Hidden Gems

Biarritz

One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of golf is talking about favorite courses.  It's a frequent topic of conversation.  I love finding out about great unfamiliar courses. I call them hidden gems. Finding one is a great thrill for me.

It's obvious that a hidden gem is not really hidden. It's a course that has a lower profile. Hidden gems have not held national tournaments to raise their visibility. They are courses known in their area but not outside the region.

There are several reasons a course stays hidden. It could be because of its accessibility. In 1982 I asked golf course architect Geoffrey Cornish to give me the name of a great course I had never heard of. The 72-year-old Cornish said "Crystal Downs". 

"Crystal Downs? Where is that?" I asked.

In 1982 no one outside of Frankfort, Michigan had ever heard of Crystal Downs. This Alister Mackenzie masterpiece remained behind the curtains until the USGA held the 1991 Senior Amateur there. Suddenly brought into the light of the golf world, it catapulted to near the top of the Golf Digest Top 100 list and has remained ever since.  Few places are more difficult to get to than Frankfort, MI, thus it remained a secret for decades. With its small membership, short season, and remote location, Crystal Downs still remains hidden but now known.

A course can be a hidden gem through previous lack of attention by the members. It doesn't take long for a once great course to slip into oblivion when poor agronomic practices and budget-cutting take hold. The California Golf Club, known as the Cal Club, is an example. Designed by Arthur Macan in 1924 and revised by Alister MacKenzie in 1928, it was a victim of deferred maintenance and tinkering by various committees until 2007. The club then hired Kyle Phillips to restore this gem. Many now rank the Cal Club among the best in California.                    

Another reason a course can become a hidden gem is that it is overshadowed by other great courses nearby. The Creek Club in Locust Valley, Long Island, New York, I believe is in this situation. There are so many great courses on Long Island like Shinnecock, National Golf Links, and Maidstone, the Creek is overlooked. This Seth Raynor gem which opened in 1925 was a surprise to me when I played it as a substitute for a higher profile course. 

The Creek has one of the most unique features I have ever seen. The green at the 11th plays like two different holes depending on the tide. When the tide is in, the green on this par 3 is surrounded by water. When the tide is out, recovery from a shot that misses the green is possible.                                                                                                                               

The Creek has all of the Seth Raynor features such as a redan and biarritz. 

Another factor keeping The Creek under the radar is an exclusive membership. The Creek is not looking for attention.  It certainly had mine after playing it.

If a membership wants their course to stay unknown and under the radar, it is possible no matter how good the course. Not allowing course raters to play, not allowing the local golf association to hold events, and limiting the number of members will keep a course quiet.  Austin Golf Club in Austin, TX has similar rules. A rater invited to play as a guest has to pledge not to submit a report on the course.

My favorite hidden gem is Blue Mound Golf Club, Wauwatosa, WI. The club is such a hidden gem it's even hard to find the entry. In 1924 Seth Raynor designed one of the best set of green complexes I have ever seen.  It measures only 6672 from the tips, probably a reason there haven't been more national events at the course.

The Blue Mound members revere Raynor.  A larger than life statue stands next to the 1st tee. The square corner greens remain a fixture. Members have kept a strict watch on the integrity of the Raynor plan. 

There is much discussion about how much design is CB Macdonald and how much should be credited to his assistant, Raynor. All of the Macdonald/Raynor features such as the punch bowl green and biarritz are at Blue Mound. However, this is all Raynor.

One of the more unique green designs I have seen is the 7th green at Blue Mound. It is a round flat green encircled by a depression and then an elevated rim.  

A trip around Blue Mound is a joy, looking at all of Raynor's different ideas. Blue Mound has done a great job of keeping the original Raynor design. In additon, they have cut the trees encroaching into the corridors of play. Nothing is done to the course without the approval of the consulting course architect.

While its length probably keeps Blue Mound off the various lists of top courses, it is on my top 10.

Donald Ross is considered one of the great course designers in the history of golf in our country. He is credited with designing over 400 courses.  By spending time in Pinehurst, his home for decades, the courses he designed there are some of the best I have seen. I can imagine there are other great courses designed by Ross and others that have been neglected for various reasons. At some point in the future, they may be restored and give birth to another hidden gem.

Northland CC in Duluth, MN is an example. Site of the 1956 Women US Open, Northland has been considered a wonderful course by Minnesotans for decades. However, until recently the membership had done little to keep the course updated. In the last few years, this has changed. Trees have been cut, bunkers restored and shifted. Northland is a hidden gem, updated and a joy to play.

Another hidden gem is Onwentsia Club. This CB Macdonald design in Chicago was the host of the 1906 US Open. Tom Doak recently did a restoration. At 6645 from the tips, this is another course where length probably has kept it off the recent golfing radar.

The hidden gems are everywhere, just ask a friend in another part of the country. I recently asked east coast resident and golf course architect Brian Silva about his hidden gems. "The Polo Club," he told me. The Polo Club? I've never heard of The Polo Club. Now there is another hidden gem.

The great thing about hidden gems is there is no definitive list. They come and go, fade away and are reawakened. They can be long, short, old or new. And you are the only determining factor in whether a course makes the list. What are your hidden gems? Finding a hidden gem is a fun part of the game in a Life In Golf.