Anyone up for Old Course ballot August 21 / 22?!

Cabby said:
I've asked this question a few times on here and yet to get a decent answer, so I'll ask it again, with the exception of, 11, 14 and 17, what other holes do YOU think are great golf holes on that course ?
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If I thought you were going to enter into a sensible debate I would answer your question but everyone on here knows what you are like so I'm not going to waste my time. Whatever I say you will just slag it off which is the way you think a debate is won.
 
drive4show said:
If I thought you were going to enter into a sensible debate I would answer your question but everyone on here knows what you are like so I'm not going to waste my time. Whatever I say you will just slag it off which is the way you think a debate is won.
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I've not slagged off anything you've said in this topic, I've challenged you to explain what is so great, happily go thru every hole, one by one if you wish.
 
Liverpoolphil said:
The five categories are: the quality of test and design (35 points), the condition and presentation of the course (30 marks), its visual appeal (15 marks), the club’s facilities (10 marks), and the overall visitor experience (10 marks).


The Old Course is always up in the top ten of the Worlds list from multiple reviews/mags etc all over the world - if the course wasn’t that good then I don’t see it being that high so often and for so long
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It wasn't so long ago that the majority of people thought that the world was flat Phil, so agreeing with the majority view doesn't necessarily make you correct. Equally I'm not saying I'm right, just that my opinion is different to your's and many others.

I'm not saying that I think it's a bad golf course, just that it isn't one of the best courses in the world. As an experience it is obviously right up there in the top few but purely as a course I don't think it is. Taking the course alone, and by that I mean just what is inside the OOB line round the course, and ignoring the history, location etc then I just don't get why people think it's so great. I would agree with Cabby (although not as strongly) that the run of holes from 6 to 10 aren't anything special, and once you've played them a few times and got rid of the nerves and sense of occasion 1 and 18 aren't great golf holes either.

It's possible that my view has been clouded because I played it at least once a week for 5 years while studying up there. Spoke to a few mates I studied with and all of them shared my view so maybe it's a case of familiarity breeds contempt, but for me if I was told I was dying and had one more round of golf to play it wouldn't be the Old Course.

P.S. In the above I don't mean I have contempt for the course, just using the expression as a possible explanation of my lack of love for it.
 
Very eloquently summed up, while I wait very patiently to here what holes on the course make it so great with the exception of two or three decent ones, suspect I'm going to be waiting a long time.
 
Cabby said:
Very eloquently summed up, while I wait very patiently to here what holes on the course make it so great with the exception of two or three decent ones, suspect I'm going to be waiting a long time.
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Cabby people aren’t going to give you a list of holes because they know your response will be just to dismiss them - you and no doubt a few others don’t rate highly , your perogative but I have certainly heard a lot more people who rate it a very highly and would play it all day long - that doesn’t make you or them right or wrong - just opinion. There are no doubt courses that some people rate that I think aren’t that great.

When it comes to The Old Course it’s a place that the majority it seems want to play it and the majority that do play it love it - I could name you holes that I loved or found tough or really struggled on or would put in my top 18 but that’s just my opinion and I have no doubt you wouldn’t share it.

If golfers all over the world voted for the best courses in the world I have no doubt that The Old Course would be in the Top Ten -

Golf Digest -
Golf Monthly
Today Golfer
Top 100 Courses
Golf.com

Could go on - just google - Best Golf Courses in the world and see where St Andrews appears - always in the top ten
 
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ColchesterFC said:
It wasn't so long ago that the majority of people thought that the world was flat Phil, so agreeing with the majority view doesn't necessarily make you correct. Equally I'm not saying I'm right, just that my opinion is different to your's and many others.

I'm not saying that I think it's a bad golf course, just that it isn't one of the best courses in the world. As an experience it is obviously right up there in the top few but purely as a course I don't think it is. Taking the course alone, and by that I mean just what is inside the OOB line round the course, and ignoring the history, location etc then I just don't get why people think it's so great. I would agree with Cabby (although not as strongly) that the run of holes from 6 to 10 aren't anything special, and once you've played them a few times and got rid of the nerves and sense of occasion 1 and 18 aren't great golf holes either.

It's possible that my view has been clouded because I played it at least once a week for 5 years while studying up there. Spoke to a few mates I studied with and all of them shared my view so maybe it's a case of familiarity breeds contempt, but for me if I was told I was dying and had one more round of golf to play it wouldn't be the Old Course.

P.S. In the above I don't mean I have contempt for the course, just using the expression as a possible explanation of my lack of love for it.
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Try looking at it a slightly different way. Say you were new to golf and somebody asked you to name the 5 courses in the world that you would most like to play. Would the Old course be on that list? Augusta is far from one of the best courses in the world but how many people would turn down the chance to play it?
 
DaveR said:
Try looking at it a slightly different way. Say you were new to golf and somebody asked you to name the 5 courses in the world that you would most like to play. Would the Old course be on that list? Augusta is far from one of the best courses in the world but how many people would turn down the chance to play it?
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Yes definitely, for the history and experience it's a must play, and for anyone that has never played there I would always say they should try to play it at least once in their lifetime. There's no doubting that it is a special place to play golf but having played it I now wouldn't have it in my 5 most like play course list.
 
Way to go all. If ever a thread needed 'tidying up'...

To the OP, I hope you get on. It's an amazing experience. One I'll remember forever and would repeat in a heartbeat.
 
DaveR said:
Try looking at it a slightly different way. Say you were new to golf and somebody asked you to name the 5 courses in the world that you would most like to play. Would the Old course be on that list? Augusta is far from one of the best courses in the world but how many people would turn down the chance to play it?
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Absolutely, I've said it numerous times, it's a must play, a proper golfers bucket lister, but you still, despite what is being said, cannot remove yourself from the history, the aura the experience, and simply take it as a course, you're not alone as it happens.

Does it not strike you that those at my club, those that live in the area, those that have played it dozens of times, more or less agree with my opinion of the holes/course ?/ Does that not for a second make you think.....hmmm.....
 
Cabby said:
Absolutely, I've said it numerous times, it's a must play, a proper golfers bucket lister, but you still, despite what is being said, cannot remove yourself from the history, the aura the experience, and simply take it as a course, you're not alone as it happens.

Does it not strike you that those at my club, those that live in the area, those that have played it dozens of times, more or less agree with my opinion of the holes/course ?/ Does that not for a second make you think.....hmmm.....
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If many people at your club, or those that live in area share your view, why do they keep going back to play it?

Surely the ‘experience’ is only valid the first time, after playing it multiple times surely that ‘experience’ disappears, so why keep playing an average course at a premium rate when theirs better value for money and better courses in general nearby?
 
Fish said:
If many people at your club, or those that live in area share your view, why do they keep going back to play it?

Surely the ‘experience’ is only valid the first time, after playing it multiple times surely that ‘experience’ disappears, so why keep playing an average course at a premium rate when theirs better value for money and better courses in general nearby?
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Haven't played it in over 20 years :thup:, would I play it again given the chance, absolutely, there is nothing like it in golf standing on that first tee and coming up the last.
 
Fish said:
If many people at your club, or those that live in area share your view, why do they keep going back to play it?

Surely the ‘experience’ is only valid the first time, after playing it multiple times surely that ‘experience’ disappears, so why keep playing an average course at a premium rate when theirs better value for money and better courses in general nearby?
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I know your reply was aimed at Cabby but for me the answer to the bits in bold is because we could. At that time the green fee for the Old Course was 'only' £50 but as a student we could get a full year's membership for £70 to play any of the courses, including the Old Course. We'd enter the ballot two or three times a week and, especially in winter, we'd normally get a tee time once or twice a week. An average week back then would be a couple of rounds on the Old, two or three on the New and one each on the Eden and Jubilee with maybe the odd round on the Strathtyrum thrown in for a bit of a change.
 
Cabby said:
Haven't played it in over 20 years :thup:, would I play it again given the chance, absolutely, there is nothing like it in golf standing on that first tee and coming up the last.
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Strange. You posted on here not long ago that you were playing it in a club match for only £10 :rolleyes:
 
did anyone actually answer the question in the originally thread title?

To put my tuppence worth in, I did the early morning queuing to play the Old course, there at 2.30 am and I wasn't the first in the queue. I did it to play an iconic course, where it ranked in the top courses wasn't a consideration, I was in St Andrews and it had to be done and it was worth the queuing and the cost.
 
Resurrecting the thread in the hope that this time someone will actually want to play the aforementioned goat track

:lol:
 
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