Your Favourite Form of Punishment

[Moxley]

Simple really, what excites you the most . Of course, I'm sure we all love the danger free holes sometimes, but that'd soon become boring. And then there's the competitive aspect - some hazards help us if we're less effected than the field. 

I appreciate that there are different categories in each (lateral water vs ditches vs lakes) , and that there are other 'problems' that course designers can give to golfers like blind shots, so there's no perfect way to categorise this and I've just kept options broad.

Personally, water hazards are by far my favourite , not only do they make a course look better, but I think more tactical play. My least favourite is probably trees, as I feel they introduce more luck.

[jbishop15]

I love hitting out of thick rough. Take one of those old style Tiger hacks at one with a seven iron, trying to fly it to the green and spin it. I almost never works, but it's fun as hell. 

[klineka]

I voted sand. I love how courses look with sandy waste areas like you see in the Pinehurst, North Carolina area. 

One of the things I hate the most that is a feature on quite a few courses around me, especially on par 5s, is a creek/ditch or water that goes across the middle of the fairway right around 260-280 yards, forcing you to hit 3 wood off the tee (unless you can carry it 300) which means you likely wont reach the par 5 in 2 shots and have to hit consecutive 3 woods.

I like being able to step up to a par 5 with a driver and know that if I hit the tee shot well, I at least give myself the option to try and reach the green with my next shot. I'm not a fan of standing at the tee box on a par 5 knowing I have no chance of reaching the green in 2 shots simply because I'm forced to hit 3 wood off the tee. 

I dont like heavy rough either, nothing is more frustrating than hitting a tee shot only a few yards off the fairway and then not being able to find it because of the rough when you know for a fact that it is still in play. Rough can be penalizing but still be short enough to be able to see your ball. We dont get ball spotters with little flags like they have on the PGA tour 

[Foot Wedge]

5 minutes ago, klineka said:

Rough can be penalizing but still be short enough to be able to see your ball. We dont get ball spotters with little flags like they have on the PGA tour 

This.  It's just a pain for joe average.  I voted sand as well.  Looks much nicer and the thump of a good bunker shot is extremely satisfying.  Having said that out loud, I've now cursed myself to at least one bunker mess next round.

[Lihu]

Can't hit out of water, I can't hit through a tree, heavy rough might be pretty bad so I picked sand in hopes that you meant a green side bunker or something?

The title made me think not golf related things and it just peaked my curiosity

[Patch]

Sand for me. Easiest of those listed to get out of.

Although not listed, I don't mind hitting out of divots.

Trees, and rough can be dangerous.

[Fourputt]

I voted trees. 

For the typical amateur, heavy rough causes lost balls and slows down play for ball searches. 

Sand can be overused on some courses, and some seem to think that being in a bunker should be at least a one stroke penalty.  Crazy high lips, especially on fairway bunkers, are simply no fun when being anywhere in the bunker eliminates any opportunity to reach the green, regardless of how well you hit the shot.   This is what I mean - I actually like this course, but I hate these bunkers.  I once took 5 strokes to get out of this one, and I was playing quite well at the time.

  

I've played courses where the water was used excessively in place of any sort of creative and interesting design.  Water can be incorporated into the design so that it's a factor in one's planning and play without making the course into a torture track.

I suppose that trees can be abused and overused in the same way as the above features, but for me, I rarely find them to be quite as penalizing.  I just like the look of a course with mature trees framing the holes.  

Edited February 9, 2018 by Fourputt

[NCGolfer]

Voted sand.  I've grown accustomed and fond of sand down here in NC.  Like @klineka, I enjoy the golf in the sandhills and pines.  There is less water hazards here, which is fine with me.  I like the look/constrast of sand against the green of the course.

[Moxley]

2 hours ago, klineka said:

One of the things I hate the most that is a feature on quite a few courses around me, especially on par 5s, is a creek/ditch or water that goes across the middle of the fairway right around 260-280 yards, forcing you to hit 3 wood off the tee (unless you can carry it 300) which means you likely wont reach the par 5 in 2 shots and have to hit consecutive 3 woods.

I like being able to step up to a par 5 with a driver and know that if I hit the tee shot well, I at least give myself the option to try and reach the green with my next shot. I'm not a fan of standing at the tee box on a par 5 knowing I have no chance of reaching the green in 2 shots simply because I'm forced to hit 3 wood off the tee. 

Interesting. I like ditches across the fairway, but I agree that bad placement can make it a bad feature. I think these need to challenge mid-longer hitters to carry them while providing a safe option that won't be too restrictive. 250+ is too far for virtually golfers to confidently carry, while 230 would limit even average hitters to taking less club. A diagonal ditch (say that runs to 215 near side of fw, 260 far side) can work well though.  

 

 

 

[Kalnoky]

I voted water. With the wet weather around here, even short courses have plenty of water. Our creeks, rivers, and ponds just never dry out. We are used to the challenge of carrying the water and it does add a fun element of strategy. For example, teeing off w/ less than driver. 

The worst for me is sand, for the same reason as above - we don't see a lot of sand up here so I'm terrible in the sand trap. I got a lot of "practice" down in Palm Springs last fall with the sand. No thank you. 

Edited February 9, 2018 by Kalnoky

[mcanadiens]

If the courses I play on actually had sand in the traps, it may be different. I went with trees

Making something out of a shot with a tree in the way can be fun. Maybe it's threading a ball through an opening, lofting it over the thing or hitting a punch-draw underneath it. When you take the time to see the shot and actually pull it off, it's a pretty nice feeling.

Edited February 9, 2018 by mcanadiens

[NJpatbee]

Unfortunately I have learned to play out of the sand fairly well out of necessity. 

[GolfLug]

Sand, even if the bunker has only namesake's worth, as far as being in it so voted for it. Fairway, green-side, anywhere. It's the only hazard that I can do anything somewhat predictable from and least likely to drop anymore than a shot. 

Visually par 3 greens framed by water are really nice but water running along on the left side of a tight fairway on a par 4 or par 5 is most hated as left is my top two miss (right is my other miss, in case you are wondering ..:-)). 

Don't care for trees much on a course. Most times it's automatic punch out or dropped shot and visually they do little more than block the expanisve view of the entire course IMO. I guess they serve as a shield for and from adjacent holes on inner city parkland style courses.

I don't mind gorse. Any course I have played with gorse is usually a windswept links type course (have never played real links), which I love the look of.       

 

 

Edited February 9, 2018 by GolfLug

[DeadMan]

Sand or trees for me. They are punitive, but allow you to recover if you hit a good (or maybe great shot). This is with the caveat that trees should be groomed properly so you have a chance to escape them and don't have to take a penalty.

[cooke119]

I voted water because we all know balls are attracted to it. 

[Fourputt]

3 hours ago, klineka said:

I voted sand. I love how courses look with sandy waste areas like you see in the Pinehurst, North Carolina area. 

One of the things I hate the most that is a feature on quite a few courses around me, especially on par 5s, is a creek/ditch or water that goes across the middle of the fairway right around 260-280 yards, forcing you to hit 3 wood off the tee (unless you can carry it 300) which means you likely wont reach the par 5 in 2 shots and have to hit consecutive 3 woods.

I like being able to step up to a par 5 with a driver and know that if I hit the tee shot well, I at least give myself the option to try and reach the green with my next shot. I'm not a fan of standing at the tee box on a par 5 knowing I have no chance of reaching the green in 2 shots simply because I'm forced to hit 3 wood off the tee. 

 

To me, this is no different from saying that you don't like stepping up to the tee on a shortish par 4 and finding that you can't go for it full out because of a design feature that prevents it.   I feel that they call it a par 5 for a reason.  I'm not a fan of using a water hazard like that excessively, but I also don't see why every par 5 should be "reachable".  I've played some great short par 5 holes, and some longer ones that still made you select clubs and shots carefully.   A good course will mix it up, and should have at least one honest par 5 hole.

[mdl]

I voted water.  I see the argument in favor of sand, which even if it's tough gives you some chance to recover with an excellent shot.  But I just like water on the course.  It's pretty, and in terms of play, I like that it's a hard, definite penalty.  I feel like it does the best job of forcing interesting tactical decisions.

[The Hook Meister]

I voted trees. I grew up playing on a course that was built among the giant redwood trees in northern California. I don't much care for water my balls however don;t seen to mind all that much, the same for sand. .