Oddest Course Names in Golf

There’s an air of intrigue around one of the newest golf courses in the northeastern U.S., at least when it comes to the name: Spy Ring Golf Club.

While it’s situated in Setauket, N.Y., not far from many of the tony private clubs in Long Island, Spy Ring is a public 9-hole layout that debuted last year on the site of a once-popular 18-hole, par-60 executive course called Heatherwood. That course was closed to make way for a luxury townhome development, but fortunately the project also entailed the first solo design from architect Tyler Rae—a creatively unique par-36 that provides quality, affordable golf.

The course’s name pays homage to George Washington’s covert network of patriots in the area who secretly helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War.

It’s certainly a distinctive label in a sea of thousands. Many golf course names have an intuitive tie to the locality—state, town, county—a landmark, some bit of area history, or a theme that plays on flora or fauna from a particular geography; think Pebble Beach, Sand Valley, Pine Needles, Forest Dunes, or Mossy Oak.

Others have lineage that’s a tad unusual. Consider the super secretive Morefar Back O’Beyond that straddles the New York and Connecticut borders and purportedly got its name from immigrant workers, or the new Dutchman’s Pipe in West Palm Beach, Fla., named after a flowering vine that attracts butterflies.

Here’s a sampling of five other public course oddities.

Bide-A-Wee Golf Course (Portsmouth, Va.)

The distinctive moniker for this municipal course traces its roots to Scotland, where a youngster named Fred Findlay kept running away from home and was told by his mother that he “better bide-a-wee,” which to a Scot means to stay a little longer. Findlay later moved to Virginia and began designing golf courses, including one in Portsmouth, where he was hired by former PGA champion Chandler Harper. The two were discussing potential names for the welcoming facility when Findlay recalled the runaway stories of his childhood… and the name stuck.

Leatherstocking Golf Course (Cooperstown, N.Y.)

If you thought the Leatherstocking name had a tie to the Baseball Hall of Fame in upstate New York, you’d be mistaken. I certainly was, assuming there was some old school uniform or “flash the leather” connection. But the lakeside resort course, which opened in 1909 and was expanded to 18 holes a decade later by Devereux Emmet, derives its name from a series of novels called The Leatherstocking Tales by American author James Fenimore Cooper that were set primarily in Iroquois areas in New York during the late 18th century. A recurring character was a Natty Bumppo, a frontiersman also known as “Leatherstocking.”

Mad Russian Golf Course (Milliken, Colo.)

This municipal golf course about an hour north of Denver is operated by the Thompson Rivers Parks & Recreation District and boasts an unusual history. The property was once home to a golf course known as Jack Rabbit Trail that was built by an ornery Russian farmer by the name of Ted Blehm after he wasn’t permitted to join a local club. The course was shuttered in the early 1980s and several years later the abandoned course was purchased by Bob Erlich, who helped plan a new 18-hole design that was named in honor of the original visionary and “his courage to challenge the established way of doing things.” The Erlich family entrusted the local parks & recreation department with the course in 2023.

Peek’n Peak Resort (Findley Lake, N.Y.)

This resort in southwest New York, not far from Lake Erie and the border of western Pennsylvania, originally started as a ski destination with an Old English theme. But since the ski slopes were located on land that was once the homestead of the Pekin family, the new partners chose the name Peek’n Peak as a variant. The Upper Course at the resort has several unique holes cut atop the slopes and for a short stretch in the 2000s was a regular stop on the PGA Tour’s developmental tour, then the Nationwide Tour.

Thanksgiving Point Golf Club (Lehi, Utah)

This public golf course, midway between Provo and Salt Lake City, is situated within a unique indoor and outdoor complex that includes the 55-acre Ashton Gardens, a Butterfly Biosphere, and several museums (Ancient Life and Natural Curiosity). The area was founded by Alan and Karen Ashton in 1995 and named Thanksgiving Point to express their gratitude to the community, seeking to provide experiences that “engage, delight, and inspire.” More than two million guests visit the area annually, some to play the hidden gem of a course, a Johnny Miller design that meanders around the gardens.

What are some of the oddest golf course names that you have come across?