Most hated course design tricks

[Big_M]

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.

every once in a while it is fun to play an island green. But there must only be one on that course... it must have a drop area... it should play short or mid length... it should have at least one tee box that approaches the green from the best possible angle

I mean #17 at Sawgrass... it's classic My wife and I occaisionally play a course in the area with an island green and despite being a new golfer (she started year before last) she loves that hole... http://www.legacybyarthurhills.com/main.htm But it would be terrible to play one on every course you play. I personally don't like greens with giant tiers... another words the tier should be manageable. Enough to make a two putt hard, but not so severe that the green is literally unplayable from the wrong tier. I also agree about the whole blind tee shot thing... If a course is going to have such, it should have a good yardage card and hole description with aiming point. Conversely the feature I find to be the most fun is the driveable or near driveable par 4. The green can be small and tricky, it could be guarded with bunkers, or it could be a dogleg... any way you slice it they are fun and tempting.

[TourSpoon]

We have a course here that was built on an old landfill. It has plenty of elevation and is laid out in a links style. There are plenty of blind tee shots. The only one that I think is too much is a par 3 which features a blind tee shot only from the tips (plays @ 240). You can't see the green or even the flag from the tee. I say bring in some dirt and build up the tee so you can at least see part of the flag. Other than that one shot from that one tee box, the rest of the course is fine.

[The Rambler]

False fronts are my bane. I actually hit a good shot onto the green and I get up there and I'm 20 feet. Dang And a par 5 where you have to tee off with an iron to stay out of trouble is annoying too.

[Shindig]

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.

Oy, really! My first "home course" has a hole like this. Short par-4. The first time I hit an absolutely solid drive, it was on this hole. 230 yards, down the middle. Had to play out sideways for my second shot. One of many reasons I stopped playing that course.

[bca42]

Any blind shot...just pointless and unimaginative.

[JaY_B]

My course has the most outrageous finish, it can easily ruin a good score
16 - drive through trees dog leg right, the tree's are not cut back, push it a yard and you clip the trees, the 18th at Augusta is 10 x as wide as the gap on our 16th

18 has a tree about 220 down the middle of the fairway, 20 yards to the right is another tree, and a bunker and a rough in between, on the left of the big tree is 15 yards of fairway and big bushes.

It's an unfair finish where too much luck is involved, so my most hated course design tricks is where the course designer has to make it hard using unfair and ridiculous means.

[Eore]

really wavy and bumpy greens with numerous tiers *cough* jack *cough*

[Crafty]

The one thing that I hate is when a tee box points away form the fairway. It seems like no matter what you do you always line up in that direction a little bit. Its not necesarily an unfair thing but it is something you have to watch out for.

[Eore]

My course has the most outrageous finish, it can easily ruin a good score

man-for us, 16 is a long par four and your second shot needs to carry a lake and bunkers, but then it will roll off the back into more water-a bogey hole even for our pro

17 is a shortish par three dead over water-i'm usually hitting a 9-iron, but its intimidating 18-man oh man, par five. drive leaves you about 200 from a massive gulley, and then its 170 dead uphill with water on the right and a 15 yard false front-and its the 3 handicap hole!! my best score to date there is an 8. great finishing hole

[giantbear]

I hate gimiky holes. You know the type of hole, where the only reason its tough is crazy aspect to the hole. A course in Fl, par 5 where the only way from the 15 marker to the green is over a grove of tall trees, a hole on LI, par 5 with too many angles to the landing areas, par 4 where the right side of the green is blocked out by a tree from the middle of the fairway.

[Saturday Golfer]

I hate when courses design a string of holes that bring play to a halt.

Short par 4, reachable par 5, par 3 = 5.5 hour round

http://saturdaygolfer.com/blog/

[tiger_who]

no grass on the golf course. good old aussie courses

[JaY_B]

man-for us, 16 is a long par four and your second shot needs to carry a lake and bunkers, but then it will roll off the back into more water-a bogey hole even for our pro

I feel for you mate, I really do

[TourSpoon]

For those of us that need to know more about Redan greens but were afraid to ask... http://golf.about.com/od/golfcoursea.../redanhole.htm

I played one that was referenced in the article which is Seminole #18. I found myself in the cavernous bunker that is on the right/front. The green had to be 10 feet above my ball. I remember this shot because I used my 60 to hit out of the bunker and it ended up going just past the pin and I made the putt coming back. It was one tough par four.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

. . . Conversely the feature I find to be the most fun is the driveable or near driveable par 4. The green can be small and tricky, it could be guarded with bunkers, or it could be a dogleg... any way you slice it they are fun and tempting.

For ME a driveable par-4 doesn't exist (although I did it once when I was younger) but I do like the idea of a par-4 that is driveable for a long hitter.

What I don't like is a long forced carry over water [although I don't consider that to be a "trick"] from the white (regular men's) tees. A long forced carry for someone who chooses to play the tips is fine with me, but many of us who play the white tees do it for a reason; the course is just too long for us from the tips.

[wingchamps]

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.

Very well stated...I agree with you 100%. Bogey should always be within reach, birdie should always be a stretch. Auto double bogeys for a shot only missed a touch is silly and not fun.

[RX Phoenix]

Blind shots esp. approach shots.
Tiers on greens too severe.
Rough too high.
Muddy fairways
False fronts

[Chilidipper]

And the list begins

1. Course that punish you for a good shot.
2. Course who have little man syndromes. Random rough spots and weird bunker locations. Gimmick holes.
3. Courses that skimp on cost and have tiny greens and try to make up for that with large aprons and other trinkets.
4. Course that interchangable tee's. For instance when the black tees have their own entity part of the time and share with the yellows the other half. That to me seems goofy and not well thought out.
5. Two separate holes that share the same green.
6. I hate dog bone shaped greens where you are forced to chip and take a divot on a nice green. I always blow those shots because in my head im dying inside.