Top courses and playing ability...

[Hosel Fade]

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.

Isn't Remedy 7000+? Unless it is the county championship that is just daft. I wouldn't send a large group off anything longer than 6600 unless it were 90+% single figures.

 

[Hobbit]

Deep rough, especially with heather and gorse. Very long second shots, and long carries off the tee. All can spoil the experience. You'll know if you are usually wide off the tee or don't hit it very long. But if you want to try one, go ahead. And if it does chew you up and spit you out, don't worry.

Whatever your standard, if you really have a love for the game and appreciate quality you will enjoy a top course. Whether its the manicuring of the course, the subtle placement of the bunkers or even the quality of the sticky toffee pudding you will love the experience. And after licking your wounds you will want to do it again.

Give it a go but take plenty of balls.

 

[Reemul]

Isn't Remedy 7000+? Unless it is the county championship that is just daft. I wouldn't send a large group off anything longer than 6600 unless it were 90+% single figures.

Yes was about 7200 I think, really long and at least half the holes had 100 yards + of gorse and heather in front of the tee boxes. Some of it is just intimidation factor and you should easily carry the distance but knowing any mistake and you are in trees or unplayable rough as to the difficulty, especially for 18+ handicappers which we all were.

 

[ManinBlack]

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.

I would only do this to play the course as it was designed to be played, e.g. 7 iron to the green, not a 3 wood.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Define difficult. Many of the "must play" courses aren't that difficult and you need to bear in mind they are still members clubs and so the majority will still be playable for the handicap golfer. Of course, once you go onto the whits/black (if allowed) then you are making life much harder. The simple answer in my opinion would be to simply play where the heart (and budget) allows

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I had the pleasure of playing Royal Liverpool twice off the back tees (only 160yds short of the open distance) a few years back, at the time I was off 19.

My biggest worry on some of the holes was simply reaching the fairway.

The top 32 played a further 36 holes on the second day off the back, the remaining 32 (me included) played a 36 hole Stableford comp off the yellows.

I have to be honest, I hated it off the yellows, suddenly off the Tee all the hazards came into play, bunkers, OOB all sorts.

Knowing my limitations off the backs my course management and limited ability had to be used, being so much further forward off the yellows I got sloppy and started to think I was better than my actual handicap.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I remember playing the West course at Wentworth off the whites in the 80's (not a million miles off the pro tees) and with a persimmon driver and balata ball, even then some of the carries over the heather were skin of the teeth jobs at around 200-215. It was a long slog but something I still enjoyed it even though none of the hazards off the tee were a worry for me

 

[Hosel Fade]

I remember playing the West course at Wentworth off the whites in the 80's (not a million miles off the pro tees) and with a persimmon driver and balata ball, even then some of the carries over the heather were skin of the teeth jobs at around 200-215. It was a long slog but something I still enjoyed it even though none of the hazards off the tee were a worry for me

Wentworth is a strange one, been going to the event since before the first lot of Els changes and I struggle to see how anyone above say a 6-7 that flies it 240-250 can enjoy themselves on the latest version (even from yellows potentially). Used to be far more playable, now every bunker is a pitch out.

Probably of the top courses the one I would recommend the least to an average player just because it is so severe (and also bc both the Sunningdale courses and the East at Wentworth are just downright better)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Wentworth is a strange one, been going to the event since before the first lot of Els changes and I struggle to see how anyone above say a 6-7 that flies it 240-250 can enjoy themselves on the latest version (even from yellows potentially). Used to be far more playable, now every bunker is a pitch out.

Probably of the top courses the one I would recommend the least to an average player just because it is so severe (and also bc both the Sunningdale courses and the East at Wentworth are just downright better)

Totally agree. When I played it in the mid 80's it was a slog then. Not played it in a long while and certainly not since Els changed it but it's not somewhere I'd rush back to. Plenty of top quality courses, not too far in a car from Wentworth (West Hill, Woking, North Hants, Walton Heath) that are top quality but infinitely more playable