What Relatively Common Golf Course Features Do You Dislike?

[boogielicious]

F**king water! Screw that shit!

Play in winter when the water is firm .  Much easier!!

I would say "after thought" hole layouts.  You know where they cram a hole in that has a really weird layout because they couldn't figure out what to do.  We had one at the last course my league was at.  It was a dog leg left par 4 where you had to land it around 150 out to be safe, left and right lateral hazard and long lateral.  Then go over a marshy area to a green that was shaped like the back of a bactrian camel that was pretty much impossible to get even a good shot to stay on.  The green was so steep in the front section, it had a water bar due to the run off.  Just a miserable hole.

[jmsage]

I don't understand why ... those are awesome (sarcasm) ... check out this doozy ...

Seriously ... What in the everlasting ****?!?!?!?!  I am standing on the tee box looking straight down the fairway.  The only grass you see there on the right is one of the old forward tee boxes.  They moved it across that ravine.

This is the dumbest flipping hole ever.  I never saw it then, but I guess when they first built it, the brush was so low that it wasn't a blind shot.  It was still a long carry over a ravine, but it wasn't blind.  If this picture was a little clearer, you'd be able to see the top 16" or so of a 12-15' tall aiming stick that is beyond the fairway.

At this point I feel like the course needs to abandon these tees and push everything across the ravine to where the forward tees are now, and just make it a Par 4.

P.S.  For you Socallers who don't remember, this is #15 at Talega, where we had our Summer outing last year.

[flopster]

Almost forgot, courses near airports, I know this is because of land prices and accessibility in some cases but I remember one place had the freaking runway lights through the fairways on a couple holes in Sunnyvale CA however I also remember getting a nice eagle deuce on one par 4 there as well, holed out from 120 yards .

[MS256]

Play in winter when the water is firm.  Much easier!!

I would say "after thought" hole layouts.  You know where they cram a hole in that has a really weird layout because they couldn't figure out what to do.  We had one at the last course my league was at.  It was a dog leg left par 4 where you had to land it around 150 out to be safe, left and right lateral hazard and long lateral.  Then go over a marshy area to a green that was shaped like the back of a bactrian camel that was pretty much impossible to get even a good shot to stay on.  The green was so steep in the front section, it had a water bar due to the run off.  Just a miserable hole.

I had to smile at that one because that's exactly what the last two holes are where I work.

It's like they went along through 16 holes with only a couple of ridiculous situations but ran out of options on the last two. I wouldn't say that it bothers me but I do wish there was some room to change the holes. One is basically a hard par 3 that is listed as a par 4 (that I posted in another thread).

The last doesn't have any options to play the hole other than a forced carry across a lake off of a downhill lie for a second shot that many players don't have much chance of pulling off.

(There is a special women's green that doesn't have the forced carry but few men throw away their pride and play to that green).

[Aguirre]

Almost forgot, courses near airports, I know this is because of land prices and accessibility in some cases but I remember one place had the freaking runway lights through the fairways on a couple holes in Sunnyvale CA however I also remember getting a nice eagle deuce on one par 4 there as well, holed out from 120 yards.

Haha, there's this lousy course in Pittsburgh called Bon Air.  Depending on what approach route the planes are using, I swear you can see people giving you the finger from landing 737s they're so close.

[Strandly]

I can't stand gas powered carts.  Loud, peace-shattering rickety things... fortunately they seem to be going away.  Coming in at a solid second place are the concrete sand traps.

[Archie Bunker]

Out-of-bounds stakes in the middle of the course, just because they don't want you playing from another fairway. Out-of-bounds should be when you leave the property, such as being in the back yard of a home next to the course.

[davedove]

There is such a thing as too many forced carries on a golf course.

I completely agree on this.  You should always have an option.  Now the option may cost you a lot of extra strokes, but you should still have an option.  I have seen a number of course that require you to cross bodies of water, even from the short tees.

[atxpkrgolf]

2 things bother me as far as superintendent issues.

1.  Pins that are basically illegal being 4 feet from edge of green or pins that are placed in middle of a crown on green.

2. Bunkers with inconsistent sand from one bunker to the next

Don't mind any of the other stuff tho blind shots aren't a lot of fun

[Ernest Jones]

2 things bother me as far as superintendent issues.

1.  Pins that are basically illegal being 4 feet from edge of green or pins that are placed in middle of a crown on green.

2. Bunkers with inconsistent sand from one bunker to the next

Don't mind any of the other stuff tho blind shots aren't a lot of fun

Lol! What does "basically illegal" mean?

Either it's legal or it's illegal. It's not against the Rules. Middle of a crown is definitely a dick move though, I will concede that!

[taxgolf]

I do not like out of bounds. I understand that the space itself may limit the design, but I feel oob is so cheap. Furthermore, I like a course which blend in his natural habitat.

[rehmwa]

nothing new to add, I'm a big fan of variety, so oddball layouts, blind shots, etc don't bother me at all...how boring would it be if all these gripes were implemented - all the courses would be very generic

I'll concur on a couple items

1 - crooked tee boxes - there's something offputting about a tee that doesn't naturally set up the first shot

2 - gas powered carts

maintenance items I agree with, but I don't think they are what the OP was talking about - for that matter, I doubt my #2 item was either

[Patch]

I don't much care for a sweeping dog leg right, with a lateral water hazard along the right side. Just not comfortable with that set up.

[taxgolf]

And I am somewhat manic about repairing pitch marks on greens.

[mcanadiens]

nothing new to add, I'm a big fan of variety, so oddball layouts, blind shots, etc don't bother me at all...how boring would it be if all these gripes were implemented - all the courses would be very generic

I'll concur on a couple items

1 - crooked tee boxes - there's something offputting about a tee that doesn't naturally set up the first shot

2 - gas powered carts

maintenance items I agree with, but I don't think they are what the OP was talking about - for that matter, I doubt my #2 item was either

The bloody crooked tee boxes kill me. I have one course that I play where there are a couple of these. I suppose I ought to be able to aim, line up and hit a ball in a particular direction regardless, but my 10-cent brain can't get around it.

On a short dogleg par 4, the box is lined up straight at a line of trees. I've sat myself behind those trees more times than I care to remember. When I don't do that, I send it so far to the left that I'm hitting a 3W out of the rough. 30 or so cracks at it and maybe 3 fairways.

[iacas]

The bloody crooked tee boxes kill me. I have one course that I play where there are a couple of these. I suppose I ought to be able to aim, line up and hit a ball in a particular direction regardless, but my 10-cent brain can't get around it.

Trick: tee up a club length or so back of the tee markers. They have a lot less influence when you're not right up against the invisible line connecting them.

[Jeremie Boop]

Trick: tee up a club length or so back of the tee markers. They have a lot less influence when you're not right up against the invisible line connecting them.

I'll need to start  using that, because this is one of the things that gets me constantly.

The course I played with Mc this weekend had a sweeping dogleg right with a tee that aimed you left and trees that blocked you from even hitting to the right. It was a decently long par 5 too, which meant you either had to be able to hit a nice fade or lay up straight out and short. I went the "fade" route which turned into a big slice into water. Yeah, that hole ate me alive.

[mcanadiens]

Trick: tee up a club length or so back of the tee markers. They have a lot less influence when you're not right up against the invisible line connecting them.

Thanks. I'll give it a whack next time I tangle with that dastardly Eagle course.