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Would you enjoy playing a course that you shoot double digit over your handicap


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So have a hypothetical question.  Your friend asks you to play a super exclusive private course, with tons of history, that is supposedly super nice.  They don't let cell phones on the course or in the club house and you have to wear pants in the 110 degree humidity.

You find the course to be perfectly manicured and green, there are the best design principles utilized but it's super hard.  Every par three is pretty long and you have to carry bunkers and/or water on every approach.  The greens are rock hard, very fast and tricked out with lots of rolling undulation.  Missing the fairway leaves you not in rough but basically a wasted sandy area that isn't raked.  You end up shooting 10 or more strokes over your handicap for the round.

Do you enjoy a round like this if so why?

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Yes.   We played Kirkwood National which is a very long and very hilly course in North Mississippi. It is gorgeous and perfectly manicured. The greens are very fast and smooth and roll smooth as can be.

The first time we played we shot mid-high 90's and normally are high 70's to mid 80's  players. Each hole is so scenic and unique, we didn't care what our score was, we just wanted to see what the next hole looked like.

If you are ever in the Memphis Tn. area, there are a few must play public courses.

#5. Tunica National .........a beautiful links style course.

#4. Quail Ridge......mid length course that demands very precise tee shots

#3. Forest Hill in Drummonds Tn.....this is a very large and beautiful course that is fair but favors accuracy over power.

#2.Mirimichi...this is Justin Timberlake's course...used to be Big Creek.....gorgeous and lots of money spent but not very difficult.

#1. Kirkwood National....Holly Springs, Ms....middle of nowhere but totally difficult and awesome

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Originally Posted by Inebriated

I would enjoy the experience, even if I didn't shoot well.

Same for me, but I tend to do that a lot with golf, remember the good, the funny, but forget the bad.  Hopefully I would have one perfect hole during the 18 to remember also.

Craig 

Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?

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Absolutely - any chance to play a premier course is worth taking.  Worst case - you have a bad round but you get to spend some time with your friend.  Best case - you play well, maybe have a couple of good holes and you get bragging rights for a while.  And you get to spend time with your friend.

As far as the heat/humidity - make sure you have some good "technical" shirts and pants.  Long pants at 110 isn't fun but a lot less fun if you are wearing cotton.

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You bet.

I have been blessed to play a few of the toughest courses in Chicagoland and a few others around the country. I try and change my expectations. Play par 4's like 5's (Heck, one course has five par 4's longer than the par 5 seventh on my old home course). Hit something straight. Hit something else straight. Hit a short iron onto the green and try and make a putt or two. In theory, this is what all the time on the range has been for -- playing well enough on very hard courses. That said, I hate the heat. Had a chance to play in Scotland a few years ago. The weather was bad even by their standards. Caddies had never seen weather and wet like we saw that week ("Been here 50 years and never seen water in that bunker before"). I had a thumb injury that Doctors said should have kept me form playing at all (made this goofy splint to avoid more damage as the trip was planned before the injury). Sill loved playing those courses even though I scored way over any handicap.

For me, golf is about playing with friends and playing the course as it presents itself. But I wish it would not present 110*.

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Heck yeah, I enjoy playing any decent new course.  I played a new course last week that was beautiful (2 holes overlooked the Long Island Sound) and really tough.  One hole was a Par 4 with a dog leg left, and then required hitting up to an elevated blind green that was about 70 feet up almost straight up from the fairway.   It ended up being the only hole I hit par on (got lucky) but was pretty intimidating.

Joe Paradiso

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Not in that heat. Or should I say "not with that humidity".

I have enough challenges on my home course (#6, 485 yd par 4 , and #16, 253 yd par 3 come to mind. And then there's #15, a 595 yd par 5 into the prevailing wind).

Now...I WOULD like to play a PGA quality course again. With pristine fairways, challenging rough, and firm, fast greens (about 13 on the Stimp), a knowledgable local caddie, and a fore caddie for my wayward shots. Last course I played like that was Inverness in Toledo, OH with my Grandfather many, many years ago.

For less than $200 of course...

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I don't enjoy playing courses that are designed to be hard (for lack of a better term).  You see a lot of these type courses in resort areas, though they are by no means confined to such places.  A local course in my town is a residential course that is pretty tight with OB lining both sides of the fairways, which in turn winds through the neighborhood.  That is a course I don't like to play because if you spray your tee shot you can be looking at hitting 3 off the tee easily multiple times in your round.  In contrast to that I like courses where many holes line up side by side so that if you spray your shot you're in trouble but you aren't out of it and can even salvage par if your next shot puts you back in play.  I played a Nicklaus course in Florida that was a complete pain in the arse.  The fairways bottle-necked in front of the green so that if you missed it short you were playing out of fairly deep bermuda rough.  Also most greens were bordered on one or more sides by water so that if you missed the green long or to the side there was a good chance it was lost in the hazard and you were having to drop a ball in the rough and try again.  Playing a round where you loose a lot of balls in the water or deep woods is not fun and guarantees the number you shoot will be high.  To me good course designs give the higher handicap player a way to play the course to their handicap or better by giving them a way that keeps the trouble out of play.  Better players can choose to take the higher risk shot in order to go low, but that shouldn't be the only way to make it around the course.  I've never been one of those guys who seeks out the tough courses to play just so that I can say I've played that course.  Give me an easy wide open course and I can actually enjoy my round because the chance is there that I can put up a good number for me.

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Yes, golf is a challenge and each situation is different, playing this type of course will only improve you game if you view the challenge this way.  This course will make you adapt your game and this is what golf is all about, playing in dfiferent situations and enjoying the challenge.

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Considering that anyone could shoot 10 strokes over their handicap on a normal day, why not?

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Chris, although my friends call me Mr.L

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Id probably enjoy it even more because of the challenge and how exclusive the course is.

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Originally Posted by New User

So have a hypothetical question.  Your friend asks you to play a super exclusive private course, with tons of history, that is supposedly super nice.  They don't let cell phones on the course or in the club house and you have to wear pants in the 110 degree humidity.

You find the course to be perfectly manicured and green, there are the best design principles utilized but it's super hard.  Every par three is pretty long and you have to carry bunkers and/or water on every approach.  The greens are rock hard, very fast and tricked out with lots of rolling undulation.  Missing the fairway leaves you not in rough but basically a wasted sandy area that isn't raked.  You end up shooting 10 or more strokes over your handicap for the round.

Do you enjoy a round like this if so why?



No.  Not only that I wouldn't even try.  I play for enjoyment, not to bag a life list of courses.  You lost me with having to wear slacks in 110° heat.  I don't like stuffy, stuck up courses anyway.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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My fiance and I attended her cousin's wedding on the West Side of Michigan this weekend. I played Berrien Hills Golf Club in Benton Harbor yesterday AM. Played like crap, BUT the course was in amazing shape and some of the views were to die for. Its hard to get pissed when you have such gorgeous views and playing under such nice conditions.

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I enjoy every round of golf I play, regardless of my score.  Even if i shot ten over my handicap at my home course I would get something out of it.

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I do enjoy it and usually play one of these "championship courses" 3-6 times a year.  They usually are pretty expensive around here so not too often.  But I enjoy the challenge as these courses tend to be "target" courses and not necessarily a good fit for my game.  But most have great scenery/views, service is excellent, and course conditions are excellent; so overall a good experience no matter the outcome (score).

Butch

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You can enjoy golf no matter how hard the course is... you can hate golf no matter how easy the course is... and the same player can do both of those things on consecutive days.

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Note: This thread is 4631 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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