Hardest course you’ve played, and why?

[BiMGuy]

Ganton - it’s just really tough

Forgot about Ganton. Panal similarly has already been mentioned.

I generally think heathland style courses are pretty tough.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Bethpage Black in 2009 when it had been set up for the US Open that year was pretty tough but it's the runner up. The winner is Carnoustie, played 5 days after Paul Lawrie won the Open. Absolutely brutal rough, gave me a new appreciation of just how good the top pros are.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Forgot about Ganton. Panal similarly has already been mentioned.

I generally think heathland style courses are pretty tough.

That’s mainly due to the need to avoid the heather.
A tough, long, parkland can be very difficult as well. For example my course is long, and you have to hit the correct side of fairways in order to have straight forward approach shots, without overhanging trees.

 

[chrisd]

The Hotchkin at Woodhall Spa was probably the must difficult but the New at Sunningdale was pretty difficult too.

 

[KenL]

Southerness. Played it a few times, always really difficult. Wind, often across, heather, gorse and tricky greens.

 

[clubchamp98]

Siloth.
Heavy rain and wind wasn’t pretty.
Next day fine sunshine it was a pleasure.
Links golf for you.

 

[3offTheTee]

Tough shout, Pannal or The Roxburghe ?. I'll go The Roxburghe, off the whites, as it was more recent and so I can remember it better. Very strong wind making an already long course even longer in parts. Every hole has something about it, every green was protected more than any course I've seen before. You needed to hit a good shot every time. You couldn't have a weak shot and expect to score well still, you were punished.

Big, fast tricky greens mean that even getting on them was not achievement enough.

It wasn't unfair, it was beautifully kept, it was just a challenge all the way.

I'd love to go back on a calm day and play it off the yellows ?

Played The Roxburghe yesterday.So long and finished 4th from bottom. one of the lads I played with never stopped stopped swearing but a real laugh. He threw his club from off the green over the green. Great day

 

[patricks148]

Blairgowrie for me , played it half a dozen times and never played well there, even had the worse case of the shermans ever in the Match against HDIDo. The wee course on the other hand is a delight, knocked it round there level last time our jolly went there

 

[HeftyHacker]

Heaton Park. No question. I've never been so snackerd in all my life. Blind tee shots. Uphill, downhill all damn day.

Its a brutal course, used to be an army training area apparently. Ironically, because its one of the few municipals left in Manchester and its so cheap, its often full of novices. What an introduction to golf that is.

For me it was probably St Annes Old Links the other week. Off the blues on most holes and with the rough grown out for open qualifying it wasn't a day to have an off day from the tee... which I did. Just chewed me up something rotten and completely knocked my confidence.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Another one for Silloth. It might have been Southerness, but that particular day was all weather related, where has Silloth was as much about the rough as it was about the wind.

We have a saying at my home club, if you are not on the fairway you are behind a tree. At Silloth it was, if you are not on the fairway you have lost your ball.

 

[Dando]

The V Club in Lithuania wins for me. my old company had a 4 day trip and we all had hired clubs which didn't help. I don't think I've ever seen so much water on a golf course and if you missed the fairway the ball was lost. one guy lost 26 balls and walked in after 14 holes!

i am hoping to go back at some stage with my own bats and see how i get on

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Played The Roxburghe yesterday.So long and finished 4th from bottom. one of the lads I played with never stopped stopped swearing but a real laugh. He threw his club from off the green over the green. Great day

Depending on the green that could be a hell of a throw ?. It's one of the few courses I've played that claims to be a championship course and actually could be.

 

[Jimaroid]

Either The Castle or Crail Craighead when played in a cold north easterly. Both are quite exposed to some very cold and difficult conditions in that direction.

Fortunately The Castle closes over winter but I’ve had the misfortune to play Craighead in a medal on a very cold November day and it is easily the most miserably hypothermic round of golf I’ve played. When the balls are freezing and going nowhere it’s a depressingly long slog. Hated it and I have no desire to ever repeat it.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Forgot about Ganton. Panal similarly has already been mentioned.

I generally think heathland style courses are pretty tough.

My daughter played in the British Ladies at Ganton in the 1990's very dry and windy.
They actually had to use snow ploughs to clear the road because of blown sand coming off the surrounding fields.
Very high scoring first qualifing round with only a few scores under 80.

 

[rudebhoy]

Either The Castle or Crail Craighead when played in a cold north easterly. Both are quite exposed to some very cold and difficult conditions in that direction.

Fortunately The Castle closes over winter but I’ve had the misfortune to play Craighead in a medal on a very cold November day and it is easily the most miserably hypothermic round of golf I’ve played. When the balls are freezing and going nowhere it’s a depressingly long slog. Hated it and I have no desire to ever repeat it.

Another vote for The Castle. Played it last Friday. According to the BBC, the wind was around 22 mph, but must have been double that up on the clifftop. Bloody freezing as well. Anything wayward, you were very lucky to find again. Must have lost 7 or 8 balls. From our 3 ball, 2 scored 23 points and I got 22. A brutal day's golf.

 

[Whereditgo]

West Lancs in a gale and the rough was long and brutal, closely followed by Pinehurst 2, 5 or 8 - the greens just completely beat us up!

 

[AAC]

Ballyliffin in less than ideal conditions, we were lucky to make it back to the clubhouse !!!!

 

[Beezerk]

Silloth in gale force winds was brutal.
On the flip side, Gullane No2 on a glorious sunny day, not a breath of wind but those baked fairways and greens just beat me up.

 

[doublebogey7]

Royal County Down without a doubt. As we were all single figures we were invited to play off the tips, which we stupidly accepted. You had to be on your A game just to reach the fairways on some holes, it was a calm day and the best the four of us could do was 14 over net, tough but what a great course.

 

[Orikoru]

I haven't really played outside of my local area, so nothing incredibly difficult I don't think. But the hardest course near me was Pinner Hill. I just found it really long, and even the mid-length holes felt longer as they were typically up steep hills. No respite with the par 3s either as even the shortest ones were 150+. It has been a good two or three years though, and back then I was a higher handicap and had no long game, couldn't hit fairway woods or anything whereas nowadays I do much better with them, so perhaps if I went back now it would be a different ball game. But I don't have much inclination to go back to a course I didn't particularly enjoy, so we'll probably never know. I played there three times back then I think, not sure I even shot better than 95.