Hi All, I would be interested to know what forums readers consider their top 5 courses they have actually played. Not necessarily courses with good reputations but ones you guys have enjoyed. I am hoping to see some not well known courses pop up.

Mine would be:

1. Hope Island (QLD) - Great all round experience
2. The Vintage (NSW) - I can't play the course but love everytime I play there
3. Joondalup (WA) - Like a big game of mini putt putt
4. Meadow Springs (WA) - Great Course
5. The Glades (QLD) - Great layout but hard!!!

Oops, I couldn't get any non premium courses in. I guess that's because I look forward to playing them and the overall experience is fantastic no matter how bad you play.

Here is my 5 top non premium courses.

1. Morisset (Central Coast/Newcastle NSW)- My home course
2. Toronto - (Newcastle NSW)
3. Sawtell (Coffs Harbour NSW) - Well maintained and interesting short course
4. The Springs (Central Coast NSW) - Young course with some maturing required but you can see it happening.
5. The Oaks (Cessnock NSW) - Heard it was a goat track but played it and really enjoyed a good layout!!

5 favorite courses (Apart from former home club Foster, and current home club Box Hill) would be:

1. Long Island C.C.
2. Trafalgar G.C.
3. Lang Lang G.C.
4. Cowes G.C.
5. Ranfurlie

As you can probably tell by the lack of premium courses here, I am not very well travelled when it comes to playing golf. But these are still nice tracks.

my top 5:

1- kingston heath
2- the dunes
3- hope island
4- metropolitan
5- national (moonah)

hard to leave out:
the glades, heritage, lakelands, national (old), moonah links (open) and ... RM...(royal morack)

I haven't played 5 Australian courses yet, so my 5 are

1) Kingsbarns
2) Wentworth - West Course
3) Sunningdale - New Course
4) The Berkshire - Blue Course
5) Bearwood Lakes

In no particular order my personal top 5 would be:
1. Mt Lawley
2. Albany
3. The Vines
4. Joondalup
5. Mandurah

I haven't played The Cut, Kennedy Bay, Secret Harbour or Meadow Springs so I can't comment on them. Maybe I will get around to them one day.

How about...

1/ The Australian - enormous, perfect, brutal. Perhaps the ultimate test of golf in Australia????

2/ Metropolitan - beautiful, perfect

3/ Terrey Hills - has both aspects of above but not quite there

4/ Hilltop at Mollymook - non-prestige but an absolute jewell

5/ Only watched at RM, it seemed the business though...

Not played that many other "top shelf" ones, to give an educated opinion however. Will say that NSW has never appealed to me (as much at least, relative to the others).

NSW
Barnbougle Dunes
Kingston Heath
13th Beach
Murray Downs

1. Elsternwick
2. Spring Park
3. R&A Skye
4. Moorabbin
5. Brighton

QUOTE: Postie @ Oct 21 2005, 01:45 PM

1. Elsternwick
2. Spring Park
3. R&A Skye
4. Moorabbin
5. Brighton

you forgot duck sh1t flats, or otherwise known as safety beach country club!!

QUOTE: butchy @ Oct 21 2005, 03:10 PM

you forgot duck sh1t flats, or otherwise known as safety beach country club!!

Good call Butchy but, he did only ask for 5, otherwise i would have included Mt Martha and, of course Tirhatuan Mud Flats.

QUOTE: Postie @ Oct 21 2005, 01:45 PM

1. Elsternwick
2. Spring Park
3. R&A Skye
4. Moorabbin
5. Brighton

I would've turned that list upsde down Postie... Surely Brighton is better than all those.

<u>Overseas</u>
St Andrews (Old)
Carnoustie (Championship)
Bethpage (Black)
North Berwick (West)
Kauri Cliffs

<u>In Australia</u>
Royal Melbourne
NSW
Royal Adelaide
Newcastle
Woodlands

Barnbougle Dunes
Royal Melbourne
Kingston Heath
Woodlands
Metropolitan

OZ;
RM West
NSW
National Moonah
Kingston Heath
RM East/Barnbougle

I know, that's six but I couldn't split them!

1. New South Wales
2. Metropolitan
3. Newcastle
4. Tallwoods (it's gonna be a cracker when it matures)
5. Mollymook (Hilltop)

There are a few smaller clubs that deserved a run but I couldn't leave out those 5 - Tenterfield near the NSW/QLD border is a fantastic course which is always in fantastic condition, Ocean Shores is another great course, Forster was impressive, Longyard near Tamworth is an interesting course but is let down by how different the two nines are, and I really enjoyed the Murray course at Yarrawonga.

QUOTE: Rookie @ Oct 21 2005, 08:49 AM

Hi All, I would be interested to know what forums readers consider their top 5 courses they have actually played. Not necessarily courses with good reputations but ones you guys have enjoyed. I am hoping to see some not well known courses pop up.

Played many top courses but these are the ones I've got a real buzz out of playing - not in any order

Barnbougle Dunes (Tasmania) - Great location by the sea
Narooma (New South Wales) - Another by the sea with hole #3 a beauty
Bothwell (Tasmania) - Australia's oldest golf course
Pambula-Merimbula (New South Wales) - A favourite holiday spot
Northern (Victoria) - My home club

1. The Dunes
2. Yarrawonga Murray
3. Kerikeri (NZ)
4. Moonah Links
5. Kingston Heath

1. Kingston Heath
2. The Dunes
3. Royal Melbourne
4. National Moonah
5. Coomealla

1. RM West
2. Barnbougle Dunes
3. Kingston Heath
4. Commonwealth
5. Victoria

QUOTE: dgstones @ Oct 21 2005, 06:17 PM

Northern (Victoria) - My home club

stones, I thought you'd resigned from Northern?

My top 5:
RM West
Barnbougle
Kingston Heath
New South Wales
St Andrews Beach Gunnamatta

QUOTE: henry @ Oct 21 2005, 07:06 PM

stones, I thought you'd resigned from Northern?

Didn't he get thrown out?

1. Paradise Palms - Tough course if wayward

2. Riverside Oaks - Always found it good condition

3. Laguna Quays - Great condition but this may have changed,

4. Capricorn Old & New - Shot 5 under, never been repeated

4. Camden Lakeside - Good value for money

Overseas

1. Carnoustie - Played great in tough conditions

2. St Andrews Old Course - A lot easier to get on, then people think

3. Kings Course - Gleneagles - magnificent scenery & condition

4. Kanasaskis (Canadian Rockies) - Great Condition & great scenery

5. Crans Sur Sierre - Montana (Switzerland) - Even the drive to the course is an experience

Geordie

QUOTE: Bulstrode @ Oct 21 2005, 07:18 PM

Didn't he get thrown out?

Bulstrode, my understanding is that he jumped before he was pushed.

Ok, I'll immediately eliminate courses I've only played once (Royal Melbourne, KH, NSW, Camden, Terrey Hills, Moonah, amongst others. btw liked them all except Moonah). The majority of the rest of my AU experiences lie between a couple of courses in Vic and lots on the Gold Coast.

1) The Heritage (home course. So I'm biased, shoot me.)
2) The Glades (My brother would be so pleased to see this ahead of Lakelands. Good course, shite club)
3) Sanctuary Lakes (Great course given what they started with. All the architects that had houses built there should be shot)
4) Lakelands (besides the course, I ended up making lots of mates as this club. Very good atmosphere.)
5) Hope Island

International (again limited to those I've played more than once)

1) Turnberry
2) Gleneagles (Kings Course)
3) Nord-Eichenried (BMW Open home course)
3.5) Gulf Harbour NZ (How could I have forgotten this!)
4) San Fran Country Club
5) Several Swiss courses (a cop out, I know. I've played a number there that are outstanding but no one would know about)

<u>

Australia:

</u>
1. Kingston Heath
2. Royal Melbourne (West)
3. NSW
4. Barnbougle Dunes
5. Royal Adelaide

<u>

International:

</u>
1. St. Andrews (Old)
2. Muirfield
3. Royal County Down
4. Royal Dornoch
5. Royal Birkdale