Does Every Course...

[Matt_Cohn]

...seem better when it's hosting match play as opposed to stroke play?

The K Club hasn't gotten too many rave reviews but it seemed to serve its purpose very well last week.

Does match play encourage the kind of aggressive and strategic play that makes all of a course's risks and rewards much more relevant, and therefore makes the course more interesting?

Are there any courses that are more interesting during stroke play than match play?

[Matt_Cohn]

bump, somebody's gotta have an opinion!

[George Pazin]

This is an interesting topic, hopefully people with more experience will chime in.

I think the best way in which match play helps to bring out a course is that it lessens the "fairness" argument.

I can't think of any courses that tend to shine more in stroke play.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I'm sure Tom Doak said here about a month ago that any course would be an exciting place to hold the Ryder Cup (or words to that effect).

I still think there was too much water.  How much more exciting is the chance of a recovery from a difficult position.  I saw Westwood playing 15,on the last day, go into the trees on the left.  His second caught a tree and dropped about 140(I'm guessing) form the pin. The bottom half of the flag had to be blind from where he was - but he still got up and down for 4, making a half.  Had he found water on the right the hole was over.

I think this is the perfect example of Huckaby thinking. Any course is good for the Ryder Cup but some would be better than others.  

Hoylake struck me as a great Strokeplay course.  the best man over 4 days one that one. (I'll tell you later how it shines as a matchplay venue )

[tonyt]

Does every course...seem better when it's hosting match play as opposed to stroke play?

Could this be a reflection of matchplay being a better game than strokeplay?

Strokeplay is practical and is here to stay (as it should do), but it makes for absorbing discussion that the man on man tussle seems to allow the course to provide a perfect stage. Each act, each contest over a hole takes place within a 10-15 minute time frame. Whereas in a strokeplay round, the act is a 3-5hr one, and provides plenty of both time and also advancement/recovery flexibility in a player's round, and adds focus onto the golf course away from its form of challenge that may actually be unecessary.