****ed up my post with this new format, accidentally hit enter I guess when trying to reach for the quotation marks.

To get my mind off my troublesome game at the moment, what are some of y'all's favorite rustic courses? The talk of the whispy **** around the bunkers at Campus Course got me wondering, because I really like that natural feeling aspect of the course design.

Don't know if this is what you are talking about but, one of my favorite courses of all time is the Payne Stewart memorial course outside Branson, Missouri. It feels like they just cut through the forest and developed the golf course right in the middle of it. Everything really compliments the natural terrain as there tons of elevation changes and natural hazards to avoid.

Concan.
Whispering Pines.

Newport Dunes (now Palmilla something or other) in Port A is right up there for me.

Luling Municipal. probably because I grew up playing it a lot.

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Luling Municipal. probably because I grew up playing it a lot.

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Does it have the natural look/feel of a cow pasture like all the other munis down here? I played there once in high school, just don't really remember it.

Newport Dunes/Palmilla Beach is awesome. Haven't been down there since they finished all the new facilities, need to get down there soon.

Do you mean rustic like "not pristine and meticulously maintained" or rustic like "cut out of the natural environment".

If it's the latter, I would put Ballyneal in Colorado at the top of courses I've played. It's amazing, "rustic" and just pops up out of no where in the middle of NE Colorado farmland.

Meant rustic as in the cut out of the natural environment.

Course looks awesome^

That course looks very similar to the one Nicklaus designed in the sand hills of Nebraska. Also out in the middle of BFE.

Sugar Tree west of Fort Worth.

The back nine of the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island.

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That course looks very similar to the one Nicklaus designed in the sand hills of Nebraska. Also out in the middle of BFE.

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You are thinking of Dismal River. Dismal River, Ballyneal, and Sand Hills (probably the best known of the 3) are all in the same sand dune formation. Ballyneal is in NE Colorado and Dismal and Sand Hills are in West Nebraska.

I honestly haven't played many courses (if any) where there weren't substantial earth moving efforts to create the layout.

I need to go to play in Europe and I'll get back to you.

You know what, I guess I meant rustic as in not pristine/overwatered/meticulously maintained as well

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You know what, I guess I meant rustic as in not pristine/overwatered/meticulously maintained as well

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Torrey Pines. It is the best Muni I have ever played and the north course especially compared to the south is very simply laid out. You can tell there was very little dirt moved.

Sand Hills is a Crenshaw/Coore course. Most of their designs are very minimalistic and do not rely on a lot of earth being moved around. Austin Golf Club is a perfect example of their approach/design.

I recently had the privilege of playing the old course in ballybunion, Ireland. Nothing else I've played has come close. (Yes, I'm bragging about my 7 day, 8 round golf trip to western Ireland)

Played Whitestone in benbrook yesterday and was very impressed with the course layout. Challenging tee shots and beautiful scenery.

of the courses I've played, I'll nominate Terra Verde in Arlington

The Old Course in St. Andrews along with Prestwick and Royal Troon in Scotland. Those are about as rustic as it gets. Great courses. Hope to take my sons one day !

The Rawls course in Lubbock is pretty impressive. Lots of earth moving to create a golf course on one of the flattest, ugliest, treeless places on earth.