I love the Maidstone almost as much as any place but I wouldn't want to go too overboard on saying "that taken as a set the greens may be some of the best in the world". That's a remark I might reserve for NGLA though. Many of the greens (surfaces) at Maidstone are great--some aren't!
This is the way I feel about the greens at Maidstone:
#1 green.
An excellent green SETTING--very European! Unusual as it just sits up there at the end of a "open field" hole basically uncluttered of architecture. The rugged unmaintained bunkering on the left really adds to this hole but the height of the green and the road left and behind really make this green-end and it's strategy. Anybody who has the balls to go after the left rear pin on this hole particularly in a playoff deserves to win the Maidstone Bowl and believe me I know because it happened to me in the finals one year. In a playoff! I hit a really good shot about 10 feet from that left rear flag and one of the opponents hit it about 3 feet. I missed and he made and won and I sure didn't mind heartily congratulating something like that. That was a risk he totally deserved a birdie and the Maidstone Bowl reward for. To me it's a really good approach shot green but as a putting surface its OK--so so, maybe a B, but with all the approach shot stuff maybe that's all it needs to be. I would dare any architect to build a hole like this today--I don't think anyone has the guts--it would be misunderstood--most golfers would say "where's the beef?" and others might even say on the tee, "where's the hole?"
#2 green:
Again a wonderful green to approach! Really good and very deceptive to understand how much club to hit to the rear of the green. The carry over the left bunker which is far larger than a traditional road hole bunker is very deceptive and complicated to play to properly. The right front of the green is quite narrow (as it should be) and the bunker rear (the road) is a good one and well placed. The angle of this green is excellent and the green-end of this hole doesn't get anywhere near the credit it deserves. Once on the green the putting is so-so--there is more complexity than one would think but again maybe for a green that has the interest approaching it that this does really doesn't need much more complexity on the surface. NGLA's road hole green is the best around but Maidstone's isn't all that far behind.
#3 Green.
Another interesting green to approach because of the upslope in front and the two tiers. The back left pin is really a good one and very hard to get to from anywhere on the right even from the putting surface. Of course putting from the back to the front tier can be tricky but again most of the interest of this green and green-end is approaching it!
#4 green.
Really a large green--much larger than one would expect and far larger even than it looks from the tee. I've always found this tee shot an interesting one and one that requires a darn good shot in the prevailing wind. Seems almost all the times I've ever played this hole, I (and everyone) is trying to prevent the ball from blowing or getting off to the left somehow! So for this reason maybe the putting surface size has some real meaning. The interest on this green is its size and sometimes trying to just control the speed (and figure out the right club to hit into the size) on some deceptively long putts and this one's putting surface is probably the least interesting on the course--except for the size of it.
#5 green.
I've always thought this little hole has been overlooked a bit. It is definitely a birdie hole and everything about its tee to green design says that to the golfer! But from tee to green you have to think well on it and to get that birdie you have to produce two well thought out shots. This one can get you though. I've never carried a driver back to this tee once in all the years I've played it. Some always do and others take a selection of clubs back every time. This says something, don't you think? #5 is like a total "feel" hole!! For the long hitters of today getting over the flanking bunkers isn't much and the hole then becomes quite easy. The green-end is a basic red light/green light one depending on where the pin is. If it's in the back the green is similar to #1--you've got to have guts to go back there and a front pin is a real green light! The green surface has a bit of break and speed complexity putting from side to side and coming from behind the pin but this surface is in the bottom half of the Maidstone greens. Again, what's behind this green basically makes this hole. I've seen more good players screw up this hole somehow than one would expect though. So the pin/approach variety of this hole as well as the total tee to green varietal strategy make this hole, not the putting surface.
#6 Green.
This is the first of the world class putting green surfaces at Maidstone and for anyone who has seen it and played it I really don't think I need to explain why. This hole is your basic super spectrum wind hole and approaching it can be many different clubs depending on that and the putting surface itself is world class. Talk about a green and surface that has real strategic implications.
#7 green.
This is a very cool little cape hole whose green surface is also one of the blandest on the course. Doesn't really need to be anything else really since the tee to green of this hole can be so interesting. Very much the wind hole and if you play it into a strong headwind the approach shot requires some of the European knockdown variety that can make you pucker with the green setting. Downwind this hole is almost driveable for long hitters and the hole is very much the birdie hole or an easy stumbling block, all depending on the wind. Again with the green setting this green space doesn't really need much complexity and it doesn't have it!
#8 green:
So unique! One of the more memorable holes anywhere just because of what it looks like. A hole and green which is really so much "feel", experience, "gauge" etc. To make a birdie here you've got to get a bit lucky which isn't that hard to do with a pin on green's midsection. You can sort of forget about getting close to a front pin though and the rear high tier of the green is really neat to approach to from the tee and putt to as well. This green surface is excellent!
#9 Green.
This hole is one of my very favorites in the world! The tee shot is totally marvelous and the approach shot is almost marvelouser. And what a world class green setting! As much as I love this hole I've never played it very well and I must say I think the green surface is world class probably due to the green's length as much as anything and the difficulty of trying to gauge that approach distance. I've never figured out how to putt this green very well either and everytime on it it seems like the first time and a green that you have to reread and reread and start all over again. This is a mysterious green surface to me, a bit of an enigma and I love it and everything about the hole!
Back nine some other time but like the front nine the back nine has about 3-4 world class putting surfaces although the rest of the holes that don't have the greatest surfaces have something else about the hole that's neat somehow to compensate and maybe that's one of the reasons Maidstone is so interesting.