Top 10 Courses Played 2016

It's the end of the year, time to look back and reflect and look forward to the year ahead. I am so thankful that I got to play amazing courses this year and am looking forward to all the amazing tracks next year. While 2016 is still a "thing", I thought I would share my favorite courses that I played this year:

10. Terranea.

Sure its only a par 3 course but WHAT a par 3 course! With the ocean views, the ragged rough and the fantastic conditioning, Terranea makes you think you are playing a Scottish course with a high end resort attached. I loved this course, I just wish it wasn't so expensive but its worth it to play at least once! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/07/links-at-terranea-golf-review.html

9. Los Verdes.

Often called the poor man's Torrey Pines, this is the only seaside course you can play in SoCal under $50 and it should cost much more than that (especially on the backside). The only knock on the course has been the pace of play but I had no such problems teeing off before 7am! This is a course I would love to play over and over again! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/02/los-verdes-golf-review.html

8. Bel-Air.

Bel-Air simultaneously reminded me of Riviera and Augusta which are two lofty comparisons. A classic course in every since of the word, the re-designs coming to it are going to make it even better. If you get an invite, definitely go! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/03/golfing-bel-air-country-club-review.html

7. Shadow Ridge.

The best conditioned course in Palm Springs, this course is both fun and challenging. Some courses just suit your eye and this course suited my eye to a T. Love this place and can't wait to go back! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/06/shadow-ridge-golf-course-review.html

6. We-Ko-Pa.

Desert golf at its finest. It has everything you could want, desert washes and cacti. Roadrunners and fairways. Amazing shot choices off the tee. WKP has been the best desert course I have ever played (which is saying something considering how close I live to Palm Springs). http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2016/06/we-ko-pa-saguaro.html

5. Ballyneal.

This course is a true thinking player's course. Every tee shot, every approach shot, every chip and putt gives you multiple options and multiple ways to screw up. Out in the middle of nowhere, you will be glad to find this course and play it! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/08/99-holes-in-heartland-ballyneal-golf.html 

4. Wild Horse.

This was such a fun course! The routing and the isolation you feel amongst the ridges and swales of grass is impressive. Often ranked in the top 100 of courses you can play, I can see why. You need to play this course more than once to get a true sense of how to play it but that will give you an excuse to play here again and again. http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/08/99-holes-in-heartland-wild-horse-golf.html

3. Rams Hill.

The conditions are amazing and the routing is golfer friendly (almost every tee shot is downhill somehow). This is SUCH a fun course its too bad its 3.5 hours away from Los Angeles. Really, get this course closer to me and I will be there every weekend! http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/06/golfing-rams-hill-review.html

2. Sandpiper.

If there is one golf course in SoCal I wish I could be a member of, its Sandpiper. Being 2 hours away from where I live its jusssst a bit too far away to join up there but I would give almost anything to play its challenging front nine and its knock-your-socks-off back nine. Really an amazing course. http://www.re-gripped.com/2016/02/golfing-sandpiper-review.html

1. Sand Hills Golf Club.

The routing fantastic, the conditioning superb, the silence golden. Often ranked in the top 20 in the WORLD, Sand Hills show you why in a variety of ways. It was a pleasure to play this course and can't wait to play it again (a true test of a top course!).

Coming up in 2017:

A golf trip to Ireland and Scotland! Potential trips to Tahoe and Sand Valley in Wisconsin! Maybe getting on to a few private courses in Texas and Colorado. Things are happening and they will all be blogged about here!

99 Holes In The Heartland- Sand Hills Golf Club

Ranked Top 20 in the world. #2 on my Golf Bucket List. Crazy hard to get to and even harder to play, I feel extremely lucky today to be able to tell you all about my trip to Sand Hills Golf Club. Check out all the hijinks on my Coore Crenshaw Quest website!


http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2016/09/99-holes-in-heartland-sand-hills-golf.html

99 Holes In The Heartland- Wild Horse Golf Club

I recently went on a trip deep into the ranch-land of America playing courses in Nebraska and Colorado. This is the second in a series of blog posts about the 99 holes I played at these amazing courses. 

Wild Horse is a very young course with a very old soul. The course sits on the leading edge of the famous sand hills region of Nebraska which has recently become a golf mecca between the creation of the lauded Sand Hills Golf Club, Dismal River and The Prairie Club. In fact, Wild Horse is often called the public version of Sand Hills Golf Club and while it sorta is, it also stands on its own as a fine golf course.

The course is set amongst the swales of the prairie land, often with blind shots or obscured second shots (making the first time playing the course somewhat difficult but setting up fun replays in the future). While not super hilly, the course architects did an impressive job separating each hole so you feel removed from the other golfers playing and mostly alone on the prairie (save for the occasional snake!).

The only design flaw in the routing occurs between holes two and three which have a siamese twin joining of fairways linked by a pot bunker and if the groups are going out in 10 minute spacing, you are going to be seeing people play in differing fairways and hitting shots over each other.

Other than this kink, the course mostly comes at you in a high golf gear making for an enjoyable round.

The clubhouse is usually in sight and can offer good aiming targets for the golfer. Also, I thought the positioning of the bunkers were excellent. Just look at that little guy in the picture above, just waiting to gobble up a mishit ball. Also look at this one below:

with an incredibly severe lip.

The backside has a lot more elevation gains and losses

(its uphill, trust me)

and incorporates a design element I noticed over and over again in the sand hills, elevated par 3's. I'm not quite sure who designed these par 3's but it is a common theme running throughout the sand hills.

The course is also charmingly rustic and I loved the tee markers and fairway yardages!

The greens were some of the best I played during my trip to the heartland which is saying something given the other courses in the area I checked out. Hard and fast with true rolls, a golfers delight (or torment!). The conditioning is fantastic and while the swale grass creeps a little too close to the fairway, there is enough margin for error that you can get around the course without losing too many golf balls.

I was expecting to be impressed by Wild Horse and I was! It is well worth the money for greens fees and if you can't get on the private tracks in Nebraska you can play this one along and come away impressed with Nebraska golf.

For more information about Wild Horse, check them out here: http://www.playwildhorse.com/

EXTRA Bonus: Wild Horse has recently built cabins that offer stay and play deals. The interior of the cabins were great and I was stoked to be staying in the Hogan cabin. If you make it all the way to Gothenburg, do yourself a favor and stay here!

99 Holes In The Heartland- Chappell Golf Club

I recently went on a trip deep into the ranch-land of America playing courses in Nebraska and Colorado. This is the first in a series of blog posts about the 99 holes I played at these amazing courses. 

Its tempting when you are driving on Interstate 80 in Nebraska to zone out while looking at the rolling hills and cattle ranches. You pass many small towns along the way and it would be a mistake to pass them all by, especially when they have a charming little 9 hole parkland course like the Chappell GC.

The course starts out with an easy breezy dogleg right and then you are off! The conditioning of this course was surprisingly good. The fairways were lush 

and greens receptive to shots. The course is all laid out in front of you, there aren't a tremendous amount of surprises just a nice solid Nebraska course. There is one unusual thing though, a greenside water bunker.

Yes you are seeing that right, it was a bunker at some point now has morphed into a pond right by the green with red AND yellow stakes. If you hit your ball in there, lord help you is all that I can. 

Chappell also gets multiple bonus points for having a crazy amount of sprinkler heads with yardages on them.

It seems that a lot of courses have gotten away from yardages on sprinkler heads for whatever reason. Maybe its due to the rise of laser scopes. Maybe some courses ascribe to the theory that you have to work out the yardages on your own without sprinklers. Whatever the reason, I have been noticing them less and less but Chappell corrects the trends almost all by itself!

I don't want to oversell the course, it isn't the longest, the toughest or the most picturesque but it offers a mellow round of golf that will put you back in touch with why you love golf in the first place. If you are traveling on Interstate 80, definitely stop in!

(Big Sky Country!)

For more information on CGC, check it out here: http://www.chappellne.org/golf.htm

EXTRA Bonus: If you are in the area, check out Lucy's Place. Try the locally sourced Buffalo Burgers at a true local institution and even say hi to Lucy!