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Most hated course design tricks


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If you've played a round of golf you've experienced them, those horrid aspects of course design created for the sole purpose of making wayward or overly aggresive players pay. Pot bunkers, blind approaches, island greens, tiered greens; courses are becoming tougher by employing more of these tricks.

What's your most hated piece of course design?

I absolutely despise very severe fairway mounding, especially if it doesn't fit with the surrounding terrain. I played on a course today in east Texas with huge mounds bordering the fairway. It seemed like the highest points for miles were around the fairways of this course. What's the point of driving your ball on the fairway if you're met with a 60 degree downhill lie?
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I hate false fronts surronded by bunkers so you allways come up short.

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I can't stand any feature that doesn't fit with the terrain. Truly great golf course architects don't move tons of dirt but use the canvas as it is give them.

With that, the thing that annoys me the most in designs are redan holes. Specifically the worst aspect of those holes is the sloping of the green from front to back.
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Severe fairway mounding is one of mine. I'm fine with the subtle mounding of a links style course, but I too have seen several courses (particularly those that try to be links-style in southern Florida) that are just unfair. Ball in the fairway and 24 inches above your feet. The thing that sucks most about those is that there really isn't a "safe" place to drive it because the whole darn fairway is mounded and undulating. You can't "just hit the right side of the fairway, it's flat there." It ain't flat there!

False fronts with bunkers don't bother me too much - I trust my yardages. I despise island greens simply because they're not strategic at all. It's do or die and someone who's just learning the game - like my girlfriend - usually just give up and put a ball on the green and putt to finish out. Silly.

I'm going with this as my final answer: greens that aren't accessible somewhere in the front. I don't care if the green is 30 yards wide and 20 of it is fronted with bunker, leave a way for a new-ish player to get the ball to the green on the ground. There's no sense penalizing someone who's probably going to get an 8 on the hole anyway, and better players will still fire at the pin behind the bunker.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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In my opinion, any feature of a golf course that does not take into account the various styles or skills of play from beginner to low handicapper. Inaccessible greens from the front (including islands), excessive mounding, excessively tiered or undulating greens, etc. Golf is a game to be enjoyed. Designers should put the golfer ahead of their egos.

Mike Jones

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Horrible green designs.. more towards tiered greens and a horrible green that is at a severe angle tilting towards a built up front that has a lake in front. You hit a ball that has just a little backspin.. you'll be rolling off the front and right into the lake.
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As a golf professional, I LIKE multi-tiered greens for setting up tournaments. Larger greens make for faster play but having additional tiers allows us to put a little spice into events by following the 6-6-6 rule of tournament setup. 6 hard, 6 medium, and 6 easy; 6 right, 6 middle, 6 left; AND 6 front, 6 middle, 6 back. It's amazing when a course someone plays everyday is tournament set and balanced, how enjoyable it can be. For those tournament players on here, you know what I am talking about.
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Indeed, JC. Lots of courses too go with the basic 1-6 numbering system, the positions on greens are labelled:

3 6
5 2
1 4

In other words, on day one, hole one has the pin in position one, hole two in position two, hole three in position three, and so on. On day four, hole one has the pin in position four, hole two in position five, hole three in position six, and so on.

My country club has something written up about this, and it has a little more information: Course Setup .

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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I love your course's home page, I think all new golfers should read it, especially the guide on how to repair ball marks. I can't tell you how irritating it is to see a green rutted up by white pitch marks or worse yet someone doing a half @#$ job trying to fix one.

I guess another form of bad course design could be inconsiderate golfers. Pitch marks on the greens, divot holes in the fairways, and foot prints in the bunkers can all make golf a real pain.
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Can you tell that the superintendent is the current web developer? I think the page count when last I looked was something like 127 pages in "turf care," eight pages (and a few broken ones) in "Club House" and "Pro Shop" combined.

The course, for the record, has no real design tricks. It's one of the toughest test of golf, it asks you to use every club in the bag, and it has elevation changes without blind shots, etc. That's my attempt to get back on topic.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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I hate par 4s longer than 390 yards, par 3s longer than 150, and par 5s longer than 510! If a course has longer, I ain't playin' there!

In all seriousness...

As far as tiered greens go, I think they are necessary to a good golf course. Not on every green mind you, but at least 3 a course. In my opinion, one needs to be able to control their shot with that much accuracy to be able to call themselves a good player. Severe undulation is another story. There is one hole on the course I work on that has no flat spot anywhere. That kind of sucks.

Not really design minded but... Courses that allow 5-somes. I know most every course does it these days. But if I were General Manager of Golf, I'd do away with 5-somes. They just don't seem right. Not to mention how much they hold up play.

Also, drink cart girls that are actually guys! What's up with that? We have three drink cart guys at our course?!? It boggles my mind.

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OOOooohhh, I just thought of a "most hated course design trick." Ready?

GRAIN

I never remembered to consider it when I played in Florida. But ahhh, I am back to my beloved bent.

I'm 96% kidding. That's not actually a course design trick. I just don't care for grain. I think putting is a well rounded challenge without throwing in the ability to read the tea, errr, grass leaves.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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I've got one: excessive length. Skim this:

18 hole championship course in Madison, about a 40 minute drive east on I-90 from downtown Cleveland. This was an old fishery that was then turned into an impossible and poorly-conditioned golf course. In 1997, the course underwent extensive renovations to make it the best golf course and golf experience in Ohio. It's in the middle of wilderness, no buildings or houses visible from the course with a good deal of solitude on each hole as you play among the tall pines and weeping willows. The course is very difficult, so even low handicappers will find themselves on the middle tees. Don't go there if you can't carry a tee shot 200 yards. Back tees must be just for show, they are way too long. Tons of trouble if you miss the first cut of rough. Bring lots of extra balls, there are about 100 small ponds and lakes that come into play on all but one hole. Must be played at least twice to overcome the immense intimidation each hole holds out to you. It's not as hard as it looks. The first time is torture the second is pleasure. Many shot strategies on most holes. Shot values are extremely high. Every hole has at least several sand traps. Modern design and feel with super fast, smooth and undulated greens. Even in a heavy downpour, the course drains great. Every hole could be the signature hole at any course in Ohio. Nice elevation changes and great all around design with rolling and flowing fairways. Too many favorite holes and every one has a different feel or theme. The par 5 eighth is notable for several reasons. A nice slightly downhill tees shot to set up a cool second shot over a big lake to a protected landing area. Plus a "skunk bunker" of black sand and heather to cost you at least two shots to get out of. Near the green is a plaque to commemorate a skunk that once dug up the course. The course finishes with a beautiful par 3 over water at 16 with circus undulations in the green. The par 4 seventeenth has to be one of the most exciting tee shot in Ohio with its big downhill slight dogleg right around a giant tree. An extremely undulated green makes a birdie very rewarding. Awesome finishing par 5 at the eighteenth, third shot over a big lake or you can go for it in two if your tee shot is long enough. Spectacular scenery all around with tall pines and extensive vegetation. No growing in here necessary, it seems the course has been here for seventy five years. Extremely well-mark twice every 25 yards and conditions are the best you can play. Price is reasonable considering the high quality. Replay is a great value and strongly recommended. Grass range. Six sets of tees.

Sounds good, right?

Now, for the fun part: the course is 7500+ yards long and has a slope rating of 152. The course is also featured on The Sand Trap blog, as image numbers 44 through 53 (i.e. add ?picnum=xx to any URL on the blog, such as "http://thesandtrap.com/?picnum=48"). thunderhillgolf.com via the very, very nice golfclevelandohio.com .

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm going to disagree with everybody pretty much. If you jump to my blog, you'll read about places like Royal New Kent (linksy with uneven lies and mounds), red tail (false front greens) Tobacco Road, (blind shots) and other great designs that use these feature. You're right...mounding that does not fit in with the course or "mounds for mounds sake" or just to separate adjacent fairways are tired, but uneven lies are part of the game. Go over to Bandon Dunes or Ireland to see how it is part of our great game. I love false fronts...they are a challenge. You have to a) recognize it ass a false front, so you need to pay attention and b) properly execute the shot. I keep an extra stat on my card called "dumb mistakes..." not properly negotiating a false front is my fault, not the designer. As for redans - hey, not all greens are suppised to be easy and wee are meant as golfers to adapt. If you face a redan green, thenb hit a bump and run and use the terrain to your advantage...turn the negative into a positive. I love blind tee shots for two reasons. It makes you trust your swing. As I say in my tobacco road article on my blog, nobody has a problem with the blind shots at Ballybunion or prestwick, but import them to america and everyone cries like Nancy Kerrigan. Railing at the great design features encourages golfers to be lazy and unimaginative. The game was never meant to be handed to us. Look for the great designers and the young up and coming lions to add more of these features not less and for courses featuring them to get more acclaim, not less... by practice and a trained eye, your game will actually improve. Plus you'll have an edge over your competitors who'll needlessly put themselves in the "mumble tank"
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I'll disagree with you a bit, Jay. The old-style courses that feature blind shots, etc. are fine for one reason: caddies. In the US, courses rarely employ caddies, so blind shots lead to slower play, more lost balls, etc.

A proper golf hole should present a challenge and ask you to overcome, master, or tackle it. It should say "ideally, you want a draw here to the left side of the fairway" and then reward the players that hit that shot.

Blind shots are fine so long as you still have an idea where to go and what shot to play. Caddies fill that void, and the hole still presents a visible, viable challenge. The PGA Tour plays a few courses with blind shots - and even Augusta has some where you can't see the bottoms of the pin, etc. - but the course is played very much with caddies.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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I'm not sure its true that caddies are the reason for blind shots in the UK...plenty of people walk and dont have caddies. Further, just because the shot is blind, doesnt mean you dont have a draw or fade shot require ment. e.g. #6 at Richter Park...aim for the big tree and draw it a little. Sopetimes you can tell by the shape of the hole or the placement of bunkers which way you should shape the shot.
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  • 3 years later...
Nothing worse than being in the middle of the fairway and having a tree between you and the green. Has anyone ever played Keller Golf Course in St. Paul MN? It's a great course, but #4 is a 140 yard par 3 with a 50 foot tall, 50 foot wide tree right in the middle of the front of the green. Good players can hit a wedge over the tree, but anyone else is in trouble.

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Courses which over punish a slice with false sides where the ball hits right on the fairway runs up the side, down a down embankment, hits the cart path and bounces OB. No way to stop it if you hit the right side of the fairway with right spin.
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