WORST practice areas are...

[PThomas]

no answering if you saw the same list i am reading from!

Jerry Tarde lists his top 10 worst practice areas on the "greatest" courses....your guesses please!

[Niall Hay]

Shoreacres

[PThomas]

Shoreacres

nope

clue: 7 on the east coast and 3 on the west...so maybe Jerry hasn't played any midwestern golf!

[Bill_McBride]

I certainly don't want to offend anyone, most of all my host on the great day I spent there a couple of years ago, but NGLA's practice area is not very good.  It was probably really good when CBM originally designed it with Redan, Short and Eden greens as targets.

[Bill_McBride]

I don't remember a practice area at Bel-Air, but when I played in a college match there in 1962, Dean Martin was hitting two irons across the barranca by the clubhouse to a caddy on the other side!    Beautiful swing and very friendly when we went over to visit.

[PThomas]

1 out of 2 Ace:  NGLA is #6

[Anthony_Nysse]

Garden City

[PThomas]

Garden City

no!

[Niall Hay]

Cypress or SFGC?

[David Stamm]

I don't think it's the worst I've seen, but I wouldn't be surprised if CPC was on there. I'd put Pebble on there. You have to get on a shuttle down the street and it's really ho hum.

[Tom Huckaby]

If he lists Cypress Point, well he's wrong.  Range is pretty darn cool and serves its purposes perfectly.... also has very cool short game areas left of 1 and right of 18. Some do cite this (as Niall just did and like David I wouldn't be surprised if Tarde does) but it's likely because they don't notice the short game areas or really look at the range... and don't ask me how I got a good look at it (huge push off 1 tee).

 

SFGC to me didn't seem bad at all either... muni-ish range, true... but also a HUGE short game area and darn fine putting green... there have to be worse than this.....

Concur with Pebble though - far away and no great shakes when you get there.

[Lloyd_Cole]

They are overrated anyhow. Stretch a little (maybe), swing two clubs and get on with it.

[PThomas]

no Medinah Shiv...remember all of his choices are on/near the coasts


CPC is #10, PB #9

[Tom Huckaby]

They are overrated anyhow. Stretch a little (maybe), swing two clubs and get on with it.

Over-rated for visitors, agreed.  Get on with it - right on.

But for a home club, well... I'd like what they have at MPCC, for example.  There would have to be times there's not time nor logistics to play golf holes, thus a fine place to spend an hour practicing would have value to me.

CPC at #10 is stupid.  The article loses all credibility.

 

[Niall Hay]

If he lists Cypress Point, well he's wrong.  Range is pretty darn cool and serves its purposes perfectly.... also has very cool short game areas left of 1 and right of 18. Some do cite this (as Niall just did and like David I wouldn't be surprised if Tarde does) but it's likely because they don't notice the short game areas or really look at the range... and don't ask me how I got a good look at it (huge push off 1 tee).

 

SFGC to me didn't seem bad at all either... muni-ish range, true... but also a HUGE short game area and darn fine putting green... there have to be worse than this.....

I'm not saying SFGC or CPC as my own opinion, guessing what someone had listed (obviously noteworthy).....

[Tom Huckaby]

Niall - gotcha - but as you see, well... if Schmidt and I agree on something, well it has to be true.

I had no doubt it WOULD be listed.  I am just saying it's wrong that it is.

BTW how about Shinnecock Hills... it's a wild guess as my one time there we did the Lloyd Cole thing.. but I don't remember even seeing a practice area...

[Andy Silis]

Winged Foot and Bethpage had to have made that list!

[PThomas]

Winged Foot and Bethpage had to have made that list!

both correct!  WF , he says, allows no woods and uses artifical turf...Bethpage has "crooked" mats he says

no SH Huck

[David Stamm]

Niall - gotcha - but as you see, well... if Schmidt and I agree on something, well it has to be true.

I had no doubt it WOULD be listed.  I am just saying it's wrong that it is.

BTW how about Shinnecock Hills... it's a wild guess as my one time there we did the Lloyd Cole thing.. but I don't remember even seeing a practice area...

I haven't played there, but I know that part of the old CBM/Raynor course there is part of the range at Shinny, per TN.

[Lloyd_Cole]

They are overrated anyhow. Stretch a little (maybe), swing two clubs and get on with it.

Over-rated for visitors, agreed.  Get on with it - right on.

But for a home club, well... I'd like what they have at MPCC, for example.  There would have to be times there's not time nor logistics to play golf holes, thus a fine place to spend an hour practicing would have value to me.

CPC at #10 is stupid.  The article loses all credibility.

 

Tom

I was joking, sort of... I love to do exactly that, but not too many blue collar clubs (ours is deep, deep blue) have even decent practice facilities - buying adjacent property isn't an option without $$$. What I do is jump from hole to hole avoiding the traffic - but on a very busy day that is impossible. What most courses could afford, and have space for, is a short game practice area. That would be a great addition to many rudimentary set ups.

[Tom Huckaby]

David - I saw that at SH - forgive me if I blaspheme but man it sure didn't look like much more than a giant field of hay....

 

Lloyd - we be copacetic on this for sure.  Totally understood no large practice ranges at many clubs, and I too could live without them.  But if it can be done, give me a fine short game area... I can imagine spending many happy (or unhappy) hours there.

TH

[Kalen Braley]

So whats the list so far other than WF and Bethpage?

Is CPC or SFGC on this list?

[PThomas]

so far people have correctly guessed:

1. WF
3. Bethpage
5. NGLA
9. PB
10. CPC

1 more from the west coast

[Kalen Braley]

Riveria on the West Coast?  Or Perhaps Torrey?

[Niall Hay]

Cypress or SFGC?

Great minds Kalen!