Even been disappointed with a round at a nice course?

[MJP]

I adjust the speed of my game to whoever is in front or behind me. If I know the course is crowded and letting us through is not an option, I slow things down, take my time and enjoy the round. I don't like playing speed golf, but I like to have a tempo when playing.

Is it legal to chip around the teebox even in stroke play?

[jetsknicks1]

I've played supposedly nice courses that didn't have the architectural merit that I thought they were, but they usually have so many nice amenities and great conditions that I sort of overlook it.

Slammer & Squire at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine was like that. The service & staff were awesome and the condition of the course was imaculate(sp). The layout however, was nothing to speak of and a bit disapointing.

[Zeph]

Is it legal to chip around the teebox even in stroke play?

Source: Rule 7. Practice 7-2. During Round A player must not make a practice stroke during play of a hole. Between the play of two holes, a player must not make a practice stroke, except that he may practice putting or chipping on or near: (a) the putting green of the hole last played, (b) any practice putting green, or (c) the teeing ground of the next hole to be played in the round, provided a practice stroke is not made from a hazard and does not unduly delay play (Rule 6-7).

[MSchott]

I have said it over and over...

I guess tastes in courses vary but the golf world in general and those who vote on such things disagree with you. I've played San Juan Oaks many times and love it and have played Poppy Ridge a few times. Both are very nice courses but not close to the class of Pasatiempo. Just look at how McKenzie used the land and the artful bunkers and greens complexes. I've never played a course better in this regard. And this was before Tom Doak restored the course. The key is to place your tee or 2nd shots on par 5's so you have a direct shot to the green or else you are contending with the deep, beautiful bunkers. Pasatiempo is not as scenic as the others you mention but it's a better course in every way.

[shortys408]

I got vouchers for 2somes at the westin diplomat in south florida and breakers ocean course in west palm. I hope they are long rounds :)

[chef35ca]

I adjust the speed of my game to whoever is in front or behind me. If I know the course is crowded and letting us through is not an option, I slow things down, take my time and enjoy the round. I don't like playing speed golf, but I like to have a tempo when playing.

Exactly what i had formulating in my mind. This kid taught me a game called 'tee box golf' a couple of years ago involving chipping balls off teeboxes in a sequence. 5 hour rounds suck. Never played a 6 hour round. Got stuck behind the last group of a club championship once at a new course for 5.5 hour round. It was slow, but still enjoyable.

[Fat Slice]

...I arranged another tee time. Just like a restaurant, you can't just it on one meal.

Today's the day - hope it drained well overnight.

[Leftygolfer]

I gotta to agree with Erik in earlier post. I've played many many slow rounds because of people in front of us and you know what makes it terrible. People in my group B**tching about it the whole time. I just try to make the most of it. Pitching around the tee, BSin with my friends, heck I'll have a beer or two. I don't typically drink but if the waiting is getting to me, I'd rather be a little buzzed and play bad than be in a bad mood. I hate waiting and it does kill my mojo at times but its the risk we take playing public courses. But you got to be able to play this way. Want some slow golf. Go play a local tournement. I'm not sure why, but people are so stinking slow if they have to play by the rules.

[Cas57]

I always looked forward to playing Pasatiempo every year as it was on our tournament rotation. I don't think it's a great course but it can be an excellent test of your game but that can depend on the time of year also.
I think in this day and age, it has probably been surpassed by many of the new courses that have been built. I also think that if you had a better experience instead of being stuck behind some hacks, you would probably have appreciated it more. The cost of it has always been on the expensive side.

Good luck on it today!

[Fat Slice]

I got the round in Monday. I had played at Chardonnay on Friday and Sunday and had a horrible night of no sleep (baby...waaaaahhh!!!!) so I was tired and off my game in a lot of ways. The weather was GREAT although it had rained on Saturday. The course was cart-path only due to the saturated fairways very few people were on the course. We had nobody in front of us, nobody behind us.

This time around I took some time to contemplate the layout of every hole and the risk/reward of every shot. I looked at the course as part of the landscape and tried to take in a larger picture. I will have to revise my earier observations somewhat.

To start, playing on a near-empty course versus playing a six hour round behind and surrounded by a bunch of beer-guzzling scrambling hacks makes a world of difference. It has been suggested when playing a super slow round to "Sit back, relax, take in the scenery" - but that's easier said than done, especially after shelling out $220 for a green fee and $30/player for a shared cart. Playing on a sunny day with nobody pushing from behind and nobody slowing you from ahead really *can* take your time and enjoy the scenery and contemplate the layout. I found the course MUCH more enjoyable this time around.

As for the architecture of the course...it really is very interesting. There are a lot of optical illusions that make things look slanted one way when they are the other, or look a lot closer/farther than they really are. Even with a rangefinder you can get fooled. For example, on 18 (a par 3), the flagstick measured 135 with a well elevated tee and stiff breeze at my back. I took off some yards for the elevation change and some more for the wind and hit a pitching wedge (125-130). I barely cleared the canyon. I had to move up to a 9-iron to get pin-high. Talking to some guys in the bar, 18 'plays long'. I never understood the physics of that...must have to do with wind patterns you cannot see (flag waving, leaves moving) - what else could it be? Whatever it is, it's in my book a good design.

The course looks great also. I think part of the problem I had the first time around was that the weather was hazy. Yesterday, it was clear as it gets on the coast and you could see Monterey Bay from a few tees and greens.

I think you have to play this course quite a few times to unlock the secret of scoring. The course layout gives you some serious challenges and what might look like the right line from the tee box can end up giving you a tough second shot. The 11st is one of the nastiest par 4 holes I have played. Your tee shot leaves you hitting off an angled fairway across a big ravine into a tight green (based on your approach angle) with a severe slope if short and bunkertown if long. I've played this improperly a couple of times and even considered laying up and playing for bogey. Thinking about it now, the right move might be to hit a driver as deep as possible and take an approach shot over the trees (with a flatter lie and wider landing zone).

Part of what I did *not* like about the course from an aesthetic point of view is that it seems as though a lot of the property bordering the couse (people's back yards) are not always well-maintained. Playing in the fall with the leaf cover, this time it never showed. I also tried to block out anything other than the course and the horizon scenery. Last time, the beer tents, the Lexus parked on the tee box, the greenside bartender - they all distracted me from enjoying the total experience. This time, with just the course, it was great.

I shot a 44 on the front - 6 bogeys, 2 pars, 1 double (on the easiest hole, go figuire). By 9, however, I was exhausted from the earlier golf, lack of sleep, etc., and I just fell apart on the back 9. I managed 2 pars, 1 bogey, and the rest were unmentionable. Next time I play a premier course, I'll be sure to be well rested. So that's it - I was disppointed the first time around due to all the problems with playing behind and around a boisterous slow tournament, and was thrilled this time, having the course basically to myself, not rushed at all, not slowed at all, great weather, etc. I'd play there again.