Top courses and playing ability...

[Tiger]

Finally in a position (life wise) to dedicate the time I need to improve. I really want to explore the UK and play some of the top courses out there but know I need to get much better to do that. The reason I say that is I remember playing West Hill on the H4H day a few years back. Great looking course but I really struggled. Banter and company were fantastic but I didn't really appreciate or enjoy the golf - mainly as I was so gash.

I know places like Sunningdale you need to be off 18 but what handicap do you guys think you need to have to fully appreciate and savour the top courses? Are there any that are kinder to the higher handicapper?

Look forward to your comments 👍

 

[richart]

Finally in a position (life wise) to dedicate the time I need to improve. I really want to explore the UK and play some of the top courses out there but know I need to get much better to do that. The reason I say that is I remember playing West Hill on the H4H day a few years back. Great looking course but I really struggled. Banter and company were fantastic but I didn't really appreciate or enjoy the golf - mainly as I was so gash.

I know places like Sunningdale you need to be off 18 but what handicap do you guys think you need to have to fully appreciate and savour the top courses? Are there any that are kinder to the higher handicapper?

Look forward to your comments 👍

Hankley is perfect for the higher handicap golfer Tiger.

Are you enjoying your new club. Is the invite still valid ?

 

[KenL]

A lot of the "top" courses are not that difficult if playing from the normal tees. Weather is more of a factor in making a course difficult.

You don't need a low handicap to love your golf but being off 18 or less will allow you onto more courses and into open comps.

 

[USER1999]

Even off single figures it is still quite possible to play terrible golf around Royal County Down and love every minute of it.

 

[Craigg]

One of my pp,s is off to Celtic Manor today.He has no official handicap. I'm soooo jealous!

 

[BrianM]

I played Castle Stuart last year just before the Scottish open, I've got no handicap, but went round in 92, played superb apart from my putting was horrendous, greens were so quick.
Go out and enjoy them, I'm hoping to improve and play some of the top courses myself this year 😀

 

[IanM]

I think as long as you can get it away off the tee reasonably well you can play most places and enjoy it if,

- You play off the correct tees, no place for macho pride!
- Don't worry about the score too much (if at all)
- Take in your surroundings (Hagen's quote about "always stop to smell the flowers" comes to mind!

Craigg's mate going to Celtic Manor made me think of conversations I had with players when I worked there... they played the Monty or Roman before playing the 2010 and had some trepidation before the game... I used to tell them that if they used their shots wisely and kept away from the water, the 2010 was more playable than the other two. ....


Mind you, the big sloping greens take no prisoners!

And for what its worth, Celtic Manor isn't really one of Wales' top courses!

 

[MrBrightside]

Not sure about top courses, but i certainly find the 'hotel' or more commercial courses a lot easier... but as high handi-capper i feel your pain, i take little enjoyment from a round where i feel like i'm fighting my swing.

 

[pendodave]

I think you can enjoy top courses as long as you take a few precautions.

Some have carries over gorse, or similar, from the tee. Some are tight and tree lined. If you know you can't reliably produce tee shots that give you a decent chance of having a second shot, go somewhere else.

Some are just plain difficult. Go somewhere equally good that isn't!

As a current example, I think royal cinque ports is really hard. If I was playing with a higher cap on a day out I'd suggest Princes, just down the road, would be a far better day out.

Oh, and be sensible about which tees you use. No point in you going off the backs just because your scratch mate wants to.

 

[GreggerKBR]

This is a brilliant question - almost as hard as the game of golf itself to answer it.
I think the answer will be found when you can make peace with your internal perspective.
Any "ability" of golfer can love or hate any course depending on their internal perspective.

Enjoying it is not about the score, it's about understanding what you love about the challenge.
And being able to forgive yourself and still enjoy it if you don't meet your expectations.

For example... you could play off shorter tees. Give yourself putts from inside 2ft, 3ft, 4ft even.
You could take a "free drop" if you knock it into deep rough, or drop it where it went in, instead of stroke & distance penalty.
You could allow "mulligans" etc. etc.
But... for most the real thrill is in taking on a challenge and achieving it.
If you keep dumbing down the challenge, that buzz will start to lose it's meaning.

Some challenges are easier when you are a better player, or playing better.
But... the fun is in the challenge isn't it?
Does anything really bad happen when you don't achieve it, aside from the internal perspective of disappointment and failure?

 

[Tiger]

Hankley is perfect for the higher handicap golfer Tiger.

Are you enjoying your new club. Is the invite still valid ?

New club is great. Looking forward to April when the bunkers are reopened on the back nine. Invite is always open for you mate. Let me know when you fancy popping up and we'll get something in the calendar. I will also add Hankley to the list as an earlier one to chalk off. Will have to try and get to the H4H meet :thup:

Thank you everyone else for your comments. I think I struggle to smell the flowers when I'm searching for my ball. My focus this year is on accuracy especially FIR as when I play well from the tee I score really well.

Hopefully if this season goes to plan it will soon be time to pull out the GM Top 100 list and start making plans...

 

[Maninblack4612]

The problem I have with top courses is the length. If a hole is designed to have a 7 or 8 iron hit into the green that's what I want to be hitting, if I've hit a decent drive. The easy solution is to play off an appropriate tee, which is what I do. I'm no fan of flogging away with driver & 3 wood on a par 4 & still not reaching, it completely spoils the game for me. The fact is that the pros & young low handicappers play a different game from me. An average player is, at times, capable of matching their short game & putting but they're never going to hit the ball as far.

This is one of the beauties of the game. One of my favourite courses is Rockcliffe Hall, at one time the longest course in Europe. Off the yellow tees I can reach most of the par 4s in two &, more importantly, the bunkers at driving distance are still in play, which they certainly wouldn't be if I played off the black tees. I just wouldn't enjoy playing the full length course even though you have to walk the full length to play the short version!

 

[GreggerKBR]

I've had rounds with >60% FIR and been quite miserable about it.
In the club champs I just had some terrible luck, couldn't hole it from 2ft and in the end carded a 93 on day 1 (off 10 h/c)
It was my worst round in about 2 years...then I shot 82 on day 2 to finish 23rd overall
This was my worst performance of the year and in the competition I most fancied winning the net!

So I'll make this statement.
Improving your FIR will not make you enjoy golf more.
Improving your game will make you a better golfer.
And mean you can accomplish lower scores.
But in isolation, better FIR or lower scoring will not make a happier golfer - sorry!

It's about your own perspective. Look inside for the answer.
Or don't look, and just play "accept outcomes", enjoy things, whether you achieve great things or not.

Some of my best memories have nothing to do with FIR or GIR, or any stats or scores.
A bombed drive, holing a chip shot, escaping from trees etc.
Doing amazing things (for me) that only come around once in a while.

 

[LinksTurf]

The problem I have with top courses is the length. The easy solution is to play off an appropriate tee, which is what I do.

I would agree with this. Carnoustie Championship for example can be enjoyable for any handicap if you play from an appropriate tee.Its still difficult, but enjoyable.

 

[Tiger]

Hey Gregger - I guess I need a caveat to my statement. My score doesn't really drive how much I enjoy my round. Being able to walk straight to my ball and play my next shot does. Hit it walk to it and hit again means I can fully enjoy the company and surroundings between shots :thup:

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I think as long as you can get it away off the tee reasonably well you can play most places and enjoy it if,
- You play off the correct tees, no place for macho pride!
- Don't worry about the score too much (if at all)
- Take in your surroundings (Hagen's quote about "always stop to smell the flowers" comes to mind!
Craigg's mate going to Celtic Manor made me think of conversations I had with players when I worked there... they played the Monty or Roman before playing the 2010 and had some trepidation before the game... I used to tell them that if they used their shots wisely and kept away from the water, the 2010 was more playable than t<script id="gpt-impl-0.7997114218260001" src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/gpt/pubads_impl_110.js"></script>he other two. ....


Mind you, the big sloping greens take no prisoners!

And for what its worth, Celtic Manor isn't really one of Wales' top courses!

Very much this, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not too bothered if I get beaten up by a course being difficult, i.e. difficult greens, tough approaches, I can still enjoy the course and the golf.

However, if I'm hitting it in the trees / long rough with every tee shot, I won't enjoy the round.

The key to being able to play and enjoy somewhere in my opinion, is being able to get off the tee ok.

 

[Tiger]

If I'm hitting it in the trees / long rough with every tee shot, I won't enjoy the round.

The key to being able to play and enjoy somewhere in my opinion, is being able to get off the tee ok.

:thup:

 

[Reemul]

I played a society day last year at Remedy Oak. It was off the championship tee's and was too long. 2 of my playing partners could not reach the fairway at times, sometimes it was a 200 + carry. It meant many a time spent looking for a ball and as it is also quite narrow with little forgiveness a lot of time in the trees.

The day had 130 players and feedback was good but next years event will be from the normal tee's as the only negative feedback was the tee's.

Looking forward to playing it again this year though.

 

[GreggerKBR]

Hey Gregger - I guess I need a caveat to my statement. My score doesn't really drive how much I enjoy my round. Being able to walk straight to my ball and play my next shot does. Hit it walk to it and hit again means I can fully enjoy the company and surroundings between shots :thup:

Spot on buddy, I get ya. It's always frustrating when one hit's a "wide" one.
Don't think Golf on TV does us any favours when they shy away from showing us the losing balls!

 

[patricks148]

only trouble with going off the forward tees is you miss out sometimes how the course was designed to be played esp some of the older courses.

For instance my home course i find a bit mickey mouse off the yellow, most of the hazzards are not in play from the tee, same with Kingsbarns.