The September 2014 issue of Golf Magazine arrived in my mailbox on Thursday, August 7. It is in the September issue of every even year that Golf Magazine publishes its latest list of the top 100 public courses in the United States, better known as "Top 100 Courses You Can Play". And there is good news for me and "The Quest" (http://logoballtraveler.com/top-100-lists.html). For the first time, I have lost no ground. Below are the details about how my "Quest" stands after Golf Magazine's latest biennial list.
Progress on "The Quest"
As detailed elsewhere on this site, I once had a goal of playing every course on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list. It didn't take me long to understand how daunting this goal is since the list is refreshed every two years. For instance, from the year 2000 to 2002, twenty courses, many of which I had played, were replaced by new courses. And from 2004 to 2006, twenty-one courses were replaced. With each new biennial list, I was losing ground!
So in 2006, I revised the goal. I would attempt to play every course that has EVER been on any of the lists. This is a daunting task...but at least it is somewhat finite and within my grasp.
So I now keep track of two numbers. One, how many courses have I played on the current list. And two, how many courses have I played of the courses that have ever made an appearance on any of the lists.
I finished this past two year period having played 81 of the courses on the 2012 "Top 100 You Can Play" list and 161 of the 203 courses that have ever been on any of the lists.
And from the 2014 list, I have also played 81 of the 100 and 164 of the 207 courses that have ever been on any of the lists.
The good news is that I lost no ground in terms of numbers.
Six courses were replaced from the 2012 list:
Of these, the Shenandoah Course at Turning Stone Resort is the only one I have not yet played. And of the six new courses that replaced the above six, there is only one I have yet to play. Thus, no ground lost.
So in 2006, I revised the goal. I would attempt to play every course that has EVER been on any of the lists. This is a daunting task...but at least it is somewhat finite and within my grasp.
So I now keep track of two numbers. One, how many courses have I played on the current list. And two, how many courses have I played of the courses that have ever made an appearance on any of the lists.
I finished this past two year period having played 81 of the courses on the 2012 "Top 100 You Can Play" list and 161 of the 203 courses that have ever been on any of the lists.
And from the 2014 list, I have also played 81 of the 100 and 164 of the 207 courses that have ever been on any of the lists.
The good news is that I lost no ground in terms of numbers.
Six courses were replaced from the 2012 list:
- Black Mesa - La Mesilla, NM (#44)
- The Greenbrier (Greenbrier Course) - White Sulphur Springs, WV (#61)
- Turning Stone Resort (Shenandoah Course) - Verona, NY (#69)
- Hawktree Golf Club - Bismarck, ND (#81)
- Branson Creek Golf Club - Branson, MO (#88)
- Eagle Ridge Resort (The General Course) - Galena, IL (#98)
Of these, the Shenandoah Course at Turning Stone Resort is the only one I have not yet played. And of the six new courses that replaced the above six, there is only one I have yet to play. Thus, no ground lost.
| Here are the six courses that are new to the 2014 list:
| |
The two Streamsong courses in the middle of a Florida phosphate strip mine opened with great fanfare in early 2013 and are a MUST play for all golf course design buffs. And I was fortunate to play both courses in March, 2013.
Both The Greenbrier (Old White Course) and Pelican Hill (Ocean South) were solid members on these lists from the first list in 1996, but both dropped off with the publishing of the 2006 list. And I had already played both courses along with their siblings (The Greenbrier Course and Ocean North).
True Blue is new to the list this year but its sibling course, Caledonia, has been on every list but the first. So on a trip to the Myrtle Beach area in October 2005, I played Caledonia one afternoon. True Blue was the morning round on that same day.
So on balance, the only course new to me on the list for 2014 is the Wilderness Club in the remote location of Eureka, MT. Eureka is in the northwest corner of Montana, about 10 miles from the Canadian border and perhaps 40 miles from the Idaho border. It will be a pretty 225 mile drive from the Spokane, WA airport when I finally get around to scheduling my round.
Both The Greenbrier (Old White Course) and Pelican Hill (Ocean South) were solid members on these lists from the first list in 1996, but both dropped off with the publishing of the 2006 list. And I had already played both courses along with their siblings (The Greenbrier Course and Ocean North).
True Blue is new to the list this year but its sibling course, Caledonia, has been on every list but the first. So on a trip to the Myrtle Beach area in October 2005, I played Caledonia one afternoon. True Blue was the morning round on that same day.
So on balance, the only course new to me on the list for 2014 is the Wilderness Club in the remote location of Eureka, MT. Eureka is in the northwest corner of Montana, about 10 miles from the Canadian border and perhaps 40 miles from the Idaho border. It will be a pretty 225 mile drive from the Spokane, WA airport when I finally get around to scheduling my round.
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