Played Merion East yesterday

I've now played five courses that have hosted majors.  Pinehurst #2 isn't visually too exciting, but the design makes it a very interesting and demanding play.  I've played it both before and after the renovation, and I really enjoy the new look.  Congressional is a lovely course through mature trees, just good and hard.  Whistling Straits is stunning, and probably not as hard as it looks.  Of course, it looks impossible.  I played Carnoustie in steady rain, which I understand is pretty typical, and found it to be very hard, but not very scenic.  Its largely pretty level, with no real views anywhere.  The Old Course isn't stunning either, but I absolutely loved playing it.  Its pretty level overall too, but with so many humps and hollows, and the town as a backdrop for the holes coming in, its just amazing.  So I guess for my experience its 2 that are amazing of the five I've played.

I can't say that I have had that experience of being disappointed by "famous" courses. For example, many will say that Torrey Pines is one of the lamer courses to recently host a major… and yet, it gets a fair amount of local play, produced a pretty great championship, and the views are apparently scenic and nice.

I played Oakland Hills and while I could see and enjoy and appreciate what makes it a major championship venue, I didn't worry too much about that - it's still just a golf course, and I'm still just a golfer.

I almost appreciate the courses the women play more for their majors because their major setups are more like regular play than the men's majors. For example, Oakmont is set up VERY differently for men versus the women. We've played a course in our section in Rochester that hosted an LPGA major for a number of years (Locust Hill), and the men were just at Oak Hill. I've played Kiawah Island, too, and a few others I'm probably forgetting (oh yeah, Tanglewood had a PGA Championship that Trevino won and then a Champions Tour event for awhile).

But no, I've never had the experience of being let down by a course. I think, though, it depends on your state of mind and expectations. I played the Old Course, for example, while they were getting ready for the Dunhill tournament, so there were a few stands set up too… but many people expect to play the Old Course and instantly be overwhelmed by nostalgia and whatnot… but that's just not going to happen. I think that people who go into a round at a "famous" course looking for that overlook their own new memories of the day, and as a result, don't form very many. One of my strongest memories from the Old Course, for example, was on the 11th hole. I played a creative shot and pulled it off and the stern, dour, unimpressable caddies all stopped to tell me what a great shot it was. That stands out as my OWN memory.

Like I said, I think a lot of people almost expect feelings or something to wash over them. Stripped of the grandstands, the crowds, etc. the golf courses don't have the same feel as when they're hosting a major. But they're still the same course, basically, so just play and focus on your round. Try some famous shots here and there (like Payne's on 18 at Pinehurst for example), but just mostly play your round and remember all that you can from YOUR round.