How much does the OVERALL experience effect perception of the course?

[David Stamm]

I recently played a course with some fellow GCAers that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's very well known here in the treehouse, although not talked about that much. (I'd like to refrain for now naming the course so this doesn't turn into debating the course itself). The setting was sublime, the conditions perfectly suited for the design, the clubhouse gave me a perfect sense of historical place to it all. Knowing there was a couple of holes that were mediocre at best, it did not detract enough from the whole of the course for me to "ding it" that much. There are times when the overall experience can skew your perception, and it's possible this was one of them. But I loved the place and the more I think about it the more I love it.


   In my mind, the course is always first and foremost and the course I played is one of the best I've played. But the "other" things just made it so much better. Can the line between the course and the experience be so blurred sometimes that it can be difficult to be objective? FWIW, I played terribly but it did not effect my opinion of the course. If I had played great I still would not be able to think any higher of the place.

[Ash Towe]

David,
I think it can make quite a difference, especially when you play the course for the first time.  I find it takes a few plays to be able to forget these other distractions and really work out what the merits are of a course. 
These distractions can make a great day/course even more memorable though.

[JMorgan]

I recently played a course with some fellow GCAers that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's very well known here in the treehouse, although not talked about that much. (I'd like to refrain for now naming the course so this doesn't turn into debating the course itself). The setting was sublime, the conditions perfectly suited for the design, the clubhouse gave me a perfect sense of historical place to it all. Knowing there was a couple of holes that were mediocre at best, it did not detract enough from the whole of the course for me to "ding it" that much. There are times when the overall experience can skew your perception, and it's possible this was one of them. But I loved the place and the more I think about it the more I love it.


   In my mind, the course is always first and foremost and the course I played is one of the best I've played. But the "other" things just made it so much better. Can the line between the course and the experience be so blurred sometimes that it can be difficult to be objective? FWIW, I played terribly but it did not effect my opinion of the course. If I had played great I still would not be able to think any higher of the place.

David, I don't agree that the route to a "best" or "10" is additive.   There are those ineffable qualities that cannot be factored into the overall analysis of a course.  That's why I enjoy hearing the different, individual perspectives of the members of this site.

[Deucie Bies]

I think it definitley has an impact.  My experience was unforgettable.  I thought the course was good, but the lunch, opportunity to drink kummel with members that we met during lunch, play alternate shot in the afternoon and have dinner at Greywalls led me to have very fond memories of Muirfield.

[Rob Rigg]

I think the first time you play a great course the round tends to blur together because it is a new experience and you are trying to absorb the full gamut of stimulae over a short period of time.

Thus, on the first go round, emotion tends to play a larger factor in the evaluation. The full experience also becomes more important. The weather, attitude of playing companions, first thoughts upon arriving at the course, how well you played, etc.

For this reason, it is almost unfair to judge a course after only one round.

When I played Ballybunion and Lahinch, my experience at the latter was much more enjoyable than the former. I played better at Lahinch, the weather was nicer, it was just an amazing day. BB was a bit of a slog due to the weather and I had a tough time figuring out exactly where we should be hitting bc none of us sacked up and got a caddy. It ended up being a bit of a let down although it was spectacular.

I wish I had played 36 at each instead of only 18 . . . and had a caddy.

[Abe Summers]

I agree, Rob.  After the first round I will be able to tell you whether I generally like the course, but not recall many of the reasons after the round.  After three or four rounds I am usually able to have a good debate regarding the merits of each hole. 

I think after you have really analyzed a hole three or four times, from different angles, it really becomes clear how special it is.  We have a hole at Spring City, the 13th on the Lake Course, that after a few rounds suddenly stood out to me as the best on the course.

But the overall experience DOES matter.  While playing in Malaysia once this summer I had a very poor caddie, the rental clubs were awful and the service when we checked in pathetic.  And that course is ranked as one of the top 5 in Malaysia!  Course was okay, but I only have a bad aftertaste.