| You know what I really hate? I hate it when people insist on playing from the championship tees so that they can "see all of the course" and then they go out and fail to break 90. So when they say they want to see the whole course, they mean they want to see the trees, the lakes, the rough, the sand traps, and maybe even sometimes the fairway if they are lucky. As far as I am concerned, these people are one of the prime reasons for the 5 1/2 hour round that we all know today. (See Pet Peeve #2) Unless someone sports a low handicap (low teens or better), they have no business playing from the championship tees and for that matter, they would probably enjoy themselves much more from a middle set of tees. In Scotland and Ireland, most of the old courses will not even let people play from the champion set of tees unless they are playing in a tournament and even then they will be required to produce proof of a sufficient handicap. People in the United States have become so egotistical that it is more important to play from the back tees than it is to play the game right and stay within their limitations. |
| Now as for the 5 1/2 hour round, I think we all share a hate for this abomination. I hate to keep referring back to Ireland and Scotland, but that is where the game began and that is where every good principal of the game originated and is still being practiced. When I played St. Andrews, I think both of my rounds lasted no more than 3 hours and 20 minutes. Never did any of the rounds that I have played over there stretch to more than 4 hours. There is just no excuse for it. But here, people just have not learned how to play the game in the manner that it was intended. Be ready to hit your ball when your partners have completed their shot. Do not use that as a cue to begin your pre-shot routine, but as a cue to complete it and hit the damn ball. And the pre-shot routine itself has become incredibly overblown. Are you playing in the final round of the Masters or a recreational weekend round? Do you really need to plumb bob that putt? I don't even know what the hell a plumb bob will tell you anyway. Do you really need to stand over that ball for a full minute before you swing the club? Do you really need to look at that putt from every angle imaginable? Come on, just play the damn game! |
| Another thing that bothers me is people that take the game so seriously. The key word here is game. Now I am as intense of a person out on the golf course as the next guy, but I am intense about my personal performance. I want to do well. I might even go so far as to huck a club every once in a while in disgust (Those who have known me for several years know this well). But, I do not extend this intensity towards my partners or anyone else on the course. I hit a bad shot and I move on and remember to enjoy myself and the company of my playing partners. I never let how I am playing affect my attitude towards other people on the golf course. When people go out of their way to yell at someone for talking in their backswing or accidentally hitting a drive into their foursome or any other discretion, they have taken it too far. Unless something is done on purpose, more than likely the player who committed the transgression feels bad enough and they do not need to have someone else take out their frustrations on them too. So remember, it is only a game, try and enjoy yourself and don't take out your frustrations on others. Even though I obviously have some very strong opinions about how people should behave on the golf course, I do not try and impose it on others. |
| The following is a listing of my favorite courses. Some are local and some are ones I have played during vacations. Even though I have ranked them, they are all excellent courses and well worth playing. Although I may have ranked one higher than the other it is purely subjective. The way I evaluate a course is based upon what I feel is the playability of the course. Is it a fair course. Does it reward a good shot. Does it give the average player a way to make a good score if they execute properly. Is it an aesthetically attractive course. The courses that top my list are courses that have holes that you remember years after having played the course. How many times have you played a course and then a week later been unable to remember the details of even one hole? Obviously, my preference falls upon links style courses which generally is going to be courses that are on the ocean. Links courses typically have very few if any trees and no out of bounds. They have long natural grasses for the rough and fairly wide fairways. Greens are typically undulating and bunkers are fairly placed but severe. Although I do have a few inland courses on my list, I view them as unnatural to the traditional golf course but appreciate them for what they are. So, I am even less a fan of desert golf courses and courses that weave in and out of lava fields. They are beautiful in an artificial sort of way. Don't get me wrong, they are still a lot of fun to play, but given a choice, I would opt for a more traditional style of course. Living in the bay area, I think a lot of us take for granted how lucky we are to live so close to so many beautiful courses. Unfortunately most of them are extremely overpriced. One way to look at it is that instead of spending all the money on airfare and hotel to travel somewhere and play golf, save the money on travel, stay at home and use the money towards playing the fantastic courses we have from the Monterey Peninsula all the way to the Lake Tahoe area. |
| Comments | |
|---|---|
| 1. Pebble Beach | Beautiful ocean views, great risk reward factor, a memorable experience. Ridiculously expensive, but you have to do it once. |
| 2. St. Andrews (Old Course) | The ultimate spiritual golf experience. Impossible to describe in words the feeling of playing this course. The town of St. Andrews is all about golf. It is an experience not to be missed. |
| 3. Royal Dornoch (Scotland) | Incredible links course. 9 holes out to the point on the ocean, and 9 holes back. Gorgeous, fair, tough course. |
| 4. Ballybunion (Ireland) | The equal of Pebble Beach in scenery. A majestic, lush green, links course. Unbelievable course, I'll definitely go back and play it again someday |
| 5. Bay Hill (Orlando) | Incredible course. Memorable holes. Owned by Arnold Palmer, he lives and plays there all throughout the winter. There is even a set of tees that you will not find on the score card that he sets up specifically to his game. Great stretch of finishing holes. Old style ammenities. Must be a hotel guest to play. They have an amazing deal starting May 1st each year, for about $175 a night, which includes room, breakfast and 18 holes of golf. There are only about 50 rooms, all overlooking the golf course. The men's locker room includes a full bar, poker tables, and the lockers of many of the tour players that live in the Orlando area. Great golf experience! |
| 6. Olympic Club (Lake) | My favorite in-land course. The toughest set of par 4's I've ever played. Just a beautiful, fair golf course. |
| 7. Spyglass | The second toughest set of Par 4's I have ever played. Wish the whole course played on the water. |
| 8. Lahinch (Ireland) | Designed by Old Tom Morris. I didn't expect much when I got out there, but the course plays along the ocean and has many unique and memorable holes. |
| 9. PGA West Stadium Course (Palm Springs) | Incredible challenging layout. If you can't drive the ball well, don't even bother playing. Expensive, but worth playing once. |
| 10. Pasatiempo | Great old track. Small fast greens. Very playable. |
| 11. Spanish Bay | This course grows on you the more you play it. It has some funky holes, but it also has some great holes. It also is where I made my only hole in one, so it holds a special place for me. It also has some fantastic ocean views. |
| 12. World Woods (Pine Barren) | Located between Orlando and Tampa. This course is fashioned after Pine Valley. Very unique and beautiful course. There is another course there fashioned after Augusta, both courses designed by Tom Fazio. It is out in the boonies, but worth the drive if you are in the area. Best facility for practice and play I have ever seen. |
| 13. Sea Ranch Golf Links | The most traditional links course I have played in the United States. Sea Ranch is one of the best bargains you will see for a course of its quality. I have grown up playing this course, so it definitely has some sentimental value for me as well. |
| 14. Poppy Ridge | The more I play Poppy Ridge, the more I appreciate it. I especially like the Merlot 9. The risk reward factor here is excellent. If it was on the ocean it would definitely merit true links status. |
| 15. Hiddenbrooke | A semi-private course located in Vallejo. Eventually it will be private, so play it while you can. Almost every hole at Hiddenbrooke is a memorable one. It weaves in and out of natural wetlands. Again, the risk-reward factor is great here. Some of the best greens around. |
| 16. San Juan Oaks | This course grows on me each time I play it. Although I think the closing two holes are too severe, the rest of the course is fantastic. The greens are great and the course is a true test of golf. Like Poppy Ridge, a links course lost in a sea of land. |
| 17. Pacific Grove Municipal | This course is a true treasure. Located within a mile of Spanish Bay, Spyglass and Pebble, PG Muni can be played for a fraction of the cost and you can still enjoy full price views of the ocean and enjoy playing your ball from a sand dune and bump and run it to their very small greens. |
| Best of the Rest | Comments |
|---|---|
| Stevinson Ranch (Stevinson-Central Valley) | Great, challenging layout. Different sets of tees for every level of player. Great value, but 2 hour drive from bay area. |
| Sonoma | Another links course locked in by land. Sonoma is a pretty course of rolling green hills. A very fair course. You will always get a true test of golf out there. |
| Twelve Bridges | One of the inland courses I appreciate, but overpriced and in substandard condition. Great holes rolling through wetlands and groves of old trees. |
| Sandpiper (Santa Barbara) | Overpriced, but great ocean views |
| Oakhurst (Clayton) | Fun course, tough in the wind. Too many houses tight along the course. |
| Indigo Run (Hilton Head) | Nicklaus Course. Lots of fun. |
| Bartley Cavanaugh (Sacramento) | Costing only about $20, this links style course, although cramped into a small area, has several great holes. With an island green on one par 3 and many carries over water, it will give you a challenge and great reward if your game is on. You just have to get over the fright of the danger of a player's ball from an adjacent fairway coming your way. |