High Cotton - what’s a cool / exclusive golf experience you have had

General Discussion
#15

Absolutely… my dad’s invite (which extended to me) basically came because he was played the occasional round with a member. They were at lunch one day with 6 or so other guys, and the following exchange occoured:

Idiot: Hey, Pine Valley member, aren’t you a member at Pine Valley?
PVM: Yes, I was fortunate to receive and invitation to join and have had the pleasure of being a member there.
Idiots: That’s awesome, I would love to get an invitation to play out there sometime.
PVM: OK.
Awkward Silence
PVM, looks at my dad: Sean, have I ever invited you to play Pine Valley?

Long story short, don’t ever ASK to play these courses…

Sadly, we were supposed to take 2 golf trips this year to other bucket list courses, but COVID hit… I’m hopeful for next year (but certainly not counting on anything!)

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#16

Yes. I echo that sentiment.

I like to talk golf and will share stories if someone seems interested but not a good idea to force it.

#1 tip on how to get invited… be courteous and engaging and generous and invite lots of people to YOUR club or home course. I find that being the organizer of outings / Ryder cups really helps you build a network. It doesn’t have to be an exclusive course for you to show a group a great time and handle all the details that make it special.

We just did a trip and I did custom scorecards and “bought” everyone a hat at pro shop (it was covered in entry fee) I sent out summaries of everyone’s handicap and recent rounds with my own color commentary. Friendly skins game and net low two ball between the groups encouraged some healthy competition. Will that lead to an invite somewhere ? Who knows but I know I met 4 new guys from a different city here in tx who love golf.

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#17

Yeah, my dad will play with ANYONE and has the good fortune to be at a nice club in Palm Springs… We also got to tour the Cincinnati Zoo backstage with a buddy of his. It’s fairly funny, my parents are comfortably retired and my dad is just a down to earth guy who doesn’t care about money or status… he just likes to golf and bullshit.

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#18

I got a chance to play Friar’s Head two months ago. It did not disappoint!

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#19

Pine Valley might be number 1 on my bucket list even above Augusta. I am so jealous of you.

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#20

That is high on my Coore/Crenshaw list!

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#21

Due to my quest to play all the Coore-Crenshaw courses designed in North America, I have been fortunate to play some cool tracks but in terms of experiences, two stand out.

  1. Playing Sand Hills and getting to personally meet Mr. Youngscap. To be able to thank him in person for letting me play there was great.
  2. Playing Austin Golf Club and getting to meet Mr. Crenshaw. He seemed aware of my quest which was flattering and it was also great to play AGC which flies SUPER under the radar.

I also got to play Black Sheep with the golf course architect Dave Esler. That was quite the experience! It was fascinating to hear his thoughts on the course as it has matured.

If/when someone needs a fourth at Cypress, I imagine that experience will top em all (although, admittedly, I may be building up my expectations too high :P).

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#22

Don’t be jealous! It was an awesome experience, but it was still just golf.

It didn’t change my life.

Having fun at golf is all that matters.

#23

Hallowed ground is a spiritual experience for me. Golf on a ho hum course is just golf. Golf on an incredible piece of property created with thought, purpose, and style…something else entirely.

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#24

I get it, for sure… I never thought I’d have the opportunity… it’s an amazing place and is a memory I will cherish for life…

It’s still a golf course. 18 holes. Playing with friends. If you gave me the choice of playing with the same foursome at a dog track vs playing with three guys I didn’t enjoy at pine valley, I’d go to the dog track every time.

I enjoyed every minute of the experience, but what I love about golf is that it’s a time to spend with people. It was an amazing trip and I understand how lucky I am… but playing with people I enjoy spending time with is far better than playing an exclusive course.

#25

Completely agree the company can either enhance or ruin the experience. I’m glad that my dad has been with me to 99% of the more memorable courses. I’ll cherish those days as long as I live.

Actually writing a book about it.

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#26

As a side note, if you ever want to play Valhalla, shoot me a message. I haven’t played it yet, but can get on.

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#27

My man. Good chance I take you up on that sometime.

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#28

Just let me know… a friend of mines brother is a member and he would be happy to host. Valhalla is more a cost than invite problem.

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#29

I played TPC Boston in a tournament through a local series that plays some private clubs in New England. That’s really not especially hard to play though. I think you are meaning more like The Country Club in Chesnut Hill - Boston , that would be something special for me or anyone for that matter.

Baker Hill is probably the nicest track in New Hampshire, they host tournaments through the NHGA some years. I will be up there on the 14th.

I need to make some more connections!

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#30

The summer I spent as an apprentice pro at a club south of Denver, we would trade rounds with the other apprentices at clubs in the area. I got to play Cherry Hills CC once this way (site of the 1960 US Open), but wound up being a pretty meh experience for me (in hindsight, likely much more about the people I was playing with and my general feelings about golf at that point rather than the course).

#31

I have played AGC and love the track. The entire club is devoted to golf and that makes it extra cool imo. It is my goal in life to have enough career/professional flexibility to get a membership out there

Currently just live too far away to make it work

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#32

I’ve had a lot of great golf experiences, Scotland, Ireland, Kohler, Palm Springs, Pinehurst a couple of times every year. But the coolest was when I got to play in a Member-Guest at Congressional CC just outside Washington DC. A friend had married a woman who was a member there (invited because her father was a long-time member, I think), and he invited me to play. This was only a couple of years after the 1997 US Open, which I had worked as a volunteer marshal. I was pretty awe-struck for the first few holes, and its still a great memory.

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#33

I was invited to play a fantastic course last weekend-
Canyata.

Yes you’ve never heard of it and yes you couldn’t find it without gps.

https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/canyata

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Closest I’ve been to an ace in my life. :rofl:

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#34

Cypress Point many times. It’s the greatest place on earth.

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