ExRabbit
Club Champion
St. Annes Old Links - away day from my previous club on on a very windy day. Par 3 out to the coast was a 3W and a 9 iron.
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Hardest course you’ve played, and why?
- Thread starter evemccc
- Start date
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Depending on the tees used and the wind, Carnoustie Championship.
I don't know if they still do it, but when we used to visit in the 90's, we'd book it in advance but never knew until we got there which tees we were playing off.
One year in particular we were playing it off the back tees. That was bloody hard. Front nine wasn't too bad, but then the wind changed and the back nine was nigh on impossible.
I think it was the 12th where we struggled to even reach the fairway with gorse and heather in front of us.
St Mellion is also a very tough track, and I always found Celtic Manor a bit of a slog.
I don't know if they still do it, but when we used to visit in the 90's, we'd book it in advance but never knew until we got there which tees we were playing off.
One year in particular we were playing it off the back tees. That was bloody hard. Front nine wasn't too bad, but then the wind changed and the back nine was nigh on impossible.
I think it was the 12th where we struggled to even reach the fairway with gorse and heather in front of us.
St Mellion is also a very tough track, and I always found Celtic Manor a bit of a slog.
Brackenghyll6
New member
Romanby - it’s long! if your wild with your driver, your losing balls!!!
Slime
Tour Winner
This ............................. by a distance.
Unfortunately closed in 2011 and it'll probably never re-open, but at least I had the honour of losing loads of golf balls there on several occasions.
Sats
Challenge Tour Pro
For me it was Littlestone during winter, blowing 30-40mph winds and finished off with downpours.
GuyInLyon
Active member
The Ocean Course At Kiawah Island.
I don't think an explanation is necessary.
(Before going, a friend said that he'd buy me a steak dinner if I broke 200 at Kiawah. No steak dinner.)
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brickie
Medal Winner
Agreed, loads of my balls on there. Alhaurin not much better. Why oh why did I think it was a good idea in the early 2000,s to spend so much money playing courses a mountain goat would have difficulty negotiating?
This ............................. by a distance.
Unfortunately closed in 2011 and it'll probably never re-open, but at least I had the honour of losing loads of golf balls there on several occasions.
Yorkshire Hacker
Newbie
This ............................. by a distance.
Unfortunately closed in 2011 and it'll probably never re-open, but at least I had the honour of losing loads of golf balls there on several occasions.
ME TOO!!
Leftie5.6
Member
Nearly. Valderrama “is.” Played it many times. joint toughest course with The Aigle at Le Golf National. Very different challenge but for beastliness, I cannot separate them.
GB&I Rye springs immediately to mind
Leftie5.6
Member
can’t see how you can judge the difficulty of a course based partly on strength of the wind or how heavy the rain was. Extreme weather conditions create memorable experiences and can make the simplest of courses unplayable.
Leftie5.6
Member
The Aigle is a par 72 @ only 6,245 yards slope 155. The black tees add another 400 yards. Not long, just unrelentingly tough.
Ethan
Money List Winner
Yeah, it has become a thread on tough playing conditions.
Just to deal with that, St Andrews New, one June Friday. Had the course to ourselves because of 40+mph winds and thunderstorms. First hole is about 350. My +1 handicap mate needed 2 1-irons to get there, we had one birdie between us (all single figure players) and one of the par 5s (only 480 yards-is) needed a good drive, good 3 wood and solid 5 iron to reach. I hit driver on the 200 yard par 3 and wasn't even close.
In terms of actual hard courses, Torrey Pines is up there on my list. It looks lovely above ground level with the pine trees, ocean and paraglider going over, but it is a slogging match for the average player. Thick rough you have to hack out of and long narrow holes. Not enjoyable at all.
Doral Blue Monster is similar.
Royal County Down is pretty hard if you don't have your driving boots on. Blind drives and links weird bounces are a bad combination. The second (and third) shots aren't that easy either. Not sure if it is as tough as Carnastie, but it is plenty tough enough. Wind and rain just amplify the challenge.
Not the hardest course as such, but tough enough, and combined with the joyless layout, I hated The Oxfordshire. Played it in a then Nike Amateur Tour event, and played decently, finished 3rd, but really hated it and not planning to ever go back.
Just seen this, brilliant. There's a great quote of Ruddy's which is along the lines of 'Every time I see St Andrews it makes me want to cry'. Incredible man
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Hotchkin course is up there. That course can really beat you up, even when you do not really do anything wrong. Then when the wind blows………
looking at the course rating from the medal tees is crazy, Carnoustie has a rating of 75.9 and a slope of 139. The hotchkin is 75.3 with a slope 151.
looking at the course rating from the medal tees is crazy, Carnoustie has a rating of 75.9 and a slope of 139. The hotchkin is 75.3 with a slope 151.
IanM
Journeyman Pro
- Joined
- May 18, 2009
- Messages
- 13,438
- Location
- Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
JCB when you woke up at 5am, even though you went up the night before.
We'll see!?
We'll see!?
The Dog.
Active member
Royal County Down on a day when play would not have commenced were it not a big charity am-am. Absolutely brutal. On the par 3 4th, there was a beat the pro event. The assistant pro came to find me that evening to say that I was the only player in over 8 hours to have hit the green. 215 yards and I hit a driver at a target around 100 yards left of the green. I am a pretty long hitter and I struck it perfectly. It went like a bullet and as it reached about 240, an invisible hand seemed to grab it and throw it at a right angle backwards and at 90 degrees to land on the green. Probably couldn't have done it again with another 20 balls. Ferociously difficult.
4LEX
Well-known member
Rye for me. Especially in wind/rain. Long par 4's and very tough par 3's. I played really well on both rounds and only managed 78 and 75. However I consider the 75 one of my best ever rounds.
Deijavoo
Medal Winner
Royal St Davids or Southerness. Both equally brutal but brilliant. The par for the course is a liar basically.
IanM
Journeyman Pro
- Joined
- May 18, 2009
- Messages
- 13,438
- Location
- Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
Any decent links with the rough up, the course dry and running, and with the wind blowing!!
And JCB was tough too. Especially playing 85% of HI as it hasn't been rated yet!
And JCB was tough too. Especially playing 85% of HI as it hasn't been rated yet!
AAC
Well-known member
I played RCD on two consecutive days one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, I had a caddy both days, the first day at the 4th hole the caddy gave me a 5 iron & said aim straight at the green (off the yellow tees), I hit a good shot and landed on the green, simples !!. The next day I had a different caddy, we got to the 4th and I pulled the 5 iron and headed off up to the raised tee, I noticed the caddy following me with driver in hand, I said to him I hit this with 5 iron yesterday, so he said ok give it a go & if you hit the green my time is free, I hit a great shot and came up about 40 yards short, the caddy said now hit the driver and aim well left, again I hit a good shot and just limped onto the green. Links golf !!, different days/times it can be brutal, he was great to have as a caddy tho' it really made the game so much more fun.
