End of year Review - Courses you have played this year ?

[Crawfy]

Standard end of year post..

Reflecting on this year, and the courses you have played ?

Here are my votes...

Toughest - Carnoustie - GM Forum trip - She chewed me up and spat me back out. I was taught a golfing lesson by the course that day.

Best Greens - East Renfrewshire - There were others that may have been better, but everything just seemed to roll so true on a lovely summers evening in June.

Overall Condition - Archerfield Fidra - Immaculate throughout

Most Enjoyable - The Glen - North Berwick - September boys trip. The sun was splitting the rocks. Shorts on and good times all round. A fun round of golf.

Overall Best - North Berwick West Links - Start of season and the course was empty. I was paired up with the only other visitor that day and both of us were treated like kings throughout - from Starter to Secretary they all made us feel like members for the day. A wedge to 2 feet for birdie on the last in front of the members watching form the clubhouse was a highlight of the season.

Notable Mention - Trump International - GM Forum trip - Picture postcard on every hole. Visually stunning.

 

[Val]

Toughest Agree with Carnoustie, tough as old boots

Best Greens -Brabazon, Belfry. Their greens are always impressive

Overall Condition - Royal Aberdeen, consistently great nick throughout

Most Enjoyable - Formby, love this course.

Overall Best - Toughie but I can't see past Formby this year. From start to finish, service from the pro and awesome food and drink.

Notable Mention - Gullane 3. Was well impressed at how good it was despite it having 2 well known and respected big brothers.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Toughest - Royal St Georges

Best Greens - Hankley Common

Most Enjoyable - Swinley Forest

Overall Best - Woodhall Spa Hotchkin

Honourable Mention - Notts ( Hollinwell )

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Toughest - Pennard Golf Club - blew an absolute gale and too hard for me

Best Greens - Maidenhead - quick and subtle borrows

Overall Condition - Caversham Heath - day after the club championships and in superb nick

Most Enjoyable - Camberley Heath - love this course.

Overall Best - Swinley Forest - a different feel and aura about the place

 

[Tongo]

Looks like i play on a lower level of courses to most!

Toughest - Leckford Old - gives nothing away

Best Greens - East Horton Greenwood - played after a hard frost in April (!) and the greens were in excellent nick

Overall Condition - Winter Hill

Most Enjoyable - Burley - quirkiness in the New Forest

Overall Best - Probably Winter Hill. Has lovely views of Marlow and the Thames Valley to add to it being a very nice course

 

[Mike07]

Toughest - The Belfry (Brabazon), cold windy day and the course beat me up! I don't think its necessarily the hardest course but that day it beat me.

Best Greens - Hadley Wood, quick and true. Like carpets

Overall Condition & Best - Frilford Heath (Red), superb in every way.

Most Enjoyable - Quinta do Lago South

Notable Mention - Hendon, the club I joined this year

 

[huds1475]

Toughest Royal Lytham. No let up, all the way round. Can see why it takes something special to win an Open there. Great experience!

Best Greens Dean Wood greens were immense on Wolf Man's invitatoon day.

Overall Condition St Annes Old Links.

Most Enjoyable Silloth on a breathless sunny day in early May. Finally the penny dropped!!

Overall Best Royal Lytham.

Notable Mention West Lancs. Have seen it steadily improve this year now the new green staff are bedding in. Bodes well.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Toughest - Carnoustie - I play an open here every year and every year I think I've paid my dues, I know my way round now, this is the year I'll tame it. And every year it beats me up. Next year Carnoustie, next year!!!

Best Greens - Liberton - A vote for my (old) home course. They've just been great for a couple of years now.

Overall Condition - Loch Lomond - Also the best weather I played in all year, a rare opportunity and a great day out.

Most Enjoyable - Aboyne for the Scottish county finals. A great matchplay course with some quirky holes. Top quality competitive golf too.

Overall Best - Hard to pick one but I'm going with Trump Aberdeen which will be a top course once it beds in more and they sort out a few issues.

Notable Mention - Unfairly perhaps, but Birkdale missed out on the "best" accolade mainly because it was early in the year so not at its best and a bit of a battle in the wind on the day. Great course though, I'm hoping to go back maybe this year.

Biggest Disappointment - I played Royal Troon in April and they were (understandably) preparing it to peak for the Open so it was pretty rough around the edges, lots of GUR and greens were a bit ropey. Another one for a revisit.

 

[Fish]

Toughest - Hillside

Best Greens - Beau Desert

Overall Condition - The Berkshire

Most Enjoyable - Formby

Overall Best - Royal St George's

Notable Mention - Woodhall Spa, Hotchkin

 

[richart]

Toughest - Trump Aberdeen

Best greens - Old Course St Andrews and Hankley Common

Overall condition - Carnoustie and Ferndown

Most enjoyable - Hankley Common and Parkstone

Overall best - Old Course St Andrews

 

[Hobbit]

Toughest - Cruden Bay, front 9.

Best greens - Murcar

Overall condition - Murcar

Most enjoyable - Woodhal Spa, Hotchkin. Finally tamed it after nearly 32 years of visiting

Overall best - For layout, Trump Aberdeen. Only two holes let it down, and the slowish greens but loved it and will visit again.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Toughest: Trump Aberdeen

Best Greens: Seaton Carew (In December)

Overall Condition: Carnoustie

Most Enjoyable: Carnoustie

Overall Best: Carnoustie

Notable Mention: Manchester GC (Playing Partners)

 

[Fish]

Most enjoyable - Woodhal Spa, Hotchkin. Finally tamed it after nearly 32 years of visiting

Was it the company that day 🤔

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Sorry about this in advance....

Toughest - Emirates Majlis (2 days after Dubai Desert Classic...brutal rough and slick greens)

Best Greens - Jumeirah Earth

Overall Condition - Jumeirah Earth

Most Enjoyable - tough one. Dubai Creek was enjoyable for the layout, but didn't play great. Emirates Faldo under floodlights was enjoyable as played well, but not a fan of the guy we got paired with. Woodhall Spa Hotchkin was enjoyable for company and I played relatively well. Same with East and West at East Sussex National! Decisions, decisions...

Overall Best - Jumeirah Earth

Notable Mention - Dubai Creek. Went there as the weakest of the courses to play in Dubai...but stunning. 17th and 18th holes are mental. East Sussex National worth a mention too. Real good courses, and looking forward to going back

 

[bluewolf]

Toughest - Trump Aberdeen. You try playing a 600 yard par 5 straight into a 40mph wind.

Best Greens - Southport and Ainsdale in August. Very subtle and very true.

Overall condition - West Lancs. I went from hating the course to absolutely loving it in one morning. Up there with the best.

Most enjoyable - Carnoustie. Didn't find it as nasty as I'd expected, and parring the 18th will live long in the memory.

Overall best - Carnoustie.

Honourable mention - Murcar. Just about the most fun you can have in 40mph winds and in the middle of a hailstorm. One of my favourite courses anywhere.

 

[huds1475]

Notable Mention: Manchester GC (Playing Partners)

:thup:

 

[mcbroon]

Toughest Toss up between Western Gailes and PGA Centenary, but I think PGA is in there only because I didn't play too well.

Best Greens Western Gailes. Magnificent.

Overall Condition Western Gailes. Magnificent.

Most Enjoyable The Old Course. Perfect day, played well - almost spiritual.

Overall Best Objectively, Western Gailes, but really, The Old Course.

 

[bluewolf]

:thup:

I was wondering who Paul was talking about, then I realised it was you, Steady Dave and me :rofl:

Twas a great day though :thup:

 

[Swingalot]

Toughest - 2010 - Play it every year and yet to beat handicap. We play off the comp tees and it is a long way back from those bad boys!

Best Greens - My home club (Canterbury) have been fantastic all season. Will go for Littlestone though, which when we played were rapid!

Overall Condition - London Club - Heritage. I bang on about it all the time, but it really is the dogs doodars! Faultless from the moment you drive through the gates until you leave. When I have the time, I will join (just after I rob a nearby bank)

Most Enjoyable - Royal St Georges. Played it with a society of 12 and won the day by 10 clear points. The weather was fantastic, the setting brilliant and for once my golf was pretty much error free. Fair to say, it was a good day!

Overall Best - I'll go with RSG.

Notable Mention - Camberley Heath H4H day. An emotional day for all, especially Richard and the team, but a great day on a real gem of a course.

 

[KenL]

Here are my votes for the courses I played in 2016. Did not make it to my favourites of the Old Course or Royal Troon.

Toughest - Gullane 2 at the Dirleton Castle GC open. Scored 93 losing only one ball but about 4 provisional. Wind was about 50mph.

Best Greens - Gifford GC. As usual this wonderful 9 hole course had the best greens in the summer.

Overall condition - Dunbar GC. My home club has been amazing since mid summer. Very well defined for a links course and much improved. In magnificent condition even now.

Most enjoyable - Jointly Kingussie and Boat of Garten in a wee trip up north in August.

Overall best - Blairgowrie Rosemount. Played there for the first time this year and loved it. Great condition, beautiful scenery and interesting holes.