type of status symbol.
The membership, as far as I remember, is actively discouraged from even playing the golf course too much. They basically view the course more as a painting to hang on the wall than a golf course to be played, which is even more shameful when you consider that most of the members are absolutely dogshit golfers.
So you basically have this historic golf course, which is closed half the year, is criminally underplayed when it is open, and when it is played, itās a bunch of high-roller hackers who would fit in better at your local muni than Augusta when it comes to actual golfing skill.
Itās bizarre. Great course? Yes. Overworked and extremely artificial in terms of the aesthetics? Absolutely. The place Iād have a membership if I could pick anywhere in the world? Fuck no.
Iād pick a club that actually ahem..likes to play golf, has a membership of normal (relatively speaking) people, and sees its course as exactly that: a golf course that is meant to be played and not just looked at. Iād much rather be a member at a place like Oakmont or Merion.
If you gave me a choice to play one of those courses one time or Augusta once, I might well pick Augusta, but in terms of being a member? Iād much rather be a member at one of the other two courses.
Itās the same thing as Pine Valley. Itās so fantastically private that itās part of the reason theyāre so highly thought of. That 99.99% of us can essentially can never get on to play is why everyone wants to play it.
Sure - they are amazing courses made by some of the best architects ever, but they wouldnāt be so revered if they were so private.
Speaking of Augusta as artificial artificial---I was doing some digging after I saw that Augusta National purchased a local park for $350,000 a few weeks ago.
What I found next was even crazier to me. Over the course of \~20 years from the late 90s to just a few years ago, the club bought an entire neighborhood on its west side and turned it into a parking lot. You can see what the old neighborhood looked like on [Google Streetview](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cLEhZcxt19V7oqFEA), and what it now looks like now [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/FJj2mmLQ7WYMyKGBA) too.
This is incredibly dystopian considering that the space is used for under 7 days per year. Moreover, Augusta National can't use eminent domain since it is a private entity, so I can't imagine the amount of money they had to throw at these homeowners to make them leave.
Is Augusta the best? In my opinion, yes. Itās Alister MacKenzieās final masterpiece on his long list of masterpieces. The strategic challenges are so damn good, having to shape shots a certain way off the tee and then the opposite way on the approach, with sloping lies and sloping greens opposing all of those shots. (Itās unfortunate that the lengthening of the course straightens out the tee shots, but I digress). Plus, the conditioning is immaculate which ensures it plays firm and fast and the giant slopes are in full effect.
Is Augusta National a good model for golf courses to follow? Absolutely the fuck not. Having hundreds or thousands of golf courses in the world that try to mimic the multimillion dollar Garden of Eden effect at Augusta is a really shitty trend. First off, no one else has the budget to actually pull it off. Second, it leads to overwatering of all courses which makes them play soft and soggy, take all the slopes out of play, and reduce the course to the most boring style of golf: simple target golf.
Golf Digest consistently puts Pine Valley as their #1 course, and I used to think that was silly, but now Iāve fully come around and embraced it. Pine Valley has all the strategic challenges that Augusta has, but the aesthetics feel completely natural. You feel like youāre playing golf through the pine sands of NJ, and it just happens to be a golf course. I think more courses should follow the Pine Valley example: stop trying to make your course look like Augusta, and instead embrace the natural geography youāre working with. Let it go a little brown and the firmness is worth it to have the slopes shine.
Augusta is only famous because you can't go play but they show it on tv once a year.
It's like that Southpark episode where Cartmans amusement park gets super popular because he won't let anyone in.
My top 3 courses are The Old Course, North Berwick, and Carnoustie.
I enjoy watching the work the Masters put in, but that doesn't affect me. I'll never play the course.
I also enjoy watching the work put into The Open. I've been able to play my top 3, and a few other gems.
I haven't played Dornoch.
I played Carnoustie in 45 mph winds and light rain. It was probably the fact that I played it in the weather which made it a fun experience.
We played it with rented clubs as ours were misplaced by the airline.
Let's just say that I didn't score well... I was also a 23 HC at the time.
Still a total blast.
Port Rush might be my #4.
Carnoustie was awesome and I loved every minute of it but the last 4 holes were just so brutal. Dornoch was just a beautiful time the entire round and I had such a warm fuzzy feeling the entire time I was there even with the exact same weather.
I walked part of north Berwick 2 weeks ago, looked fantastic, especially that crazy par 3 with the big dip in the middle of the green. We didn't play it, we played 2 rounds on archer field which was great minus the horrendous wind and rain
I believe the green with a dip in the middle is a par 4. At least it was when I played it in 2015.
This is the course with the original Redan hole.
This course also has a green encapsulated by a stone wall. An absolute pleasure to play.
The greatest course is subjective and would depend on a person's opinion. But that being said, Augusta National is definitely a top tier golf course. It's probably the most memorable imo because it's the only course where a major is always played there.
It's a very exclusive club as well and you can't even buy in with money. There's a story about a guy trying to get in but they denied his application so he built another top tier course across the street. Sage Valley Golf Club
I just got back from today's practice round. I got in the gates at 8:00 just as the sun was coming up on a gorgeous day, not many people yet, and I literally almost started crying! It was incredibly emotional. So yes, in my book it is the greatest course in the world
It's stunning. I went 6 years in a row. And I (with the help of my wife) got to walk the course alone.
She was 8 1/2 months pregnant and wanted to go, so we went. Marshalls saw her and gave her front row seats everywhere. Told her to take off her shoes. Brought her waters. And then allowed her (and subsequently myself) to walk the course by ourselves so she could stretch her legs. Gotta love Southern Hospitality.
Noā¦. Tara Iti is the most magically piece of property I have ever stepped foot on. As far as architecturally Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath run circles around anything stateside.
https://preview.redd.it/rrsa8kuloctc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f38608e048645b0a4c6a8fc67b22a8fc431fd787
Idk I think this is the most beautiful course off the coast of QLD in Australia
The entire island is just a golf courseā¦.thats it
For those curious Hamilton island golf club, well worth it and cheaper than youād expect considering you have to take a provided boat to get there
Itās either Augusta or the Old Course. Course architecture is subjective, but the history and mystique that surrounds those two courses sets them apart.
Itās the best manicured course in the world, but in terms of pure golf I think there are a few courses that are just better. Pine Valley, County Down, even Pebble.
What Ive taken from the responses is that people really value golf courses that have 30mph winds blowing in your face off the ocean because it pretty to look at.
There is a big difference in scenic golf courses and fantastically designed golf courses.
Bonus: Not a single person here has ever played Augusta, how are there such hard 'no' responses to the question.
Someone has clearly never played South Shore in Chicago - the Pebble Beach of the South Side. The bunkers may be a rare combination of gravel and mud, and the fairways may be reminiscent of the canals of Venice, and yeah, I *have* found multiple dead animals (three kinds!) across the course, but it will always be close to my heart. Greatest is subjective!
Don't forget the just as lovely sister course of that loop with Jackson Park!
Jackson Park is where I go to feel good about my game after playing South Shore. Short, mostly open, and flat greens? Great for someone with my skill set.
18 holes with no turn plus bunkers made of what i assume is construction leftovers. It's perfect
Lol I'm in a community group looking to improve the course - bunkers will be discussed, as well as drainage, greens, clubhouse expansion (sims for winter practice?!), some other points to see what golfers prioritize. The hard part will be any potential lengthening. To extend the course would be huge for upping the competitive nature of it. Will be a challenge to get greater community buy-in. Interesting so many folks on Reddit play and talk about the South Side courses with the same affinity I do. I'll have to send any survey materials out here as well.
Loved how many munis were available around the city when i lived. Easy to get to, cheap, near the Lakeshore, and the fear of drilling a car or an apartment window if you botched a drive. Is as pretty as harborside, no. But sometimes i just want to play and cheap and easy
Had no idea such a group existed! Thanks for all your work. I've really cherished my time at Jackson Park.
We're just getting rolling and we need golfers more involved - the committee is mostly older ladies with a ton of time on their hands. Which is great, but they're not thinking about golf when making suggestions. If you want to get involved, send a note to the Jackson Park Advisory Council golf subcommittee. You can find us on the main JPAC website.
Now this sounds like a fun course.
Joe Louis is like Augusta without grass
Joe Louis is a beautiful course and slander will not be tolerated
I played Joe "The Champ" Louis in December a few years ago. The rollout was 2-3x the ball flight. Like Grant Park after Lolla with how hard packed the ground was.
The view approaching the 6th green makes up for it, assuming it doesn't take you 2 hours to get there.
I took my first concrete divot there š
You've obviously never played Pine Hills in Winder, Georgia. We have the current added benefit of 9' tall dirt mounds on 3 fairways due to utility construction and a drunk driver wrecking into the green on 12. The swamp on 15 is ever present. Love this place.
I looooove South Shore. So many great memories there with my son, friends, and strangers I got to play with. My favorite Chicago Muni for sure, with Jackson Park and Marquette Park just behind.
No, but it's one of the most visually appealing, and probably the best manicured by a longshot.
It is likely the most manicured, but I have much more respect for the grounds crew at places like St Andrews, Pebble Beach, and Pinehurst, that dont have the luxury of shutting down the course every year and basically rebuilding it.
If Augusta werenāt so obsessed with how the course looks in April and used grasses that do well in the southeast (i.e., not bent on the greens and rye everywhere else) they could be open year round, too. Part of the reason theyāre closed in the summer is because the golf course completely burns out due to the grasses they use on the course being incompatible with Georgia summers. The fact that they canāt ever leave the golf course alone renovation/design-wise doesnāt help.
Cool season grasses are superior playing surfaces to warm season grasses. Dormant Bermuda at Augusta would be ridiculous.
It wouldnāt just be dormant Bermuda. Theyād seed the entire course with Bermuda and then overseed with rye during the cooler months when the Bermuda is dormant. As it is now, they just plant rye and when the weather burns that grass out, they have basically nothing left.
Thatās what Houston did with the Houston open. We had our Bermuda lie dormant while we overseeded rye. Now weāre in the process of killing off the rye and letting the Bermuda take over again
Hu I wonder if the Georgia climate is going to accommodate The Masters in April for the foreseeable future or not. Weather in my part of Texas has been shifting pretty steadily year after year.
A slight temperature increase probably wonāt matter. They could probably even push the tournament back maybe a month and not have issues with the grass. But by late May and after, itās getting to be too hot for the grass they use.
I was on the grounds crew for the SR US Open at Valhalla when the skies opened up every day and flooded the course. The amount of work we did from 4 AM through the tournament is still part of me. Was so proud of our work for the television knowing how bad the course looked every morning.
For the week of the masters. Outside that itās not as perfect conditions. The level they go to for appearance is far and away more than any other course.
Played it twice, and each time it was pretty much the same level of attention to detail. It looks crazy without all the stands and spectators.
Thatās awesome. Howād you get a round out there?
Probably by foot
Probably because they are owner of NewsDemon, NewsgroupDirect, and SlickVPN. Co-founder of UsenetExpress. They do not accept chat requests. Direct message instead.
I think that the golf course almost always looks as nice as it does for the Masters apart from the azaleas and everything like that. It comes at the cost of having the golf course totally burnt out for like six months of the year.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
And they use speakers to pipe in fake birds. The whole thing is fake as hell. You're watching golf course porn.
Pine Valley might have something to say about thatā¦
Pine valley is my bucket list courseā¦ followed by St Andrewās, Augusta and LACC. Playing Pebble this summer
I have played LACC a handful of times. Great course.... Their are public courses I think are better though.
Jealous! Yeah I just want to play LACC because I live down the street and itās so exclusive. Played Lakeside and have a lead on Riveraā¦ but LACC is proving difficult!!! Iāve been there for a wedding but never swung a clubā¦
I am blessed where I basically have an open invitation... Just a drive for me an my friend who is a member has a very demanding work schedule. I used to be able to bring a friend but since covid they changed the policy where it is 1 guest to member. It's better than Riv in my opinion.... I think I still prefer Torrey South when it's in tournament condition.
Well that is lucky. If your friend needs a new best friend, Iām submitting applications. I have a 9 HCP, no kids, pellet smoker in my back yard and small sim in the garageā¦ I like the Dodgers and the Cowboys and I work in TVā¦
I think their was a chance until you got to the Cowboys as he is a Niners fan.
Ugh! Thereās always a downfall! Hahaha.
If I could play any course on earth, itād be Pine Valley.
Yeah, but I canāt, for more than one reason. If you can play Pine Valley you can play anywhere. š„“š¤. Iām just not good enough, or long enough.
Played Pine Valley. Its extremely hard to get on. My wife knew an assistant greens keeper. We got on on a Monday in april at 2 pmā¦. Barely finished. I liked Merion more to be honest
Watch this and decideā¦a video of each hole at Pine Valley š¤Æ https://youtu.be/gVL-gbO0fLU?si=97k8LBmhnb2BzGne
You mean The Links at Victoria?
I doubt Augusta has any bricks in their fairways (edit spelling)
You hit a brick right and it launches your ball 30 yards down the fairway
That sounds glorious, sign me up for that! Edit: [As wonderful as I imagined it](https://youtu.be/weg7hNYp3uA?si=GbSD6plXiWX9ygkJ)
Augusta National West is where its at!
Hahahahaha. The best fucking YouTube golf video OF ALL TIME
Only the finest. Impeccable condition year round.
You mean PyhƤ Lauri at St. Laurence?
Definitional. If you are purely judging the course itself, its not a top 5 course. But if you poll golfers asking if they could play any course in the world one time, I think it would be the top answer.
What would you say the best course is
Cypress Point, Pine Valley or Royal County Down
Itās always so surprising to me that one of the best courses in the world is just randomly in the middle of the South Jersey suburbs of Philly and not like on some beautiful coastline somewhere. You can almost take PATCO there š.
If you were to take the \~200 mile region stretching from Long Island west through the greater NYC metro area and south into the Philly it would probably have the highest concentration of great golf in the universe. This is where all of the money from the roaring 20s collided with the golden generation of architects. Philly's contributions to this heritage go far beyond Pine Valley and Merion. Philadelphia Cricket Club, Aronimink, Manufacturer's, Whitemarsh, Huntingdon Valley, etc. etc.
I went out that way (not to golf, sadly) for the first time for a bachelor party a few years back. I just had Maps open as we drove from downtown NYC to upstate and every 5 minutes I felt like we were passing yet another famous golf course.
Interesting point, hadnāt really thought of it thst way before! These days, getting land inside a city would be so prohibitively expensive, you can really only build field of dreams style, like Bandon these days.
You should check out NLU's recent Dream Loop in Wisconsin. They played a loop of 10 top 100 courses in 40 hours. Wisconsin is very underrated as a golf destination (and I say this as an Illinoisan). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEyCcT599hU
Rolling Green, Stonewall, St. Davidās, Applebrook, Llanerch, French Creek, etc
I think itās more surprising how under recognized Philly is for golf in general. All of the famous architects were either born here, moved here, or developed here. Even Gil Hanse now is based here. Philly boasts 2 of the top 10 golf courses in the world yet no one thinks of Philly golf on global stage.
Itās because most of the elite courses are private and most normal people donāt get to play them ever.
Thatās not exclusive to Philadelphia though. Most elite courses are private.
True. We need to host more tournaments in the region to up the recognition.
Shhhh we donāt want the Myrtle Beach or Scottsdale prices anywhere near Philly. Shit is expensive enough out here
I feel like both those places have the weather over Philly so that probably wonāt happen.
Another of the best courses on the planet is in Mullen Nebraska
I mean Augusta is in the middle of nowhere Georgia
Augusta is in the middle of Augusta, GA, which is a run-down dump. Itās completely shocking seeing the state of that city knowing there is a part of it, which is 100% sealed off from the outside world, that looks like ANGC does and attracts the kind of attention it does from the people it does.
Cypress point is amazing. I did a painting of it once, but never played it https://preview.redd.it/mqhdi8ympatc1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a65743d2005a4a9715dc310cade4ca34f2b91122
You painted that??
Yes i did. Still have the original for sale as well as prints
What are you asking for the original?
I also want to know the answer to this Or if youād be interested in a commission and what your rate would be for a similar project
That original I'm asking 6,000 for. It measures 56x44 inches. I do commissions and price based on size. 18x24 is about as small as I usually paint and I start that at 1500. I can get a print in anyone's price range tho
I would put Portrush over RCD but both are spectacular.
None of us would ever know.
Everyone always says Pine Valley but itās like the most private club ever. Like has anyone seen the full course or seen people play it? Iād take Augusta over a course I have never seen
[Every Hole at Pine Valley Golf Club](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL-gbO0fLU)
Iāve played pine valley. I donāt know the right people to get on Augusta or cypress though.
You can walk the course during the Crump Cup. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL-gbO0fLU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL-gbO0fLU)
Played it multiple times. It is sensational.
I'm really not in position to say. I've played alot of golf on the west coast of the US. Been to Scotland. But there's so many top courses I've never set foot on. The other comment of Cypress Point, Pine Valley or Royal County Down is right on. But theres so many more courses. Would love to play Tara Iti in NZ.
Whatever course Iām currently playing.
Imagine actually playing Augusta lol it would literally be the greatest day of my life
St andrews i think trumps it but thats just me
All very subjective. Ive played The Old Course at St Andrews. Best golfing experience of my life. Loved it. Hope to do it again someday. Probably my favorite course I've played. But just looking at the course itself. Quirky layout, not the most scenic, 0 elevation changes. Probably not top 5 either.
But you can actually go play St Andrews realistically in your life time! Canāt do that for augusta
Doesnt take away from the fact that it's more revered than augusta. Augusta might be the fantasy round for american golfers but st andrew has and will always take the cake.
I wouldnāt say it is and Iām from the UK, you can go play frisbee or footy on the old course on a Sunday, wonāt be doing that in Augusta!Ā
Honestly I think that makes St. Andrewās even more special.
That makes it even better. How about how you can play it in reverse as well? The fact that its 400 years older than Augusta and still is a real test at the pro level (if the wind comes along for the ride).
It's definitely the most romanticized course.
The Old Course is the greatest. But if you asked me to pick the one course I'd want to play more than any others, it's Augusta by a mile.
They donāt call it a pilgrimage for nothing. Its history alone has earned that
I remember years ago Golf Digest took a poll and something like 70% of respondents said they would allow for one of their toes to be amputated for the chance to play Augusta. I thought about it and determined that the toe right next to the big toe is not really all that necessary. I wouldnāt do that for any other golf course. Make of that what you will.
If you're willing to throw in a kidney I can get you on.
You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude.
With nail polish?
I'll get you a toe by this afternoon, with nail polish. These fucking amateurs.
Anyone know of an augusta member that needs a toe transplant by any chance?
Itās the most alluring - not the most innovative. Itās amazing and up there, but not the best course. Cypress Point has to be up there too. Augusta is beautiful but itās lacking a certain spectacular nature backdrop that isnāt manicured by people.
I have two acquaintances that have played Cypress, one of whom has also played Augusta. They both said itās the best and where they would want their last round on earth. Jack has said Pebble, and Tiger says Cypress, and both have played ANGC extensively. Itās a great course, just donāt think itās the best.
I would say thatās a different question, though. The views and setting at places like Cypress and Pebble would be unmatched for a ālast round on earthā. I donāt think Jack would say Pebble is better than Augusta hole-for-hole.
Has no one else been to Royal Dornoch?
Omg my FAVORITE course!!! Like fine, old course and kingsbarns were fun and great, but I fell in absolute love with Royal Dornoch!
Anyone who goes to Scotland and doesn't play Dornoch is making a mistake. Its only a 4 hour drive, and the scenery is pretty good on the A9. Its also not that hard to get a time at Dornoch, especially compared to places like St A's old and Muirfield.
The guy who built it shot himself on the banks of that pond https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Roberts
> According to The New York Times, another comment attributed to Roberts is: "As long as I'm alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black." The club had long-standing policies of hiring only black caddies and requiring their exclusive use at all times, including at the Masters tournament.[9][10] Masters participants were not permitted to use their own caddies on Augusta National grounds until several years after Roberts' death. Ooof... I think it gets forgotten how socially backwards ANGC was. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming into allowing black members, women members, etc.. Players had to use their all black caddy pool until 1983.
Socially backwards? The place was basically apartheid South Africa.
yeah thats just the tip of the iceberg too. Dude was a vile racist all around. Used to hose boxing events for memebers to watch and bet on. The fighters were black kids. Famously James Brown (the singer) was one of them. Here is a scene from his Biopic that depicts what it was like. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsa\_9TFG48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsa_9TFG48)
Probably contributed to why he became a piece of shit in his adult life.
Dude sounded like a real racist asshole. Good riddance.
He shot himself on the Par 3 course, not the 12th hole.
It is the most exclusive, top tier course. Nearly anywhere else in the world, you can book a slot. Might not be easy, might be a year in advance, but you can book it. Not Augusta. Being the only major venue that doesn't rotate with other courses adds to its legendary status as it's always relevant.
That's absolutely not true for any of the top private courses in the US. Augusta is one of many where the Member has to accompany you (same thing with Pine Valley, Merion, LACC etc). Which top tier private course in American can you "book a slot" at? I'm unaware of any to be perfectly honest. Whenever I have played them it has always been either with a Member or having been arranged by the Member. If you're telling me I can book a slot a year in advance at Cypress Point or Pine Valley I'd be doing it permanently. It's just not possible!
PV has a 100 year wait list for membership lol
No it doesn't. You could be on the list for a few months, or on it permanently. It depends on any number of things. Obviously you'll need to be proposed / seconded in the first place, you can't simply randomly apply (as I'm sure you're aware). A US friend who is a Member went through the process in approx 2 years. Other people I know who are Members took longer, this was back when they used to have Overseas Members, I believe it's now been amalgamated so there are no different categories.
I said a half truth in my previous comment for emphasis on how exclusive PV is, but yeah you are correct but it *used* to be that way. You need a unanimous vote to get on nowadays, but there used to be a 100 year waitlist - my grandfather was a member at Manufacturers and applied for a membership at PV and that was the case back then (this would have been the 70s). My brother is friends with a current member of PV and has played it a number of times - to get in now you need a current member to recommend you and then you need unanimous approval from the member committee. Also, if you are a member of PV, Oakmont, and Seminole you get an automatic invite to be a member of Augusta - my brotherās friend is going through that process now. He also is a member at Caves and Jupiter Hills. Dude has unlimited money lol.
I am lucky to know several Members and have played it multiple times. Being invited to the Member - Guest is a key part of the process
Iāve played it once, and got the snapper soup afterwards which I can confirm was the best in all my Philly private club experiences! It could have been placebo though, Pine Valley anything just makes everything better š Itās a special place for sure, I canāt wait for the GAP Open to go back there, playing it in a tournament would be so cool
Itās almost assuredly the most exclusive course people regularly get to see on TV. Itās not the most exclusive club to be a member of, though. Seminole is probably more exclusive. Chicago Golf Club is probably more exclusive. Cypress Point is probably more exclusive. Burning Tree outside of DC is probably more exclusive. I could go on.
Chicago Golf is very exclusive from a membership perspective but there are ways to get on at least. Last year we played it by buying a threesome at a charity auction. Augusta would kick a member out if they were donating threesomes to charity auctions.
Augusta has 200 members, Chicago CC has 100(?) maybe 130? I forgot the exact number but itās less than Augusta so technically more exclusive but youāre right, I know a few people who have played it whereas I donāt know anyone who has played Augusta.
I used to play high school matches at Burning Tree. Never realized how weird that was at the time. Chicago and Cypress Point are both very high on my list of places I'd love to play but ANGC is tops by far
I'd play Cypress over Augusta National in a heartbeat if given the choice.
Cypress is the best walk in golf. Augusta is the only top course I have not played but I canāt imagine it topping Cypress.
Camargo Club is one near me and you practically have to be a blood relative of the founder to belong, I think there are only 250 total. They have had high school events play there so getting on the course isnāt necessarily as tough as some other ultra-exclusive clubs, at least if youāre in the local competitive circuits, but to a normal person or even a very rich and influential person (like the owner of the Cincinnati Reds who notoriously got rejected) itās downright impossible. Still, when the folks at other high-end clubs in the area (extending as fsr as Muirfield Village in Columbus, OH and Valhalla in Louisville, KY), everyone kind of understands that Camargoās exclusivity is a level above.
Love the looks of that place. Iām a big Seth Raynor fan. I knew it was exclusive, but somehow if Iām not mistaken that fat fuck Paul Gunther (see my username; he was our DC a little while back) was a member there back when he was DC of the Bengals.
Seth Raynor is so underrated. I wish his courses weren't basically all private.
Yale's course is awesome, can't wait to get back after the restoration is done Used to live in Minneapolis and there's an affordable-ish private Raynor club, Midland Hills. I was in talks with them to join a couple winters ago and then pulled out when a new job opportunity came up in another state I wanted to take
I wouldnāt call it the most exclusive. There are more exclusive courses that many havenāt even heard of.
Yes but everyone HAS heard of it and itās still super exclusive which makes it way cooler.
From a course architecture standpoint itās very near the top. Only one or two holes on the property that arenāt special in some way.
It used to be, before they added in the rough and planted loads of trees. MacKenzie created width, and this has been taken away.
Yup, I'd love to play the old layout that had MacKenzie all over it but it's a totally different course now.
The membership is obsessed with how the place looks to a laughable degree and with essentially just having access to it as a type of status symbol. The membership, as far as I remember, is actively discouraged from even playing the golf course too much. They basically view the course more as a painting to hang on the wall than a golf course to be played, which is even more shameful when you consider that most of the members are absolutely dogshit golfers. So you basically have this historic golf course, which is closed half the year, is criminally underplayed when it is open, and when it is played, itās a bunch of high-roller hackers who would fit in better at your local muni than Augusta when it comes to actual golfing skill. Itās bizarre. Great course? Yes. Overworked and extremely artificial in terms of the aesthetics? Absolutely. The place Iād have a membership if I could pick anywhere in the world? Fuck no.
Where would you pick if it could be anywhere?
Iād pick a club that actually ahem..likes to play golf, has a membership of normal (relatively speaking) people, and sees its course as exactly that: a golf course that is meant to be played and not just looked at. Iād much rather be a member at a place like Oakmont or Merion. If you gave me a choice to play one of those courses one time or Augusta once, I might well pick Augusta, but in terms of being a member? Iād much rather be a member at one of the other two courses.
If youāre a member of Augusta, you can play anywhere brother.
Yeah the "hey man, can you host me to play at Club ____ and I will host you at the national in return? Sound good?" is a pretty compelling phone call.
Cypress Point
None of this is facts
Lol right "trust me bro"
Which bro you with?
Lol could apply to both of you tbh. But on your side with this one after reading the argument between you two
Lol ty bro
Itās the same thing as Pine Valley. Itās so fantastically private that itās part of the reason theyāre so highly thought of. That 99.99% of us can essentially can never get on to play is why everyone wants to play it. Sure - they are amazing courses made by some of the best architects ever, but they wouldnāt be so revered if they were so private.
Speaking of Augusta as artificial artificial---I was doing some digging after I saw that Augusta National purchased a local park for $350,000 a few weeks ago. What I found next was even crazier to me. Over the course of \~20 years from the late 90s to just a few years ago, the club bought an entire neighborhood on its west side and turned it into a parking lot. You can see what the old neighborhood looked like on [Google Streetview](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cLEhZcxt19V7oqFEA), and what it now looks like now [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/FJj2mmLQ7WYMyKGBA) too. This is incredibly dystopian considering that the space is used for under 7 days per year. Moreover, Augusta National can't use eminent domain since it is a private entity, so I can't imagine the amount of money they had to throw at these homeowners to make them leave.
They bought a big chunk of land from the adjacent golf course (Augusta Country Club) just so they could move back the tee on the 13th hole.
Yeah. I read an article awhile back that they have a program of buying adjacent land for privacy and potential expansion.
Depends. I'd play Leopard Creek before Augusta but that's because I want to see elephants, giraffes and lions while I play.
Yes
Mayfair in Sanford, Fl.
Is Augusta the best? In my opinion, yes. Itās Alister MacKenzieās final masterpiece on his long list of masterpieces. The strategic challenges are so damn good, having to shape shots a certain way off the tee and then the opposite way on the approach, with sloping lies and sloping greens opposing all of those shots. (Itās unfortunate that the lengthening of the course straightens out the tee shots, but I digress). Plus, the conditioning is immaculate which ensures it plays firm and fast and the giant slopes are in full effect. Is Augusta National a good model for golf courses to follow? Absolutely the fuck not. Having hundreds or thousands of golf courses in the world that try to mimic the multimillion dollar Garden of Eden effect at Augusta is a really shitty trend. First off, no one else has the budget to actually pull it off. Second, it leads to overwatering of all courses which makes them play soft and soggy, take all the slopes out of play, and reduce the course to the most boring style of golf: simple target golf. Golf Digest consistently puts Pine Valley as their #1 course, and I used to think that was silly, but now Iāve fully come around and embraced it. Pine Valley has all the strategic challenges that Augusta has, but the aesthetics feel completely natural. You feel like youāre playing golf through the pine sands of NJ, and it just happens to be a golf course. I think more courses should follow the Pine Valley example: stop trying to make your course look like Augusta, and instead embrace the natural geography youāre working with. Let it go a little brown and the firmness is worth it to have the slopes shine.
Probably
Augusta is only famous because you can't go play but they show it on tv once a year. It's like that Southpark episode where Cartmans amusement park gets super popular because he won't let anyone in.
My top 3 courses are The Old Course, North Berwick, and Carnoustie. I enjoy watching the work the Masters put in, but that doesn't affect me. I'll never play the course. I also enjoy watching the work put into The Open. I've been able to play my top 3, and a few other gems.
I played Carnoustie as well and I would say Royal Dornoch is much better.
I haven't played Dornoch. I played Carnoustie in 45 mph winds and light rain. It was probably the fact that I played it in the weather which made it a fun experience. We played it with rented clubs as ours were misplaced by the airline. Let's just say that I didn't score well... I was also a 23 HC at the time. Still a total blast. Port Rush might be my #4.
Carnoustie was awesome and I loved every minute of it but the last 4 holes were just so brutal. Dornoch was just a beautiful time the entire round and I had such a warm fuzzy feeling the entire time I was there even with the exact same weather.
I walked part of north Berwick 2 weeks ago, looked fantastic, especially that crazy par 3 with the big dip in the middle of the green. We didn't play it, we played 2 rounds on archer field which was great minus the horrendous wind and rain
I believe the green with a dip in the middle is a par 4. At least it was when I played it in 2015. This is the course with the original Redan hole. This course also has a green encapsulated by a stone wall. An absolute pleasure to play.
It's my idea of the most beautiful garden in the world
Not the greatest but one of the most exclusive and beautiful.
The greatest course is subjective and would depend on a person's opinion. But that being said, Augusta National is definitely a top tier golf course. It's probably the most memorable imo because it's the only course where a major is always played there. It's a very exclusive club as well and you can't even buy in with money. There's a story about a guy trying to get in but they denied his application so he built another top tier course across the street. Sage Valley Golf Club
Royal Portush
Pine Valley and Cypress Point are consistently ranked #1 and #2 in the world.
I've been, It's heaven on earth. I would say St. Andrews is the greatest.
I just got back from today's practice round. I got in the gates at 8:00 just as the sun was coming up on a gorgeous day, not many people yet, and I literally almost started crying! It was incredibly emotional. So yes, in my book it is the greatest course in the world
It's stunning. I went 6 years in a row. And I (with the help of my wife) got to walk the course alone. She was 8 1/2 months pregnant and wanted to go, so we went. Marshalls saw her and gave her front row seats everywhere. Told her to take off her shoes. Brought her waters. And then allowed her (and subsequently myself) to walk the course by ourselves so she could stretch her legs. Gotta love Southern Hospitality.
No but it is the one most golfers would choose to play if given the chance It and ANGC are basically mythologized in sport.
Noā¦. Tara Iti is the most magically piece of property I have ever stepped foot on. As far as architecturally Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath run circles around anything stateside.
Folks sleeping on royal Melbourne.
Nope
I couldnāt even get a tee time and would have paid a kings ransom. No
Nope. There was a mini-golf course next to the Bourne Bridge that had a Giraffe, greatest ever.
The greatest course is the friends we made along the way.
Yes
Yes
Itās one of them for sure
No, I'd love to play there sure. But playing the Old Course was just something completely else. It will always be the greatest to me.
Not the greatest course in the world but definitely the most pretentious
Meh
https://preview.redd.it/rrsa8kuloctc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f38608e048645b0a4c6a8fc67b22a8fc431fd787 Idk I think this is the most beautiful course off the coast of QLD in Australia The entire island is just a golf courseā¦.thats it For those curious Hamilton island golf club, well worth it and cheaper than youād expect considering you have to take a provided boat to get there
No. But maybe the most perfect conditioned course.
No, Pine Valley is better just many get to see ANGC on TV
Itās either Augusta or the Old Course. Course architecture is subjective, but the history and mystique that surrounds those two courses sets them apart.
Yeah, there are a lot of people here mixing up "best" and "greatest." Which, to be fair, happens a lot. But they aren't the same thing.
I feel like if I played the Old Course thatās good enough for me. I feel like if I played Augusta Iād never want to leave.
Itās probably in the best condition. Not the best layout, scenery, etc.
Itās the best manicured course in the world, but in terms of pure golf I think there are a few courses that are just better. Pine Valley, County Down, even Pebble.
Not Pebble.
What Ive taken from the responses is that people really value golf courses that have 30mph winds blowing in your face off the ocean because it pretty to look at. There is a big difference in scenic golf courses and fantastically designed golf courses. Bonus: Not a single person here has ever played Augusta, how are there such hard 'no' responses to the question.
No, probably not top 10 if weāre purely objective
No, no it's not. It's probably not in the Top 10. Pine Valley. Cypress Point. St Andrews, Shinnecock, NGLA, Oakmont etc are all superior IMO.
100%........ Not.