Most Difficult Course You’ve Played

[Big Duffer]

Bethpage Black.  I used to live in the area and would play it as often as I could.  A few things make it harder than it needs to be:

1.  its waaaay to hard to get a time over the phone, you need to sleep out overnight to get a time.  Unless you have a sizable ride - you don't get a good night sleep.
2. Not sure if its this way still, but they prevent people from using drivers at the range.  why?  The range length hasn't changed in forever and the equipment has gotten better, endangering the road.

So you're sleep deprived and have not hit a driver on a course that demands a good driving day.

Still, if I could, I'd be there tomorrow 

[Billy Z]

For Michigan residents, or those who have visited, Arcadia Bluffs is a tough challenge. 

[dagogolfer25]

Pete Dye at French Lick from 8,000 yards. We played the Donald Ross in the morning, which was a great track. So playing from 8,000 for your second 18 of the day was incredibly stupid. Strictly just to say we did it. Our caddie had been there for 8 months and we were the first group he ever got to play from back there. Would be an awesome course from 7,000, and a lot more fun. 

[Bucki1968]

`I know it's been said but I gotta go with Deer Island. It's hard to pick one because some have been harder than others based on the weather. I played Bay Hill a few years ago in about a 20-25 mph wind and it was brutal. I played "The Bear" in Michigan in some really miserable weather and that was brutal also. It's hard to pick just one.

[wavygolf]

On 1/9/2018 at 8:09 AM, Ty_Webb said:

For unrelenting trouble everywhere and really long I would say The Ocean Course at Kiawah. I played there a long time ago and I was not as good then, so maybe that has skewed my thinking. In its typical weather and from the back tees, Royal St Georges is ridiculously hard. Winged Foot West is very tough too, especially from that back tees, although remarkably playable from the more forward tees. 

I agree with kiawah island. Man that wind is brutal but such a nice course. Stayed at the sanctuary for the Audi US Finals.

[djake]

Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head - the first 8 holes were just fine then the course reminded me there is water on every hole.  I found the water on every hole after #8.  

The Wilds, Prior Lake MN.  I can never play a complete round on this course

Spirit Hollow Burlington IA probably one of my favorite golf courses, this and Atlantic Dunes

Oldfield Country Club, Okatie, SC another great course that I really enjoy and am fortunate to get invited to play.

[Buckeyebowman]

Where are the topics I "multi-quoted"? This bullshit pisses me off! i'm out!

[dagolfer18]

During spring break last year, I played a nice, but very tricky, course here in Durham.  It’s called Duke University Golf Club. It was probably $100/person, so definitely not cheap. From the tips, the course is a par 72, 7154 yards, course/slope rating 74.8/142. But, I played the whites, which was 6127 yards, course/slope rating 70.2/126. We started off on no 10, and I shot a 52. Then when we made the turn, I shot a 46 on the front for a 98 total. Very slick greens. On probably half the holes, if you missed the green, you had either a bunker shot or a really tough chip shot. My two favorite holes were 12 and 13 (our third and fourth on the day). The 11th is a downhill par 5, with a third shot over a creek. Then the twelfth was a short par 3 (130 from whites) over a lake. I believe I doubled both. But, if you’re in the RDU area, definitely a good course to check out.

Edited December 5, 2019 by dagolfer18

[iacas]

I've played Duke… what's tricky about it? It feels like a pretty straightforward course to me.

Define "tricky" too…?

[Darkfrog]

I played TPC Harding Park recently. I was told by a course regular in my group that the fairways had been narrowed in preparation for the 2020 PGA Championship, and that the rough was being thickened. I have never played this course before, so I can't verify whether or not this information was correct.

I had multiple drives where I would have allegedly been in a fairway with normal fairway width, but instead I was laying in thick (but still pretty short) rough, which really grabbed the club through the ball.

The difficulty seemed manufactured to me (narrow fairways, thick rough) rather than a difficult course layout/architecture. As a 17 handicap, I have the capability to turn the most simple holes into total disaster, so I'm probably not a great judge of this anyways.

[golfer2b2000]

12 hours ago, iacas said:

I've played Duke… what's tricky about it? It feels like a pretty straightforward course to me.

Define "tricky" too…?

I have never played it, but some of us golfers who are not "PROS" may find just about any golf course "tricky".Mr. DAGOLFER was just making a statement as to what he found the course to be. Not all of us are "pros", but we all still enjoy the game. To make a statement like "whats tricky about it" was poorly put, but who am I. I also don't consider all pros to be real pros. To me the guys I see on TV, are the real pros, and for the most part not the ones who are labeled that at our local golf courses. I know this...to become a pro at a local golf course is not as difficult as most people think. I know what PRO stands for, but I am sure it is not what you think it is...Good day...

[DaveP043]

9 hours ago, golfer2b2000 said:

I have never played it, but some of us golfers who are not "PROS" may find just about any golf course "tricky".Mr. DAGOLFER was just making a statement as to what he found the course to be. Not all of us are "pros", but we all still enjoy the game. To make a statement like "whats tricky about it" was poorly put, but who am I. I also don't consider all pros to be real pros. To me the guys I see on TV, are the real pros, and for the most part not the ones who are labeled that at our local golf courses. I know this...to become a pro at a local golf course is not as difficult as most people think. I know what PRO stands for, but I am sure it is not what you think it is...Good day...

I've never played it either, but as someone who travels through that area regularly, I'd be interested in hearing what @dagolfer found to be tricky.  Perhaps it had a straightforward routing, but sloping or tiered greens.  Maybe there are a bunch of blind shots.  That type of description would be welcome when we're discussing difficult courses, and it has nothing to do with the professional/amateur status of the poster.

As for what PRO stands for, its pretty clearly defined in the rules of amateur standing.  There's no question that there's a big gap between a player on the PGA Tour and a typical club pro, or even a good teaching pro.  But that doesn't mean that any particular PGA Tour professional has a greater understanding or appreciation for golf architecture than the club or teaching pro.

[Phil McGleno]

11 hours ago, golfer2b2000 said:

I have never played it, but some of us golfers who are not "PROS" may find just about any golf course "tricky".Mr. DAGOLFER was just making a statement as to what he found the course to be. Not all of us are "pros", but we all still enjoy the game. To make a statement like "whats tricky about it" was poorly put, but who am I. I also don't consider all pros to be real pros. To me the guys I see on TV, are the real pros, and for the most part not the ones who are labeled that at our local golf courses. I know this...to become a pro at a local golf course is not as difficult as most people think. I know what PRO stands for, but I am sure it is not what you think it is...Good day...

Ha ha ha ha-Wake up on the crabby side of the bed today dood?

Duke is not far from me and in no way is it "tricky" so I get why he is asking.

And before you go on a rant about how I am not a real "pro"-just go look up the freaking definition. I am a golf professional just like @iacas and a former professional golfer-Which he has never claimed to be at all.

[mcanadiens]

@dagolfer18 and @golfer2b2000, no reason to get all upset here. Probably just a confusion between how we use the words tricky and just plain old hard.

A 600-yard hole with narrow tree-lined fairways and six-inch rough isn't tricky. It's pretty damn obvious what you have to do, just really hard for us modestly skilled types.

Like @DaveP043 said, tricky is when its hard to understand what you need to do. Blind Shots, false fronts, hazards that aren't visible from the tee box, greens that break the opposite way if what they look and those sort of things.  

 

[dagolfer18]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I've never played it either, but as someone who travels through that area regularly, I'd be interested in hearing what @dagolfer found to be tricky.  Perhaps it had a straightforward routing, but sloping or tiered greens.  Maybe there are a bunch of blind shots.  That type of description would be welcome when we're discussing difficult courses, and it has nothing to do with the professional/amateur status of the poster.

As for what PRO stands for, its pretty clearly defined in the rules of amateur standing.  There's no question that there's a big gap between a player on the PGA Tour and a typical club pro, or even a good teaching pro.  But that doesn't mean that any particular PGA Tour professional has a greater understanding or appreciation for golf architecture than the club or teaching pro.

The course had really slick greens, and the best place to miss on your approach shot wasn’t pretty. So it was either hit the green with your approach or you’re in trouble, specifically bunkers. Loads of them.

[DaveP043]

Just now, dagolfer18 said:

The course had really slick greens, and the best place to miss on your approach shot wasn’t pretty. So it was either hit the green with your approach or you’re in trouble, specifically bunkers. Loads of them.

Thanks for the description, that makes it clearer.  To me, that's not really tricky, but is definitely demanding, I can see why you mentioned it in this thread.

[dagolfer18]

On 12/5/2019 at 10:04 AM, iacas said:

I've played Duke… what's tricky about it? It feels like a pretty straightforward course to me.

Define "tricky" too…?

It may be straightforward to you, because you’re a low handicapper. I’m a bogey golfer, so Duke was definitely more demanding to me because of my current ability level. Of course, if I get to your level, the course may not seem as demanding anymore. As for ‘tricky’, all it means to me is just something that’s hard. Duke, to me, was definitely tricky. Hope this clarifies things a bit for you.

[iacas]

1 minute ago, dagolfer18 said:

It may be straightforward to you, because you’re a low handicapper. I’m a bogey golfer, so Duke was definitely more demanding to me because of my current ability level. Of course, if I get to your level, the course may not seem as demanding anymore. As for ‘tricky’, all it means to me is just something that’s hard. Duke, to me, was definitely tricky. Hope this clarifies things a bit for you.

That's why I asked. I have very different definitions for "hard/demanding" and "tricky."

To me, they're very much not the same thing.