bad golf courses?

[B. Mogg]

There is some humerous write up on the worst courses in America here,

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/gary_van_sickle/news/2002/11/25/underground/

Some of them sound like the course in Rick Reilly's book (name?).

Funny but there is no mention of Fazio, Rees or waterfalls- someone from GCA atlas needs to educate them on what is really bad!  

Enjoy,
Brett

If anyonbe can top some of those courses, they should add them below!

[rpurd]

I played this piece of crap in NH called The Shattuck.  Unbeknownst to me and my friend from Georgia, the course was in bankruptcy.  No money was going into course........seeing it is basically in the back woods of NH, the forest started overgrowing the course.  No pesticides, so the mosquitoes were big as baseballs..........it was the worst experience I have ever had.  Some joker at Gold Digest actually ranked this POS the top new course of NH some time back.  And the worst of it....we played 4 holes returned to the clubhouse and politely asked for our money back.  They refused.....so we called the police and told them we had basically been robbed (paid for a service not provided).  The police intervened and we got 9 holes money back.

Have not heard much about that place since, but I will never go back!

[Dan G.]

I think The Shattuck was an AOTD.  I'd never heard of it.

[scooter25]

Callling Pacific Groves a bad golf course completely ruins my opinion of the author!  It is one of the great values in the U.S. - the back nine is superb!  

[Joe Hancock]

I wondered about the Pac Grove reference as well. Am supposed to play there next week, and that opinion didn't mesh with most other opinions. Not that Pac Grove is a top 100, but a "worst course"? nawww....

Joe

[Doug Siebert]

Agree 100% about Pac Grove.  The front is nothing great, to be sure, but even it alone doesn't belong in any worst course list.  I played there with some friends while at a conference about five years ago, we all considered it a hidden gem for the price and the wonderful back nine.  Especially considering the price of neighbors.

[Mike_Cirba]

I consider it quite the honor to have played two of the courses mentioned, and my first thought is...my oh my...we are sometimes a very SPOILED lot!

If Dyker Beach in Brooklyn or East Potomac Park in DC (referred to as Haines point) are among the worst golf courses in the country, then we are more fortunate than we'll ever know.  

Interestingly, almost every comment related to conditioning, and really goes to this modern idea of unrealistic expectations and entitlement.  Both of the courses I mentioned fill dire golfing needs in hugely populated areas and get tremendously crowded round the clock play, often by players who treat the property as if it's a dump and their own personal playground as far as replacing divots or fixing ballmarks.

Dyker in particular has some very interesting holes and very good architecture.  While East Potomac is a little more basic in terms of demands, how many holes can you aim at the Washington Monument or Jefferson Memorial as your backdrop?  

Both courses also feature very unique local character, and I enjoyed each tremendously.  

[A_Clay_Man]

Please do all my friends in Pacific grove a big favor and DO NOT refute the allegations. And don't feel sorry for the courses revenue stream. After years of windfall and IMO unethical practices their enterprise fund is sitting on $3 mil. Which implies that not enough has gone back into the course but thats ok too because the only idea they can come up with is a new unneccesary clubhouse. Sure to be an eyesore on the landscape.

As for the real skinny... In the imortal words of our beloved Armenian "It doesn't have to be any better than that". And to assure you he was sober, as a matter of fact it was before the 5 bottles of wine we corked at the Tap Room.

[THuckaby2]

Hmmm... reading what he says about Pacific Grove, I find it to be COMPLIMENTARY of the course... he says "so bad it's good" but to me there's nothing BUT good described there.

Hopefully though the masses will read this and stay away.  Then maybe I can get a tee-time there sometime.

I too was present for the Armenian's proclamation and truer words have never been slurred...er, I mean spoken.  

TH

[redanman]

The only "bad" courses are those at which everyone ahead of you is playing at more than a 5 hour pace!

That would include.............

[THuckaby2]

redanman:  just so show you I'm paying attention, I'll finish that for you:

any of the "resort" courses up the road from Pacific Grove!

TH

[redanman]

TH

You didn't HAVE to......

Actually the other sideof the coin is that any place that you can play in under 3 hours can be fun!

[THuckaby2]

redanman:  it is scary how much I am agreeing with you today.  I gotta go take my cantankerous pills.  

TH

[Matt_Ward]

Agree with Mike Cirba on Dyker Beach. The course has a number of fine holes -- it will not be hosting the Open anyday soon though. Clearly, it's moved beyond the days when burned out cars and who knows what else was found on the layout!

If anything I have a few muni's in Jersey that would clearly be prime suspects -- hint, just check out the ones in Essex and Bergen Counties.

If you want to talk about bad golf courses let me approach it from this perspective. Any course is bad when ...

*You must keep the cart on the paths all day less some hospitable Walter Brennan type will come lumbering after you.

*You get the pre-Broadway hype with some young snot nose kid wearing a walkie-talkie head gear and DEMANDING that he carry your bag. Then before teeing off you get DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS from another "ambassador" (no longer called ranger to be PC).

*You pay a mega amount to play the course and just after you begin you notice the course has several temporary greens and didn't inform you of this PRIOR to paying. Needless to say -- no refund comes you way if requested.

*Agree with my astute buddy Dr. Vostinak -- any course where you have to watch the rear ends of some slow poke group for 5+ hours is sheer torture. I'm waiting for the day when Pebble will build "scenic view" photo points and charge the player a "fee" for taking pictures. Bethpage Black is also a treat to play when the play backs up. I often refer to it as a Sunday NY Times course because you could easily sit and read a section of the paper BEFORE teing off at the next hole.

[redanman]

*You pay a mega amount to play the course and just after you begin you notice the course has several temporary greens and didn't inform you of this PRIOR to paying. Needless to say -- no refund comes you way if requested.

Another side of this coin was a near major tone-a-mint course which charged full boat, had strategic landing areas roped off, slooooooooooooooow greens and cart paths only, no!!!!!!!!! walking!!!!!!!!  ist verboten!

[Jim_Kennedy]

rpurd,
Conditions at Shattuck are turning around dramatically, according to a couple of guys I know who have been there.
Sterling Management took it over last year and they are removing brush, working on the greens, fairways, clubhouse, etc..
They gave my friends two sleeves of ball and lunch with their fees and they reported that "the people there were really friendly".  
This course was supposedly built to be tough, although I don't remember hearing about any long forced carries, and neither of the guys were able to hit their handicaps.
Brian Silva was the original architect.