Top 5 Courses You have played...

The wish list thread made me think of this. Mine is a little lacking but hopefully will pick up this season.

My best five so far...

1. Doral Blue Monster...25 years ago

2. Turtle Bay Palmer-2013

3. TPC Deere Run-2012

4. General at Eagle Ridge...25 years ago

5. Las Vegas National-2012

According to the rankings:
1. Shinnecock
2. Oakmont
3. Merion
4. Sand Hills
5. National

Personally Friar's and Diamante are both top notch and would be in my Top 5 if I were ranking them. And for me National was #1. This year I'm told Fisher's will be added to my list and I'm excited about that!

1. Oakland Hills Country Club
2. Crystal Downs Country Club
3. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
4. Bethpage Black
5. Arcadia Bluffs

1. Ballybunion
2. Pebble Beach
3. TPC Sawgrass
4. the Prince Course (Kauai)
5. Ko' olau (Oahu)

My list is the toughest courses I have played, which is generally supported by their course ratings. Others I considered: Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes, Moana Kea, Royal Lytham & St. Annes. It also depends on which tees you play. You can play Chambers Bay at ~6,000 yds (white) up to ~7,400 yds (teal).

1) The National
2) Pine Valley
3) Merion
4) Shinnecock
5) Aronimink

1. MPCC- Shore Course
2. Pacific Dunes
3. Bandon Dunes
4. The Club @ Black Rock
5. Jasper Park Lodge

1. Shinnecock Hills GC
2. Maidstone GC
3. Friarshead GC
4. Bethpage St.Park - Black Course
5. Montauk Downs St. Park GC

[quote name='_MS22_' timestamp='1360771624' post='6420493']
According to the rankings:
1. Shinnecock
2. Oakmont
3. Merion
4. Sand Hills
5. National

Personally Friar's and Diamante are both top notch and would be in my Top 5 if I were ranking them. And for me National was #1. This year I'm told Fisher's will be added to my list and I'm excited about that!
[/quote] To heck with the "official" rankings! Don't let a magazine tell you what your Top 5 courses are!

1. Shadow Creek
2. Broadmoor
3. Torrey Pines
4. Breckenridge GC
5. Paa Ko Ridge

1. Pebble Beach
2. Oakland Hills C.C (South)
3. Whistling Straits
4. Arcadia Bluffs
5. Forest Dunes

Soon to be added is my holy grail of golf Oakmont. Also Erin Hills

[size=4]1. Congressional C.C.[/size]
[size=4]2. Medinah C.C.[/size]
[size=4]3. Chambers Bay[/size]
4. Pacifico Golf Course - Punta Mita
5. Cog Hill

Pinehurst 2
Aronmink
Saucon Valley Weyhill
Ocean Course
Plainfield

under consideration but out of the cut

Cricket Wissaickon
Prince
Saucon Old
Teeth of Dog
Atlanta AC

This will likely change after an epic trip to Scotland this coming spring, but right now, in no particular order:

Muirfield Village
Ballyneal
The Ocean Course (Kiawah)
Shoreacres
Chicago GC

1. Oak Hill East

2. Ocean Course at Kiawah

3. Seaside Course at Sea Island

4. Copperhead Course at Innisbrook

5. Oak Hill West

Oak Hill East
Atunyote at Turning Stone Resort
Locust Hill C.C.
Oak Hill West
TPC Las Vegas (formerly TPC Canyons)

And later this year I'll be adding Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill to the list. Other than Oak Hill, I don't have a lot of big names on my list (yet).

1. Sand Hills
2. The Olympic Club
3. Spyglass
4. Pebble Beach
5. Bandon Dunes

1. Bandon Dunes x4 (and the other tracks there)
2. Old Head Ireland
3. Pebble
4. Sun Valley GC
5. Wolf Creek NV

The greatest sin I could commit is not being thankful for such great times on these word class tracks.

Old Works

The Coeur d'Alene

Big Mountain

Whitefish Lake

Eagle Bend

...Obviously a Montana guy

Torrey Pines North - La Jolla
Kapalua Plantation - Maui
TPC Las Colinas Country Club - Dallas
Shadowmoss - Charleston, SC
Ocean Club - Paradise Island, Bahamas

1. Wolf Creek
2. Rio Secco
3. TPC Las Vegas
4. Conestoga
5. Paiute Wolf

Shout out to Shadowmoss in Charleston SC....lol....almost forgot about that course....played it once when i was stationed there.

No one game to name Augusta haha???

Peachtree
San Francisco
New South wales Australia (home club)
Riviera
Kingston heath Australia

Olympic Club
Spyglass Hill
Pebble Beach
Chambers Bay
The Challenge Course at Lanai
Kapaulua Plantation
Pasatiempo

Too hard to pick just five!

In order
Whistling Straits
The River Course at Black Wolf Run
Kinglsey Club
Erin Hills
Arcadia Bluffs

Friar's Head - my friend is a high school buddy of the caddy master
Baltusrol Lower - client charity outing
Oakmont - donation to Els for Autism
Bethpage Black
Ocean Course

I'm always curious how people get on the exclusive courses, so I added my "tricks"

[quote name='Napkin2011' timestamp='1360942556' post='6433893'] I'm always curious how people get on the exclusive courses, so I added my "tricks" [/quote]

I'll add to that idea.

My first play on Baltusrol, Merion, Oakmont, and Shinnecock was through the AmEx Members Clubhouse deal back in 2010 they ran. It was like $2K for a foursome which wasn't bad as myself and 3 friends took turns paying each time. When we played Shinnecock the one guys boss is a member at National, so he got us on there a couple times and Garden City once (money well spent IMO). The same friend invited me to Friar's last year when I was out on business but staying an extra day to play Bethpage.

I've since been back to Oakmont for an event, and Merion thrice, a friends uncle is a member. I didn't know at the time but we started talking at her wedding and he invited me out the next morning; nothing like a 4am drink-fest and having to tee off in front of the veranda with 50 members watching as I struggled to not vomit (shot 71).

Sand Hills was a shot in the dark kind of deal. I was at Iowa State at a conference and got a call from a guy I know in the agricultural/cattle industry. A business contact of his was talking the place up but he isn't a golfer at all, so he rang me to see if I would be interested in making a 7 hour drive to play....I was at the car rental shop in 45 minutes and didn't sleep a wink.

In no particular order. . .

Poi Pu Bay
Rolling Green (William Flynn design, near Merion)
Tobacco Road
Pine Needles
Belgrade Lakes (in Maine)

Lot of people saying Aronimink. Never played it, but I got married there.

according to ranking:

Merion (6)
Pac Dunes (19)
Bandon (38)
Kinloch (51)
Bandon Trails (70)

Have also played RTJGC (111) that I'd rank ahead of all of them save Merion.

In no particular order...

Seminole
Southern Hills
Newport CC
Colonial

and last,but not least...my favorite golf club of all time...

Oklahoma City Golf and CC

1. Kingsley Club
2. Forest Dunes
3. Arcadia Bluffs
4. Lost Dunes
5. Black Lake

In order.....

Pacific Dunes
Pebble Beach
Bandon Dunes
Whistling Straights
Spyglass