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GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the U.S. and the Top 100 in the World lists are out, so now it's time for the debate to begin. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
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Top 100 Courses in the U.S. and World
Top 100 Courses You Can Play
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If you want to ask Travelin' Joe a question, e-mail him at askjoe@golf.com.
Dear Joe,
My boss and I are attending meetings near Orange County, Calif. and were curious on your thoughts on the best course to play. Strawberry Farm is not available, but we were looking at Coyote Hills or Oak Creek and/or possibly making the drive to Trump National.
Daniel Robison
Via email
You can't go wrong with any of the O.C. tracks you mentioned, but if you want maximum views for maximum dollars, make the drive to Trump. Six weeks ago in this space, I also recommended Arroyo Trabuco and Tijeras Creek. If you're looking for a shorter commute, both the Ocean North and Ocean South courses at Pelican Hill Golf Club (877-735-4226, pelicanhill.com; $235) in Newport Coast dish out rolling Tom Fazio designs with stunning Pacific views. Twilight rates are $135.
Just east of Anaheim is Black Gold Golf Club (714-961-0060, blackgoldgolf.com; $92-$120) in Yorba Linda, not far from the Richard M. Nixon Library and Birthplace, which offers an unimpeachably solid Arthur Hills design set among steep hills and pumping oil wells.
Hey Joe,
I'm getting married in Tucson and am getting the guys together for a round of golf before the wedding. We want to play a good, quality course but don't want to break the bank. I was reading up on Randolph North in the city. It's listed as an LPGA Tour stop as well as a former PGA Tour stop. Any suggestions?
Drew Igana
Via email
If you're saving your dough for the wedding cake, centrally located Randolph North (520-791-4161, tucsoncitygolf.com; $42-$70), that formerly hosted the Joe Garagiola Tucson Open and the Seiko Match Play, is a good bet. Its equally priced, shorter, but more interesting sibling, Dell Urich, was the scene for LPGA events in 2003 and 2004. Both are parkland layouts.
If you want to sample a modestly priced desert design, try Crooked Tree Golf Course (520-744-3322, crookedtreegolfcourse.net; $35-$48), a sturdy layout with mountain views and no homes that can be walked after 2 p.m. for $18.
Dear Joe,
We're planning a trip to Missouri. Can you recommend courses in the Branson area?
Patrick Ginnelly
San Antonio, Texas
Branson Creek (417-339-4653, bransoncreekgolf.com; $48-$99) in Hollister is absolutely worth the splurge. Ranked No. 76 among GOLF Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play, this heavily undulating Tom Fazio design stretches more than 7,000 yards from the tips and sports panoramic vistas of the surrounding Ozark hills.
A notable newcomer is the Payne Stewart Golf Club (417-337-2963, paynestewartgolfclub.com; $50-$65), a rugged, sandy test that pays homage to the late Missouri native. Nine holes are currently open (1-8, 18), with the balance slated to debut in May 2009.
My power is hardly Dalyesque, but supercharged clubs and balls have turned even pipsqueaks like me into relative Paul Bunyans. I was reminded of that ego-inflating fact a few days ago when I played The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. I was at TCC as a guest the day after I’d given the members a talk about my book, Golfing On The Roof of the World: In Pursuit of Gross National Happiness and the Bhutan Youth Golf Association (www.golfbhutan.com), a youth golf program that I created while teaching golf in the Himalayan kingdom in 2002.
I’d last played TCC, the venerable 115-year old site of 15 USGA championships, including Francis Ouimet’s epic 1913 U.S. Open victory, just before it hosted the 1999 Ryder Cup. Way back then, at the end of the last millennium, the 7,033-yard course seemed like a monster. Every par four felt like a par five, and the 515-yard par five 11th hole had a most appropriate moniker –- Himalayas.
Now, though, the course (we played from the blue tees) seemed, well, manageable. No, I wasn’t going driver-wedge into par fours all day or launching eight-iron approaches into par fives. But I never stood on a par-four tee and felt like I’d need a miraculously long couple of shots to reach the green. And the Himalayas? It felt like a cute little par five. (I topped my second shot into a creek and still had a chance to make par.)
Don’t get me wrong. The Country Club is still as stout a test as I’ve ever seen, a track not far behind Bethpage and Pine Valley on the difficulty scale. The serpentine fairways, topsy-turvy and miniscule greens, devilishly deep and oddly shaped bunkers conspire to wreak havoc with golfers of all levels. But distance is not a key factor. Perhaps that’s why the club is embarking on a grand refurbishment project that will add considerable length, reshape some fairways and include a massive tree removal project. The work will be complete well in advance of 2013, when TCC could host the U.S. Amateur as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ouimet’s Open victory.
I walked off TCC feeling like a victor. After an up-and-down first 16 holes, I morphed into Curtis Strange circa 1988. At 17, the 400-yard par 4, where Justin Leonard drained a 28-mile putt to clinch the ’99 Ryder Cup, I crushed a drive, flushed an eight iron to the back, top shelf and drained a 10-footer for birdie. On 18, a 420-yarder that ususally plays into the wind, I again split the fairway. After a decent three-wood to the deep front bunker, I lofted a sweet little sand shot eight feet past the hole, which was in front of the back-to-front sloping green.
And when I dropped the putt for par, I smiled widely.
