What are your Top 5 accessible Dream Courses to play?

[The Salt Vampire]

What are your Top 5 Dream Courses to play? For me it's Royal County Down (Ireland), Royal Dornoch (Scotland), Cape Kidnappers (New Zealand), Bandon Dunes (which I have played, also played Pacific Dunes, like Bandon more) and Arcadia Bluffs (as I have been rained out there twice).

Amazingly, I don't have St. Andrews or Pebble Beach on my list. I am hopeful that I will play the Old Course sometime and the others are more remote. I would love to play Augusta, but want to limit this question to public accessible courses.

What are your 5?

[Eracer]

Old Course at St. Andrews (played it)
Pebble Beach (played it)
Whistling Straights (played it)
Pine Valley (not yet)
Royal County Down (not yet)

[Sandpiper3]

Old Course at St. Andrews
Pebble Beach
Whistling Straights
Carnoustie
Glen Abbey

Have not played any, best courses i've played are Peek 'N Peak (nationwide), Northview CC (PGA air canada), Gold Mountain Olympic course ('06 pub linx), and Shaunghnessy GC (06 Cdn Open).

[rmgr]

Pebble Beach is almost $500 to play? Man....

[Wi-Golfer]

Whistling straits is $300 plus the required caddie & tip, so you are looking at $400 to play 18 there.

There are so many fantastic course right here in Wisconsin that I don't even need to make a list of others around the world.

Erin Hills is supposed to be very nice, as is The Bog, Blackwolf Run, University Ridge, Northern Bay, etc etc.

[WildCatGolfer17]

Olympic Club ( played 2 times )
Cypress
Edgewood Tahoe
Troon valley*?
TPC Sawgrass

[BStone]

Five that I have played:
Royal County Down
Bethpage Black
Pebble Beach
St. Andrews Old Course
Poipu Bay

Five that I want to play
Southern Hills
TPC Sugarloaf
TPC Boston
Whistling Straits
Colonial

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by rmgr

Pebble Beach is almost $500 to play? Man....

I paid $175 to play it in 1992. $500 is just ridiculous.

[ualtim]

Originally Posted by Eracer

I paid $175 to play it in 1992. $500 is just ridiculous.

Which is why I will never be able to play any of the courses listed. The most I have ever paid for a round was around $60 USD. Thats about as high as I want to go. I rather play 10 rounds for $50 than one round for $500. Unless I win the lottery, get invited to the Crosby Clambake, or meet someone willing to pay my fees; I will never play Pebble Beach. (or any of the other high priced courses.)

We need the best value list to come out. A list of Gem courses at affordable prices.

[SiberianDVM]

FWIW, GolfDigest publishes a America's 100 Greatest Public Courses list. I found 20 out of the 100 to be within 1/2 day driving distance of me. So far I haven't managed to play ANY of them, as they are usually just too expensive.

Of these 20, my top 5 would be:
Pinehurst #2
Harbour Town
Pinehurst #8
Pinehurst #4
Pine Needles

Yes, I'm a Donald Ross fan.

[VtDivot]

I'd like to play the Old Course someday, not because it's a great course, but because of it's history. That's about it really.

[warbirdlover]

Black Wolf Run
Whistling Straits
Erin Hills
Brown Deer Park (played it)
Hawk's View

Others might be the Geneva National and Sentry World... played Shepherd's Crook twice this year and again Sunday.

[MGP]

I'm less likely to play the "big name" courses than I used to be unless I get on due to business contacts. I'd rather play lots of rounds at "hidden gems" if it comes right down to it. There's nothing better than finding a course that's a great layout and is not hugely popular or expensive.

That said, here are some I've played:

Pebble Beach (around 1988-89?, was $135 if I remember correctly).
Olympia Fields (business contact is a member there)
Whistling Straits (brother-in-law has a brother that's an exec at Kohler and got me on for free the 1st year it was open )
Hazeltine National (Played HS golf championship there one year, PGA will be there in 2009)
Harbour Town (business trip)
Doral Blue Monster (business trip)
Kansas City Country Club (Played it twice. I threw this one in because it's very exclusive and Tom Watson learned to play there. The first time I played there TW was hitting balls and played a round there that day. The guy I was with introduced me to him and it was a highlight of my golf life. A really nice guy and very unassuming I thought.)

Those are probably the most famous courses I've played.

[Dale]

1. Wentworth
2. St Andrews
3. Pebble Beach
4. Carnoustie
5. Valderrama (Don't know if this is publically accessible, but would love to play it!)

6. Sawgrass - Don't know much about American courses, but I think I remember watching this one on TV once and it looked awesome.

7. Crowborough Beacon - This is the course in my home town. Its bloody amazing, but unfortunately I can't afford membership there (someone rich lend me £1000 please! ) - I'd love to play there more often (been round just the once so far!)

[big_greasy_taco]

1. Valhalla
2. Victoria National
3. St Andrews old course (im hoping to play either this summer or next, as I can fly on delta for free anywhere in the world!!!)
4. TPC sawgrass
5. Isleworth