Do you think you're handicap would be lower.....

[HomerJSimpson]

Would be interesting to see but I guess it still comes down to my ability to hit the ball well enough so I guess I'm stuffed anyway

 

[Liverbirdie]

Pete you missed the point. It's not about playing at hillside rather than Lee park. It's Lee. Park presented as if it was holding a tour event.

I havent missed the point, kidder.

What I was saying is that tough links courses with fast greens, will be very tough anyway, but could be tougher when the greens are even faster.

At the opposite end, the toughest I played Lee park, was when they cut the 1st cut off rough down to nothing, and the greens were mega fast. It was in great condition but the greens were too fast for most, and as there was hardly any rough just off the fairway, the ball kept on running into the trees, instead of staying 2-3 yards off the fairway.

See, smart harrissssss.

 

[Birchy]

Tour quality courses are in much better condition yes but much harder.

The greens are like ice. Getting the ball to stop on one of them isnt easy and thats before you have putted. Ive seen more threads on here moaning about gash putting than anything else. That would be ten fold on tour standard greens.

Rough is no cakewalk either.

 

[Toad]

Wouldn't make a difference, our place is immaculate at the moment and I can still play some seriously bad golf.

Our greens are the best I've ever seen them, fairways divot free and bunkers all at the same consistently but it makes no noticeable difference, if you don't hit it well your score will still be high.

 

[richart]

The only real difference to me would be the bunkers. They always seem to get a perfect lie, where as I always seem to be in some animals footprint, or follow someone in who hasn't bothered to rake after them.

Having a crowd that can head my ball back to the fairway/ green might help as well.

 

[garyinderry]

Tour quality courses are in much better condition yes but much harder.

The greens are like ice. Getting the ball to stop on one of them isnt easy and thats before you have putted. Ive seen more threads on here moaning about gash putting than anything else. That would be ten fold on tour standard greens.
.

Give me lightening quick smooth greens any day if the week. So much easier just to lift the ball onto the green and it rolls towards the pin. You very rarely see pros having to get a 7i out when playing chip and runs. They just lift the ball onto the surface with a lofted wedge and let it work to the hole. granted miss at the wrong place and it can be next to impossible to get it close.

Still given the choice id take quick greens over chipping and putting through treacle.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I doubt it, I'm not that good that I could take advantage of those conditions often enough for it to make much difference. Lets face it, the quality of the lie is irrelevent if you hit it a little bit fat or thin, which I do more often than not.

If you were a good ball striker I suspect it would help though

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Give me lightening quick smooth greens any day if the week. So much easier just to lift the ball onto the green and it rolls towards the pin. You very rarely see pros having to get a 7i out when playing chip and runs. They just lift the ball onto the surface with a lofted wedge and let it work to the hole. granted miss at the wrong place and it can be next to impossible to get it close.

Still given the choice id take quick greens over chipping and putting through treacle.

I agree

 

[Smiffy]

I just can't help thinking that trying to play out of flooded bunkers, chip off of bare lies around the green, putt on hollow tined greens, play out of muddy rough and play in weather that pro's wouldn't even consider playing in would have a detrimental affect on my game.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I just can't help thinking that trying to play out of flooded bunkers, chip off of bare lies around the green, putt on hollow tined greens, play out of muddy rough and play in weather that pro's wouldn't even consider playing in would have a detrimental affect on my game.

Yes, but thats when courses are at their worst, which is normally winter, when handicaps at most clubs dont change anyway.

Most private courses dont have these conditions throughout May-September at least, when most qualifiers are played.

 

[MadAdey]

FOr the majority it would not make much difference at all. A pristine course does not stop you slicing it OOB, hitting it fat, or thinning one. A lightning fast tour green can be a huge problem for a lot of handicap golfers and if you already struggle with distance control it is only going too get worse.

i think a lot would struggle like hell to keep the ball on the greens as they just do not generate enough spin, at your local course with slower greens they help keep the ball on the putting surface.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Optimal conditions (fast, true greens; pristine fairways; even bunkers; graduated rough etc. etc) would be worth 2 shots a round I fancy, no more. We still have to hit good shots but the odd poor break due to condition could probably be avoided. I'd look forward to the greens most importantly where once you're dialed in to the pace it's just a matter of picking the right line.

 

[Paul77]

For my sins I played at the same municipal course for about 3 years before 2005, once every two weeks. Not much. The course was the standard of the weekend hacker not really taking care of it. What I was surprised with, was the state of the courses I've played on recently where they command a yearly fee to play. They all looked the same as the municipal course from all those years ago. Incidentally, I played that same municipal course a few weeks ago, and I was astonished by how well it's been kept. It was lovely. Something the bigger clubs could be doing well to keep up with.

I think the modern day member thinks they are above replacing divots and repairing pitchmarks. As far as playing on a tour grade course, I don't know that it would help my game much. If there was trees to hit, I'd probably make a few dents.

 

[Slab]

While not continuous tour standard I’m lucky at the moment in that most of my golf is played on very good quality courses in weather the pro’s would be happy with. The half dozen I play regularly can & do hold fair sized events through the year (all the way up to European tour level for a couple of them)

It comes with a lot of the benefits highlighted in Smiffy’s opening post such as true greens, good bunkers, great fairways etc but there is a downside even if not playing them at full length. The course designs are also of a really good standard meaning the designer has laid it out in such a way that its much easier to find trouble and even if you do stay clear then the overall degree of difficulty of making par on your typical par4 is much more severe than many courses I played previously (not meaning this as a blanket statement just generally speaking)

I remember playing for large parts of the year with casual water over large expanses of the fairway, poor bunkers and dodgy greens etc but I also remember the hole/course designs seemed benign in comparison

In short if its maintained to a high standard, chances are that it’s also been designed to a high/er degree of difficulty too

So if I could apply tour standard conditions to the muni course I often played back in Fife, then yeah I think the game would be so much easier & I'd shoot 25% better than my handicap

 

[Slime]

Yes, for sure, and it'd be due to my mental state more than anything.
Standing on the 1st tee, looking over a beautifully manicured golf course under a clear blue sky, would just fill me with enthusiasm ........................ and confidence, and that would be the biggest factor for me.
Looking forward to every shot, imagining my ball flying through the air against a bright blue sky, heading toward a beautifully presented green surrounded by bunkers filled with brilliant white sand. This, as opposed to looking along a shabby, unkempt fairway that ends with a green spattered with un-repaired pitchmarks and surrounded by badly raked bunkers with varying depths of dirty sand in.
I know where I'd play better!


Slime.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Yes, for sure, and it'd be due to my mental state more than anything.
Standing on the 1st tee, looking over a beautifully manicured golf course under a clear blue sky, would just fill me with enthusiasm ........................ and confidence, and that would be the biggest factor for me.
Looking forward to every shot, imagining my ball flying through the air against a bright blue sky, heading toward a beautifully presented green surrounded by bunkers filled with brilliant white sand. This, as opposed to looking along a shabby, unkempt fairway that ends with a green spattered with un-repaired pitchmarks and surrounded by badly raked bunkers with varying depths of dirty sand in.
I know where I'd play better!


Slime.

Good points here; an inviting and really well prepared course just makes everything better

 

[Dan2501]

Consistent bunkers with no stones and even sand, and consistent, soft greens would be a massive help.

 

[patricks148]

Remember watching Kegan Bradly play Royal Portrush a few years ago and him spraying it all over the place and getting free drops back on to the fairway as there was a grandstand or TV tower. Or being miles off line on some hole s only to have a lovely lie as spectators had trodden all the rough down.

and thinking at the time if it was a normal members comp, most of his drives would have been lost.