What is the most important part of a golf course?

[bm85]

Tee boxes.

Uneven, wore out tee boxes on par 3's make the green look further away to me.

[Patch]

I like a well managed course. Divot friendly fairways, and greens with a consistent roll.  After that, a decent practice area. Third on my list would be a well run 19th hole. I suppose there is a 4th item, and that would be affordable green fees. Right now I am about 15 minutes from a course that meets those 4 items.

The one item I don't usually find when traveling, are practice greens, that do not play the same as the 18 hole greens.

[Hardspoon]

When selecting a course to play for a certain round, condition actually doesn't come into play much simply because there is a certain "minimum" course condition that I'll play at...has to be relatively well-kept, or I won't even consider playing it regardless of anything else.

So, condition ends up being sort of a binary thing.

I'd put the other factors in the following general order of importance:

1.) Pace of play

2.) Distance from my house

3.) Layout / design

4.) Walkability

Regarding condition of specific parts of the course, I think greens are also the most important, followed by bunkers (surprised not many people mentioned this), then fairways, then tee boxes.

[Ongle]

For me, it's the course design.  If the layout is boring, it doesn't matter what condition it's in.  I have enjoyed well designed courses by top name architects, even when the conditions are not quite perfect.  If the conditions are maintained as well, then it is truly a delight.

I agree, I want an interesting, challenging layout that forces me to think hard and potentially be creative with my shots. I'm happy if the course has that and half decent greens and would take that any day over a beautifully kept course that is just an up and down, with no interest. I'm not a golf snob who is outraged if there is a divot on the tee box!

[Fourputt]

Player friendliness.  By that I mean I prefer a course where every errant shot isn't punished by dropping a new ball.  A course should lean toward letting the player stay as closely as possible to the principle of playing the ball as it lies.

A course can do that and still not be a pushover.  Those lies off the planned track can be penal in themselves, but not to the point of always forcing the player drop out of trouble in order to continue play.  This can be done by nothing more complex than strategically placed trees and bunkers.  You don't need 6" rough or 30 miles of water hazards for a course to reward good shots and punish poor ones.

I play golf to play my ball, not hit, search, drop, then do it all over again.

(This suggestion (or rant if you prefer) comes in the wake of my round today on a course which is 100% target golf.  Miss and you dig out another ball.  It was the least enjoyable 18 holes of the 153 that I played in the last 6 days.)

[Kenny Lee]

For me, how much they charge for beer is most important.

[stealthhwk]

For me, its simple; nice greens, nice fairways, decent greens, and good pace of play. Good pace of play is an endangered species in the dfw area these days.

[mtsalmela80]

I would say generally speaking greens. It all comes down to greens, no only for putting but chips and pitches.

Up here in the northeast, right now many cheaper courses, and even a couple expensive ones, are suffering badly from severely burned out fairways, like hitting off a dirt driveway, which is a pet peeve of mine. However that is environmental, so with all other things equal, greens of course.

[BubblesUSMC]

well its sad to say, but yes you can get away with alot of other bad areas if the greens are good.

If the greens are bad and everything else is super awesome amazing!!!  Then it wont matter that everything else is good... the last thing the golfer remembers is the 18th green.

[rehmwa]

the bloody mary recipe