Have you ever had a course grow on you?

[nevets88]

There's a course I wasn't too keen on, I dunno what turned me off, the layout is actually pretty interesting, it's well kept enough. Sometimes irrational preferences keep you from making an objective judgement. Anyways, now I'm like, wow, that's a pretty good course. Ever do a 180 opinion change on a course, without it being modified?

[HJJ003]

Hahaha yeah my home course! I played it once in high school with my soon to be brother in law and we both thought poorly of the course. Too tight, too much water/OB, only Par 65, just not my cup of tea. 

Fast forward to my late 20s and I love the fact the course allows me to play 18 holes in 3 hours, for $20 after 4, love the challenge of keeping the ball in play off the tee, working on irons more, and I almost always feel like I have a mammoth amount of room every where else I play!

[Patch]

Yeah, the old Winterwood Course, later known as Desert Rose in Vegas. Tight fairways, and smallish greens. Just about every hole had water on one side, and someone's back yard on the other. If it didn't have water, it was a dry wash waiting for water. 

It was also called "The Ditch" because of the drainage ditch that separated the fairways.

I'd take friends there from out of town. They were not happy after 18 holes. No room to play was their common complaint. I was playing great golf on it, with breaking 80 a normal score for me. Even shot par on it a few times. 

In recent years it's been refurbished, and up dated. I have yet to play it since the up grades were finished. 

Loved this golf course. 

Edited June 6, 2018 by Patch

[iacas]

I voted no.

I have "disliked" or "liked" other courses that are generally regarded as having the opposite opinion, though.

For example I find that a lot of my college kids care only about a course's conditioning, and not the layout, in forming an opinion. Or they care way too much about how they played that day, and that plays too large a role in forming their opinion.

P.S. Poll added, @nevets88.

[dennyjones]

The Title and the opinion poll offer the possibility of different answers.    I've had courses grow on me that I thought were "meh" but my opinion improved.    I've never completely changed my opinion about a course.   

[MarvChamp]

I changed my mind from a preconceived negative notion about the Texas Tech Ralls Course in Lubbock. It was basically dug out of West Texas mesquite-filled flat pasture land. How could this be even a mediocre course? As I played it, I began to pay attention to the beauty of the design and how much work the students from disciplines like botany, horticulture, forestry, landscape architecture, agriculture, etc. put into it. It's a lab in some ways, and beautifully maintained. Golf there is challenging and superb. I did not want it to end. Same impression each time I've had opportunity to play it. There are others but that one sticks in my mind. Good topic, -Marv

[HJJ003]

  On 6/6/2018 at 1:31 PM, MarvChamp said:

I changed my mind from a preconceived negative notion about the Texas Tech Ralls Course in Lubbock. It was basically dug out of West Texas mesquite-filled flat pasture land. How could this be even a mediocre course? As I played it, I began to pay attention to the beauty of the design and how much work the students from disciplines like botany, horticulture, forestry, landscape architecture, agriculture, etc. put into it. It's a lab in some ways, and beautifully maintained. Golf there is challenging and superb. I did not want it to end. Same impression each time I've had opportunity to play it. There are others but that one sticks in my mind. Good topic, -Marv

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Ah yes Tom Doak doing what he does...I look forward to the chance to play there. 

[iacas]

I think that one of the reasons I was able to vote "No" is that I don't really form opinions that I consider at all "set" quickly. Not of golf courses. I want to see them in different weather conditions, as they settle in, etc.

[mcanadiens]

It's not so much that courses have grown on me, as it is I've grown into certain courses.

I've played my current home courses for most of the last five years because 1) it's the most affordable option I have and 2) It's nicely located between home and work.

Early on, I'd get frustrated playing the longer of the two courses because I just didn't hit the ball far enough to have much of a chance. Now that I'm somewhat better, the longer course is much preferred to its more hazardous sister

[Hardspoon]

I voted "no"...I don't get a chance to play very often, so if I don't like a course the first time I play it, I'm probably not going back.

Closest I could think of: there is one course I used to play in Philly that I never liked, because the maintenance was crap and they let it completely degrade, and there were serious issues with the layout.  But once I read more about it (well after I had decided to never play it again), I could at least appreciate the design and understand that it USED to be good.

https://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/walnut-lane/

[markste]

Definitely had courses grow on me. I would say the way you play influences your opinions on a course heavily. If you don't play well you're not so keen, if you play well you generally will enjoy the course too. The best courses are those where you play bad and still enjoy them! So sometimes if you go to a new place and play bad the first time but return and play better, they definitely grow on you.

[zipazoid]

Actually yeah, and it was very recent -

Wife & I visited Mexico in April, researching places to retire since I'm two years away from that. We checked out Lake Chapala, which is a wonderful place - Mexico's largest freshwater lake, 5,000 feet up, a half hour south of Guadalajara.

They only have two courses Lakeside, both of them 9 hole layouts. One of them is private, so I ended up playing the other, Chula Vista, 4 times. It's short, hilly & tight. No carts so you have to walk, and you must take a caddy.

At first I thought, "Oh great. A short 9 holer" but by the time I played it the fourth time, that's a tough track! You got landing areas the size of a picnic table or you'll get a bad kick or worse. Greens in great shape with severe slopes to them. And without a caddy, you'd be lost trying to read them. Thoroughly enjoyed playing it along with getting to know my caddies. 😉

 

 

[Piz]

I've gotten to enjoy some places more than I did the first time through; but I'll play anywhere and feel happy to be there so long as the pace of play is reasonable.

[GolfLug]

Voted no. There might be courses I actually like less. 

An example. I recently played Talamore thrice in a week during a trip to Pinehurst in June, a course I played twice last year. But nope, don't like any more than before. I mention this course particularly as I went in hoping I would like it more this time but not sure what it is about this course that makes me dislike it. 

 

[DaveP043]

  On 7/18/2018 at 10:51 PM, GolfLug said:

Voted no. There might be courses I actually like less. 

An example. I recently played Talamore thrice in a week during a trip to Pinehurst in June, a course I played twice last year. But nope, don't like any more than before. I mention this course particularly as I went in hoping I would like it more this time but not sure what it is about this course that makes me dislike it. 

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If you spent any time in even one of those deep revetted bunkers, you could really learn to hate it.

[GolfLug]

  On 7/19/2018 at 4:31 PM, DaveP043 said:

If you spent any time in even one of those deep revetted bunkers, you could really learn to hate it.

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Yeah, did that a few times. But the course has a contrivance factor that bugged me if I had to put a finger on it. It seems to struggle for a singular identity.

On a flip note Mid South cemented my liking for it. The reno is really coming into maturity.

Edited July 19, 2018 by GolfLug

[DeadMan]

  On 7/19/2018 at 4:46 PM, GolfLug said:

Yeah, did that a few times. But the course has a contrivance factor that bugged me if I had to put a finger on it. It seems to struggle for a singular identity.

On a flip note Mid South cemented my liking for it. The reno is really coming into maturity.

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I can see what you mean. There are a couple of contrived (1, 16, 11 to a certain extent - you have to aim so far left to stay in the fairway) and boring holes (3, the back 9 par 3s) there. I thought there were enough good holes to make up for it, and I would play it again, but I can see not liking it.

That said, I don't think it's possible to explain the depth of my disdain for #1 at Talamore.

Also, I just looked up the designer of Talamore: Rees Jones. Ah. I'm surprised there aren't any holes with a 20 yard fairway and fairway bunkers on both sides. It could really have been a lot worse.

Edited July 19, 2018 by DeadMan

[millsan1]

There is a course near me that is pretty tough, a lot of people hate because it is so tough and regularly kicks my butt.  The first time I played it the words "never again" may have come out of my mouth.

I now love it and play every chance i get because it is so tough on me.