In honor of the U.S. Open being played at Bethpage Black, one of the country’s greatest municipal courses, a golf publication recently listed what it considers the best munis in the country. As part of the story it listed what it considers the best muni in each state.
Understanding that the point of these lists, like lists in our magazine, is more to get people talking than to be 100 percent accurate on a subjective list where accuracy is impossible anyway. Having played every municipal course in my state (Maryland), I looked for this publications wisdom to see how it relates to mine.
The definition of municipal can be a point of dispute. Does it include counties and states? My on-line dictionary says a municipality is a city or town, so using that definition I came up with five munis that are better, at least in my opinion, including one that another golf publication ranks as the 12th best municipal course in the country.
In golf, as in music and art, other people’s opinions don’t matter. You like what you like, and that’s perfectly acceptable. You can argue within your foursome about which ball is better, which irons are better, which shoes are better or which course is better. In the end, it is the individuality of the golfer that wins out and keeps the game moving along. We have always claimed that just because we have a golf publication that doesn’t give us a monopoly on golf knowledge. So chime in. What’s the best municipal course in your area and why?
I believe the definition of Muni should be: public entity owned with public access. This then would include county and state park courses. Bethpage Black not one of the best muni’s because it’s State owned? For New Jersey, this could certainly change things as Knoll West (a good course) was identified as the best muni yet in another list by the same magazine Neshanic Valley (a Somerset County owned course) is rated as one of the best courses in New Jersey with no mention of Knoll West. I’d also though out Flanders Blue/White (Morris County) for consideration. Another, more problematic one, is Berkshire Valley (also Morris County) which may be one of the most scenic courses in New Jersey (and beyond) but seems to always have condition problems coupled with a strange cart path arrangement which makes the course cumbersome to play.