Some places are better than others.
But what makes one place better than another?
We all have a different opinion on the answer to that question. Maybe it's a good view. Perhaps there is a special connection with nature.
Maybe the food is good there. Or it is easy to access.
Is it the memories that are made there?
It may be hard to exactly pinpoint why we prefer one place to another.
There are a lot of great places. And, because there so many places on the planet, there has to be some not-so-great places by default. Without bad places, there couldn't be great places.
That principle holds true for golf courses. Various golf publications create lists of the Top 100 courses in the country and in the world. There are state-by-state lists as well. Avid golfers rank their favorite courses, commonly over a beer or transfusion at the clubhouse bar.
But those lists just account for courses. For example, when Golf Digest raters grade and rank courses, they consider eight specific criteria: shot options, challenge, layout variety, distinctiveness, aesthetics, conditioning, character, and fun. These categories focus solely on the golf course itself.
Does a great golf course necessarily mean it is a great golf place?
Not necessarily. It's probably a factor, but not essential to make a golf place great.
So what makes a great golf place?
It doesn't stray far from what makes golf a great sport: the sense of community.
Great golf places are gathering places.
A gathering place for golfers, Bethpage State Park - often called "The people's Country Club" has five courses: Yellow, Blue, Red, Green, and the highly regarded, three-time major-championship host Black.
Yes, the Black course was ranked as the 52nd best course in the United States in Golf Magazine's 2021-22 rankings. But what makes Bethpage itself a great golf place is much more than the Black course.
Sure, watching the "highly skilled golfers"- as recommended by the warning sign at the first tee - hit off the elevated first tee of the Black course in the center of the action, just steps off the back patio of the clubhouse and mere feet from a practice putting green is special. And if you're on the tee: nerve-racking.
But it doesn't take playing the Black course to be part of the action. All five courses start and finish near the clubhouse. The starter huts for each of the courses (Yellow, Blue, Red, Black, and Green, clockwise) and lines of golfers - and golf carts - eagerly awaiting their time to play are steps from the clubhouse. No matter the course, everyone is there to play golf. That gathering place of golfers makes Bethpage State Park an example of a great golf place.
Great golf places can be gathering places of more than golfers. The clubhouse Ocean Course at Kiawah Island is home to the Ryder Cup Bar, a patio with rocking chairs, public beach access, and beautiful ocean and sunset views.
Golfers finishing the odyssey that is The Ocean Course - 18 challenging holes often times in strong winds - gather at the clubhouse to watch the next group's trials, usually with a well deserved beverage in hand.
But non-golfers gather here, too. Some to watch the golfers. Some to enjoy a meal. Some to walk to the beach. And some to soak in the ocean views or a beautiful sunset.
Kiawah and Bethpage are two totally different places. One is a resort, the other a state-owned public facility. One is on the ocean, the other through trees. One is flat, the other is over rolling terrain.
What they share is what makes them great golf places: open to everyone and a place to gather for both golfers and non-golfers.
There are many other places in golf that exude this quality.
Some places are better than others.
But what makes a place great? It embodies the very spirit of why we love something.
And in golf, that is community. In golf, people gather. Gathering places embody the spirit of community and of the game.
Great golf places are gathering places.
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