How to Play the World's Most Exclusive Golf Clubs: A Journey through Pine Valley, Royal Melbourne, Augusta, Muirfield, and More

Copyright © 2016 by John Sabino

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

All interior photographs by John Sabino, unless otherwise noted.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit John Sabino

ISBN: 978-1-63450-799-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-805-6

Printed in China

To Brianne and Brian.

Contents

Section I—Laying the Groundwork and Basic Methods

Section II—The Difficult Courses and Advanced Methods

Section III—Appendices, Bibliography, & Index

Appendices

Summary of Methods to Access the Golf Courses

How I Managed to Play at Each of the Clubs

My Ideal Composite 18-Hole Course

My Personal Top Fifty Clubs in the World

The Best of the Best

Golfers Who Have Played the Top 100 Courses in the World

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index

Photo Credits

About the Author

Life must be lived forwards, but understood backwards.

—Søren Kierkegaard

SECTION I

Laying the Groundwork and Basic Methods

CHAPTER ONE

Background and Introduction

Obsessed beyond all reason, I had become Captain Ahab, and Augusta National, my Moby Dick. The ultimate prize for any golfer who loves the game is playing Augusta and I was repeatedly turned away in my attempts to play. I was determined to one day put my tee into the lush grass on the first tee and hit my drive down the fairway.

Several years ago I set out on a quixotic journey to play the top 100 ranked golf courses in the world. My endeavor was both exhilarating and difficult, because many of the courses are located in remote locations, have small memberships, are publicity shy, and sometimes do not openly welcome guests. As one of a handful of golfers fortunate enough to have completed this quest, I have picked up some insights along the way about how to access some of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world.

My own journey began twelve years ago when a friend gave me a wooden peg board which contained the rankings of the top 100 courses. Next to each course name was a hole you insert a small peg into after completing the course. At the time I received it, I had already played about twenty courses on the list, mostly resort courses and courses in Scotland and Ireland I had played on golf trips with friends. I consider myself goal oriented and I thought, as a stretch goal, maybe I could play all 100. As goal-oriented and anal-retentive people do, I started to map out a strategy of how I could play the courses. I put together a list, built a spreadsheet, imagined some ways I might be able to play the courses, and I was off on my fanciful journey.

The peg board.

A couple of years into the quest I started writing a blog as a way to remember the places I visited. The pilgrimage was best summed up by the simple four-word tagline I gave it: Pursuing Golf’s Holy Grail. The blog gained momentum, and with a couple of friends I began to slowly tick off courses. Ultimately, my blog attracted over one million readers and many people along the way told me I should write a book about the experience, although I didn’t give it much thought. Now that the journey is complete, the most frequent question I am asked is, How did you get on all these courses? The other common query I get is, How did you get on Augusta? Through my journey I have come to know ten people who have completed the same challenge and they all say the same thing: everyone wants to know how they were able to play Augusta.

Writing the blog was entertaining, but the idea of a book didn’t hold much appeal to me. Several people who have played top courses in the United States self-published books, but I wasn’t attracted to the genre since no one—well, maybe my mother—wants a blow-by-blow of my trips or cares what score I shot. I didn’t want to do another me-too book. But when an experienced publisher contacted me and came up with an interesting twist, I was intrigued. Why not write the book from the perspective of the reader: What’s in it for them? How can someone else play some of these courses?

The golf world is made up of people who are benevolent in many ways; now, it is my turn to give back to a game that has given me so much by passing along the methods and techniques I used to play the world’s great golf courses. How do you play at the upper echelon of clubs in the world? In the end, it is simple. All you need is the time, the resources, and the connections; although there are exceptions, since I played several top courses for free and without connections.

The focus of the book will be insights into how I gained access to the clubs and techniques you can use if you have a desire to play some of these world-class courses. It will include some wisdom I gained from the journey and interesting stories about others who have pursued similar journeys. Although I won’t focus on many courses in detail, there are some special clubs I think warrant a more intimate look and in a small number of cases I will delve into noteworthy golf holes. My journey followed the 80/20 rule—about 80 percent of the courses I played, while spectacular, do not offer a compelling or interesting story to most people. No disrespect at all is intended to the collection of fabulous courses I won’t elaborate on; however, the sizzle in the story are the trips to Paris, Scotland, and some other one-of-a-kind locations.

How and Why?

Although I use the top 100 courses as a starting point, I also looked at other criteria as I compiled my personal list of the most exclusive, and I am giving myself wide latitude to be judge and jury when determining which clubs to include or exclude in the book; the only certainty is not everyone will agree with my choices.

I have organized the book into categories based on how difficult each course is to access from my point of view and experience. Some of the best in the world are easy to play if you have the time, money, and the freedom to travel. Others are halfway or all the way around the world and you need to be invited by a member who speaks a foreign language. Most are somewhere in between. And then there is Augusta, which is in a league of its own and by far the most difficult course in the world to gain access to; although, as you will see, there are many ways to play the course if you are determined—or manic—enough.

Some of the advice I have is basic. You have to network and find people who are members of clubs or who can introduce you to members. You also need to be opportunistic; if you are invited to play an exclusive golf course, rearrange your schedule and go do it since you never know if and when the opportunity might arise again. There are many courses I only had one chance to play, and if I didn’t jump at the opportunity I would still be waiting. I was incredibly lucky throughout my journey and will show you some of the ways you can improve your luck, which can have a positive impact in life and in trying to play your dream golf courses.

From those in the critic category, I can hear the howls rising. This spoiled prima donna is writing a book to show other fat cats how to do something elitist; how obnoxious. Maybe. Although, I am not fat and I started with little and have done all right in this world and success is nothing to apologize for. I truly feel part of what makes golf great is its honorable traditions. You observe the rules, call penalties on yourself, show proper etiquette, and have respect for the game and your fellow golfers. Golf gives back to the community and golfers I have met are a generous lot; the PGA tour gives money to charity every week; pro-ams support worthy causes, and many of these elite clubs sponsor caddie scholarships or help underprivileged kids or other important causes. To emphasize the point, I am giving my share of the proceeds from writing the book to charities benefiting children.

The Goal

There is a growing fraternity of golf fanatics who have set goals to play exclusive golf courses. My own goal was the top 100 ranked courses in the world, which I achieved using the Golf Magazine 2003 rankings. Their particular list changes every two years; other golfers who have completed playing the top 100 in the world have played lists from different years. Some have tried (or have played) all the courses ever ranked in the top 100, some have played the top 100 courses in the United States, others in England or New Zealand. Regardless of your personal goal, even if it is simply to one day play at Pine Valley or Riviera, you will nevertheless find the book useful and hopefully entertaining. Likewise, if you are an armchair traveler who doesn’t play and wants some intriguing stories of life, travel, golf, and insights into some elite clubs, I have worked hard to make the story worthy of your time.

Looking back, the genesis of the book was solidified on a fairy-tale day in April of 2013 when an unlikely birdie putt dropped, but more about that later.

The Elevated Profile of Golf Clubs

While some of the world’s greatest golf clubs have existed for a long time, there are five factors that have come together over the last thirty years to raise their profiles and have fueled the desire for people to play them. The first influencing factor is the advent of cheap air travel since the 1970s, which makes it easy to reach the courses.

The second is the launch and continued evolution of golf course ratings by golf magazines. Golf Digest highlighted America’s Greatest Golf Courses in 1966 and published a book called Great Golf Courses of the World in 1974. Golf Magazine joined the fray and went global by publishing their first list of the top fifty courses in the world in 1979; then in 1982 they expanded the list to 100 courses. Today these two magazines continue to publish revised ratings biennially. They have been joined by Golfweek Magazine and Links Magazine, who publish various lists and rankings. Each magazine uses their own formula to rate courses; Golf Magazine has 100 panelists who are well-known PGA tour players, golf course architects, course owners, USGA dignitaries, and others of distinction in the industry; people such as Gary Player, Frank Nobilo, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Doak, and David Fay. Golf Digest takes a different approach in its rating panel and uses a larger group—1,000 raters—of low-handicap golfers; Golfweek has a more eclectic group of raters.

At the end of the day, the ranking methodologies are subjective and relative. There are endless arguments about which courses are best, which are overrated, and which are underrated. Try doing a rating exercise yourself and see how you make out. Write down what you think the best twenty-five courses are, then put the list aside and do it again a month later without looking at your original list. It is likely the list will not be the same. Part of what makes the study and appreciation of these clubs and courses so interesting is this comparative aspect of it: Which is your favorite course? Which is the most difficult? Which would you go out of your way to play? Even with all the variation in the methodologies and lists, the top fifty or so courses in the world are generally agreed upon and tend to change very little.

The third factor is the rising prominence of technology; in particular, websites dedicated to the study of golf course architecture, specifically GolfClubAtlas.com, which profiles notable courses. Seeing vivid color images of Sand Hills or Maidstone on these sites provides all the inspiration needed to make you want to go and play them. The rise of blogs and social media have also allowed the sharing of information to proliferate, and technology makes it easier to find courses, network with a member, or book a tee time.

The fourth factor is the general rise and visibility of the game attributable to Tiger Woods. We are lucky to live in the Tiger era, as most of the top professionals in the game acknowledge. As a result of his presence, the purses are higher and there is more television coverage and interest in the game; thus, the profile of top courses and clubs has been raised.

Maidstone Club, East Hampton, 14th hole.

The fifth factor is a result of the age we live in—a new Golden Age of golf course architecture. The 1920s were the first Golden Age and about a third of the now-acknowledged best courses and clubs were built in or around that era. The last twenty to twenty-five years have seen a resurgence in golf courses being built, fueled by global bull markets and a general rise in prosperity at the high end. It has created enormous sums of wealth, enabling places such as Sebonack, the Bandon Resort, Friar’s Head, Nine Bridges, and a multitude of other top clubs and courses to be built. The general appreciation of golf is enhanced by these new courses, and you are excited to play more when you see how enjoyable a club is or when you experience architecture that inspires you.

We also live in a ratings-filled society. A generation ago you could enjoy a nice bottle of wine without giving it further thought; now you drink a bottle rated 93 by Robert Parker and the restaurant you frequent has a Zagat’s food rating of 25. A more direct analogy relates to college rankings; magazines now rank colleges and universities in the same manner golf magazines rank golf courses. Forbes says Stanford is the number one business school and U.S. News says it’s Wharton, and on it goes. Before, you enjoyed playing a challenging golf course; now you want to play the number three ranked course in the world.

Exclusivity

So what exactly makes a golf course or club exclusive? There is no simple answer but there are a number of factors that go into it; one is age and heritage. The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews was started in 1754, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers began ten years before. In golf, age is tradition. Early clubs are highly regarded, especially those that helped establish the rules and traditions, and not only those in the home of golf in Scotland. The Chicago Golf Club and the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, were early clubs in the United States and founding members of the USGA, which gives them prestige and pedigree.

The history of a club is an important factor in determining exclusivity. Ben Hogan used to practice at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth and is closely associated with it. Bobby Jones played his golf growing up at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, making it one of the most revered places in the game. Harry Vardon was the professional at the Ganton Golf Club for many years, and James Braid was the same at Walton Heath. When legendary golfers are affiliated with a club it enhances its prestige.

The designer—or golf course architect—is an important factor as well. Charles Blair Macdonald, the driving force behind the founding of the USGA and the designer of the National Golf Links of America is one of the premier architects ever to have lived. Courses he was involved in have automatic prestige; the same for Alister MacKenzie, designer of Royal Melbourne and Cypress Point, and co-designer of Augusta National with Bobby Jones. There are certain brand-name architects that confer a course instant appeal—designers such as H. S. Colt, Seth Raynor, A. W. Tillinghast, Tom Simpson, Stanley Thompson, Old Tom Morris, C. H. Alison, and Donald Ross. In the modern era, those of Tom Doak and the design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are reaching similar levels of respect. A pedigreed designer isn’t a guarantee of greatness, though, since Donald Ross was involved in hundreds of courses, and only a small minority are world-ranked.

Location can sometimes be an important factor, especially clubs located on dramatic land near the sea, such as Pebble Beach and Cypress Point in Northern California, Old Head in Ireland, and Cruden Bay and Turnberry in Scotland. Or, the spectacular piece of property with its dramatic headlands occupied by the New South Wales Golf Club near Sydney, where Captain Cook anchored when he visited Australia for the first time.

A course or club that has hosted a major championship tends to be more highly regarded, particularly those that have done so multiple times such as Merion, Oakmont, the Country Club, Royal St. George’s, and Royal Liverpool.

Newer clubs do not always have these factors but it can be the exclusivity itself that makes them prestigious. The Loch Lomond Golf Club in Scotland, a global destination club with limited membership, is a leading example. Psychology is such that people often want what they can’t have. Tell a child they can’t have something and what do they do? They want it more. Tell the elite you’re limiting membership to 150 people and invite a couple of über-golfers to join; this exclusivity creates demand and people are drawn to it. Especially because at most of these clubs being a member is all about who you know, not about how big a check you can stroke.

Sometimes the uniqueness of the clubhouse is a factor, although it would be a stretch to say this alone makes it exclusive. Prominent examples include the eighteenth-century Georgian mansion Rossdhu House at Loch Lomond, and in New York, the Stanford White designed Shinnecock Hills shingle-style clubhouse in Southampton, and the McKim, Mead & White designed clubhouse at Sleepy Hollow, whose grounds were laid out by the landscape architect of Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. Sometimes it is the aura and reputation of the locker room that creates a buzz, most notably at Seminole near Palm Beach, although, clearly, the clubhouse or locker room in isolation is not an important enough factor to make a club preeminent; it is the multiplicity of factors that makes the great ones truly great. The National Golf Links has one of the most impressive clubhouses in the world, a breathtaking setting on Peconic Bay, a pedigreed designer, and it hosted the first Walker Cup, which Bobby Jones played in. In addition to its locker room, Seminole was founded by E. F. Hutton, Ben Hogan used it as a hangout before the Masters each year, John F. Kennedy visited, the course was designed by Donald Ross, and it sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Augusta National Golf Club similarly