What is the easiest Top 100 course?

[John Kavanaugh]

I shot one under the first time I played my own ball at Pacific Dunes.  I doubt I will ever break 80 at Ballyneal.  The public nature of Pacific make the greens sooooo much easier.

I will say that both Wild Horse and Rustic are easier than Pacific Dunes.  I think most people that think Ballyneal is easy don't putt out.

[Shane Wright]

I will elaborate a little later on why I "think" Pac dunes may be easier, to me.

I absolutely love both courses.  I've played 4 rounds at both.  It may be that I played Ballyneal much more recently than PD.  

I find myself naturally comparing the two all the time.  For me, Pacific dunes has three relatively easy birdie par 5's, I believe easier than BN's because of the green surrounds (i.e. 4 and 8 can be tough pitches at BN).

Both courses have wide fairways, but BN's are a little more elevated and exposed to the wind.

And the hardest holes at BN are harder than the hardest holes at PD, in my opinion.

It isn't by a wide margin, but I believe PD might be just a touch easier.

[Mark Johnson]

  And don't ask for the definition of easy.

  Anthony

y

When I played, it wasnt marked anywhere near that long.  IIRC, the back two sets of tees werent even set up. (My guess is that

Can I ask which set of tees?  The Tournament tees or the tees the majority of members/patrons play?  Could get very different answers based on this?


Obviously haven't played them all (and havent played shoreacres which seems to be the consensus choice),  but here are my candidates for "easy" courses

- Maidstone
- Forest Dunes
- Interlachen
- Rich Harvest Links

Mark, I'd be very interested to hear your take on Rich Harvest and why you'd consider it easy.  Easy isn't a word I can imagine using for a course that tips out at over 7600 yards, is narrow in spots, and has very quick greens.  As Andy mentioned the course rating and slope are very high, in fact probably higher than any other course I've seen.  Even from a shorter set of tees the course would be difficult to manage.

When I played,the  tips werent even set up.  My guess is that the scorecard lists it for tournaments only.   We played around 6900 and I am 99% sure we played the last tees that were set up.   This was kind of my point about vanity tees, which arent set up everyday or at least are rarely played by members if at all.

In terms of the course, wide fairways and it is very bomb and gauge oriented.  Even at 6900, I dont recall hitting more than a 8 iron into any green other than par 3s.   The course played firm and much shorter than its yardage.   Would it be harder at 7600,  absolutely, but there is no way it is as hard as Kiawah.   From my perspective,would be at least 5 shots easier.

While the greens,werent huge, there werent a lot of tough up and downs.

[Steve Kline]

I shot one under the first time I played my own ball at Pacific Dunes.  I doubt I will ever break 80 at Ballyneal.  The public nature of Pacific make the greens sooooo much easier.

I will say that both Wild Horse and Rustic are easier than Pacific Dunes.  I think most people that think Ballyneal is easy don't putt out.

I have no problem putting those greens. I guess that's why I think the course is easy. Plus, you can hit it anywhere. I've found that the penalty for avoiding the optimum line isn't that great. Going really low there might be more difficult.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I dont see the "easy" nature of Ballyneal...perhaps it is because very few people actually keep score around there and just enjoy the course..
Although the fairways are wide and the greens large...it is those same greens athat I believe make the course rater difficult, very hard greens to hit the ball into the correct segment....and should you hit into the wrong segment three putts abound....with a acrd in the back pocket that means something I feel Ballyneal is a very tough test.

[Andy Troeger]

Mark,
You didn't play the same Rich Harvest that I did. The fairways were far narrower than normal, and almost every green has something in front of it. I wouldn't put it as the hardest course I've played--and I would guess that good ballstrikers could handle things pretty well. If you aren't relatively long or get off the fairways, you're more or less toast.

Ballyneal relies quite a bit on the wind to provide the challenge. I played it without wind and didn't find it to be difficult, probably in the same level of difficulty as Valley Club give or take, but I would imagine the angles and firmness are much more vexing with a 20 mph breeze and it sounds like that's pretty normal weather there. I think Pac Dunes is the tougher of the two, but I would guess that without wind that it could be had as well.

[Ron Csigo]

I'll cast another vote for Maidstone.  It's approximately 6500 yards from the back tees.  Plus, the fairways are generous enough on most holes and allow for a recovery.  Also, on most of the par-4 holes, you're approaching the greens with a short iron.

[Tim Bert]

Ballyneal has been mentioned a couple of times in this discussion.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I think Pacific Dunes is easier than Ballyneal.  In fact, when I first saw this discussion, the first two courses that came to mind were North Berwick and Pacific Dunes.

Paging Tim Bert...Bert Line 1.

Pacific Dunes... Easiest... Course... Ever!

[Mac Plumart]

It would appear I like easy golf courses.   

[jim_lewis]

TOC when the weather is decent.

ANGC from the member tees.

[Alex Lagowitz]

I think that in ideal conditions, TOC is not a hard golf course.  Granted at times it can be a beast, If you happen to get a mild downwind on the front, that happens to switch to a mild down wind on the back, it can be a fairly easy round.  If you have a slice, then this post can be disregarded.

[Dave Givnish]

Estancia - wide, wet fairways without much penalty for being on the wrong side of the hole from the tee

[Mark Pearce]

Is Castle Stuart Top 100?  If so, I'd been led to believe that it was pretty easy.