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How hard do you rate you club to others?

Our handicaps travel well. Evidence - last year a ladies team from our place - only one single figure player in the team - won the Mail on Sunday Ladies National Golf Club Team Comp. Our track is about 6600yds - so not long - but long enough; we have small old-fashioned greens, and on all holes require precision rather than length off the tee.
 
Interesting. My thinking would be that if a course is sufficiently difficult to justify a scratch player taking an extra 2 shots against par, that suggests more scope for error rather than less. A low SSS is in my view more likely to play into the hands of a really good player as they will not have to deal with so many difficult situations. I.e I think it would arguably be easier for a scratch player to pick up birdies on a short par 70 SSS 68 than to get round a long Par 70 SSS 72 without making too many bogies.

Be interesting to see what others think. If you are a low h/capper do you think you are more or less likely to buffer where SSS is below par than above it? or is the system sufficient to mean that it makes no difference?

I think our place is a pretty good test. Par 70, SSS 71, CSS often 72 or 73. 6 par 4's over 400 yards (3 over 450) and only 2 par 5's.

I think the idea is its harder to make birdies than save pars.

The comment made was a generalisation of players of single figure handicap and how they travelled that played at a sometime open qualifying venue with sss 2 or 3 above par. Most would regard it as a tough track.

Not as simple as that though as that as some players can go low others good at grinding.

Would tend to think that for higher handicaps opposite would occur for travelling.
 
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I think the idea is its harder to make birdies than save pars.

The comment made was a generalisation of players of single figure handicap and how they travelled that played at a sometime open qualifying venue with sss 2 or 3 above par. Most would regard it as a tough track.

Not as simple as that though as that as some players can go low others good at grinding.

Which was pretty much what I said and I agree with you, more about the player than the course IMO. I wasn't intending to make any generalisations :thup:

The way I play golf any course is tough!
 
Which was pretty much what I said and I agree with you, more about the player than the course IMO. I wasn't intending to make any generalisations :thup:

The way I play golf any course is tough!

Yes I was agreeing with you, just suggesting a reason as to why it might be that all may have considered.
 
I think the idea is its harder to make birdies than save pars.

Ah yes I see that. The thinking being a good player should be able to get up and down and scramble, whereas birdie chances may be harder to come by even on a shorter course.

I suppose the upshot is that probably on balance whether you play an "easy" course (SSS below par) or "hard" one (SSS above par), you need to play good golf of some description to keep a low h/cap, but the type of course may encourage or reward different skills, e.g. driving and scrambling, rather than say short irons and putting.
 
I have never thought of trying to tell anyone about how difficult (or not) Blackmoor is, I just tell them it's a beautiful place to play golf. Whenever I finish a round, no matter how I played, I always look back at the course and wish I could go back to the first tee and do it all again. I honestly still can't believe Mrs H and I moved close enough that I get to play there every week. I count myself very very lucky :thup:
 
I can still see your face when the putt sank.. I'll never forget it... ;)

It wasn't the Penfold being told off by Dangermouse face, was it?

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That one?:D
 
Which was pretty much what I said and I agree with you, more about the player than the course IMO. I wasn't intending to make any generalisations :thup:

The way I play golf any course is tough!

I am going to get you a copy of New Golf Thinking. You are far too hard on yourself all the time. You regularly play golf some people can only dream of and should be knocking on the door of cat 1 this year now that you know your way around Fairhaven.
 
I am going to get you a copy of New Golf Thinking. You are far too hard on yourself all the time. You regularly play golf some people can only dream of and should be knocking on the door of cat 1 this year now that you know your way around Fairhaven.

You dont fall for all that false modesty guff, do you gaz?:blah::ears:
 
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