It's a gimme, Josh Levin reports in the March 2 issue of Play, the New York Times sports supplement:
To give your course that sumptuously bucolic vibe, it’s best to focus on the scenery. In 1997, the National Golf Foundation reported that the country’s five most popular course names were Riverside (46 courses), Lakeview (40), Rolling Hills (38), Hillcrest (37) and Lakeside (37). A more recent analysis of 16,294 American golf facilities reveals that 1,077 — almost 7 percent — include the word “hill” or “hills.” The other top words are (in order of frequency) creek, valley, lake, park, river, springs and pine. The five most-beloved golfing animals: the eagle, the deer, the fox, the bear and the quail. Pick one name each from those last two lists and you’ve got a winner: Have you played the back nine at Quail Valley? Incomparable.
Although male golfers outnumber women three to one in the United States, there's a reason you don't see many golf courses with overtly macho names--say, "Extreme Ravine":
It’s no accident that golf-course names sound like real estate subdivisions: the majority of new courses are now developed by homebuilders. Henry DeLozier, a partner at Global Golf Advisers, told me his firm chooses names that resonate with homebuyers, titles that connote “safety, tranquillity, security and a bond of trust.” DeLozier’s advice: Since most home-purchase decisions are driven by women, it’s best to refrain from introducing any hint of wickedness into your green oasis — e.g., the Devil’s Triangle. DeLozier cites Whisper Creek, a community in the Chicago suburbs: the name was chosen to appeal to “a large urban audience that’s beset with too much noise, too much traffic, perhaps crime.”
And yes, there apparently are name developers who specialize in golf-course names--and good luck to them, say I.
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