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Links To Golf Course Sites
Jump to: Championship Courses | British Open Courses | US Open Courses | TPC Courses | Tour Courses | Other Courses
Here, I have collected links to golf course websites that have considerable detail. I also rate the site from one to five stars. A five star site would leave nothing to the imagination, with detailed course layout, hole overviews, terrain information, and photographs of the course. The rating drops if these things are omitted, if they are there but with poor resolution, or if the website is unstable or difficult to navigate. In addition, I provide a brief synopsis.
The links are already screened to include only courses with detail that might help someone recreate the course, so even a one star might be worth a look.
Please keep in mind, I'm rating the web site, not the golf course!
In addition, where a design has already been done for TW 2004, or where a designer is working on a course, I've indicated that as well. The names are linked to the designer's profile on the TWC website. In addition, when I learn about other real course renditions that are not associated with a website profiled below, I will post that information here.
Championship Courses
These courses are those that have previously or will in the future host a Major tournament on either the PGA tour or the Champions Tour. Venues of Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups, and other special events are also included on this list.
Hazeltine National Golf Club
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Host of the 2002 PGA Championship, the Hazeltine website nicely provides hole-by-hole statistics from that event. Unfortunately the presentation of the course is limited to text and a single photo per hole. It also isn't terribly easy to find these features.
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Design Notes: This course was at one time under construction by SmokinJo, but he ran out of steam. He would likely be very interested in sharing what he's finished thus far.
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The Links at Fancourt
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Host of the memorable 2003 President's Cup, the Links are a breathtaking course by Gary Player. It's a shame that the website only offers us photos and descriptions of each hole, with no course map or hole overviews.
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Wentwood Hills
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Wentwood Hills hosts the Welsh Open and will host the 2010 Ryder Cup. It's website has very detailed hole overviews, though these are a bit on the smallish side. Photos accompany each hole. A course map is available via the Wales Open course tour. |
Design Notes: This course is a current project of TeeOffTowersey (2004 version).
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Pumpkin Ridge
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The Witch Hollow course has hosted LPGA majors, and the Ghost Creek Course will host the 2006 US Senior Open. The website has a beautiful course map for each course, and nice large hole overviews with decent 3D information, coupled with fine course pictures. Yardage information on the maps are lacking, as is green contouring. |
Design Notes: The Witch Hollow course was re-created by Danut Golf and made available in January, 2004 (2004 version).
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Whistling Straits
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Home of the 2004 PGA Championship, this website details not only the famous Straits course but the Irish course as well. With a nice course map and very detailed hole overviews, this is one of the best golf course web sites around. There are even a couple of video flyovers. The only thing lacking are more photos of the holes, but some random shots can be found in the photo gallery.
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Design Notes: This course has been taken on by bb9 and is scheduled for completion in July, 2004 (2004 version).
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The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club
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Home to the Tradition, a Champions Tour Major, the Reserve is the only championship course I've had the pleasure to play in real life. The recently improved website has a fine course map and large, detailed hole overviews that lack only green contour information. The Tradition plays on the Fought course (the South) but plays the North courses 18th hole in place of the South's 16th hole.
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Design Notes: This is a current project of SJS Designs.
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Rush Creek
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Host of the 2004 Public Links Championship, Rush Creek is one of the finest golf courses in the Twin Cities area and almost certainly one of the finest course websites. With a clickable course map and text descriptions of each hole, designers will have ample information to go on given that the hole layouts are detailed, have some 3D information, and are accompanied by useful photos.
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The K Club
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Host of the 2006 Ryder Cup, this Irish Arnold Palmer design has a brilliant website. With video flyovers for the North Course, a video photo gallery, and unique 3D hole overviews with ample terrain information, all that is lacking are a course map and more detailed yardage information. The 3D maps are really effective at conveying the terrain of each hole. |
Augusta National
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Home of the Masters. I should probably save 5 stars for courses with complete topography information, but the Augusta site goes the extra mile with video. In addition to a fine course map and attractive hole overviews, the walking tour lets you control a 360 degree view from the tee, fairway, and green of each hole. Ample text from pros describes the holes. Green maps give tournament pin positions. Aerial flyover videos are available. And that just scrapes the tip of the iceberg of other features available.
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Design Notes: A very popular custom version of Augusta was created by Ken McHale (2004 version).
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TPC Courses
I give the TPC Courses a special category only because all of them can be accessed through the TPC page. Many of these courses host regular PGA Tour events. In a couple of cases, the TPC page does not host course details for some important courses, but this information can be found elsewhere. When the TPC page is not sufficient, I will post the alternate link.
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TPC Main Page
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This website is excellent, with beautiful hole overviews, one photo of every hole, and seviceable course maps. The hole overviews are artistic, but not supplemented with additional detail. Go to the "Course Locator" for a quite entry to the TPC course of interest.
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Tour Courses
These courses are those that host a regular event on either the PGA Tour or the European Tour.
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Doral Blue Monster
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Home of the PGA Tour's Ford Championship, the website features only a course map and photographs.
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Courses of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
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The tourney main page has hole overviews for PGA West and Bermuda Dunes, but not, as of this writing, La Quinta and Tamarisk. Hole overviews appear to be more stylistic than accurate.
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Glen Abbey Country Club
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The first solo design by Jack Nicklaus hosts the Bell Canadian Open. The website's hole overviews are somewhat stylistic and tough to read, but if you squint they are actually quite informative. Text and photos accompany the overviews.
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English Turn
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A Jack Nicklaus design and home of the HP Classic of New Orleans, the website is a bit difficult to navigate. Small hole overviews are a bit stylistic but have detailed information. |
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Kapalua Plantation Course
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Home of the first event of the PGA Tour season, the website has a flash tour that includes a course map, hole overviews, tips on playing the hole (drawn on the hole overviews), and brief videos. Attractive presentation.
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Design Notes: This course comes with Tiger Woods 2004.
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The Courses of the AT&T National Pro-Am
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The tournament website contains links to descriptions of Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Poppy Hills, and the quality of presentation is a mixed bag. The hole overviews of Poppy hills are beautiful, including nice 3D views of green contours. Unforunately, only 5 holes are provided. The hole overviews for the other two courses are two small to give that level of detail, but there is one for every hole along with photos.
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Design Notes: These courses come with Tiger Woods 2004.
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Omni Tuscon National
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Home of the Chrysler Classic of Tuscon, the website has attractive hole overviews and interactive video views from tee and green. No course map. Overviews somewhat detailed but a bit small.
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Walt Disney World
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Disney World hosts the PGA Tour's FUNAI Classic on several of its courses. As you might expect, the website is more style than substance, but the designer is helped by small but 3D-ish hole overviews, interactive 360 degree videos from tee and green, and tips for each hole.
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Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course
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A Scottish design by Jack Nicklaus that hosts a European Tour event and has the 2014 Ryder Cup. The website has unusual but informative 3D hole overviews as well as photgraphs. Videos of two holes. Descriptions of greens.
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Design Notes: The Gleneagles course was re-created by Mick Sutcliffe (2004 version).
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Le Golf National - Albatross
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Home of the Paris Open on the European Tour, the website (mostly in French) has an attractive course map and hole overviews that, while using an odd color scheme, are fairly detailed. Some photography.
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Design Notes: The Albatross course was re-created by TeeOffTowersey (2004 version).
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Muirfield Village
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Home of The Memorial, a PGA Tour event, the course's website is a bit difficult to manage, but there's a payoff for figuring it out. Although the course map is small and the hole overviews small and lacking in detail, the hole layouts are clickable for 360 degree videos of tee, fairway, and green. In additional, helicopter flyover videos are very helpful.
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Cog Hill Dubsdread
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Host of the Western Open on the PGA Tour, the Cog Hill website has a detailed hole overview, a 3D hole overview, and a photo for every hole. Rich in information.
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Quail Hollow Country Club
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Home of the Wachovia Championship, the course has artistic course map and hole layouts, though additional detail is not given. Nicely, though, each hole have a photo view from the tee and view of the green, and hole descriptions give some sense of the terrain and green characteristics.
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Design Notes: The Quail Hollow course was re-created by Brian Ballard (2004 version).
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Royal Melbourne
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Home of the European Tour's Heineken Classic, the website's map and course layouts aren't as pretty as some, but the hole overviews do offer more information. Short desriptions and photos of every hole also help.
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Real Club de Golf de Sevilla
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This Seve Ballasteros design hosts a world golf championship event, and the website has nice photos, course map, and hole overviews. The overviews are annoyingly small, since they are detailed, and the inset green maps give a pretty good idea of the green contouring.
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Torrey Pines
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Host of the Buick Invitational, this site exemplifies what I want in a golf course website. The course map is clickable, and the hole overviews are just perfect. Large enough to see the details, three dimensional, with yardage information and green slope information. That's all I've ever wanted.
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Design Notes: This course comes with Tiger Woods 2003 but not 2004.
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Other Courses
The PGA Tour doesn't have a lock on all of the great courses in America, nor have the majors had time to visit them all. Plus, some fun local courses are blessed with great web pages.
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Tokatee Golf Club
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A highly rated course in western Oregon, the website has a nice course map and hole overviews for each hole. A nice feature of the overviews is yardage information to individual trees along the fairway, but the overviews are small and a bit stylistic. Green contours are not provided. |
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Bandon Dunes
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Two courses rated highly in "courses you can play by Golf Digest", the courses at Bandon Dunes are breathtaking. The website ain't bad. Ample course photos, course map, and hole overviews. The overviews lack detail and are tiny however.
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Monterey Bay's Blackhorse and Bayonet couses
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A PGA Tour Q school site, the Blackhorse and Bayonet courses have a website with attractive hole overviews a bit lacking in detailed information. Terrain info and photography lacking.
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Design Notes: Both courses are future projects of dave319.
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San Juan Oaks
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A PGA Tour Q school site, San Juan Oaks has photographs of each hole and smallish hole overviews. The site also contains a smallish course map and good text descriptions for each hole.
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Design Notes: This course is a future project of dave319.
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Rocky Gap
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A resort course in central Maryland designed by Jack Nicklaus, the website offers a clickable course map, text descriptions, and artistic hole overviews. There are videos of two holes.
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Banff Springs
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A resort course in Banff, Alberta; the Banff Springs course is a scenic and exciting course with a decent web site. Hole overviews are reasonably detailed with close ups of the greens. No 3D information available, and few photos. Other nearby courses are also available at this link.
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Fossil Trace
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A Golden, CO public course cited as being one of the top 10 new courses in America. A photo gallery, course map, and hole layouts will help anyone trying to recreate this course in the game. Hole layouts lack distance data, but have insets of greens in 3D that aid in contouring.
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Eagle Ridge
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A California course open to the public. The website has a course map and hole overviews that feature some countouring information. |
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Saddle Creek
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A northern California course; the website's course map is a bit small and the photo gallery a touch thin, but the hole overviews are beautifully done and richly informative. |
Design Notes: This course is a current project of TeeOffTowersey (2004 version).
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The Courses of Myrtle Beach
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Myrtle Beach features several resort courses by big name designers. This website has detailed hole overviews for Aberdeen Country Club, Waterway Hills, Long Bay Club, River Club, Willbrook Plantation, Litchfield Country Club, and the three courses at Myrtle Beach National. Hole overviews have some 3D information. I pity the designer who tackles King's North at Myrtle Beach National and the 18th hole's 42 bunkers... |
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Kananaskis Country
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The two courses at Kananaskis Country must be breathtaking, surrounded as they are by the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. A course that cries out for Steve Opfer's High Mountain Pano, the designer is helped by a colorful course map and nice hole overviews that provide ample distance information and an idea of the contours of the fairways and greens. Undoubtedly, though, this course is defined by its 3D structure, and the designer is lacking sufficient detail there. |
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Alwoodley Golf Club
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An Alister MacKenzie design that hosts Open qualifiers and amateur championships, the website has a small course layout with detailed hole overviews and a picture for each hole. Terrain and green information is lacking. |
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La Purisima
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A gorgeous California course with a nice course map and decent hole overviews. On the downside, the holes are not traceable on the close up overviews because of their off center viewing angle, but on the upside you can read the basic contours on them. |
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Nicklaus North
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A beautiful Jack Nicklaus design in Canada, Nicklaus North's website has beautiful hole overviews with terrain information and photos of each hole. |
Design Notes: The Nicklaus North course was re-created by TeeOffTowersey (2004 version).
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Dark Horse Golf Club
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Named one of the best new courses in America, what a website presentation! Take the virtual tour - not only will you get large hole overviews (though lacking in distance information), you have green, fairway, and tee 360 degree interactive videos. Best of all, though, there's a movie with tips for playing the hole that provide nice images and green contouring information.
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