2012 New Golf Courses of the Year

     There is an over saturation of golf courses in the United States and to define new courses, you increasingly  have to look overseas to find some spectacular places. But that is not always the case. In a story from Golf Magazine, the following courses make the list and you can certainly see why.

Best New Courses 2012: The Donald, Coore/Crenshaw make this a year to celebrate

• By Joe Passov, Senior Editor (Courses/Rankings)

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2012 | 08:43:15 PM

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True, the number of 18-hole course openings in the U.S. dwindled to single digits in 2012. But when we look globally — more than 90 tracks opened the world over — 2012 becomes a year worth celebrating.
Leading the way is Donald Trump's Scottish tour de force, Trump International Golf Links Scotland. While it may never live up to the Donald's self-pronounced hype as "the greatest golf course in the world," Trump Scotland can claim the title of greatest new course of the year.
Asia leads the world in high-profile openings, including several stunners in South Korea, while the region's most noteworthy debut is Coore/Crenshaw's Shanqin Bay on Hainan Island, China.
Closer to home, Canada's Cabot Links is a seaside standout, and exciting new projects in Oregon, Texas and Florida leave no doubt that while new and notable courses are in shorter supply these days, there's plenty of brand-new offerings that are worth your (tee) time.
BEST NEW U.S. COURSE YOU CAN PLAY: STREAMSONG RESORT (RED COURSE)
 

Polk County, Fla.
7,148 yards, par 72
$115-$200
813-399-9470
streamsongresort.com

Our course ranking panelists were wowed by both Streamsong's Red and Blue courses, but Red gets the "Best New" nod by an eyelash. Streamsong dishes out a unique palette for Florida golf: tall, odd-shaped sand piles, significant climbs and drops, firm, fast-running Bermuda fairways and lakes submerged in the sand.
Tom Doak's Blue feels more natural, yet the Red boasts more drama. The Coore/Crenshaw creation is the more demanding driving course, with more water in play, bigger greens and more holes framed by trees or sand.
The Red's bold finish includes the 208-yard, par-3 16th, a forced-carry Biarritz hole with a vast swale bisecting the green, and the reachable 540-yard par-5 18th, set in the shadow of a towering dune.
With a backdrop that conjures Southwest Ireland and weather that's pure Florida, both courses instantly earn "must-play" status for any serious golfer.
 
BEST NEW U.S. COURSE YOU CAN PLAY HONORABLE MENTION: STREAMSONG (BLUE)
Polk County, Fla.
7,164 yards, par 72
$115-$200
813-399-9470
streamsongresort.com
Tom Doak's Blue course offers smaller, more low-slung greens than the Red, with superior interior contouring and friendly green surrounds that help funnel the ball to the target. Its arsenal of outstanding holes starts with the opener, a short par-4 that affords a commanding view of the entire property.
Other standouts are the par-3 7th, which demands a lake carry to a sloping green cocooned in the sandhills, and the marvelous 590-yard, par-5 17th, with its risk/reward-inducing cross bunkering. While Red (barely) wins honors as best new U.S. course, some would call the Blue better, if less dramatic. That's Streamsong's beauty: 36 holes of pure, scenic fun.
BEST NEW U.S. COURSE YOU CAN PLAY HONORABLE MENTION: BANDON PRESERVE
Bandon, Ore.
1,468 yards, par 39
$50-$100
888-345-6008
bandondunesgolf.com
When you boast four of the top 15 public courses in the nation, what do you do for an encore? Bandon Dunes owner Mike Keiser crashed his own party.
His marching orders to Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were to create a par-3 course worthy of any Bandon layout.
Mission accomplished.
This quirky 13-hole layout sports one-shotters ranging from 65 to 164 yards. Sure, you won't need your driver, but amid the breezes, bunkers and Pacific Ocean views, it's all the golf you could ask for. Bandon Preserve proves that good things do come in small packages.

BEST NEW U.S. PRIVATE COURSE OF THE YEAR: TWINEAGLES CLUB (EAGLE)

Brian Morgan

Naples, Fla.
7,634 yards, par 71
239-354-1700
twineagles.com
LPGA players at the season-ending CME Group Title holders at TwinEagles in November had to rub their eyes in wonderment at the "new" track they were set to play. No wonder. This is one old-looking new course. Well, let's make that "classic-looking."
Architect Steve Smyers, working with design associate Patrick Andrews, bulldozed a previous course on-site to create a modern Golden Age homage whose holes evoke the look of vintage 1920s designs, with special emphasis on the C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor style. Multiple options and strategic decisions define play, which conforms to Smyers's dictum that "great courses demand hitting not just good shots, but hitting the right shot for the occasion."
That virtue is illuminated by the "Reverse Redan" par-5 5th, the par-3 8th with its enormous putting surface, and the drivable par-4 16th (called "Short"). Serving as an ideal complement to its existing Nicklaus-designed course, which hosts the Champions Tour, the Eagle won't wow you with elevation change, but it soars with superior risk/reward choices.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/best-new-golf-courses-2012#ixzz2IHP04fYC
BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL COURSE: TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF LINKS SCOTLAND

Brian Morgan

Aberdeenshire, Scotland
7,428 yards, par 72
$250-$344 USD
011-44-1358-743300
trumpgolfscotland.com
Forget the hype. Donald Trump has delivered a great course. This Martin Hawtree design has many hallmarks of greatness, such as massive sand dunes, 21st-century length, and shotmaking demands that test players of all levels. It's a supreme, walking-only experience that traverses shaggy sandhills and is loaded with stunning vistas.
Front-nine standouts include the par-5 1st, with its handsome amphitheater-style framing and strategically placed bunkers, and the par-3 3rd, with sublime sea views. Hawtree told me that his personal favorite is the par-3 6th. "It's got everything—a burn, dunes, the sea view and a demanding shot," he said.
Two of the most compelling consecutive holes in links golf are the par-3 13th, tucked into the hillsides and backdropped by the water, and the par-4 14th, its valley fairway cocooned by dunes. Only time will determine if Trump Scotland becomes a true classic. For now, the course's variety and memorability earn it a place among the world's top links and makes it our best new international course of the year.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/best-new-golf-courses-2012#ixzz2IHPD1vF2
BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL COURSE HONORABLE MENTION: SHANQIN BAY GOLF COURSE

Courtesy of Shanqin Bay

Bo'ao, Hainan Island, China
6,887 yards, par 71
Private
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's first effort in Asia is a stunner, draped atop a bluff overlooking the South China Sea. Westerners will relish the ever-present wind, fast-running turf, tattered-edge bunkers and semi-blind shots. This combination is a first for China, which typically embraces sharp, clean lines, lush landscaping and maximum visibility.
Most memorable is the finish, with two drivable par-4s among the final three holes. The par-4 17th's elevated back tee affords 360-degree sea views and a fairway that unfurls along the beach. With a stiff wind, Shanqin Bay's 17th offers one of the most heart-stopping tee shots in golf.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/best-new-golf-courses-2012#ixzz2IHPKlAqI