To create a fun, yet challenging course for a membership with varying handicaps, rate the desirability of the following elements from 1 (essential) to 3 (indifferent):
Mike
Length = 3
6,300-6,500 is plenty for regular tees, with 5,900, 4,900, and "Family tees" at 3500. If you want to challenge longer hitters, 4/5 par on each side .
Wind 2
Most golfers I know can't or won't play in the wind, and I haven't seen many American courses that are truly playable in it either.
Width 1
Width is great. And I think it having plenty of it off the tee actually confuses a more players than people realize.
Water 3
Water in moderation is fine with whisky, but it often spoils the golf
Rough 2
Too much or too tall rough makes for play slow, so keep it under control
Trees 3
I hate abundant trees, and nearly all the courses I play have them much too close together. It amazes me that people can plant a tree without ever once considering how big it will be in 30 years.
Topography 1
Good topography, well-used is a joy--even if it apears subtle at first.
Firmness 1
Us popcorn-hitters with good short games love it when the course is fast.
Bunkering 2
Bunkers are essential, but too many becomes a maintenance cost issue, and cost is one of the things that is problematic in the game.
Green Speeds 1
Fast, but not crazy. I think Pelz has it right--every course has a green speed that provides the most entertainment for the largest number of golfers. I just wish we could standardize a way to measure that.
Green Contours 1
I wish I could play "Mackenzie greens" every day.
The course I play in Kansas is almost my ideal member's course. Except for it's relative lack of strategy, it has elements that make it loads of fun to play.
It's 6,300 yards from the white tees, par 71, and easy for most 16+ handicappers to get around. But no scratch golfer thinks it's easy.
But it's real genius is that almost every bad shot leaves the player with the belief that he can recover on his next swing. Of course, he probably won't recover
Someone famous once said, "The most exciting shot in golf is the recovery shot."
At my home course, you rarely think your dead, but you often are.
K