Best Golf of 2016 Awards

Graylyn LoomisCourse Reviews2 Comments

I was fortunate to be the beneficiary of some very generous people during the 2016 summer golf season. A special thanks goes out to my employers at LINKS Magazine, who made many of these trips possible. Another thanks goes out to the individual members who hosted me on many of the other trips. One of my favorite aspects of golf is the lasting friendships that it produces, and this summer provided a chance to see old friends and establish new relationships!

As a “roundup” for the summer, I have created some fun categories below to sum up the courses from this summer. At the bottom of this post, I have listed out the individual courses of note that I played each month. If you want to talk golf, leave me a comment below!

Travel Time

Flights: 30 individual flights
Over 6,000 miles of driving

The Trips

Pennsylvania (2)
New York (2)
Georgia
Pinehurst
Bandon Dunes
Australia
Miscellanious North/South Carolina trips
Tennessee
Texas

Best Halfway House

Maidstone (best setting)
National Golf Links of America (cool history)
Quaker Ridge (best food)

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Favorite Clubhouse

Shinnecock Hills

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Most Outlandish/Fun Design

Creek Club at Reynolds Lake Oconee (tie)
Tobacco Road (tie)

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Hardest Course

Oakmont

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Most Picturesque/Visually Stunning

Pacific Dunes

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Highest PowerShower Ratings

Maidstone (8.0)
Merion (6.75)
View all PowerShower rankings.

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Favorite Green Complexes

Metropolitan Golf Club (tie) (pictured below)
Royal Melbourne (East & West) (tie)

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Best Surprise (Category Recommended by @ukgolfguy)

Metropolitan Golf Club

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Coolest Locker Room Vibe (Category Recommended by @tdgallant)

The Honors Course

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Course Most Worth the Journey (Category recommended by @mygolfadventure)

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (the entire place!)

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Best Pro Shop Offerings (Category recommended by Dave Hill, onebeardedgolfer.com)

Oakmont Country Club

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Courses of note Played in 2016

April
Haig Point
Harbour Town Golf Links

Currahee Club
Reynolds Lake Oconee – Oconee Course
Creek Club at Reynolds Lake Oconee
Chechessee Creek Club

Oakmont

July
Shinnecock Hills
National Golf Links of America
Quaker Ridge
Carolina Golf Club
Dormie Club
Tobacco Road

August
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Dunes
Bandon Trails
Bandon Preserve
Tetherow

Merion
Maidstone

September
Long Cove Club

Heron Point (Sea Pines)
Metropolitan Golf Club
Victoria Golf Club
St Andrews Beach
Royal Melbourne (West)
Royal Melbourne (East)
Kingston Heath

October
The Course at Sewanee
Sweetens Cove
The Honors Course
Lookout Mountain
Brook Hollow Golf Club

2 Comments on “Best Golf of 2016 Awards”

  1. Graylyn –

    Ideas for additional categories:

    1) Best course for “players”
    2) Best course for mid-handicappers/casual golfers
    3) Best/Most unique souvenirs or gifts available to visitors in the pro shop

    Always look forward to the reviews.

  2. So many special courses of various variety. In the end the experience is what matters most which is a complex mix of diversity, shot balance, sceanery, conditioning and overall ambiance. In addition to these fine reviews there may be other ways to evaluate the worlds finest courses. How about some nominations for best courses for walking, the best caddie programs, the best 19th hole. And more on the best clubhouse and locker room experiences.

    Thanks for the details shared. Great insights on new tracks or recollections of tracks played.

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