How Long Does it Take to Know Greatness?

[Adam_F_Collins]

I was thinking about a hole I know which I always liked, but which I grew to love over a long time and years of play.

I really love our old course, it's only 5500 yards and has one short par 5, but after many times playing it, I am more and more impressed with it. I mean - FIFTY-FIVE HUNDRED! yet few player break par in tournament play. It's a par 68.

Now I'm not saying our course is 'great' but I do know that I have learned its virtues slowly, gradually getting past preconceptions of length and whatnot.

More experienced gca aficianados might not require the same time, but can all "great" holes be recognized by the experts in one or two playings?

Are there great holes which were only revealed over time? Or whose virtues must be pointed out by those who have taken the time?

[Tom Huckaby]

Adam:

Careful, you're ranging into "rater bashing" here - this exact issue has come up in discussions of course rating panels and the like.  Unfortunately often times said panelists only get one look at a course, and the detractors point this out as another weakness of the system.  It is a valid criticism; I just wonder how it can possibly be overcome.

In any event, I do believe that there are golf holes - and entire courses - that do only fully reveal themselves over time.  By that I mean their true greatness only comes out after repeated play.  The greatest of all golf holes likely NEVER reveal themselves completely - figuring them out is what makes them so great - and the tougher that is, the greater they are.

Are there many holes that are seen as "bad" initially but make it all the way to "great" with repeated play?

Maybe this is THE OLD COURSE/Bobby Jones syndrome?

Sorry, lots of questions, few answers.  I post mainly to caution you in case this becomes yet another "rater/ranker" topic.

TH

[RJ_Daley]

Tom... really now, you don't say.

[Adam_F_Collins]

Actually, I'm not much concerned with raters or rater bashing, or ranking with this thread, although I appreciate the warning.

There is a lot of talk about playing courses, and there surely is a certain sense of accomplishment for a golfer at having played the great courses, or the newest and latest (or just a lot of courses for that matter). So it's not surprising that there is so much jumping around from course to course on the part of golfers, and that there is so much jumping about in the talk of golf courses.

But what have we learned by playing some things many times? And for the one-time visitor, what special secrets can be imparted about a hole that might not be seen the first time or two around?

[Pat_Mucci]

AFC,

Some "never" see it.  With some it's instantaneous.
Others take somewhere in between.