Familiarity Breeds Contempt

[Carl Nichols]

Was Twain right, as this relates to golf courses? In my experience, the answer is no -- the more I play most courses, the more I like them. There are some bad ones, however, where I dislike them more each time. What do you think? And what course have you played a lot that you hold in greater contempt each time? My vote would be the little known Tower Ridge CC in Simsbury, CT.

[Dan Herrmann]

Carl - interesting idea.

I'd pitch Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, MD.  No doubt it's a very good golf course, but every time I play it my contempt increases.  It's strange too, because I really want to like the place.  The shot values at Bulle Rock just seem too "forced" to me, and the greens seem a bit uninspired.   Strangely, I know that I liked it much more the first time I played it.

Maybe it's because I preferred Beechtree (NLE) which was practically next door.

[Tim Martin]

Was Twain right, as this relates to golf courses? In my experience, the answer is no -- the more I play most courses, the more I like them. There are some bad ones, however, where I dislike them more each time. What do you think? And what course have you played a lot that you hold in greater contempt each time? My vote would be the little known Tower Ridge CC in Simsbury, CT.

Carl-I have to agree with Tower Ridge which is a virtual torture chamber and as close to unwalkable as you can get. Holes 5 through 10 represent one of the worst stretches of holes I have seen while I`ll give a pass to # 6. When you walk off 18 you try to figure out what possessed you to sign up for this slog knowing what was out there.

[Travis Dewire]

What about familiarity through out the course? Meaning, a course's challenges presented, are constant, and unchanging through the round. Same tee shots through out, same approaches and similar yardages to greens. Wouldn't that breed contemptment?

There are many super golf coureses out there that you could play over and over again for your entire life, and never feel any contempt for your familiarity of it.

[Gary Daughters]

There's probably a sliding scale in there somewhere, largely dependent on a golfer's disposition.  For a golfer who's paying attention, multiple plays might reveal unseen subtleties, and on a bad course pretense or fakery.  And maybe at some point you just get bored.

[David Mulle]

I'd pitch Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, MD.  No doubt it's a very good golf course, but every time I play it my contempt increases.  It's strange too, because I really want to like the place.  The shot values at Bulle Rock just seem too "forced" to me, and the greens seem a bit uninspired.   Strangely, I know that I liked it much more the first time I played it.

Dan,
What do you mean by "forced" shot values?  I'm interested to hear your take because I really enjoy Bulle Rock (I've played it 8 or 9 times through the years).   

[Dan Herrmann]

David,
Sure - In random order...
#16 to me is a really goofy par 5 that Dye "forces your hand" on.  Sure, you can TRY for the upper (left-side) fairway, but to me, it's way out of reach.

#18 is the classic Dye 18th hole - water all the way up the left side, needless to say, you keep it in the center or to the right.

#12 forces a cut shot off the tee.

#9 presents options, but not a single LPGA'er chose the right side option.  And I know why - I tried it only to be left with an impossible shot.  So why even build that right side?

All that said, I think #2 is a fantastic par 5.  Not only strategic, but visually stunning.  I just wish that the rest of the course was as good.

[Mark Saltzman]

The courses that I have played many times would certainly not be considered among the great tracks of the country (or province or city for that matter) and as a result I'm not sure they have so many subtleties to find. Honestly, I start to get a bit bored after many plays. Every hole I know exactly what I'm going to hit off the tee, what line I want to take, etc. Even though the courses changes because of wind or pin position I feel like I have played these combos many times too. What I really find is that I know for sure what holes I like and I seem to bide my time playing the other holes, just waiting to get another crack at the ones I really enjoy.

Also, slightly OT, I find I don't play all that well on these courses. Course knowledge can be a double edged sword - sure I know how to play the hole, but I also have in my head every single bad place to hit it. Holes that should be easy are made more difficult because once or twice I hit a terrible shot there and now know that if you push slice it, it is possible to almost hit someone through the woods on the adjacent fairway.

[Carl Nichols]

Was Twain right, as this relates to golf courses? In my experience, the answer is no -- the more I play most courses, the more I like them. There are some bad ones, however, where I dislike them more each time. What do you think? And what course have you played a lot that you hold in greater contempt each time? My vote would be the little known Tower Ridge CC in Simsbury, CT.

Carl-I have to agree with Tower Ridge which is a virtual torture chamber and as close to unwalkable as you can get. Holes 5 through 10 represent one of the worst stretches of holes I have seen while I`ll give a pass to # 6. When you walk off 18 you try to figure out what possessed you to sign up for this slog knowing what was out there.

Tim-
Do you live in CT?  I grew up in Simsbury, and originally thought the place was great because they usually had great greens . . . and the more I played it, the more I realized it's completely lame.