[Tommy Williamsen]

I like Iain Carter's (BBC Radio 5 Live Golf Correspondent) description of RND in World Atlas of Golf:

....Westward Ho! polarises opinion. There are those who feel it is scruffy, untidy and unfair, but for players who like their golf rough and ready and who realise that this game was never meant to be 'fair' Westward Ho! is the place. If the Old Course at St Andrews had not undergone so many Open-funded makeovers it would not be far removed from what is on offer at Westward Ho! Let nature do its best (or worst!) and tackle it head on - that was the essence of golf and so it remains at Westward Ho!

Mark, the year we played everything in Cheshire and surrounds, I spent a great week at RND.  It is polarizing and Sean and I have had sow discussions about it.  It does have a few week holes around the clubhouse but the rest of the course is like nothing else in golf.  It is fun and frolicking romp through the Burrows.  The rushes really only come into play on a couple of the holes.

[Mark Pearce]

Probably Deal for me, though I gave serious thought to Silloth, Saunton and Goswick.  Brancaster is also very tempting.  It matters a lot for this exercise not just what the course is like but the surrounds as well.  & days in one place rather requires some decent pubs and restaurants.  That rules out Silloth and Goswick, I'm afraid and brings Rye right back into the equation.

[Brent Hutto]

You don't have to have played a course before - in fact it might be more interesting to hear such rationales - and would your answer change if your rounds had to be combined to a one-week period?

Happy to oblige!

I'd pick Rye, primarily for two reasons:

- everyone says it's always firm and fast

- the par 3s - that's the only part of my game that is not horrible.

I'm also likely the only person on this site that would RATHER play one top course 15 times than 15 top courses once each, or even 7 top courses twice each.

You don't have to have played a course before - in fact it might be more interesting to hear such rationales - and would your answer change if your rounds had to be combined to a one-week period?

Happy to oblige!

I'd pick Rye, primarily for two reasons:

- everyone says it's always firm and fast

- the par 3s - that's the only part of my game that is not horrible.

I'm also likely the only person on this site that would RATHER play one top course 15 times than 15 top courses once each, or even 7 top courses twice each.

George,

You're not the only one. Although 15 might be pushing it for me fatigue-wise. Generally after the third 36-hole day I'm ready for a break (i.e. just 18 holes). And if there's a heavy wind, even one 36-hole day can be tiring.

[Mark Arata]

Im going to choose Ganton, because it would probably take me all 15 rounds to make a birdie there......and im a glutton for punishment.
I really enjoyed Brancaster and Hunstanton as well.

[Brent Hutto]

Mark,

I played six rounds at Ganton over three days and did manage two birdies there. But that's probably due to the fact that the holes were cut in the same location each day. You can only miss the same putt so many times!

I birdied the first little Par 3, that slightly downhill one with ditch in front of the green. Hole was back right. I hit the green three times out of six and ended up making the shortest of those three putts from about 6-8 feet pin high and left.

And I finally on my last round birdied that cool short dogleg-right hole (can't recall the hole number, middle of the round, the one with the tree guarding the corner and the bunker if you go through the dogleg). Hole was all the way back and mighty close to the left edge of the green. That one was about a 20-footer from the very back edge.

[Ryan Coles]

Formby because it offers such variety.

Or Saunton East, because again, it has great variety, lovely par 3's that can range from a SW to a Driver.

[Thomas Dai]

One consideration for me would be how busy the course is likely to be - I can't imagine playing 15 rounds in 15 days on the same course where there are 4-balls of visitors with caddies and rental clubs playing at snail pace and not letting other players through.
atb

[Brent Hutto]

Thomas has a great point. Mark B. is going to be with his son so at least they'll have company. Solo rounds on a crowded course day after day can be patience testing.

Which I have a feeling I'll find out on my upcoming trip to Harlech. September Fri-Sat-Sun is the weather is decent will probably have a lot more play than I encountered at Ganton on a Wed-Thur-Fri visit.

[Mark Pearce]

Can I be the first pedant to point out that Ganton is not a links?  It may be a very great golf course but a links it is not.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Ganton is a links, it's simply a matter of choosing the proper geologic era.

[Sean_A]

Strictly speaking, links are near the sea.  I don't know how far away a course can be from the sea and still be a links, Lytham qualifies but its actually quite close even if a bit further away from the sea than most links.  Although Ganton plays just like a links, I think it is too far from the sea to be a true links and it doesn't look like a links because of the trees.  But if we were to have exceptions, Ganton is it.  But to be fair to Ganton, I think its unique in the world (in my experience anyway) of golf and doesn't quite fit any definition.  Pretty cool eh?

Anyway, I wouldn't have Ganton high on my list of 15 rounders.  I need something more forgiving and more beautiful. 

Ciao

[Mark Pearce]

Also, whilst I love the club, the dioning options around Ganton are somewhat limited.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ganton is a links, it's simply a matter of choosing the proper geologic era.

Yes, I think we just need to identify how long ago it was placed by the sea and that the landforms haven't changed materially since...  Do you think Google Earth will go back far enough?

Lytham is the same, just from a later era.

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