"Lou said Northgate is difficult, but having played it many times I would not say it is over the top as may be construed from comments here. There are some very exciting holes on that course and I enjoyed playing it, it could be difficult at times but it could be had at other times. Some enjoy the challenge, the battle, the matching of wits against the course, which with that comes a much higher level of acceptance of the playing course, and others want it handed to them, they don't see golf as a measure of their abilites as a sportsman, and this attitude is probably something they carried all their lives. Are you there to play the sport or are you just there because everybody else is doing it and you feel some obligation to conform. Those they complain about such courses were probably kids like the one on my son's baseball team. Yesterday I helped out by keeping the book. I was sitting next to this kid on the bench that clearly plays because of mom and dad. Coach asks him if he wants to play 3rd base. The kid asks why. I told him if he has to ask why then he might as well get comfortable on the bench to which the coach agreed and little B. sat for the game. you have to have a certain mind set about the sport, a desire to play no matter what the circumstances, and not just be there because of some other reason unrelated to playing the sport. When a person plays a course once or twice and then complains about the difficulty or makes claims about the viability of the course due to the design, they should be sent to the bench where they belong." Kelly Blake Moran
KBM,
Man, aren't you a harsh one! For simply opining that I didn't like Northgate alot and that it was the most difficult short course without gunch I've ever played you relegate me to the bench? I am sure glad you were keeping the book and not coaching the kids!
As to your comment regarding the attitude of entitlement vs. the virtues of struggle and challenge, thanks for making me the poster child of the former and you of the latter. I am grateful to God, my family, and this wonderful country for everything that has been "handed" me.
I am glad you like Northgate. I am not sure how many times I've played it, maybe four or five times, but certainly enough to know it is not my cup of tea. It is a penal course which does reward good shots for the most part and severely punishes poor ones nearly always. Personally, I prefer the MacKenzie philosophy which posits that a course should provide the opportunity for redemption after an imperfect effort. For me, the recovery shot is one of the most rewarding and memorable. Northgate, for the most part, does not allow the sporting chance of making up for a poor stroke with a subsequent outstanding one.
By the way, one of my better friends was a club champion there six or seven times, once shooting a 64 in the tournament and winning by nearly 15-20 strokes. He would agree with you that playing it repeatedly makes it easier and that it can be had. He may not say that it is "over the top", but he would opine that it is penal and not a course that's alot of fun to play. We typically played elsewhere when I visited though the guest fees were certainly moderate.