I have been fortunate to visit dozens of golf clubs over the past few months, giving talks/rambles about golf and travel and promoting the Scotland book (thanks to all of you who have purchased, read, gifted, not borrowed A Course Called Scotland–the response to my latest links jaunt has been humbling). I encounter a few questions more than others: “How did you pay for all this?” “Who made your tee times?” “Can your wife talk to my wife, please? Seriously. Please?” and I’m usually ready with some sort of rejoinder.
Most often I’m asked about my favorite courses, and I have a list on-hand: Cruden Bay, Askernish, Machrihanish (Dunes and Old), Shiskine, North Berwick, Murcar, Glen, Nairn, of course everything in and around St. Andrews… But once in a while I’ll be caught off guard with a follow-up: “How about favorite courses in the U.S.?”
I stumble, and try to hide that I’m stumped. I’ve played some fancy and fantastic courses over here, but I know golf in Ireland and Scotland far better than I know it in my own country. The courses I see in my sleep–they’re all over there, nestled between sandy peaks and covered in wind-bent grasses. So when contemplating my next golf adventure, the destination grew obvious. Thanks to all of you who suggested Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but there was no doubt where I was headed, and where my next education lie: I was standing on it.
A Course Called Home: Searching the States for the Great American Golf Course has actually been on my mind since an Irish friend wrote to me years ago, inquiring about his upcoming golf trip to America. He was eager to play the courses he had watched on television–Riviera, Hazeltine, Shinnecock were on his list, and he wondered if he could play Merion in the morning and make it to Oakmont for an afternoon eighteen.
I procrastinated in writing back to tell him that Pennsylvania was larger than he was imagining it; not that it really mattered, anyway. It was hard to explain to him that he would come all the way to the States, and not have the chance to play a single course on his bucket list. I tried to lighten my reply with lies about all the great American public courses he might sample—the ones I knew were, in truth, far-flung and expensive—but my message back to him boiled down to a rejection letter of two words: Good luck.
My travels had taught me that the golf course was a place where cultural differences and language barriers melted away around a common pursuit of par. Yet there remained conspicuous differences between the way they played over there and we played over here—small things, like shorter flags and no halfway houses and distances measured in meters—and then large things, and largest of them all, the thing I could not explain or defend to any Irishman or Scot, was our in-hospitality to visiting golfers. To folks from where the game was born, from the land of Muirfield and St. Andrews and Carnoustie—all revered courses happy to welcome visitors with credit cards and a handicap—nothing about our gated country club model made sense. And the farther I traveled, the less it made sense to me as well.
And then I remembered–I didn’t have a scooby what I was talking about. What did I really know about golf in America, its destinations, its visitor-friendly experiences? Precious little. But thanks to my wife, who will once again be nominated for beatification this summer, that is set to change.
In A Course Called Home, I will go searching for genuine golf experiences akin to the open, affordable, locals’ golf I have so admired around the world. I will also dig deep into the history of golf in America by begging/praying my way on to every course to ever host a US Open, along with the founding clubs of the USGA. I’ll visit every course to even resemble a links in America, to settle my own inner-debate about true links courses on this side of the Atlantic.
I’ll play our westernmost, northernmost, southernmost, and easternmost tracks–from Alaska to Maine, Florida to Hawaii, I am determined to discover America’s most unique and inspiring golf revelations, and to locate the true American golf course. Doing so will of course require me to figure out what American really means to us in 2018–no simple task during these divided times–but in teeing it up with folks of every color, creed, and political persuasion, I hope to figure it out on those spaces of universal accord: our nation’s tee boxes.
I share this news of the new book (look for it from Simon & Schuster in 2021–these things take some time) not to stir envy; rather, I ask you to channel any simmering resentments into your own efforts to push this adventure forward. Suggestions for courses to add to my list are most welcome; offers to host me at a course and help me avoid bankruptcy before crossing the Mississippi, even more so. This course needs characters, so I invite you to join the story.
I expect to set out in mid-May, and travel the States through the fall, taking on our vast map in traveling chunks. I’m looking for tee times on the US Open courses and the golden-goose tracks, of course, but I’m keenly interested in your local muni, your quirky go-to, your overlooked hidden gems. I’m searching for proof that the golf joy I hunt for in the British Isles can be found right here at home; I want to tell my Irish friend that Florida in February isn’t the only reason to come visit. You can reach me here with ideas and suggestions of the helpful sort. The current list is below, and it seems to be growing by the hour:
Aguila Golf Course | |||
Apple Mountain Golf Club | |||
Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course | |||
Arrowhead Golf Course | |||
Asheville Municipal Golf Course | |||
Aspen Lakes Golf Course | |||
Atlanta Athletic Club | |||
Bacon Park Golf Course | |||
Ballyneal GC | |||
Ballyowen GC | |||
Baltimore Country Club | |||
Baltusrol Golf Club | |||
Bandon Crossings Golf Course | |||
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort | |||
Bay Harbor GC | |||
Bellerive Country Club | |||
Bethpage Black Course | |||
Bodega Bay Golf Links | |||
Brackenridge Park Golf Course | |||
Brae Burn Country Club | |||
Brickyard Crossing | |||
Butterfield Trail Golf Club | |||
Cambrian Ridge | |||
Canal Shores Golf Course | |||
Canterbury Golf Club | |||
Canyon River Golf Club | |||
Cedar Crest Golf Course | |||
Chambers Bay Golf Course | |||
Champions Golf Club | |||
Chastain Park Golf Course | |||
Cherry Hills Country Club | |||
Chicago Golf Club | |||
City of Charleston Golf Course | |||
Cobbs Creek | |||
Colonial Country Club | |||
Columbia Country Club | |||
Congressional Country Club | |||
Conocodell Golf Club | |||
Copper creek golf course | |||
Coronado Municipal Golf Course | |||
Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne | |||
Dinosaur Mountain Golf Course at Gold Canyon Golf Resort | |||
Edgefield McMenamins Golf Course | |||
Englewood Country Club | |||
Erin Hills Golf Course | |||
FDR Golf Club | |||
Fireweed Meadows Golf Course | |||
Forest Park Golf Course | |||
Fossil Trace Golf Club | |||
Four Winds Golf Course | |||
Fresh Meadow Country Club | |||
Garden City Golf Club | |||
Gardner Municipal Golf Course | |||
Gearhart Golf Links | |||
George Wright | |||
Gibson Bay Golf Course | |||
Gig Harbor Golf Club | |||
Glen View Club | |||
Goat Hill Park | |||
Gold Mountain Golf Club | |||
Green Mountain National Golf Course | |||
Havana Golf & Country Club | |||
Hazeltine National Golf Club | |||
Highland Links | |||
Highland Park Golf Course | |||
Highlands Golf Club | |||
Indian Wells Golf Resort | |||
Interlachen Country Club | |||
Inverness Club | |||
Inwood Country Club | |||
Isle Dauphne GC | |||
Kenosha CC | |||
Key West Golf Club | |||
Kukui’ula Golf Course | |||
Kukuiolono Park & Golf Course | |||
Lajitas Golf Resort | |||
Linden Hall | |||
Links of North Dakota | |||
Los Verdes GC | |||
Lost Marsh Golf Course | |||
LuLu Country Club | |||
Makai Golf Club | |||
Marfa Municipal Golf Course | |||
Medinah Country Club | |||
Merion Golf Club | |||
Miami Whitewater Forest Golf Club | |||
Midlothian Country Club | |||
Minikahda Club | |||
Montauk Downs State Park Golf Course | |||
Myopia Hunt Club | |||
Neshanic Valley Golf Course | |||
Nevel Meade Golf Course | |||
Newport Country Club | |||
North Shore Country Club | |||
North Star Golf Club | |||
Northwest Angle Country Club | |||
Northwood Club | |||
Oak Hill Country Club | |||
Oakland Hills Country Club | |||
Oakmont Country Club | |||
Oakmont Heights Golf Course | |||
Olympia Fields Country Club | |||
Onwentsia Club | |||
Palm Desert Country Club | |||
Pacific Grove GC | |||
Pasatiempo Golf Club | |||
Pebble Beach Golf Links | |||
Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses | |||
Penmar by the Sea | |||
Philadelphia Country Club | |||
Philadelphia Cricket Club – Militia Hill Course | |||
Pilgrim’s Run Golf Club | |||
Pine Dunes Golf Course | |||
Pinehurst Resort | |||
Piñon Hills Golf Course | |||
Prairie Dunes Country Club | |||
Princeville Golf Course | |||
Prison View Golf Course | |||
Putnam Valley GC | |||
Riviera Country Club | |||
St. Andrews Golf Club | |||
Saint Louis Country Club | |||
Sand Hills Golf Club | |||
Sand Hollow Resort | |||
Sand Valley | |||
Sharp Park | |||
Scioto Country Club | |||
Shennecossett Golf Course | |||
Shepherd’s Crook Golf Course | |||
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | |||
Skokie Country Club | |||
Sleepy Hollow Golf Course | |||
Smith Center Country Club | |||
Southern Hills Country Club | |||
Southward Ho | |||
St Croix Country Club | |||
Stone Canyon Golf Club | |||
Sweetens Cove Golf Club | |||
Swope Memorial Golf Course | |||
The Classic at Madden’s Golf Course | |||
The Country Club | |||
The Country Club of Buffalo | |||
The Country Club of South Carolina | |||
The Dunes Club | |||
The Highlands of Elgin Golf Course | |||
The Lights at Indio GC | |||
The Oasis At Death Valley | |||
The Olympic Club | |||
The Prairie Club | |||
The Republic Golf Club | |||
Tobacco Road Golf Club | |||
Torrey Pines Golf Course | |||
TPC Harding Park | |||
Triggs Memorial Golf Course | |||
Van Cortlandt Golf Course Clubhouse | |||
Washington County Golf Course | |||
Waveland Golf Course | |||
Wawashkamo GC | |||
Whistling Straits | |||
Wild Horse GC | |||
Winged Foot | |||
William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park | |||
Winter Park Golf course | |||
Wintonbury Hills Golf Course | |||
Worcester Country Club | |||
Leslie Park Golf Course |
You spelled Caledonia Golf & Fish Club wrong
LikeLike
If you are in Maine, I cannot recommend Belgrade Lakes strongly enough. A phenomenal course layout and staff that treats you like a member no matter what. Open to the public, always in perfect shape.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No Pine Valley ??
LikeLike
Seven Oaks Golf Course, at Colgate University. Open to the public, one of Robert Trent Jones’s first designs. The drive there will remind you of County Clare.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you can have a free place to stay and a guaranteed foursome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can’t wait to read once you’ve completed your US tour!
A few you could add to your list working south:
Glen Mills, public with a good back story
It’s been awhile since I played Bulle Rock but it was always a good one
Caledonia on Pawleys Island
Hampton Hall in Bluffton S.C.
Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill, Ga. Former Henry Ford estate in terrific condition
Have fun planning and playing, and be sure to include the Tao of Garth for a few rounds!
John Boyer Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, John!
LikeLike
Let me know when you are planning to head to Washington State. I now reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL but lived in Washington my previous 30 years of life and would love to join you if it works out. Also, your experience at Chambers Bay will be drastically different than what you witnessed for the 2015 US Open. The views in-person are unreal, the grass is green and they have recently undergone an effort to change all greens to poa annua grass. Good luck with your adventure and I hope to hear more as it unfolds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Will do.
LikeLike
If you need a stopover between Tulsa and Dallas, I would be happy to host at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in OKC. Another great Maxwell track with a lot of history, founded in 1923. It can be a stiff walk, but it’s a lot of fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When near Aiken SC. Must visit. Palmetto Golf Club. 1892. Redone by Mckinzie. Great walk. Golf only. Ask Doak Hanse Bamburger. cant wait to see you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hopefully you can play the Honors Course in Chattanooga or The Golf Club of Tennessee just outside of Nashville. I am happy to host you at Old Natchez Golf Club in Franklin, TN. Can’t wait to read the book already!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Missing Blackwolf Run in Kohler, site of Women’s USOpen (Pete Dye) and Ozaukee Country Club in Mequon (Milwaukee, WI), site of the 1929 Western Open (when it was considered a Major). Tommy Armour winner, Hagen, Sarazen and Cruikshank in the field. Langford & Moreau design.
LikeLike
Tom, you need to put Forest Hills Golf Course in Augusta, Ga on your list. It is a Donald Ross course where Bobby Jones won the Southern Amateur in 1930 to begin his Grand Slam year. He said his best golf that year was at Forest Hills. It is a public course owned by Augusta University and is the school’s home course.
Jimmy
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tom: if you’re going to Onwensia on the North Shore of Chicago you must add Shoreacres and Old Elm. Great history with both courses. I can help with both.
LikeLiked by 1 person
More information on old elm
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gotta check out Common Ground in CO.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is Arcadia Bluffs on the list? The just added the south course which is a hoot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nevel Meade Golf Course is 10-minutes from my house. Let’s tee it up! 30-minutes away is Chariot Run Golf Course in Indiana. Might want to check it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Tom – this is worth your time – built by Mike McCartin – http://www.schoolhousenine.com/ – $15 to play, muni, check in at the pub – golf as it could be!, Cheers, Nick Green (MacDuff)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect! Thank you.
LikeLike
Tom, I am the VGA State Director for PA, Would love to have you at Royal Manchester Golf Links near York, PA, We can invite Aaron, the Dog and Tim Robinson for the foursome. They take care of us vets there and its a fantastic course and layout.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you would love that! Will circle back when the itinerary comes into shape. Much appreciated!
LikeLike
Hello Scott,
Thanks again for this recommendation — can we set this up for July 1 possibly? Would love to join you and Aaron and Tim. Thanks!
Tom Coyne
LikeLike
You have to visit Atlantic City CC, where the term “birdie ” was hatched and that has one of the most nostalgic locker rooms anywhere in the country. Hey…it is just a morning bike ride from Broad Street ( well, maybe a short car ride ) that you could do anytime when opportunity strikes. Well worth the visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tom … just Tweeted this to you. Pls add AZ Nat’l Golf Club (Tucson) to the list. Gorgeous/challenging RTJ course. Coming back from the brink. A++ design, A+ staff, B+ condition. Played twice while there on business … looking for an excuse to go back!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Though it might prove an insurmountable challenge to fit into your itinerary, please consider Gamble Sands, a David M. Kidd links-style course in Central WA, on the Columbia River.
LikeLiked by 1 person
BTW, my boss, the Director of Golf at Chambers Bay, is on-board with your visit this summer! Looking forward to looping for “The Legend”!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Appreciate it.
LikeLike
Azalea City Golf Course has been serving the citizens of Mobile, Alabama for over 60 years.Designed by notable architect Robert Bruce Harris, Arnold Palmer and other well-known golfers have enjoyed playing here. This course was once recognized by “Golf Digest” as being one of the top thirty-six public courses in the U.S.
Azalea City is the first golf course I took my son, Patrick to at the age of two! Patrick grew up playing at Azalea City and your book “A Course Called Scotland” was the impetus for an epic Father/Son golf trip that Patrick and I recently took to Ireland and Scotland. We would love to host you for a round at Azalea City and at our house in historic Mobile.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! That would be great. Stay tuned as I update itinerary and will try to fit azalea city in for sure.
LikeLike
Rolling Green in Springfield Pa is undergoing a Renovation. Of course you are familiar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My husband and I traveled to Wisconsin last summer. We played the Irish course at Whistling Straits and the River course at Blackwolf Run. I would highly recommend. If you want to play locally, we play at Makefield Highlands GC in Yardley, PA. Usually in great shape and staff is friendly and helpful. I just finished reading A Course Called Scotland. I like it even more than I like Ireland.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I appreciate the recommendation and the generous invite!
LikeLike
Hi Tom,
I have never been one who enjoys reading, until I came across “A Course Called Ireland” shortly after I returned home from the Emerald Isle in 2017. Since then I have read (and purchased!) all of your books and cant wait for this one!
I was excited to see you have Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines, IA on the list. Fun fact about Waveland, it is the Oldest Municipal Golf Course west of the Mississippi! Living a full 5 minutes away from the course it is where I play most of the time in Central Iowa. It is loaded with blind shots over rolling hills and timbers.
There are a few other courses in Des Moines that I would recommend if time allows. Tournament Club of Iowa is an Arnold Palmer designed course and a very reasonably priced public course. I would also toss in The Legacy (in Norwalk just south of Des Moines) and Otter Creek in Ankeny (an Iowa attempt at a Links style course).
I would be honored to host you in Des Moines if needed, as well as join you for your walk around Waveland!
Good luck with the adventure and cant wait to read about it!
LikeLike
Thank you! Really appreciate the kind words about the books! Thanks for reading, and for the recommendations. I will do my best to fit them all in! Best,
Tom
LikeLike
Hi Tom,
I have never been one who enjoys reading, until I came across “A Course Called Ireland” shortly after I returned home from the Emerald Isle in 2017. Since then I have read (and purchased!) all of your books and cant wait for this one!
I was excited to see you have Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines, IA on the list. Fun fact about Waveland, it is the Oldest Municipal Golf Course west of the Mississippi! Living a full 5 minutes away from the course it is where I play most of the time in Central Iowa. It is loaded with blind shots over rolling hills and timbers.
There are a few other courses in Des Moines that I would recommend if time allows. Tournament Club of Iowa is an Arnold Palmer designed course and a very reasonably priced public course. I would also toss in The Legacy (in Norwalk just south of Des Moines) and Otter Creek in Ankeny (an Iowa attempt at a Links style course).
I would be honored to host you in Des Moines if needed, as well as join you for your walk around Waveland!
Good luck with the adventure and cant wait to read about it!
LikeLike
I live in the Bay Area and would absolutely love the chance to play Bodega or Harding with you, and if Northwoods is the 9-hole in the Russian River designed by Alistair Mackenzie than obviously i’d make time as well. I’m especially curious about your thoughts on Harding because I think it’s completely overrated and pretty uninspiring, but your views on it might change that. How can I do my best to join you on one of these outings?
LikeLike
Thank you! Would be great if you could join me. Follow @coynewriter where I’ll be posting dates as they come together. California is looking like December…thanks for reading and reaching out.
LikeLike
I tried to leave this before, but let’s try again … I live in Northern California and would be absolutely thrilled and honored to play Bodega, Northwoods or Harding with you if you have space in your group. I’m especially intrigued by your view on Harding which I find horrendously overrated (especially for the price) and feel the opposite about Bodega and Northwoods which I think are really hidden gems.
I’ve already bought all your books – what else do I need to do to convince you that I should join you? (If it helps, I have a Google Spreadsheet of all the Scottish courses I want to play, which is turning into a month-long trip at minimum. The name of the Spreadsheet is called “Going Full Coyne” 🙂
LikeLike
Love that. @coynewriter is the place, on twitter or instagram. Or @coynewriter on FB too
LikeLike
Hi Tom – I would love you join you at any of the PA gems that you have listed (Conocodell, Cobbs, Lulu) as you are passing through. I saw someone mentioned Royal Manchester which is actually my “home” course so I would recommend that too! Looking forward to reading more about your travels and hearing you on TGJ podcast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Late here, but if you’re out at Chicago Golf, can easily add a quick 9 at Chicago Golf’s original location, Downers Grove Golf Club.
The Chicago city courses are not great from a design perspective (and slow after 730 am), but there is something about the feel of lakefront, urban golf at Marovitz (hitting a drive on 7 with a high rise in the background) and the Tiger project of South Shore/Jackson Park. If your trip hits Chicago in August, Marovitz during the Air and Water show is a blast with jets and bombers buzzing the course. For city residents like myself, getting out to the suburbs is a half day activity, so this is where many of us get rounds in and scratch the itch. Being a single at busy city courses, I pair up and meet great people from diverse backgrounds and skill levels, discuss what courses we like to get out of the city to play and, of course, the required what Chicago neighborhood you live in (if local).
Glad you are hitting up Swope in KC. Having lived there for a few years, I felt it fell off locals radar.
Can’t wait to read the book and follow along on social media!
LikeLike
Skip Olympic in SF – play Cal Club and Gleneagles (in addition to Sharp Park and Harding). I’d swap Presidio or Lincoln Park for Harding, but that’s just me. I was a member at Olympic for decades, so this isn’t a comment without some experience.
LikeLike