Heresy!

[Dan Kelly]

I recently heard a public-radio interview with Phillip Lopate, editor of a new book called "American Movie Critics: From the Silents Until Now."

After Mr. Lopate had confessed that he'd never seen any of the "Star Wars" series, the interviewer asked if there was any movie that EVERYONE ELSE loved and he didn't.

He said he didn't much care for "The Godfather" movies.

I'm afraid I was so surprised that I didn't hear his reasons why.

Perhaps this topic has been beaten to death in my absence, but:

What course does everyone else think is GREAT, and you don't? And, of course, why?

Note: The usual suspects -- the Medinahs and Hazeltines and Oakland Hillses -- need not apply. We already know that not everything thinks they're GREAT.

[Tom Huckaby]

Does Pebble Beach count?  redanman and many others here would be happy to answer... But I guess that answers that - not everyone likes it.

I bet there are some who don't like Sand Hills... I wonder if any will step up.

As for moi, obviously I can't think of any.  The few courses I don't like really do suck and the world agrees with me.

[John Kavanaugh]

I have said it before...I don't like the back nine at Pacific Dunes.  I like to play par three courses under the lights with a good buzz.  

[David Wigler]

Dan - Put me in for Pinehurst #2.  I am not a huge fan of 18 push-up greens.  Do not get me wrong, I believe that this course would be quite happy in the bottom third of a top 100 classical list because of how good the routing is but I simply have never been able to grasp top 10 status for a course with that many silly table top greens and every approach having the same feel to it.

[John Kirk]

I have said it before...I don't like the back nine at Pacific Dunes.  I like to play par three courses under the lights with a good buzz.  

Heresy!

I'm becoming very hard to impress when playing a course for the first time.

I thought the front nine at Winged Foot West was pretty pedestrian.  Long, narrow, and repetitive.  The built up greens, with left and right flanking bunkers, are also somewhat unnatural looking.  The back nine is much better, but the whole thing is not my cup of tea.

Heresy!

I'd probably like it better the second and third time around.  It probably takes a few rounds for some course's greatness to shine through.

 

[Tom Huckaby]

Aha!
If we can just make this one hole and not an entire course, well... I've said in here before that I don't get what the huge big deal is about #10 Winged Foot-West.  It's a very good hole, but not even the best par three on that course...

I've been torn a new one about this before - wait till Matt Ward reads this.

 

[Sean Leary]

The grandaddy of them all. The Old Course after playing it only once...I understand that you need to see it numerous times.  Once, from shortish tees and little wind, didn't do it as a golf course for me.

[Tom_Doak]

Tom H:

I do know someone who didn't like Sand Hills ... he's one of my clients.  He played a single round there as part of a larger trip and thought the front nine was not good at all.  (I assume he just played badly and was misjudging the carries and getting himself in all kinds of trouble.)  

I didn't know what to say to him, really, but obviously I wasn't going to go out of my way to promote Bill and Ben for his job.

[Tom Huckaby]

TD - I had little doubt such people would exist - and of course you were wise re the promoting or lack thereof.  

I have friends who wouldn't like Sand Hills at all - the lack of paved carthpaths alone would do them in, not to mention no waterfalls.

 

[Dan Kelly]

I have friends who wouldn't like Sand Hills at all - the lack of paved carthpaths alone would do them in, not to mention no waterfalls.

I thought the windmill was supposed to be a poor man's waterfall.

[Tom Huckaby]

How many poor men play that course?