What's your favorite type of course?

[PrairieParson]

1. Priced too high, I'm gone. No golf is worth a $100.00. I'm poor
2.I like green and trees are nice too.
3. I like it when they cut the grass, water and fertilize occasionally.
4. Greens with just one hole.
5. I love elevation changes, side uphill downhill lies are all great. I grew up with it. Its fun really.
6. Forget less than 6000 yds. Unfair holes are OK. Trees in the middle of the fairway are Ok. I can deal with it. The only exception is when greens are so steep and fast, a ball placed anywhere on the green will roll off the green.

[laxbballgolf]

I agree about not liking rough that makes it hard to find your ball, that's pretty tiresome.

I like pretty long courses, up near 7,000 yards, but I also prefer a variety of hole types: some fairly wide open long holes mixed in with some shorter holes where smart positioning is the key. I also like if there is one really tough and memorable "signature hole" where you are excited to try to make a good par.

Another big thing for me is that the course fits naturally into the landscape. I drove by Trump National the other day to check it out, and it just looked idiotic to me, because it is a huge span of lush green grass right next to the ocean outside Los Angeles. I'm sure it's a nice course, but that just doesn't make sense (and it's glaringly wasteful). I like it when the course is sculpted in line with the surrounding landscape, a la Bandon Dunes.

Above all else, I just want a decent pace of play, fast greens, and well-maintained fairways.

[l8nvr]

Tree lined, parkland style, reasonably flat around 6500yds. That is what I like. What I do not like- anything with the word "links" in it, not interested in playing golf in 40mph winds with hard fairways running into 3 ft of fescue, sorry, but not for me. I do not understand courses with a binch of blind tee shots. Par 3's over 200 yards from the whites, not necessary. Severe doglegs, just stupid imo, the same goes for fairways that are severely slanted to the point no matter where the ball lands it always ends upon one side. These are some things that when I see, I just choose another course.

[chriskzoo]

I usually pick the tees around 6500-6600 yards, but beyond that it comes down to 3 things:

1) Course needs to be in good shape with good rolling green
2) No excess of fescue on every hole where you lose a ball 5 yards off every fairway
3) Smart bunkering/water hazards without ridiculous forced carries (e.g. 250 yards to a narrow fairway)

Beyond that, I love the challenge of every style of course. I tend to be more creative than most on the course, so I love the bump and run or the 40 yard putt on true links style courses just as much as I like having to hit a postage stamp par-3 from 190 yards away. Risk/reward balance is the key to any good course.

[oregongolfguy]

Great question......

I am a relatively short hitter compared to most on this board. I prefer to play courses in the 6200-6400 range. But the course that i live on is extremely short, i think it plays about 5800 most days. I like to play a course of that length because it gives me a reasonable chance to play well if i strike the ball well. There are 2 par 5's that i can reach in 2 possibly, although on is heavily guarded by trees on one side of the green so the tee shot has to be perfect to have a line at the hole on the second....
I like the par 3's to be middle iron or less, so for me 180 or less to middle.
I like the course to offer options as to how you play the holes, like doglegs that you can either try to cut over partially or hit down the middle. Par 4's that have a risk/reward for hitting driver etc. I generally like medium sized greens, i hate water..but i love water...i like interesting bunker placements....On one hole on my home course, #9, its a fairly routine fairly short par 4. But there is a huge sand bunker smack in the middle of the fairway about 220 yds out....If i pure the driver i can just barely clear the bunker and have easy wedge to the pin, or i can hit bybrid off the tee and hit 8 iron at the green...
I also like courses that put a little more importance on driving accuracy then the average course....you shouldn't miss the fairway by 60ft and have a easy shot into the green.

[Dub]

Augusta has pretty large elevation changes.

I like a ~6,300-6,700 yard course....nothing that beats you up because you don't bomb massive drives every hole. I like a course that offers risk/reward holes. I'm not real fond of blind shots. Bunkers are fine...as long as there are "safe" zones to play towards. I really like fast & smooth greens that make putting the great equalizer.

[Able Hands]

My favorite type of course is CHEAP!!! Golf is only one of several expensive hobbies I have.

I am just getting back into the game after a long, long time away, so I don't want a course that makes me think too hard. Beyond that I am a pretty middle of the road kind of guy. I don't have any experience playing links or desert courses, but I would love to give them a try at some point.

[bogeyhitter25]

I like open courses. Go ahead and rip your driver every hole. So what if you'll end up in another fairway. Perfect fairways. Short rough. Only 3 or 4 hazards. A couple bunkers. Slower, flattish greens. Throw in a drivable par 4 or two. Not any ridiculous elevation changes. Hardly any OB. Man that would be perfect. 6000 yards tops. Hit driver, short iron into every green. Make tons of birdies. Just like my home course. About 2700 yards from the middle (usually where I'll play from), about 3000 from the tips.

Edit: At my home course the fairways definitely aren't perfect, but they continue to get better.

[Kcas77]

I like open courses. Go ahead and rip your driver every hole. So what if you'll end up in another fairway. Perfect fairways. Short rough. Only 3 or 4 hazards. A couple bunkers. Slower, flattish greens. Throw in a drivable par 4 or two. Not any ridiculous elevation changes. Hardly any OB. Man that would be perfect. 6000 yards tops. Hit driver, short iron into every green. Make tons of birdies. Just like my home course. About 2700 yards from the middle (usually where I'll play from), about 3000 from the tips.

I would be bored if I played at your ideal course. Sounds like you want to play in a field.

[max power]

I would be bored if I played at your ideal course. Sounds like you want to play in a field.

Yeah-gotta agree. I don't mind playing this type of course once in a while on the cheap (any golf is better than no golf), but too often and I'd lose interest.

[Mr. M]

Give me wide fairways, but stick bunkers on one side of the potential driver landing area and trees/water on the other. So basically, I agree with those who say high risk/reward. Crappy greens suck. Crimony, at least mow and water them. One of my favorite holes to play is a par-3, about 160 yards, with a green that is surrounded by water and protected further by bunkers. Oh, and hard, crappy sand really blows.

I like a course to be 6300-6600 yards. That seems about right. I prefer parkland to links, but I've had some decent rounds on a links-style course. I think it's more an asthetic thing. Trees are just prettier than weeds and crap.

And give me one par-4 that's nearly driveable. Just one. Maybe somewhere in the the 290-310 range. But put some trouble on either side of the fairway. Give me the option to try to really crank one, but punish me if I don't hit it straight. High risk/reward.

[jamo]

I hate stupid long par 3's. I think a 110 yard par three that is heavily bunkered with water short is more fun (and potentially more challenging) than a straight away 250 yard par 3 (and yes, there are 2 within 20 min of me).

[Doctorfro]

I like a course that has a little bit of everything: some grip and rip, some placement shots, elevation changes, some great risk/reward. My son played a tournament at a course recently where, of the fourteen holes that weren't par 3, all but two of those tee shots were all placement shots: irons and hybrids. Hitting driver and three wood was dangerous. Just too narrow and no landing areas. I saw this course and thought, "I have no desire to play a course like this". I think the best courses offer a variety of challenges. It should be fun and not a nerve wracking track.

[JRoberts]

The one my buddy picks up the green fees on! I like links style couses.
JR

[bogeyhitter25]

I would like to have my first post stricken from the record-books. I was in the mood of swinging as hard as I possibly could. I've settled down. My ideal course would be:

-Nothing over $50 since I'm a junior.
-Tree-lined fairways. Punish the drivers who spray the ball all over the course.
-The rough shouldn't be too bad just off the fairway; but the further you get from the fairway the longer the rough should be.
-Perfect manicured fairways. I don't want to end up in a big divot.
-3 or 4 bunkers a hole.
-Total of around 6 or 7 water hazards. They don't have to be ridiculously huge, but they should make you think about them.
-Greens should never be flat. Running at an 8 or 9 on the stimp.
-A handful of elevation changes, but nothing to where I'm hitting my 8i 170 yards.
-Easy to walk.
-Friendly staff. Nothing says "Never Play Here Again" like snot-nosed people who never flash you a smile.
-Close. I'd hate to go to a course that's 2 hours away just to end up saying it wasn't worth it.

[mn723]

My favorite would be a long (7000ish) links course with hard fairways, lots of waste bunkers, ever-present wind and large greens. I enjoy all kinds of courses though, just wouldn't want to play desert style more than a couple times per year.