Whether it’s a 9 hole goat ranch, or 18 holes of championship play, golf is golf to me. Having said that, I have a soft spot for those nine hole courses. Every little town around where I grew up had a football stadium and a nine hole golf course. It’s where I learned the game, how to gamble and connected with people in my community.
Show us your favorite little nine hole course. (yes, Sweetens content is always welcome)
I’ll go first: Anson Golf Club, Anson, Texas
Love a good nine hole for the morning rounds
Chatham Seaside Links in Chatham MA. Weaves through the town and local resort (story below on the crazy eminent domain issues) The pictures are quite green but the course is usually a nice tannish brown if you can see it through the fog
Montana is full of 9-holer’s so I’ve played plenty. One of my favorites is in my hometown - Pine Meadows Golf Course.
https://www.pinemeadowslewistown.com/
When the greens get rolling the par 3s become par 4s with the amount of slope. Along with the green slopes and trees there are Tons of elevation change throughout keeping a shortish course (6600 from tips) from being “too” easy.
One great thing that is does is have 18 separate tee boxes so you can play 18 and have some different looks at the holes. Wish every 9 holer had multiple different tee boxes. Always bummed when the “back 9” tees are on the same box.
This is the 6th green looking back at the tee box. A truly diabolical green that they actually had to soften because half the green was unusable due to the severe back to front and and left to right slope.
Mine was Broad Run in Manassas, VA. Had an awesome short game range and a great 9 hole loop that I played a ton when I worked in golf. Sadly it closed down. My fondest memory was reaching the second par 5 in 2 and driving a green on the par 4 3rd hole.
Ok, I’ve got a neat one.
Lake Zurich Golf Club. Unofficially one of the oldest golf clubs in Illinois in it’s original land.
Private with never more than 40 members.
Founded by the sons of Chicago Golf Club members who wanted a place that wasn’t as stuff as their dad’s club.
Daniel Burnham was a member, so was the guy that created Dick Tracy.
Local rules include gems like “A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed to not have hit a tree.”
The club foiled an imminent domain threat from a railroad 100 years ago by burying 4 bodies on the course and rezoning as a cemetery.
Marilyn Monroe got bored on a visit with Joe DiMaggio and posted up on a bench in between the 2nd and 8th holes until he was done playing and the bench is still there.
Untouched design and greens that look like they’re from The Legend of Bagger Vance.
There’s a grounds crew of one guy, and he had help from a flock of sheep until the mid 90s.
Terrible course. Turns out red clay isn’t the best soil for growing fairways, though they usually keep the greens pretty decent.
Hog Neck - Executive Course
Even though I grew up and continue to play Hog Neck, my earliest memories and where most of my golf played was on the Executive course. A Par 32 (5 Par 4s and 4 Par 3s), it really was the perfect to play growing up and learning the game and still it’s only like 15 bucks to walk. I don’t play it much as I used to but I have tons of great memories of playing it over the years
As a bonus, the oldest picture I can find currently of myself on the Executive
Oh, happy memories from our local nine holer, Modesto Muni GC. Where I played high school matches, taught First Tee and snuck out for a quick loop during lunch when I worked close by. Muni is a simple, fun parkland layout set in the middle of a neighborhood. Even cooler is its bordered on the south side by our Single A minor league team, the Nuts. Just an all around great vibe in the summer at twilight when you could hear the crowd and smell the hot dogs.
The city shut down the course last February for financial reasons. However they didn’t want the course to go completely brown and overgrown while they figure out what to do with it next. So the course is kinda, sorta somewhat still maintained.
I go out every week or so with a shag bag to practice my irons and use the old practice green as my driving range, as the grass is still fine and the lies are beautifully tight (last couple pics). If time allows I’ll “play” the course even though the greens on the course aren’t really puttable. I’ve even met some new friends out there since it shut down; sickos line me, playing for free on a closed down nine holer.
Glenwood Springs Golf Club. Par 35 (3 par 3s) built on the side of a mountain. Short but challenging as you need to hit it straight as the trees have overgrown what they ideally would be and then the fairways and greens have tremendous slope.
The far right side of this image is way higher than the left.
Long Beach, CA has some wonderful Municipal courses, one of my favorites is the Recreational Park 9. It is a nice challenge of par 3 and par 4. Great walk and always meet great people from all walks of life during a round. The two closing par 3 holes are fun challenge.
This was the last course I played with my Dad, we didn’t know that it would be at the time. Thanks for the share.
Indeed! 9 holers don’t get enough love.
Here are a few of Hooper GC, some of which are from The Golfers Journal Outing @ Hooper this past September.
My favorite 9 Hole track to play. (besides Sweetens Cove) is my home course, Gallatin Country Club.
Located in Gallatin, TN.
It’s small greens, elevation changes and false fronts make this a challenging 9. I’ve had the privilege of growing up on this golf course and can’t wait for my children to take advantage of it the same way I did!
Bicheno Golf Club, Tasmania, Australia. Stumbled onto it during a road trip around the state. Fun layout with some excellent views
I reached 100 nine hole/short courses played this year and very much believe they are greatly underappreciated in the world of golf. Here’s a good one from this year:
Downers Grove in Illinois:
I’m in utter disarray that none of the hockey boyz of the Refuge made the connection of the name of this thread to the name of that course…
