This Course Sucks

[Double Mocha Man]

14 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

frog plague

Gotta look out for those frog plagues.  Especially if it's raining frogs.   And locust infestations.

[StuM]

I voted Conditions & Pace of Play.  I hate slow play and that is not always the course's problem but as other have said, some courses just seem to have constant slow play and the course management does not address it and allows it to become the norm.  As for conditions, that is my real thing.  I do not want massive bare spots in fairways, bumpy greens, bunkers with lots of stones in the sand, etc. 

I have had many that complain about a course when they are having a bad day but I understand that is me, not the course.  I've also seen people complain about "Layout" for example a friend said "Too many blind shots" on a course he had never played before.  He was correct there were a lot of shots where a hill or whatever kept you from seeing some of the feathers/hazards but if you just looked at a score card, a GPS or a Illustration of the hole next to the tee you know what is out there.

As for difficult courses, I will shoot high scores on a hard course, but knowing it is a hard course I need to accept that I will shoot high.  Also, the challenge may help me get better.

Cost, in line with the course condition, is not an issue, other than I just can't play as many high-priced rounds without breaking my budget.      

[phan52]

I hate playing poorly conditioned golf courses. While I have had many opportunities to play some of the top golf courses in the country, I am just as happy on a well conditioned muni. 

 

[CarlSpackler]

22 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Gotta look out for those frog plagues.  Especially if it's raining frogs.   And locust infestations.

I'm telling you, there were probably 10,000 frogs in our HOA pool after hurricane Irma blew through. I thought they were leaves until I saw them swimming around going ribbit ribbit. You can see how this would not be blamed on course management. Now if the water hazards turn to blood, I'm out. That would be a sucky course.

[Double Mocha Man]

32 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

I'm telling you, there were probably 10,000 frogs in our HOA pool after hurricane Irma blew through. I thought they were leaves until I saw them swimming around going ribbit ribbit. You can see how this would not be blamed on course management. Now if the water hazards turn to blood, I'm out. That would be a sucky course.

I think you need to write the horror screenplay incorporating those scenarios.

[Flushed]

Presume OP means ''course conditions'', because that for me would be the determining factor.

[imsys0042]

I’m with @klineka    I don’t mind a course charging what’s it worth for the conditions.   I feel like I can make the best of bad conditions.   If they are terrible, I’ll joke about it and not come back for a while.  Price needs to be ballpark for the experience.  
 

I absolutely cannot stand a horrible layout.  Way too short (440 par 5s) and the like, or courses with stupid forced layups.  Couple of holes that are dumb usually have some valid reason like they ran out of land or it was too expensive.   Too many of those holes and it’s ridiculous.  There’s also courses that were built with too much “natural terrain” where there are just weird and unplayable hills, ditches or other things where the ground could have been smoothed out.  

I feel like everything other than layout can be ok sometimes.  Some goat tracks are fun and if it’s a good course you can try to put up with slow play.  But if the layout is just dumb, I won’t be back. 

[CarlSpackler]

On 2/18/2022 at 2:46 PM, Double Mocha Man said:

I think you need to write the horror screenplay incorporating those scenarios.

A horror story about frogs would not make people very hoppy.

 

On 2/18/2022 at 7:36 PM, imsys0042 said:

Some goat tracks are fun and if it’s a good course

I pretty much know most of the courses here and what their typical conditions are. It's sad that a good many have slowly gone downhill in the last 10 years. They were decent courses, but now are borderline goat tracks.

[mcanadiens]

8 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

I pretty much know most of the courses here and what their typical conditions are. It's sad that a good many have slowly gone downhill in the last 10 years. They were decent courses, but now are borderline goat tracks.

There is one particular place that comes to mind. Of course, we have a number of courses that closed, but most of the courses I go to are pretty close to the same or even a bit better.

Maybe 20 years ago? I couldn't speak to that.

Where are you thinking of?

[darthweasel]

1 hour ago, CarlSpackler said:

I pretty much know most of the courses here and what their typical conditions are. It's sad that a good many have slowly gone downhill in the last 10 years. They were decent courses, but now are borderline goat tracks.

there is a local course that just...I don't know, doesn't "feel" special. Couple of the holes are pretty meh. It doesn't drain all that well and sometimes the rough is a bit unkempt. With that said, fairways and greens are generally well maintained, sand traps generally have enough sand, it allows the use of every club in the bag, the holes all have variety, there are a few that are definitely more strategic than bomb and gouge...and the price is affordable. Range work is great but this course lets you see how it would play live and is a great track to work on your game. 

Lot of locals dismiss it as a goat track. That is their right and I don't disagree...but it has a lot of value for a mediocre golfer like me and also a nice stepping stone for people who are learning the game and stepping up from executive courses. Would someone who routinely plays the Pebble Beaches of the world like it? probably not...but for someone like me, great place to prep for the nicer courses. 

[CarlSpackler]

1 hour ago, mcanadiens said:

Where are you thinking of?

Beechwood and Sugar Isle are two that come to mind. They both used to be pretty decent courses, but nowhere near their conditions from yesteryear. I only played Beechwood in an outing last year, but I am assuming others haven't turned around. I am really concerned since the cost of everything is going up how many other courses will close or fall into decline.

15 minutes ago, darthweasel said:

With that said, fairways and greens are generally well maintained

That is usually good enough for me, especially the greens.

[mcanadiens]

32 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

Beechwood and Sugar Isle are two that come to mind. They both used to be pretty decent courses, but nowhere near their conditions from yesteryear. I only played Beechwood in an outing last year, but I am assuming others haven't turned around. I am really concerned since the cost of everything is going up how many other courses will close or fall into decline.

I'll give you those two. Never have gone to Arcanum and it's been a minute since I've seen Sugar Isle. 

Still, I think a lot of our area courses are doing a decent job. If anything Miami Shores and Homestead are better. I played a half dozen rounds in Springfield. Both Reid and Locust Hills are solid. The big munis, Beavercreek and Yankee Trace were at their usual standards. WGC in Xenia was decent on the day I played it  last year. 

No crystal ball here for what the future holds, but there is still some decent quality in this area. 

[phillyk]

Layout is the main thing for me. Conditions is second. 

I talked about it recently with a friend. At my course, I play every tee box because they present different ways to play the hole and thus keeps the experience fresh.  There are a couple courses around I enjoy but don’t care to play too often because I get the same thing every time. I want more diversity of holes and ways to play the hole. 

Some courses, their layout and course consistency (and price) are related, so I stay away from those. Conditions are also seasonal so It depends. 

[Double Mocha Man]

In the winter I continue to play my home course from the white tees, which lengthens it to about 7000 yards, effectively.  So I get to play two different courses, at the same course, all in one year.

[bwdial]

Conditions and Layout for me.

Inconsistent greens are probably the worst.  One place I play has a practice green that is a completely different pace than the greens on the course, and every green is a different speed.  And when I say different speed, I'm talking about carpet to linoleum, sometimes on the same green.

Layout is generally a problem in this area because of the hilliness, and there a a lot of holes where good shots run completely off the opposite side of the fairway.  Also, poorly placed cart paths that run diagonally across a hole with a blind tee shot.