How would you make golf courses tougher?

[SocketRocket]

Ban Mizuno Mp63's

 

[Matty]

Natures has to be the way, longer thicker grass in the rough, longer grass on the fairways. More bunkers with leaves and twigs in there too.


Or, how about replacing the drinks with vodka or tequila? That would make for entertaining viewing - John Daly should be pretty good at that one too!!!

 

[bobmac]

Make all the holes left to right doglegs and watch the S&T boys cry

 

[Oddsocks]

is mr mac implying that you cannot hit a fade with a S&M swing....

 

[SyR]

Some of the above would make it less fun for me. Deeper rough and narrower fairways will mean longer rounds as people have to look for their balls more often. Smaller greens may mean more wear and tear to the greens and poorer putting surfaces in the long run.
My choices would be:
Deeper bunkers with deeper sand.
More undulating greens with tougher pin positions.
More undulating fairways with smaller flat landing areas.
A more random one would be 6 slow cut greens, 6 medium cut greens and 6 fast cut greens to make putting a bit harder.

 

[JT77]

More trees.
Valderrama has not been changed much, if at all, and still plays very tough. I think mainly because it is very tight, tree lined and has small quick greens and tough rough. seems to work!

 

[HotDogAssassin]

How about installing a small windmill or other similar structures on to each green through which you have to putt the ball in order to reach the hole? I reckon that would catch on. :thup:

 

[ash01]

Smaller greens definitely.

Quite like the idea of shorter par 3's with smaller elevated greens played from tees the require the shot to be shaped.

Also, fairway bunkers set below fairway level with run off channels.

Ash!!

 

[Val]

Smaller greens and tighter fairways, that's what they've been doing to many courses for the amateur anyway as ost can't be lengthened that much if at all. Our 18th is. A par3 and it's about 1/3 smaller now than it was 20 years ago.

 

[paul1874]

Why not?
They're supposed to be a hazard after all.....

If you go into a fairway bunker there should be an effective 1 shot penalty - ie you have to hack out, same as if you put it in knee high bundu.
Make them uneven with sand, dodgy lies etc. Penalise them if they go in them.

Totally agree with this

 

[Smiffy]

Make them play off mats where they can't push a tee peg down into properly.
Have 500 tons of wormcasts delivered the day before the event and spread them evenly around the course, but also make sure there are plenty around the fringe of the greens.
Allow 3,000 amateur golfers to continually circle the greens churning up the mud so that the pro's have to try chipping off of it.
Do not allow the greens to be swished.
Pick up all the dead leaves around the course and distribute them evenly in all greenside bunkers and water them profusely.
Give 18 big fat gits an hour each to walk around and around each hole so that the cup sits in a depression.
Allow a pack of Dingo's to dig around in the greenside bunkers.

 

[BogeyHole]

Make them play off mats where they can't push a tee peg down into properly.
Have 500 tons of wormcasts delivered the day before the event and spread them evenly around the course, but also make sure there are plenty around the fringe of the greens.
Allow 3,000 amateur golfers to continually circle the greens churning up the mud so that the pro's have to try chipping off of it.
Do not allow the greens to be swished.
Pick up all the dead leaves around the course and distribute them evenly in all greenside bunkers and water them profusely.
Give 18 big fat gits an hour each to walk around and around each hole so that the cup sits in a depression.
Allow a pack of Dingo's to dig around in the greenside bunkers.

Good game yesterday?

 

[Smiffy]

Good game yesterday?

Didn't play mate!

 

[bobmac]

Has CB got that bad?

 

[Smiffy]

Has CB got that bad?

Nope. Just talking "in general" Bob.
HTH

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Makes the bunkers a real hazard not just a smooth beach they can blast out of easily.

Why not use sand similar to that in Abu Dhabi where the ball plugs 9 times out of 10?

I also agree with your post about growing up the rough and narrowing the fairways.

 

[bobmac]

By all means make the fairways narrower but dont make the rough longer
It takes 5 hours for a medal round as it is

 

[StrangelyBrown]

By all means make the fairways narrower but dont make the rough longer
It takes 5 hours for a medal round as it is

I thought we were talking about courses on tour?

For gawd's sake don't make our courses harder ne:

 

[Imurg]

Dont make them any harder for gawds sake

I have enough trouble getting round already

Some of the above would make it less fun for me. Deeper rough and narrower fairways will mean longer rounds as people have to look for their balls more often. Smaller greens may mean more wear and tear to the greens and poorer putting surfaces in the long run.

Don't forget the OP Guys...

It's making the courses tougher on Tour not for us - granted we may play at these courses from time to time but few of us do so every week.

 

[Doh]

Talking to our Green Keeper he would replace most of the sand bunkers on parkland course with grass bunkers.