There’s no straightforward, mathematical way to identify your favorite course of the year. That’s an easier task for “best” or “best value” courses. A “favorite” course is best chosen via a gut feeling, and with factors outside of the pitch and speed of the greens.
For me, the honor goes to Rip Van Winkle Country Club in Palenville, N.Y., but I likely wouldn’t even have heard of that course without an unexpected life change.
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In late July, my wife and I moved a hundred miles north from our longtime home of Brooklyn, N.Y., to a small town in the Catskills, a move that hadn’t been our radar when we got married just a few weeks before.
Quickly after settling in, I was pleased to discover that the region is chock full of inexpensive, well-maintained par-3 and 9-hole courses, and many of them were just a short drive from my home. So I took advantage of the long late-summer days, and regularly played rounds in an hour before or after work.
While much of my time was spent at Alapaha Golf Center’s executive course, it was when I made a slightly longer drive to Rip Van Winkle that I discovered my favorite course of the year.
The Rip is a full-length, nine-hole course open to the public and dating all the way back to 1919. Much to my shock, I discovered that its designer way back then was none other than course architecture legend Donald Ross, who more famously authored many historic tracks such as recent major hosts Pinehurst No. 2 and Oak Hill.
While The Rip might not be in the major-championship conditions found at Pinehurst and Oak Hill, it’s still very well-maintained, with smooth, surprisingly quick greens, a relaxed atmosphere and a quick pace of play.
One of the best features of The Rip, though, is one found at nearly every course in the area: mountain views on every hole.
Oh and the cost for a round? Just $18. Good luck finding your way onto a Donald Ross course for less than that.
Honorable mention: If I could choose a second favorite, that would go to Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn. My parents were members of the club when I was growing up, and it’s where I learned to play and love the game. Not that it was easy: the club, which was founded in 1895, features a difficult course by another American design legend, A.W. Tillinghast, and has hosted several USGA championships. I also worked on the greens crew one summer.
Just before Thanksgiving, I got to play Brooklawn for the first time in some 20 years, in a fun Thanksgiving scramble alongside my dad, younger brother and my two new brothers-in-law. It was an event I won’t soon forget, on a course that if you get a chance to play you would be wise to accept.
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