Course diagnosis

[FHopper]

The thread on "best hole near where you live" got me thinking. Compared to other places we do not have dramatic courses. One of my favorite courses is called Tex Consolover 37°39'27.16"N 97°26'44.86"W (Do you ever fire up Google Earth and look for courses?)

It says it has a slope rating: 123/73.4, back 117/71.9 and is 7,361 yards, with Bentgrass Greens, (an average of 8,000 sq. ft.) and Bermuda/Blue grass fairways with 54 sand traps. The elevation changes aren't much but you need to club up or down a couple of times around the course.

I like the course because it is a "boomer" course, it is all about hitting the ball with very little target golf.

So, no world famous holes, but would you have fun playing this course?

From the blues:
#1 452, #2 440, #3 178, #4 434, #5 558, #6 413, #7 577, #8 218, #9 433

#10 545, #11 423, #12 204, # 13 600, #14 431, #15 423, #16 194, #17 418, #18 420

[SQ Bimmer]

8,000 or 800 square feet? So if it's 8,000 ft^2 you could potentially have a putt that is the length of a long chip! I think I would still chip it off the putting surface, lol.

We have a 9 hole par 3 course around here with grass tees, and the greens are fairly well protected by bunkers. One particular hole is 140 yards, and the green is about 12 ft wide. Talk about target practice!

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...8017&encType;=1
The green on the left, surrounded with bunkers.

[iacas]

8,000 or 800 square feet? So if it's 8,000 ft^2 you could potentially have a putt that is the length of a long chip! I think I would still chip it off the putting surface, lol.

8,000, I'm sure he meant. 800 square foot greens would be tiny. Miniscule. Even Pebble Beach's greens are several times larger than that.

[FHopper]

8000 SqFt does that seem large?
WOW Bing Maps seem much nicer than Google Earth, I would have thought they would be the same Ariel Photos.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...cl=1&encType;=1

[iacas]

2500 square foot greens are 50 x 50. My course has relatively small greens and even they are 25 x 30 yards or so, so that's over 6500 square feet. 8000 is probably about average size.

[Fourputt]

As far as where I play goes, I don't play one of the harder courses in the area for my home course (middle tees, par 72, 120 slope and 69.4 rating). For regular play, I much prefer to play a course with what I call playability. I like a course which allows for a potential recovery when I go astray, as I do quite often. My home course may or may not allow that depending on when and where I stray, but at least the recovery potential is there.

That means that I may have to be very imaginative with my next shot... or I may have to simply punch out to the fairway, or I may not have any shot at all, but at least I don't see every stray shot as being an automatic penalty. My course lets me play golf, it doesn't eat every stray ball, or fatally penalize every bad stroke.

[SQ Bimmer]

Just did the math, 8000 sq ft greens are about 90x90 feet, or 30x30 yards. Would be pretty hard to miss!

[iacas]

Just did the math, 8000 sq ft greens are about 90x90 feet, or 30x30 yards. Would be pretty hard to miss!

Not really... It'd be one thing if the flag was always in the middle of the green and you were always hitting from an optimal spot in the middle of the fairway.

Neither of those are true all the time, or even the vast majority of the time.

[wedge player]

a couse i play has about 1200-1500 sq foot greens

[iacas]

a couse i play has about 1200-1500 sq foot greens

I really doubt it. That's 10 steps by 15 steps. That's

teeny .

[FHopper]

As far as where I play goes, I don't play one of the harder courses in the area for my home course (middle tees, par 72, 120 slope and 69.4 rating). For regular play, I much prefer to play a course with what I call playability. I like a course which allows for a potential recovery when I go astray, as I do quite often. My home course may or may not allow that depending on when and where I stray, but at least the recovery potential is there.

Exactly why I like this course, big and open. I am like you and appreciate the opportunity to recover. This is our long course in town which is nice too, fairway woods get used.

[wedge player]

I really doubt it. That's 10 steps by 15 steps. That's

man i promise,its a super crappy course though they are probably 20 by 25 steps but one green is only 13 steps wide and 19 steps long.

[ctyankee]

So, no world famous holes, but would you have fun playing this course?

Why not? I'm so tired of playing tight fairways I would love to play that course. Besides, the heck with famous holes, any course can be fun to play ... so the question is ... is it?

[FHopper]

It is a lot of fun because it is so open, I have never been blocked from hitting toward the green, (well forward at least).
Another course I play often is very tight and full of old trees, the leaves make it hard to play this time of year. Between the amount of leaves and the low angle of the sun, balls can just "disappear".
One strange thing going on in my town is the Munis are more expensive than the privately owned public courses. The long course is a muni and the tight course is private.

[plugged]

From the blues: #1 452, #2 440, #3 178, #4 434, #5 558, #6 413, #7 577, #8 218, #9 433 #10 545, #11 423, #12 204, # 13 600, #14 431, #15 423, #16 194, #17 418, #18 420

I like those distance a lot. Would give me the chance to use all the clubs in my bag.

The course I play now is only 6400 yds. from the back tees. I end up using about half the clubs in my bag.