Best New Courses 2015

Photo By: @Courtesy of The CC of The Gold Nugget
Photo By: Dave Sansom
Photo By: M Clements Photography
Photo By: Courtesy of Rockwind Community Links
Photo By: Rick Young
Photo By: Rolling Greens Photo/Ken E. May KeswickHallResort
Photo By: Courtesy of Adena Golf & Country Club
Photo By: Courtesy of The Links at Brunello
Photo By: Stephen Szurlej
Photo By: Courtesy of Independence GC
Photo By: Courtesy of Sawgrass CC
Photo By: Kyle Phillips
Photo By: LC Lambrecht
Photo By: Holger Obenaus Photography
Photo By: Courtesy of Whitemarsh Valley CC
Photo By: Courtesy of The Oaks CC
Photo By: Evan Schiller Photography
Photo By: Murphy/Scully/D Squared Productions, Inc.
The Country Club of The Golden Nugget, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Panelists comments:“Links-style course with Bermudagrass. Winds from Gulf of Mexico only a few miles away.”“Nice variety of holes.”“Open course around lakes and bayou.”“Wide fairways, multiple tees, waste bunkers. Fun place to play.”“Typical resort course where bunkers are far removed from greens and water hazards don’t really come into play.”
Photo By: @Courtesy of The CC of The Gold Nugget
Potomac Shores Golf Club, Potomac Shores, Virginia
Panelists comments:“Built seven years ago but just opened.”“Big course, very spread out. Each individual hole is solid.”“Lots of elevation changes, which adds to aesthetics.”“Separated from the Potomac River by heavy forest. Don’t expect riverside views.”“Impossible to walk.”
Photo By: Dave Sansom
Magnolia Green Golf Club, Moseley, Virginia
Panelists comments:“Nice design features with nicely-contoured greens.”“This course surprised me. Really good shot values and all the holes were different. I loved the imagination of all the green complexes.”“Best layout of any public course in Richmond.”“Some very long cart rides between holes.”
Photo By: M Clements Photography
Rockwind Community Links, Hobbs, New Mexico
Panelists comments:“Basically a new layout with only one hole from the old course. Natural terrain is very flat, but architect made use of mounding, hollowed-out areas and elevated greens.”“Surprisingly lush cool-grass course with highly-elevated greens.”“Created holes to take advantage of wind. Six into wind, six downwind, 3 in cross winds each way.”
Photo By: Courtesy of Rockwind Community Links
Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club, Wickenburg, Arizona
Photo By: Rick Young
Full Cry at Keswick Golf Club, Keswick, Virginia
Photo By: Rolling Greens Photo/Ken E. May KeswickHallResort
Adena Golf & Country Club, Ocala, Florida
Photo By: Courtesy of Adena Golf & Country Club
The Links at Brunello, Timberlea, Nova Scotia
Panelists comments:“A beautiful test of golf.”“Beautiful property with large undulating greens. Quite a few false fronts and greenside areas that have been cut short, allowing missed shots to roll down away from the green.”“Every hole is as much fun as the hole before. A must play.”
Photo By: Courtesy of The Links at Brunello
Trump Golf Links Ferry Point, Bronx, New York
Panelists comments:“A really nice layout with challenging holes in a world-class location.”“Nicklaus got it right. A links-style course plays firm and fast.”“While mounding and tall fescue give it a feel of a links, most of the greens were elevated and don’t allow for a ground-game approach.”“Would have great views of the New York skyline, but the stupid mounds get in the way too often.”
Photo By: Stephen Szurlej
BEST NEW COURSECabot Cliffs, Inverness, Nova Scotia
Panelists comments:“Great design on a great piece of land.”“Absolutely brilliant. A journey to four different environs.”“Wow! Built into the sides of the cliffs of Nova Scotia. The Pebble Beach of Canada.”“Stunning. Rates high in variety with 6 par 3s, six par 4s and 6 par 5s.”“May be Coore & Crenshaw’s best, which is saying a lot.”“Best course I’ve played in the modern era. One of the most fun courses I’ve ever played.”“18 memorable holes. Will be Top 25 in the world someday soon.”More about Cabot Cliffs ▶
2015 REMODEL 10) Independence Golf Club, Midlothian, Virginia
Panelists comments:“Really fun, family-friendly favorite. Made easier by removal of a number of bunkers and softening of others.”“The redesign offered some welcome changes.”“Took too much teeth out of the redesign.”
Photo By: Courtesy of Independence GC
Sawgrass Country Club (East/West Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Panelists comments:“All new grass but same routing. Good members course that is tough from back tees.”“Makes good use of minor elevation changes, sand dunes and natural water features.”
Photo By: Courtesy of Sawgrass CC
Menlo Country Club, Woodside, California
Panelists comments:“Wonderful redesign. Once a good course, now a great course.”“Second-shot course with wonderful green complexes.”“Bunkering is rustic-looking, which makes it look like it’s been there forever.”
Photo By: Kyle Phillips
Rockaway Hunting Club, Lawrence, New York
Panelists comments:“A total surprise. The renovation has completely transformed the place. Most of the trees were removed, so you can experience the seaside. The contours of the course and the greens have been improved.”“Lots of interesting classical design features.”“Lots of wind.”“Remains an uninteresting 18. Little resistance to scoring, flattish greens, very short even from back tees.”
Photo By: LC Lambrecht
2015 REMODEL 6) The Ford Plantation Club, Richmond Hills, Georgia
Panelists comments:“Pete Dye ‘lite.’ All the characteristics of a Dye course but plays like a country club course.”“My initial takeaway is that it has somehow lost some of its character. Landing areas seem far more generous, bunkering seems somewhat milder.”“Not as forced as some of Pete’s other low country works.”“Greens were fantastic. Flashes of Harbour Town and Kiawah, but he stopped short of making it magnificent.”
Photo By: Holger Obenaus Photography
Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania
Panelists comments:“Greens expanded to original sizes, lots of trees removed. Excellent renovation without destroying brilliance of George Thomas.”“New bunkering is very well done and enhances the look of the course.”“Very nice course. You need to play all your shots. One a member could enjoy every day.”
Photo By: Courtesy of Whitemarsh Valley CC
The Oaks Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Panelists comments:“Redesign brought the Tillinghast design back out from the cobwebs.”“Traditional look and feel. Greens were not severe.”“A pleasant surprise.”“New fairway and greenside bunkers add to difficulty and beauty of this classic course.”“Removing cart paths from sightlines was a nice plus.”“A wonderful layout.”
Photo By: Courtesy of The Oaks CC
Royal Oaks CC, Dallas, Texas
Panelists comments:“Biggest changes: greens went from bent to Mini-Verde Bermuda, and the 18th hole is now much more of a challenge; second shot must carry the creek.”“A number of trees removed, but this course is still very tree-lined.”“Design maximizes creek that runs throughout the property.”“Elevation changes to low-lying greens to avoid flooding resulted in steep upslopes into greens.”
Photo By: Evan Schiller Photography
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), Scottsdale, Arizona
Panelists comments:“A much better course than before. The green complexes are the best improvement.”“Has the feeling of a BIG golf course. Several par 4s are very challenging.”“Newer, deeper, and more strategic bunkering improved shot values and resistance to scoring.”“The new fairway bunkering grouping on 18 seemed very out of place for this design.”
Photo By: Murphy/Scully/D Squared Productions, Inc.
BEST NEW REMODELThe Vintage Club (Mountain), Indian Wells, California
Panelists comments:“Excellent, a marked improvement over the old design.”“Numerous course improvements and the scenic beauty has been improved as well.”“Newly-shaped bunkering is visually stunning and relatively small.”“If you like eye candy, this is pretty damned good. Plenty of clever fall-offs and mow-outs around the putting surfaces to keep things interesting.”“Some holes are excellent, some are strange, such as the par 4 along the mountain that now has a stream along it. That would never happen in nature.”