Worst Courses Played

[wtd]

I'm enjoying the best courses played thread, but I haven't yet had the chance to play anything "World Class". Of course, as a guy who tries to play on as many different courses as possible, I have found a handful of real disasters. With that in mind, what are the worse courses you've played, and what was so bad about them?

For me
3. Putterham Meadows in Brookline, MA - Some nice-enough holes, some potential, but huge huge huge drainage problems - oh, and goose droppings everywhere.

2. Brookhaven Golf Club, Porters Corners, NY - Fairways practically indistinguishable from the rough. A lot of bare dirt around the greens.

1. Pheasant Hollow, East Greenbush, NY - We call it Peasant Hollow now. It's basically flags in a field. On the 6th hole, my 9-iron approach ended up 90% buried in the green. The green on the 7th had a mushroom patch growing on it.

[Shindig]

I think my "worst course" may have been due to my inexperience at the time.

I played Goat Hill / City Center in Oceanside, CA. Whew, huge dropoffs after each tee. When you aren't hitting off the tee consistently at least 150 yards, you're SOL. Some "island" par-3s with huge amounts of shrubbery around it. On one par-3 hole, you miss the green and you're either in sand or iceplant.

Anyone else played this course? Is it better once you're a more capable player?

[GoingfortheGreen]

Silver Spring Golf Course in Mechanicsburg, PA. A real billy goat track; fairways are so close to each other that people joke, "Don't forget your helmet."

The last time I played there was about a year and half ago - tee times were full at all the regular places. The fairway grass and 1st cut were at the same height! They had aerated the fairways, and there were plugs everywhere. The back nine begins with three straight Par 3s

In fact there was a rumour they were sold for residential development, but their website proudly proclaims SILVER SPRING GOLF COURSE HAS NOT BEEN SOLD AND IS NOT FOR SALE!!

[MGP]

My hometown used to have a municipal course called Lakeside Hills. My buddies and I affectionately called it the "goat ranch" because that's what it was before it was a golf course.

It actually wasn't that horrible a course, but it had a very marginal irrigation system and the maintenance budget was pretty low. In the spring it was not a bad little course but over the course of our long, dry summers the fairways literally got dusty!

Anyway, that's about the worst course I can think of playing the past dozen or so years. It's closed now as the city finally pulled the plug because of the the maintenance costs and the fact that several really nice public courses opened up in the area.

Satellite View of the "Goat Ranch"

[BritBoy]

I had to go to Clovis NM for a month last year, and managed to squeeze in 3 rounds at some sand lot country club down there. I had to rent clubs ( yay me ) and with the green fees, cart and rental it was around $125 to golf. OK so I would pay that to get my fix but this place sucked. Bare lies in the middle of the fairway, and I think the greens were cement that they had painted green.

[Dent]

I played a short 18 course called Fantasy Lake. all the holes were relativly short, but there were ditches of huge 50 pound boulders everywhere. Sometimes infront of the green. all the greens were elevated and sometimes if you hit those rocks your ball would bounce god knows where. It is a very challenging and poorly designed course.

[MountainHip]

Belle Terre in MB wasn't very good.
The service was terrible and the course was jammed.
It closed a couple of years ago I think.

[bSd]

Worst Course Ever? Russian Jack GC, a 9 hole "course" that consists of CONCRETE greens painted green with holes close to 1 ft in diameter. Teeboxes are rock hard mounds and flags are approximately 1-2 feet, when they HAVE THEM. Played it many years ago with a random club and some friends.

I love it.

[FAHooGolfs]

For me

You didn't like Putterham?!?!?!?! They didn't have the goose droppings when I was there, and no, it wasn't in the best shape, but I thought the course had a lot of character. If someone dumped $1 or $2 million into that place, it could be extremely nice.

For me, my worst courses are as follows: 1. Massanutten (near Harrisonburg, VA) - it's a mountain course and I'm not sure there was a flat part on the mountain. Every fairway was sloped severely to the point you couldn't keep a ball in play, there was an inordinate number of blind shots, and it was not uncommon to take a divot and have your divot be full of rocks. 2. Cheatham Annex (Williamsburg, VA) - par 64, with a 395 yard par 5! Of course, it was $9 for 18 so I guess I should have expected as much. 3. Sleepy Hole (Suffolk, VA) - the once proud home of the LPGA Crestar Open, the first time I played the course, 7 of the first 9 greens had tire ruts in them. And I'm not talking about a small tire, it looked like an industrial tractor had driven over the greens in soggy conditions. Thankfully the city undertook a $1 million renovation and made it playable again, but wow, it was awful the first time. 4. Warrior's Path State Park (Kingsport, TN) - there's actually a sign on one of the tees that says "please play your tee shot over the trees - the fairway is on the other side." I'm sure I've played a few others, but those are ones that come to mind and take the cake.

[ProHacker]

Worst course i've ever played is also the nearest one too me. (I live about 2 miles from this course.) CountrySide Golf Course this course would be lovely if someone had the money too dump into it but as it sits its a swamp. The front 9 is fair but the back nine after almost any amount of rain and you'll need rubber boots. Course went to auction last year and has reopened under new ownership so hopefully things will change for the better.

[Lead Tape]

I consider this the worst course ever for one reason, and a good golf course for another reason...Langston GC.

At one time, Lee Elder used to own the course and it's in a pretty bad neighborhood of Wash., D.C.

It was rarely if ever in decent shape, (actually it was in terrible shape) but one time I was playing with the black pro there along with another white friend and on a par 3 hole that bordered a street with a high chain link fence to guard against vandals and trespassers, there was a hill in front of a school about 50 yards away and a group of 3-4 teenagers started bombing us with stones, rocks, and bricks while we were trying to putt. All the hollering at them that we were going to call the cops only made them laugh, tell us "F" you "motherfkr" and throw more stuff.

The good side was it was a great place to find daily action and gamble.

[thehillgolfer]

I was on vacation at the outer banks last summer and played at this place called Holly Ridge or something like that. It was awful. The greens were very strange. I'm not sure what type of grass they were or if they were grass, but whatever it was it was awful. Luckily i met some cool people from ohio and we were able to complain about how awful the course was together.

[Ogg]

There is a course in Durham, NC called the Crossing which is just horrendous. It does have a couple of nice holes but the condition when I have played it has been horrendous and I swore I will never go back.

I see too many courses these days that are built in housing developments just for the sake of having a golf course community. The houses come first and the course is routed through the development and is short changed.

Of course, the course where I played my high school golf was plowed under for a mall and was not exactly a gem.

[Jeepthrills]

The worst course I ever played was called Rippling Rapids. It is in Cheboygan Michigan. We have a cottage up there and my in-laws were comming up for a few days. I was looking for places to take my father-in-law to play. We are only 30 minutes from Gaylord and about the same distance from Boyne. Both are outstanding, but expensive. We wanted to play one upscale and two rounds at moderate priced courses.

Thank God I did a scouting run to Rippling Rapids. It was an old farm that had been coverted to a course. It was flat and the ground was hard as a rock. I broke my tee on every hole. The fairway were like dust bowls. Taking a divot could result in dental work. We ended up playing two rounds at Cheboygan Golf Club. It's a great deal. You get 18 holes with a cart for about $30.00.

[islandgirl]

It was rarely if ever in decent shape, (actually it was in terrible shape) but one time I was playing with the black pro there along with another white friend

Ok, I

know that I'm not a "sensitive" chick (trust me, I've spent the vast majority of my adult life working outside with men), but...do you refer to everyone by their color, their financial status or that they are "itches"???? (yeah, I know you-mispelled)

[Lead Tape]

Ok, I

I referred to us by color to set the stage for where it was in the bad part of town, who was playing and the color because it had no bearing whatsoever on the teenagers. They had no more respect for the pro as they had for us. I think you ARE sensitive and you're now pouncing on me like a typical yakkity -mouth "itch" that just needs to run her yakkity mouth and "itch" at a man. Go "itch at your boyfriend or husband. Learn how to use the "ignore" feature on this forum and place ME on it immediately. I'd certainly hate to see you turn into more of a "itch" if something rubbed you the wrong way.

[islandgirl]

I referred to us by color to set the stage for where it was in the bad part of town, who was playing and the color because it had no bearing whatsoever on the teenagers. They had no more respect for the pro as they had for us.

LOL! And I'm sensitive? You're a classy guy, I'm surprised they have golf courses in the Trailer Park side of town. Best wishes...

[Lead Tape]

LOL! And I'm sensitive? You're a classy guy, I'm surprised they have golf courses in the Trailer Park side of town. Best wishes...

And how many cars have you hot wired for a ride to get you to the parking lot of the FINEST resorts in the country to play golf? LMAO I'll bet you've played them all. LOL They have golf courses on the Black side of town in many cities, where I was and have no problems going to play as long as the game is there for action. Better watch I don't keep bringing the "itch" out of you. It seems sooo easy. Don't forget "IGNORE" now.