Strangest / Quirkiest Course?

[IanM]

...it's certainly a great piece of countryside! I used to be local to it, and I still average about one game a year there....and have a good day. Wouldn't want to play it every week though. Had to walk it once in a County Championship... the march from 17th green killed several!! (ok, maybe not)

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

4: long par 3 over a massive bunker. The 200 yard long bunker looks so fake and unnatural, it doesn't match the surroundings. Visually and strategically weak.
7: par 5 around a manufactured lake. Tight drive through avenue of trees feels claustrophobic, then dogleg around the artificial lake.
9: par 3 nothing hole. Looks like they ran out of ideas on this one, no features or interest.
12: short par 5 over the valley. The marmite hole. When I played it I hit 5 iron off the tee then I could have reached the green with a 3 wood, but chose to lay up. I don't mind this hole - it's quirky. But I'd like to see a scratch golfer or pro play this hole, I don't think it would be a challenge.
13: short par 4. Ridiculously up hill, you need crampons to take a stance on the fairway. Not suitable terrain for golf.

On the other hand, 2 and 17 are great holes.

Some of the walks on this course are on the long side, especially from 17th green to 18th tee. I guess the majority of people use a buggy, but that's not what golf is about for me. Overall, the course is set in beautiful countryside but after the botox, collagen injections, hair extensions, nose job, breast enhancement, tummy tuck, it looks fake and less appealing to me.

I've played it a couple of times and agree it has some very strange holes. I can't remember the hole numbers but there is a par 5 (used to be quite early on the front 9) that worked round to the left. Could never really work out quite where to hit it off the tee. And the very steep uphill par 4, need to hit about a 7 iron just to get up the elevation

 

[sunshine]

...it's certainly a great piece of countryside! I used to be local to it, and I still average about on game a year there....and have a good day. Wouldn't want to play it every week though. Had to walk it once in a County Championship... the march from 17th green killed several!! (ok, maybe not)

That walk must have been 10 minutes. I don't like playing courses where you have to use a buggy but it's pretty important here! Slightly off that you have to pay extra for a buggy, should be part of the green fee when it is essential.

 

[sunshine]

I've played it a couple of times and agree it has some very strange holes. I can't remember the hole numbers but there is a par 5 (used to be quite early on the front 9) that worked round to the left. Could never really work out quite where to hit it off the tee. And the very steep uphill par 4, need to hit about a 7 iron just to get up the elevation

Sounds like 7 and 13 in my description above

 

[sunshine]

The 12th at Pinner Hill is the stupidest golf hole I've ever encountered. And now they've removed the bunker at the elbow, you can't even attempt to get your tee shot in it to prevent it rolling miles down that slope. The 17th (the blind par 3 you mention) is benign in comparison. Get the line and club selection right and you'll hit the green. But apart from those two holes I'd say it's reasonably normal and not at all quirky.

17th reminds me of one of those crazy golf holes where you putt it into a chute then it disappears down a tunnel and reappears at the bottom but you don't know where it's coming out

 

[Orikoru]

17th reminds me of one of those crazy golf holes where you putt it into a chute then it disappears down a tunnel and reappears at the bottom but you don't know where it's coming out

Yeah that hole is really ridiculous. I feel like you could hit 7 iron or 3 wood and the result would be pretty much the same.

 

[Bigfoot]

For me it has to be Traigh on Scotland's west coast.
It also has the most beautiful views I've ever experienced whilst playing golf.

https://www.traighgolf.co.uk/gallery

The views are good at Traigh, but take a look at Isle of Harris GC.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Glencruitten in Oban is the quirkiest course I've ever played. I'm struggling to think of one conventional hole on it as it's carved into quite a rugged landscape. Great fun to play and stunning scenery

 

[sunshine]

Yeah that hole is really ridiculous. I feel like you could hit 7 iron or 3 wood and the result would be pretty much the same.

Think I hit 7 iron last time I played it... 240 yards

 

[Beezerk]

While walking near Loch Leven last year I spotted a crazy little 9 holer called Bishopshire, lots of cross crossing holes, tee shots appeared to go over greens, mad looking place.

 

[Captainron]

Barra Golf Club is a very quirky course. Unique and enjoyable. Full of cows grazing, greens are all fenced to keep them off the greens but the holes are bonkers!

 

[cliveb]

Was previously going to enquire about joining, glad I didn't bother ?

Poor Pinner Hill seems to be getting a lot of flak. Yes, it's got two daft holes, but apart from that it's a pretty decent course, has a nice clubhouse, and the club builder based there (Kevin) is the best in the area.

 

[Dan2501]

La Cala Asia's 16th is mental. Par 5 that you have to hit a 6 or 7 iron off the tee. Go too far down the right and your ball disappears down the side of a ravine, go too far left and your ball disappears into thick rough/bushes, don't go far enough and you're hitting blind around a corner with no idea how far to hit it. Then, as you approach the green it drops steeply down towards the green with another massive ravine off to the right. You can hit decent shots, get unlucky with a bounce and lose two balls very easily. Stupid hole, but is fun, birdie opportunity on the off chance you manage to keep your ball on the planet.

 

[Grant85]

Ok, after last night I change my nomination.

Calderbraes outside Glasgow. It's a 9 holer built across 2 sides of a hill. The 1st fairway comes into play for 3 holes crossing over each other. And the 2nd fairway is in play on 2 holes.

A lot of very steep elevation changes so you effectively have to hit to a 'flat spot' on a few holes or your ball will roll quickly out of play.

A few very slopey greens and they were playing pretty slow and I'm sure could quickly become unplayable if they were cut down. 5th green is certainly unfair and 2nd bordering on it.

Playable if you know your way around and I'm sure suits people with a certain budget who want to get a regular game.

 

[Grant85]

Poloc Cricket Club Winter Golf Section
I believe the Golf Section has now closed but undoubtedly the quirkiest I've ever played. It's sadly now closed but it was basically squashed into the cricket pitch during the winter.
6 holes, 3,225 yards Par 63 when played as an 18 holer. It was founded in 1889 and was officially recognised by the R&A. Slightly dangerous as all the holes crossed another at least once, the greens where like upturned soup plates around the edge of the course and the cricket pitch was yellow post marked.
It was also made slightly more interesting by walkers in the park who didn't realise it was a golf course and would happily stroll in front of you just as you were playing a shot.

Yes - this wins.

 

[sunshine]

Poor Pinner Hill seems to be getting a lot of flak. Yes, it's got two daft holes, but apart from that it's a pretty decent course, has a nice clubhouse, and the club builder based there (Kevin) is the best in the area.

I like Pinner. Quirky does not equal bad.

 

[ADB]

I remembered about this one

https://www.aquariusgolfclub.co.uk/the-course

Played on top of an underground reservoir with some random greens dotted around

 

[garyinderry]

I remembered about this one

https://www.aquariusgolfclub.co.uk/the-course

Played on top of an underground reservoir with some random greens dotted around

Hahaha that is truly random

 

[Robster59]

Another one I've played quite a lot is St. Michaels Jubilee Golf Course in Widnes (my home town). Opened I believe in 1977 (hence the name Jubilee for the Queens silver jubilee) and closed in 2004.

St Michaels Municipal Golf Course was situated close to the centre of Widnes off the Runcorn Bridge. The course was constructed in two phases in the 1970s and 80s, reclaiming over 30 hectares of land from old chemical waste tips. It was originally a 9-hole course, eventually extending to 18. Basically they covered all the old chemical waste (from over a hundred years of chemical production) with polythene, then topsoil, then the golf course. The course has been closed since 2004 following the discovery of arsenic. To add to the woes the clubhouse was destroyed in an arson attack. It was hoped to re-open the course but with current financial restraints there seems little chance of this happening in the foreseeable future.

When I used to play, the streams running through it had run-offs of the chemical waste into them, with a distinct smell of sulphur (rotten eggs). If a ball went in, I usually left it there.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Hawick is a brilliant course and one of my favourites but it has a degree of quirkiness.
The fifth has a 6 inch board running parallel for practically the full length of the left hand edge of the faiway. The board stops the ball running down to the bottom of the hill.
But it's most quirky feature is possibly also it's best. The fact that you spend 16 holes going around and up to the top of the hill and then 2 coming down. The 16th is a downhill par 4 on which it is impossible to judge club selection. The you go up again when you play 17 and finally 18 is a downhill par 3 on which it is impossible to judge club selection.
Love it.