Top 10 Golf Courses of 2017

They say any day on the golf course is better than a day at work. While that is certainly true, there are a few golf courses I played this year that are heads and shoulders above the rest. Courses that I will remember for a very long time. Check out the list and let me know what courses you played this year in the comments!

10. Warren Golf Course

http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2017/10/warren-golf-review.html

Often ranked one of the best courses in Indiana, I can't see what can top it. The back 9 is spectacular and the front 9 gives you the best of parkland golf. The staff is super friendly and I can't wait to play this again after they host the US Senior Open in 2019.

9. Aviara

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/02/aviara-golf-club-review.html

Aviara is one of the prettiest courses I have ever played. In amazing shape, the shape of the course leads to amazing shots and everything here is just fantastic. I was looking forward to playing the 18th hole and it didn't disappoint. It is a real capper to the round and I highly recommend playing here if you are in the San Diego area.

8. La Quinta Mountain

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/02/la-quinta-mountain-review.html

This course has it all. An amazing routing, crazy mountain views and really fun greens. I am such a fan of this course you might call me a fanatic. Every time I go to Palm Springs I ask, can we play the Mountain? I hope the answer every time is "yes"!

7. En-Joie

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/07/en-joie-golf-review.html

Perhaps my favorite parkland course I have ever played. I am originally from Upstate NY and while I don't see myself relocating back there from California, if I did, I would join this course in a heartbeat and try to play it as much as possible. In a state with world-renowned golf courses, En-Joie holds its own with the best of em and is a must play if you are in the Southern Tier.

6. Old York CC

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/07/old-york-country-club-review.html

There are plenty of top tier golf courses in New Jersey but OYCC flies under the radar and shouldn't. The course is super interesting to play and engages all facets of your game. I want another crack at this apple when I am back East which is a great testament to the course!

5. Sand Valley

http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2017/09/sand-valley-golf-resort-review.html

What can be said about the Top New Course of 2017 that hasn't already been said? Well, it is a bear but a fun bear with a tremendous amount of sand, one of the best routings I have played since Sand Hills and one of the best 19th holes in the business. As the course matures, it is going to be really something.

4. Mission Hills- Dinah Shore

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/06/review-mission-hills-dinah-shore-course.html

This course is a classic and home to an LPGA major for good reason. Tight fairways, tough pin placements but it adds up to a whole lot of fun. It is perhaps my favorite Palm Springs course and definitely one of the top 10 courses I played in 2017.

3. Mammoth Dunes

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/09/mammoth-dunes-golf-review.html

This course might be one of the most fun golf courses I have ever played and I only played half the holes! There are so many ways to play each hole that you could just play this course over and over again and never play it the same way twice. Truly a gem I can't wait to get back to play.

2. Black Sheep

http://www.re-gripped.com/2017/09/black-sheep-golf-club.html

I had such high expectations for Black Sheep and they met and exceed them. The club is friendly, the logo is fantastic but more than that, the course is sublime and mindblowing (a links-style course amongst the corn). If I lived in Illinois, I would be a member in two seconds.

1. Clear Creek Tahoe

http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2017/10/clear-creek-tahoe.html

This course has it all. Pine trees, mountain views, serenity, fascinating hole layouts, undulating greens. As soon as I played it, I wanted to play it again. It was the most relaxing/engaging round of golf I have played in a long time. If I could play this every day, I would!

Well that is it for the list! I had a great 2017 on the links and can't wait for 2018!

Mammoth Dunes Golf Review

Mammoth Dunes is the second course to be developed at Sand Valley but it is set to eclipse its older brother Coore/Crenshaw course to become one of the best, fun golf courses in the state of Wisconsin.

Where to start? The routing is fantastic going over hill and dale while offering a few straight ahead holes as well. The fairways are wide which allow you to try a variety of routings to the hole all while keeping golf balls in your bag.

The bunkering is intoxicatingly beautiful and has a great mix of naturally occurring sand blowouts along with more traditional bunkers.

Speaking of the bunkers, I love the disguising David McLay Kidd does here on this par 3 where neither bunker is in play but yet frames the golfers eye like few others.

The green complexes are huge, absolutely gargantuan. They still have enough undulations to make you think but not enough to make you rip your hair out.

The main takeaway from the course is that it is fun. Golf is challenging enough as it is and no golfer really wants to play Oakmont every round. They want to hit the ball and have fun and this course has the F word in spades. I haven't been this impressed by a course in a long time and even though I only played 9 holes, I checked out several others and can attest that this place is going to be very special.

Once the fairways are grassed, run don't walk to Sand Valley to play this course.

For more information about Mammoth Dunes, check out the link: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/mammoth-dunes/

Sand Valley Review

Be sure to check out my latest musings about Sand Valley over on my Coore/Crenshaw Quest Website!


http://www.coorecrenshawquest.com/2017/09/sand-valley-golf-resort-review.html

Lawsonia Links Golf Review

Wisconsin has been getting a lot of professional golf love over the last few years. The 2015 PGA Championship was at Whistling Straits and the 2017 US Open was at Erin Hills. All of these courses are top notch but also muy expensivo. Lawsonia Links, nestled in the sleepy lake town of Green Lake Wisconsin offers the same quality golf experience but at a fraction of the price of some of its Wisconsin neighbors.

The course was created in the 1930s and truly plays like an inland links with a tremendous amount of fescue grass everywhere you turn.

Like other traditional links courses in the United Kingdom, Lawsonia offers multiple blind tee shots, and bunkers that disguise the best approach to the green.

For the most part, the fairways are wide and generous off the tee and show you all the golf you have to view before getting the ball in the hole.

That being said, there are a few holes on the course that I really dug as Langford and Moreau framed the holes using trees to create a false runways, a flair rarely seen nowadays.

Don't worry though, Lawsonia is a very fair test of your game and even the fescue is extremely playable.

The real star of Lawsonia however is the greens. The greens are like a Pete Dye fever dream and the fact that this course was built in 1930 makes me suspect that Mr. Dye visited the course prior to him embarking on his course design career. What do I mean by all of this? Check this out:

and also this:

You can see similar design elements in Raynor, MacDonald and others of the same "golden era" of design but the Lawsonia team took those concepts, downed a bunch of steroids and designed a golf course for the ages.

Perhaps the most extreme example occurs on a par 3 that has one of the most diabolical green side runoffs I have ever seen.

This amazing architectural flourish is both the defining feature of the course but also my one criticism of it. Too many of the holes have elevated greens thus negating the ground game which is a shame. If there were a few holes below the golfer on this course it would be an A++.

Despite that one critique, the course is a home run and unlike most other courses you will ever play. The conditioning is fantastic, the staff friendly and helpful and the round of golf sublime. Take me back to Wisconsin to play this course any time!

For more information on Lawsonia, check out the link: http://www.lawsonia.com/

Countdown To Sand Valley Post 3

Here it is, under 2 weeks to go until I find myself at the newest golf destination in the US, Sand Valley. I am getting very pumped about my visit there and here are a few last things I am checking out in preparation of my trip.

Porch Me

When I was lucky enough to play Sand Hills in Nebraska, one of my favorite things bar none was hanging out on Ben's Porch. The porch was a small house near the 18th hole where you could just relax, check out the golfers struggling around the course and have some awesome burgers.

It looks like Sand Valley has their own porch (Craig's Porch above) and I can't wait to chill out there soon!

Getting There

One of the things I have I learned on my Coore/Crenshaw quest is that a lot of their courses aren't close to anything and Sand Valley is no exception. 2.5 hours from Milwaukee, 4 hours from Chicago, Sand Valley is somewhat tough to get to but I can't wait to see the sign above in the middle of nowhere pointing the way to good golf!

Staying There

I am not quite sure where I am staying at Sand Valley but whoo doggie do all the places look great. Rustic yet refined and somehow each residence looks like it is sand dunes despite being located in Wisconsin. SV currently has three lodging options all of which are very similar in style. I have never stayed at a true golf resort and I will be interested in exploring every inch of the property while I am there.

For more info on Sand Valley, check out this link: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

All photographs are owned by Sand Valley/Kemper Sports and are used herein for news and commentary purposes only.

Countdown To Sand Valley Post 2

Here I am, only about a month out for my trip to Sand Valley and I am getting more and more excited! All the flights are booked, the hotels are reserved and the itinerary is in full shape. I am headed to, in order, Lawsonia, Sand Valley, Black Sheep, Warren Golf Club and Colorado Golf Club. This is a huge Coore/Crenshaw trip and I am super excited for Sand Valley to be the kick off!

Mammoth Becomes Bigger:
Just before my visit to SV, it looks like preview play for David McLay Kidd's Mammoth Dunes will be extended to 9 holes. From the preview pics I have seen thus far, Mammoth looks outrageous and even if I can't play 18, I will at least get 9 in and perhaps even get to walk the rest.

Kemper Goodness:
I have always been a fan of Kemper Sports, the management company founded by Mike Keiser. They just so happen to manage the top golf resorts in the US, Bandon Dunes, Streamsong and now Sand Valley. I have never stayed at a true golf resort it has only been at hotels near courses or places with one golf course. It will be interesting to see what the vibe is whenever everyone there are golf nuts, can't wait!

Food Update:
So I have now learned about Kringles. Kringles are rolled dough that come out like a flattened cinnamon bun and can take upwards of 3 days to make because they let the dough rest between folding. It sounds ridiculously complicated but also delicious! This is one I might try: http://larsenskringle.com/kringle.html 

Also I am planning to visit the Cheese Castle! This place looks glorious and also very Wisconsin!

For more information about Sand Valley, check out the link: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

Countdown To Sand Valley Post 1

I am so stoked to report that I will be visiting Sand Valley this summer as part of a marathon Midwest golf trip and as I don't have a lot of golf experience in  Wisconsin, Illinois, etc. I thought I would fill you guys in on my preparations for the big trip!

Getting There:

I am flying into Chicago and Sand Valley is way up there in Northwestern Wisconsin near the small town of Nekoosa. One thing you can count on with Mike Keiser golf resorts (like Bandon) is that they are going to be OUT of the way and you have to earn your tee time just getting there.

Personally, I can't wait for a roadtrip and I am already planning on hitting courses in Wisconsin (Lawsonia) and in Illinois (Black Sheep or Harborside) on the back and forth.

Weather:

The first thing I always research for any golf trip is the expected weather when I am going to be there. Deep in the heart of August, Wisconsin has some crazy weather highs and lows. The max temp seems to be 93 and the low is 45 and August looks to be in the middle of the pack regarding rain.

Given all of this, I think I am definitely packing light (shorts, lots o' sunscreen not so much jackets) and maybe a few light layers if it cools off at night.

Food:

I am really interested in the food philosophy of the resort as once you make the trek there, I hear the food prices are not just reasonable but at a low cost. Outside of the resort, I have been hearing about these Supper Clubs in Wisconsin. Supper Clubs are a relic from the era just after Prohibition where liquor licenses were granted to restaurants outside city limits. I really would like to go to one of these!

https://www.wisconsinsupperclubs.net/

Bon Mot About SV:

You don't think of the desert when you think of Wisconsin but due to the geologic process over millions of years, yup there is sand in Sand Valley!

http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/about/

I will be fascinated to see just how sandy it is there is Wisconsin (just as long as there is no sand in my cheese I will be happy!).

For more information on Sand Valley, check it out here: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com