At Brora in 2000, I ran into a member who was also a single and looking for a game. In addition to reducing my green fees from 30 GBP to 5, he introduced me to Stableford. I was having quite a good day and late in our second round I lined up my tee shot at the directional post on 14(?). Getting over the top I hit my shot left of left into a herd of the cows doing their greenskeeping chores. While the ball didn't strike any of them, it apparently startled them enough to send them mooing and bawling on a mini stampede. My opponent/host then said in a perfectly clipped British accent. "That's the most appalling shot I've ever seen, even the cattle are turning away in disgust."
I laughed but then protested, "It's not that bad, only about thirty yards off line." It was then that he pointed out I had chosen a directional marker for one of the holes on the front nine. I was a good sevently five yards off line and I somehow managed to make a par out of the whole mess.
On a course I have often called home, Preston Country Club in Kingwood, West Virginia, the second hole is a dogleg right but the green for the sixth hole is visible and so framed by a line of trees it is easy for unexperienced golfers. The story goes that years ago on a foggy morning, a foursome of golfers at Preston for the first time played from the second tee to the sixth green and holed out without realizing their error. They then went to play holes seven through nine and found themselves back at the clubhouse where the pro complimented them on how fast they had played the front nine. I don't know how or even if they straighened that one out. Nowadays there are more prominent and numbered hole diagrams that would make it difficult to miss most of the front nine.
Once playing at Cape Arundel with two other first timers, I, after a lengthy discussion among the the three of us, selected the wrong fairway. It made for a damned long and unsuccessful recovery on that occasion.