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What course that no longer exists do you wish you could play one more time?

Stevinson Ranch
 
Sadly, there are a few.

Two courses at Sunol Valley Golf Club - the Cypress and Palm. I once played 108 holes in a day there for a fundraiser. It was a very popular venue for weddings and anniversaries.

Diablo Grande Golf & Country Club in Patterson and Ridgemark Golf & Country Club have each gone from 36 holes to just 18. I actually promoted a few events at Diablo Grande, so it's sad to see what has happened there.

Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club is rumored to be next. It's right across the street from the 49ers Levi Stadium. It's really cool playing there with the stadium in the background.
 
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Monte Mayor on the Costa Del Sol in Spain.

Even a tough drive to get up there before the new road went in, then it got really nasty. Savage hole layouts, wickedly fast slopey greens. Alex Ceijka used to practise there as it was such a tough test and only managed a course record of 68 (-3).

It used to beat me up and cost me balls every time I played but have some great memories of lads golf holidays and playing there.
 
The only course that I can think of that has closed was Oak Ridge in Clark, NJ. It was one of our three county courses and it has turned into a park which is nice, but it loads up the other two county courses. I started to look at redesigning the property with classic/template holes this fall (just for fun, I don't have the funds to try to re-open a course). I need to take my laser out there when the weather cooperates.
 
The Tradition of Windsor. Literally was a 8 iron away from my office. Never had any issues of getting 7-9 holes in during lunch. Man I miss that place


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Wow, when did Ridgemark go to 18, which 18 did they keep? What did they do with the other 18?
I do miss the Nicklaus Course at Diablo Grande, that was a fun track.
Also miss Stevenson Ranch
 
Larkhaven Golf Club, Charlotte, NC. Run of the mill public course that shutdown in December, will soon be a housing development. But I grew up playing this course as a kid. Learned a lot here about how to play. A lot of memories. Still makes me sad when I drive past it and see it being demolished. Got one final round in there last fall, but still wish I could play it again.
 
Lakeside Hills in Olathe, KS.

This wasn't my favorite course or anything, but played it a lot in high school and in my poor twenties. It closed around 2005, became a scout camp and then a frisbee golf course. I got my first birdie here and broke 100 here for the first time. Best score was 91 or 92 I think. You can still see the old course layout.

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lakeside hills disc course.JPG
 
For me, probably Stonebridge in Maryville, IL. I only ever got to play it once, and my game was absolutely terrible then. It was a really beautiful course that wound it's way through a really nice neighborhood, and the fairways were like walking on carpet.
 
I honestly don't recall the name but it was a really run down course in upstate new york. It is the only course I've ever played with my father. Still time to change that.
 
Smallville said:
Lakeside Hills in Olathe, KS.

This wasn't my favorite course or anything, but played it a lot in high school and in my poor twenties. It closed around 2005, became a scout camp and then a frisbee golf course. I got my first birdie here and broke 100 here for the first time. Best score was 91 or 92 I think. You can still see the old course layout.

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Used to play Lakeside exclusively back in the day!! My daughter ran cross country races there 2009-2012.....
 
Like most others, a local course I used to play all the time when I first started out called Shadow Pines is one I miss the most. Lots of elevation changes, front 9 was completely different than the back 9. Witnessed my first HIO there, had a lot of fun playing there.
Now the town bought it and turned the front 9 into a park of sorts, people can hike there and I take my dog for walks. Sad to see what once was a course now over taken by mother nature.
 
Stevinson Ranch down in the central valley. Was a really good course but kind of in the middle of no where. Shut down last year or maybe the year before.
 
PJSprog said:
For me, probably Stonebridge in Maryville, IL. I only ever got to play it once, and my game was absolutely terrible then. It was a really beautiful course that wound it's way through a really nice neighborhood, and the fairways were like walking on carpet.
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Ouch Stonebridge really hurts man. I never got to play it but made the drive up and wasted a weekend helping my eldest and her then fiance move in right off one of the tee boxes. Pretty November weekend made it brutal watching a course full of of golfers enjoying a pretty sweet looking course while we lugged boxes and furniture. My now son in law is big into golf too so I couldn't wait to get back up there to play it with him. Sure enough it never reopened the following spring. Fortunately they only leased that home while they searched for one to buy. But from what I saw walking the vacated layout, and hitting some balls from spots he'd mow for my visits, it would've been an enjoyable course for sure.
 
One I just remembered, the Falcon course at Wild Wing Plantation in Myrtle Beach. WW used to have four courses, Avocet, Falcon, Hummingbird and Wood Stork, I believe they were.

They only kept Avocet, a really good course in it's own right, a Larry Nelson design. But Falcon was my favorite.
 
choppstixxx said:
Like most others, a local course I used to play all the time when I first started out called Shadow Pines is one I miss the most. Lots of elevation changes, front 9 was completely different than the back 9. Witnessed my first HIO there, had a lot of fun playing there.
Now the town bought it and turned the front 9 into a park of sorts, people can hike there and I take my dog for walks. Sad to see what once was a course now over taken by mother nature.
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I didn't realize Shadow Pines was gone. I played it pretty frequently when I lived in Rochester. Sad to hear about it.
 
bmongi1 said:
I didn't realize Shadow Pines was gone. I played it pretty frequently when I lived in Rochester. Sad to hear about it.
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It’s fun to envision the course in the current state, that #9 190/200yd par 3 and the par 5 #8 was some good ones.


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Pecan Valley is closed? I played it sometime around 2011 when I was traveling to San Antonio for work quite a bit. Interesting track. Sad if it's gone. Mostly I played at the military courses in town (Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, Randolph), but some of the public ones were cool, too. The Quarry, La Cantera, etc.

For me, I miss being able to play the Parks and Applewood courses at Fort Meade. Those are the courses where I really learned to love the game. I was a member there from 1996-2002 and eventually they were decimated by BRAC and now are completely gone.
 
choppstixxx said:
It’s fun to envision the course in the current state, that #9 190/200yd par 3 and the par 5 #8 was some good ones.


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#8 was a par 4.

I loved Shadow Pines, played there a lot. They had dumbed it down over the years, filling in traps and hazards. #15 was a killer, you had to be King Kong to get it to the top of the hill there.
 
PentaKev said:
Pecan Valley is closed? I played it sometime around 2011 when I was traveling to San Antonio for work quite a bit. Interesting track. Sad if it's gone. Mostly I played at the military courses in town (Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, Randolph), but some of the public ones were cool, too. The Quarry, La Cantera, etc.

For me, I miss being able to play the Parks and Applewood courses at Fort Meade. Those are the courses where I really learned to love the game. I was a member there from 1996-2002 and eventually they were decimated by BRAC and now are completely gone.
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Yeah I was surprised PV closed too, but that's what I heard when I looked into playing it again a couple years ago. Bummed to hear the Ft Meade layouts were a BRAC casualty. They were my 'home course' when I worked near there for a couple years. I enjoyed them both. The course I learned to golf on was an earlier BRAC casualty, Brooks AFB in San Antonio.
 
Royal Norwich in England is soon to be on the list, it’ll be a housing estate.

Still the only course played on the European Tour where a player had back to back hole in ones (Par3 then a Par4)
 
There’s only one I’ve ever played that’s now closed. One other closed and reopened (they shouldn’t have-its in the same shape it was when it was closed for 5 years).

What course is this now closed one? The illustrious “Shelby Driving Range and Par 3”. It was the goatiest of goat ranches in the history of goat ranches. But.... I am sad to see it gone for one reason only. It was the first place I ever played and I would have loved to played a (as in one only, lol) round with my kids there. It was an interesting course, one would normally think of nine hole par 3 courses as good starter courses, but it really wasn’t.

It started out with three very short holes, all around 100 yards. No fairways, course was tee boxes (sort of anyways) and tiny greens. I’m not good at square foot estimates on greens but you weren’t going to have a putt much longer than 20 feet. The greens were raised so you either hit them or you didn’t get on them. No running the ball up. Made chipping difficult too.

Then you get to hole 4, listed at 250 yards. The first time I played it I hit 5w, my then 250ish club. About 50 yards behind the green there was a garage/barn. Luckily the door was open otherwise I may have put out a window. I thought “holy smokes, did I just hit a 5w 300 carry??” Nope! Pacing it off it was only about 175. I’m sure others have played a shot out of a barn before, but however big of a list it is, I’m lucky enough to be on it.

The rest of the holes the yardages were pretty spot on. A couple of other holes of note. Hole 7 was a 230 yard hole. The only problem was it was 230 yards of forced carry over water. Not really ideal for a beginner and you had about 10 yards to land and stay in as immediately behind the green was OB and on the next farms property. Hole 8 was actually kind of neat. 140 yards or so and it looked like you were hitting on to the top of a small volcano ?. Just a great big mound of dirt with a green on top. It was so steep you couldn’t even see the flag.

Then to finish the round, hole 9. I call it “death by hooker to passing motorists” hole. It was about 180 yards and ten feet to the left of the tee box and the green was a busy state route running right alongside it. Thank god I played a fade back then.

I’m still sad to see it gone.
 
Lakewood Par-3 in High Point, NC. Nine holes; longest was 121 yds, shortest was ~50. Play all day rate was $7.50.
 
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