[Tommy Williamsen]

One of the joys of putting is reading a long breaker correctly, executing the shot, and then watch it dive into the hole.
The same can be said of almost every shot on the golf course.  A great golf course encourages the player to "read" the next shot, decide which is the best option and then execute.    
Yesterday I had a shot to the green that could have been played three different ways.  The pin was tucked over a bunker on the left side of the green.  The green is long and undulating.  The pin is in a little depression that tilts left to right.  Behind the pin is a steep slope.  If I fly the ball (150 yards) right at the pin the only way I can keep it near the pin is either to hit the ball thirty feet to the right of the pin or hit it left to right at the pin and hope it stops.  The other option is to hit a low runner up shot to the right side and let it take the slope and feed down to the hole.

A great golf course should encourage the player to weigh the different options and play the one he is most comfortable with.  Too many courses today are so one dimensional that there are not various options to play.

[George Pazin]

Nice post, tommy. You should consider copying it over to the Ted Sturges "What makes a golf course "great"?" thread.

Which choice did you make?

[Tommy Williamsen]

I pulled it left of the green.  So much for strategy.

[ed_getka]

Tommy,
   All my favorite courses fit the criteria you describe. They may not do it on every hole, but it happens enough that when you see it you recognize the genius. Barona Creek, outside of San Diego, was one of the first courses where I recognized this. Todd Eckenrode did an exceptional job there blending in sideboards and other features that if you were paying attention you could utilize to get your ball to the hole.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Ed, I think the appreciation for the game grows when you find a course that encourages the player to be imaginative and make choices between options that are all good.  

[ed_getka]

Tommy,
   I agree except the "options are all good" part. If all the options are good then the golfer isn't challenged. The key is figuring out which is the best option, and what is the option your game is best able to carry out, and then being able to commit to the choice you make.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Ed, I agree.  The options are all good in that they will all work to some extent.  But deciding which option will work best for me at the moment is the crucial question.  In my illustration I decided to hit a high fade into the pin but double-crossed my self.  Next time I'll think twice about which option to choose.  It just nice to have options.  

[Kirk Gill]

What amazes me is how often my playing partners don't see more than one option available to them. The "hit it right at the pin and hope it stops" option in Mr. Williamsen's original post. I have to say that reading this site has helped me more regarding the exploration of options than reading instructional magazines, etc. That said, many players like the notion of "give me one specific option that I am compelled to execute" more than "give me a bunch of ways to skin the cat. Or, like I said before, they only see the one, regardless of how many are available.

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