Golfweek Unveils A Best New Course List...Really

Golfweek announces their annual best new courses and amazingly, list 25 as opening in the last year or so.

Old Macdonald landed in the top spot.

Comments

[JRP]

Chicago Highlands....that's funny.

[Seitz]

Is this new? I could have sworn I saw this list about a year ago, which would make sense, since most of these courses opened last year. It looks like they took last year's list and just added in some 2011 courses.

JRP, I thought Highlands was fairly decent. Not great, but it had some good holes, and one goofy hole about which I still haven't made up my mind. I probably wouldn't want to play there a lot, but I'd play it again.

[The O]

I've played 1757. (#24) It might be one of the worst golf courses Ive ever played. The history of this club is telling: originally designed as an ultra-private "businessman's country club" it would sell exclusively corproate memberships with 6 figure entrance fees, and cater to guys "closing the deal" on the course. The course was originally a Jack design, and they still note that. But Jack didn't finish because the club went bankrupt. It was bought out of bankrputcy and finished. It features 18 holes wedged into the space for 14, cart paths and tees that crisscross in a way assuring you will back off tee shots as guys scream past behind you to get to a hole on the other side of your hole. (In other words, if looking at a sat image, from left to right holes might be #2, #12, #4 #15, with tee boxes right next to each other.)

Horrible, horrible golf course. If that's the Top 25, then god help the sport.

[Mike T.]

Firekeeper, the Jeff Brauer/Notah Begay course in Kansas, looks like one I'd like to play.

[A3]

Who votes on these lists? And really do you think all the voters have played everyone of these courses? These lists are a waste of time, as evidenced by o comments

[digsouth]

I dont get these lists--I mean, how the heck can the *best* be all new?.... Oh yea, best *new* courses... now I see: but really? I just dont believe that all the new tracks across the country have been played by all the judges. If so,I am available starting in 2013 as a judge.

[JRP]

Seiz

Highlands is fine. It's a nice course for it's location and it's a perfectly fine neighborhood club. That said, it's not worthy of any architectural accolades. What, it's a links course with two cape holes on the back side? What, is a links course with a view of 400 watertowers? Again..it's fine and great people work there and are members there...but the course is just fine.

And don't get me started on the bunkering.

[john]

Can't say much about the courses I can't believe Golfweek put it all in one page so I didn't have to page through it.

[wiseups]

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[GolfFan]

In the interest of fairness in reporting:

"Our Best New list takes into consideration courses that have opened within the past two years. By doing so, we give our 650 course raters enough time to visit the courses and file their rankings. ONLY SIX COURSES LISTED HERE OPENED IN 2011." (CAPS MINE)

GW does this to make a list of TWO YEARS, always has. To look at the list is a reflection of the awful state of New Course Construction in the USA.

This year (2010) there is Old MacDonald and then the rest is proverbial hamburger helper.

[OWGR Fan]

Lodestone in Western Maryland (Deep Creek Lake area) is a pretty nice course that is tremendously overpriced for the area that it is in.