Join the hard course or go easy?

[Paul77]

I have a course that's on my doorstep (Kirkintilloch in Glasgow) and I have only managed to play 12 holes of it due to failing light, and another course I had my eye on (Crow Wood in Stepps in Glasgow) that I've played a full round on.

Kirkintilloch = hard course
Crow Wood = a bit easier

I found that Kirkintilloch was a testing course for my ability, and the greens were really slick and really up and down. Every hole is protected by high faced bunkers. Crow Wood I found to be rather straight forward and altough I shot a 97 I do feel it was a course that I'd have fun on. It's just that it's 10 miles away from where I live. No chance of a quick game after work.

Do you join the harder course and just slog it along or take your medicine and join the easy one? Both are the same price of joining, and all the others in my area are a tad higher. My gut feeling is that joining Kirky would mean more time to practice, thus meaning getting used to it quicker, and playing a harder course might well sharpen you up a bit, but on the flip side, I don't want to be put off playing by joining a course that is knocking me out on the scorecard.

It's a tough one.

Paul

 

[garyinderry]

Join the hard course. Its on your door step and you won't always be at your current level of golf.


No brainer.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Join the best course

 

[Paul77]

Join the hard course. Its on your door step and you won't always be at your current level of golf.


No brainer.

It's a good point. One would hope to get better as time goes on

Join the best course

I'd say Kirky is looking fantastic just now. I pass it everyday on the way home.


Would be interesting to hear the views of any of the members of the clubs right enough. I'm sure there's probably a couple on here from reading previous posts.

 

[ForeRighty]

I used to be a member of an easy course and after a year it just became a boring course.

Join the hard course be a good challenge and on a plus point when you play away you will clean up....

 

[Slab]

Assuming all else equal then join the tougher one

Plenty of folks round the country will be in a situation where they are able to knock it round their tame course that they know well to mid handicap or whatever level but would be a tad embarrassed if they faced escaping from a pot bunker or water on every other hole etc

 

[Foxholer]

Join the hard course. Its on your door step and you won't always be at your current level of golf.


No brainer.

Likewise!

 

[Paul77]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like a sure winner for Kirky then. I've yet to play Campsie Golf course that is within walking distance but their facilities don't really look much from the outside, however, some have said it's a testing course too. About £175 a year cheaper than the top two.

Too much choice is a pain sometimes lol

 

[bladeplayer]

Join the local hard course

UNLESS

You find it too hard to play it week in week out , if thats the case you could fall out of love with it & golf very quickly ..

Then again you could join the easy 1 for a yr or 2 and when your golf gets too strong for there move up ..


2 things , And with no offence meant

(1) if you shot 97 around the easier of the 2 ? then the harder 1 is not gona be kind to you

(2)"I do feel it was a course that I'd have fun on." (easier course) / "Do you join the harder course and just slog it along" (harder course)

the easier course for now would be the way that i would suggest for u . 10 miles is manageable if you think about it enough

 

[AmandaJR]

Join the local hard course

UNLESS

You find it too hard to play it week in week out , if thats the case you could fall out of love with it & golf very quickly ..

Then again you could join the easy 1 for a yr or 2 and when your golf gets too strong for there move up ..


2 things , And with no offence meant

(1) if you shot 97 around the easier of the 2 ? then the harder 1 is not gona be kind to you

(2)"I do feel it was a course that I'd have fun on." (easier course) / "Do you join the harder course and just slog it along" (harder course)

the easier course for now would be the way that i would suggest for u . 10 miles is manageable if you think about it enough

Agree 100%. Depends on your mindset BUT the course I'm at now is tough, with a very tough opening hole, and I know that had I joined it a couple of years earlier than I did then all the fun would have been taken out of the game as I hacked my way around losing umpteen balls in the water! There's every chance I would have said enough's enough and found something else to occupy my time...

 

[garyinderry]

Course on doorstep screams being able to chip and putt when you get a spare hour here and there.


Nip out when HID is watching the bake off. your scores will plummet.

You can also get passed after your round and dander home. Not so easy from 10miles away.


My god, this isn't even difficult. :rofl:

 

[chellie]

You're going to get better at your golf so join the hardest course. Also, being that it's nearest to you so it should in theory be really easy to nip there for practice or a few holes.

 

[adiemel]

I would say choose the course you feel happiest playing. We all play this game for enjoyment. You need to play where you feel you were will an honest hard test of your game but you will still enjoy playing.

 

[bladeplayer]

Course on doorstep screams being able to chip and putt when you get a spare hour here and there.


Nip out when HID is watching the bake off. your scores will plummet.

You can also get passed after your round and dander home. Not so easy from 10miles away.


My god, this isn't even difficult. :rofl:

You're going to get better at your golf so join the hardest course. Also, being that it's nearest to you so it should in theory be really easy to nip there for practice or a few holes.

Where i agree with ye both in theory , if you read the OP & his descriptions of the courses , one is a slog one is fun , & shooting 97 on the fun easy 1 ?
Small Steady Steps Grasshopper. golf can beat us all up at times if it beats u up every time starting out , most would walk away ,,

 

[duncan mackie]

Kirkintilloch can't really be described as tough or overly challenging - although it may seem it until your game improves a little. When that happens it should all be a very enjoyable local experience.

 

[patricks148]

when you say one is harder than the other what do you mean?

I've looked at the comp scores and both appear to have a Css/sss one under par.

 

[chellie]

Where i agree with ye both in theory , if you read the OP he descriptions of the courses one is a slog one is fun & shooting 97 on the fun easy 1 ?
Small Steady Steps Grasshopper

I'm speaking as a high handicapper, still relative newbie who started off at what most consider a tough course.

Other thing to consider is what's the course like over winter. No point in joining one if it's often shut when it rains imo.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Member of previous club for 11 yrs and got h/cap down to 6 - and really enjoyed my golf and the course. New club much harder and struggling to get under 10 - and now been there for 11yrs also. Went back to previous club last year for their Open 4BBB having not played it for about 20yrs and knocked it round in 5 over. It hadn't changed very much at all - and to be honest I found it rather easy and a little dull compared with my current course (remains a lovely club and a nice course I'll add so there is always that to bear in mind ) So I'd suggest the harder course.

Other thing to bear in mind that a handicap gained on a harder course will generally travel better than one on an easier course. This means that you can get much more enjoyment playing other courses - and can stand up to the challenge of the tougher and even proper championship courses.

 

[garyinderry]

I take peoples gross scores with a pinch of salt. At that stage in their golfing life it is very easy to rack up the odd cricket score or two in a round which gives a false impression of where their game is really at.

I always recommend people concentrate on stableford until such time as these crickets scores become a rarity rather than every round.

Scousers girlfriend is a high handicap who I play with regularly. She hasnt broken 100 yet but she also can't get out of a bunker in one and she is regularly in bunkers. Her scores are not really representative of her full game ATM. A little work on bunkers and her gross scores will begin to reflect her current game.

 

[Paul77]

It rains in Glasgow a lot. Both courses got flooded over the winter last year. I'll certainly be playing them again to get a better feel for them. The easier course was a sunny clear day, no wind and no one playing up my back. The harder course was a rainy after noon and a three ball screaming up the course until I let them pass through on the 5th even though I wasn't really taking my time. I think they were skipping holes to get through before the fading light.