As anyone who really knows me will tell you, if you want to catch my interest, just start talking about golf. (All the computers in my lab are named for famous golf courses.) I learned the game from my father who was a club pro, greenskeeper, and an excellent player in his own right. In the 1970's he was head pro at Reading C.C. in Pennsylvania. I played in high school and in college on the Bucknell Bison golf team. In graduate school I was a member for 5 years at the Metacomet CC in East Providence, RI, which sadly now has closed. Upon moving to Atlanta, I joined East Lake Golf Club and was a member for 17 years. My highlight there was winning the Bobby Jones Memorial (match play) Championship in 1996. Currently, I'm a member at Indian Hills CC in Marietta. I was runner-up in the Club Championship there in 2012.

It's never an easy thing, but I decided to generate a list of my 50 favorite courses that I have played. I'm making this ranking with the premise that if someone was to ask me to play one round tomorrow, where would I want to go. Of course, this is influenced by timing and frequency -- Courses that I've played more recently but maybe not so frequently seem to be more highly ranked. For some of these courses, past personal circumstances (and how I played there) lead to my feelings as well. Anyhow, here goes.

  1. Chambers Bay - Tacoma, WA
  2. Tobacco Road - Sanford, NC
  3. Arcadia Bluffs (North) - Arcadia, MI
  4. The Old Course - St. Andrews, Scotland
  5. The Ocean Course - Kiawah Island, SC
  6. Hershey (West) - Hershey, PA
  7. Harbour Town - Hilton Head, SC
  8. Lancaster - Lancaster, PA
  9. Kingsbarns - St. Andrews, Scotland
  10. Mammoth Dunes - Nekoosa, WI
  11. Ocean Course at Hokuala, formerly Kauai Lagoons (Kiele) - Lihue, HI
  12. Wannamoisett - Pawtucket, RI
  13. Princeville (Prince) - Princeville, HI
  14. Kapalua (Planatation) - Kapalua, HI
  15. Mauna Kea - Waimea, HI
  16. Pinehurst #2 - Pinehurst, NC
  17. Newport - Newport, RI
  18. Pasatiempo - Santa Cruz, CA
  19. Black Mesa - Espanola, NM
  20. Saucon Valley (Grace) - Bethlehem, PA
  21. Rhode Island CC - Barrington, RI
  22. Caledonia - Pawley's Island, SC
  23. True Blue - Pawley's Island, SC
  24. Royal Porthcawl - Porthcawl, Wales
  25. Dunes Golf & Beach Club - N. Myrtle Beach, SC
  26. Lawsonia Links - Green Lake, WI
  27. East Lake - Atlanta, GA
  28. Pumpkin Ridge (Ghost Creek) - Cornelius, OR
  29. Reynolds Plantation (Great Waters) - Greensboro, GA
  30. Kittansett - Marion, MA
  31. The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards - Sunset, SC
  32. Gold Mountain (Olympic) - Bremerton, WA
  33. TPC at Snoqualmie - Snoqualmie, WA
  34. Forest Dunes - Roscommon, MI
  35. Winged Foot (West) - Mamaroneck, NY
  36. Atlanta CC - Marietta, GA
  37. Golden Horseshoe (Gold) - Williamsburg, VA
  38. Mauna Lani (South) - Waimea, HI
  39. Pennard - Pennard, Wales
  40. Paa-Ko Ridge - Sandia Park, NM
  41. Tot Hill Farm - Asheboro, NC
  42. Charlotte CC - Charlotte, NC
  43. Tidewater - N. Myrtle Beach, SC
  44. Sand Valley - Nekoosa, WI
  45. Links at Lighthouse Sound - Ocean City, MD
  46. The Kingsley Club - Kingsley, MI
  47. Sahalee - Sammamish, WA
  48. Spyglass Hill - Pebble Beach, CA
  49. Kingsmill (River) - Williamsburg, VA
  50. Mid Pines - Southern Pines, NC
                       
Tee shot on the 3rd hole at Chambers Bay. Actually, this is a
photo-op re-swing moments after I made an ace there in August 2008.

 
 

Runner-up in Indian Hills CC club championship in 2012.

And of course that has to be accompanied by the top 10 (U.S. courses) that I haven't yet played, but would love to play sometime. So if anyone wants to invite me...

  1. Augusta National - Augusta, GA
  2. Pebble Beach - Pebble Beach, CA
  3. Pine Valley - Pine Valley, NJ
  4. Cypress Point - Pebble Beach, CA
  5. National Golf Links of America - Southampton, NY
  6. Fisher's Island - Fisher's Island, NY
  7. Whistling Straits - Haven, WI
  8. Seminole - Juno Beach, FL
  9. The Country Club - Brookline, MA
  10. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) - Ponte Vedra, FL
                       
My friend from the Bucknell golf team, Bill Francis, and I
on the Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course in St. Andrews in July 2013.