Post #163---originally distributed by email November 25, 2022

 Folks—

Hope all of you had a very special Thanksgiving.

This has been a very busy week, month and year.  On Tuesday, http://Top100golfcourses.com released its 2022 World Top 100.  It contains 12 courses that were not on its 2020 edition…seven of these were on their list for the first time, and five had appeared on their list prior to 2020.  Lofoten Links of Norway is the only one of the 12 that had never pierced any World Top 100 list previously.  I have not played Lofoten but from what I have heard, I was not surprised by its selection.

Last week I was in the Los Angeles area for four days, and played 7 courses, five of which were first timers for me and two were repeats which had recently undergone major renovations.  I am now winding down a very very busy year and the LA trip will be my last major trip in 2022.  More on the LA trip in a few paragraphs (see highlights #22-25 below), but first allow me to outline what I accomplished in 2022 as well as the current status of my various bucket lists.

I now stand at 1,521 courses played in my lifetime.  Five years ago (at the conclusion of 2017) I stood at 1,023 so I have played 498 new courses in those 5 years), and two years ago (at the end of 2020) I stood at 1,261 (played 261 new courses in 2021-2022).  For 2022 alone my total courses played stands at 160, of which 136 were played for the first time.    I have played this year courses in 34 states plus Puerto Rico, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland…and in 2021 I had played 12 of the 16 I missed in 2022…leaving just NM, WV, AK, and HI as unplayed over the past 20 months (April 2021-November 2022).

Highlights of 2022 (in chronological order):

1.  May 5…Bidermann (part of Vicmead Hunt Club, DE).  Designed by Dick Wilson.  Course and facility have a natural beauty and dignity about them that is simply remarkable. 

 

2.  May 11...Congressional CC (Blue, MD).  Originally 18 holes designed by Devereux Emmet and expanded to 18 holes by Trent Jones Sr. in 1957.  A brute of a course whose style became inconsistent with the tastes of panels in 1980’s and 1990’s…and whose ratings started slipping precipiously as its tree coverage expanded.  Brilliant renovation by Andrew Green has caused me to really appreciate the course that I had grown to hate.

3.  May 26…The Country Club (Open Course, MA).  An honor to be able to play it three weeks prior to The 2022 US Open.  “Brookline” has never been in this type of condition and the old lady really was dressed perfectly for the June showing!  Quite an event and this preview round was thrilling.

4.  June 7...Bald Peak Colony Club (NH)…had heard lots of very special reports but this was my first visit.  A brilliant piece of work by Donald Ross overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee.   Superb club that has the same “feel” as Florida’s Mountain Lake…like a “camp” for old wealthy people (meant as a sincere compliment).

5.  June 22…Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club (CA)…this is one cool place!  The original site of the Bing Crosby Pro-Am (before it moved to Pebble) with walls lined with incredible photos to prove it.  And the golf course is top notch…outstanding piece of land and a design by Max Behr.

6.  July 8—Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links, Northern Ireland)…had played 2x but realized about a year ago that I had not played the new holes #7&8 that were pulled into the Dunluce from the Valley before the 2019 Open Championship.  Contacted GM who arranged for me to play holes 7&8 early on this day thereby solving my “problem”.

7.  July 10—Rosapenna (St Patrick’s, Ireland)...widely acclaimed new design along Ireland's north coastline by Tom Doak proved to be more than equal to its glowing reviews.  Big and bold with brilliant features, makes superb use of phenomenal sand dunes that previously housed 36 holes.  As predicted by many, a solid World 100 (rankings of #55 and #41 on GOLF and top100golfcourses.com).

8,  Enniscrone GC (Ireland)—soaring dunes that must be seen to be believed!

9.  Ballybunion(OLD) (Ireland)—had been to too many years and I literally had forgotten just how superb this place is.  I have now been well reminded!

10.  July 18—The European Club (Ireland).  Always a joy to return to here where I finished by initial GM World 100 and was granted an Honorary Membership by Pat Ruddy.  One of the few courses I have played that seems to improve with each round played (three to date).

11.  July 20—County Louth Golf Club (Ireland).  Had played in 2016 in worst weather I ever experienced on a golf course…so this was my first chance to actually see the course and I simply loved it.

12.  July 21—Portmarnock Golf Club (Ireland).  Had played three times previously and for reasons I can’t understand, did not appreciate how good this track is on my last two visits.  Felt very differently this time…this is a superb track…tough but fair and even a bit of fun!

13.  August 3—Quaker Ridge GC (NY)…my annual visit to my golfing home from 1975-2000.  Still marvel at the brilliant work of Gil Hanse in clearing out the overgrown trees and restoring the greens to their original greatness.

14.  August 19—Sand Hills GC (NE).  Simply gets better with every visit.  Mr. Youngscap revolutionized the game of golf in 1995 with Sand Hills’ opening.  No Sand Hills and no Bandon, etc. etc.  He proved if you build greatness golfers will travel to it…and the golf world learned!  How he has never been inducted in the Golf Hall of Fame astounds and embarrasses me as a golfer.

15.  August 22—Home Course (WA).  Between Gold Mountain Golf Club (Olympic) (played last year) and Home Course, Seattle must have the best two public courses near one major city in the USA—of not, please tell me a city with two better public tracks!

16.  August 29—Quarry at Giants Ridge (MN).  Wild, woolly and certainly great fun.

17.  August 31—Landmand Club (NE).  Latest effort by Rob Collins & Co.  Incredible scale and in some ways a tame version of Quarry at Giant’s Ridge.  Has not made a Top 100 yet but I think after folks get used to it and it gets refined in minor ways it will be a regular.  Too much fun to not be.

18.  October 8—Shoreacres GC (IL).  Replay…first visit in 2010 let to my being placed on Golf Digest Panel.  Course was overgrown with trees and vegetation back then and so so so much better now.  Could tell the difference about 5 seconds after entering driveway.  So wonderfully firm and fast now.

19.  October 12—Scioto CC (OH).  Another replay (first visit in 1982)  and another superb renovation by Andrew Green…this is the 5th of his that I have seen (where I had played course prior to his work) although in this case I have almost no recollection of the course as it was 40 years ago.  But this one makes it clear to me…he is the current King of the Restorers/Renovators.  Brilliant is too weak a term.

20.  October 12—Pepper Pike (OH).  What an overwhelming day this was.  This place is so wonderful and so much fun.  And for years I thought this and The Country Club (OH) were the same course.  One always has things to learn!

21.  October 22—Arcola CC (NJ).  A superb course that literally gets “lost” in the New York area’s collection of brilliant tracks.  Absolutely under-appreciated.

22.  November 15—Bel-Air CC (CA).  Designed by George Thomas and William Bell…through years of minor modifications by Dick Wilson, George Fazio, and Jones Sr., it had lost its way and certainly its brilliance.  I had played it in 2013 and liked it but it could not be compared to LACC and Riviera.  Enter Tom Doak to usher in one of the great restorations.  Thousands of suffocating trees gone, greens now require you to think and decide how to play a hole, and options abound throughout the course.  A joy.

23.  November 16—Hillcrest CC (CA).  Played once before in 2017…this place was originally designed in 1920 by Willie Watson and now has altered dramatically (for the very much better) by Kyle Phillips. View from the tee of the par 3 4th is simply to die for…and the one word that continuously crossed my mind during the round was “exquisite”.  Could conceivably give QR a run for the best predominantly Jewish golf course in USA.

24.  November 18—Saticoy Club (CA).  Finding a Hidden Gen used to be easy.  I recall seeing Royal Dornoch and North Berwick for the first time in 1981…but these days, tough to keep such a secret.  But through hard work, may have found one this day (at least for non-LA’ers).  Outstanding course designed by Billy Bell Jr (1964) and renovated by John Harbottle III.  Thad Layton then remodeled bunkers, expanded the fairways and removed trees.  I thought the final six holes represented one of the finest stretches of golf anywhere.  About 60 miles NW of downtown LA but worth it.

25.  November 19—Santa Ana CC (CA) Arrived here expecting another over the top Orange County track…and was I ever wrong about that.  Found a place that decided to step up its game and undergo a substantial transformation.  In its final stages with the recent planting of fescue rough lining the wide fairways.  IMO the work performed by Jay Blasi has been superb.  Reminded me of two other extensive changes to old tracks…Old Town in Winston-Salem NC (by Coore/Crenshaw) and California Golf Club of San Francisco (by Kyle Phillips).  At one point, both of these clubs were facing major crises as a result of these renovations…but both fought through and now are thriving better than ever before.  I think and hope that will be the eventual outcome at Santa Ana.

Apologies to dozens of other wonderful courses I played this year that are not mentioned above.  I firmly believe we have the finest selection of courses to play that has ever existed.

Special notice regarding Coral Creek Golf which I had the pleasure of playing on February 10.  Hope and trust it came through Hurricane Ian and proved to be repairable.

One final point regarding 2022…it was a tour filled with Tom Doak’s work:

Rawl’s Course at Texas Tech

Rosapenna-St Patrick’s

Common Ground

Medinah #1

Bel-Air CC

He is a genius!

Bucket List Status:

1.  World Top 100 EVER (from all sources)…am now four courses shy of reconquering this mountain (Lanhai in Shanghai, China; Lofoten in Norway; Santapazienza in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Woodlands, Melbourne, Australia.  As I announced about a month ago, I have decided the risks of returning to China make such a trip foolish at best.  Hence I will instead try to finish playing the other three.

2.  USA Top 100 EVER (from all sources)…COMPLETED

3.  USA Top 200 EVER (from all sources)…to complete this I have to play (as of today): one course under construction in Wisconsin (scheduled to open August 2023), and holes 14-15 on El Niguel CC in CA

4.  Golf Week USA 200 Modern and 200 Classic from the same year…must play two courses in Hawaii

5.  All of the courses that have hosted current Men’s and Women’s Professional Majors…regular tour and senior tour…COMPLETED

6.  All of the courses that have hosted the five big "Cups” (Walker/Ryder/Presidents/Curtis/Solheim)…COMPLETED…but will need to play Finca Cortesin (Spain) and Bernardus Golf (Netherlands) before they host Solheim in 2023 and 2026 respectively

7.  All of the courses that have hosted PGA Tour Players Championship PGA Tour Championship, Fed Exp Cup Playoffs, and World Golf Championship events EVER…missing Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City and Mission Hills Shenzhen-Olazabal from WCG events.  PLan to play Chapultepec in2023 but again, cannot risk trip to China under present conditions.

8.  Play every course to have hosted one or more of the USGA’s current 15 National Championships and two Cups (Walker and Curtis) EVER…COMPLETED 11/18/2022 in Los Angeles but need to play Daniel Island (SC) to carry throught 2023 season (scheduled to play Daniel Island 12/1/22)

9.  Play every course to EVER host a Metropolitan (NY) Open or Am Championship…total of 10 courses remaining, all in NY and NJ.

Updated v117 of Spreadsheet:

See attached.