How big of a factor is good GCA in your enjoyment of the game?

[Joe Bentham]

I consider myself very lucky.  I get to work at arguably the best golf resort in the world.  The golf courses I'm exposed to on a daily basis are of such high quality that people might assume that either I'm spoiled and take it for granted or that I wouldn't enjoy playing courses of lesser stature.  Not true.
We play golf on Christmas Eve in my family.  Some years everyone plays (like this year), and some years it is just my brothers, a couple of buddies and me because my folks won't come out in the December Oregon Coast weather.
We usually play at Alderbrook, the course here in Tillamook.  Even after a new owner has injected some money into the course the last three years it would be dishonest to call it anything other then a goat track (a lot of the locals will tell you the changes have made it worse).  It is golf at its most rudimentary and in the winter the turf conditions are less then ideal (i.e. soggy and wet).  And yet it is always my favorite round of the year.

My question for you guys is this: When (or if) you guys play golf courses that you wouldn't (for lack of a better term) brag about on GCA.com do you enjoy them?

We also played the day after Christmas this year up at Manzanita.  Another Oregon Coast Gem.

#7 is positively heavenly

As I get older I'm starting to realize what is important.  Friends and family are clearly at the top of that list for me.  So I'm sure that who I play with is so much more important to me then where I play.  Although my folks have played at Bandon at least a dozen times with me and I can't say that those rounds are anymore enjoyable then the annual rounds over Christmas.
There is no question that my appreciation for good golf courses and good golf course architecture allows me to enjoy any GOLF more.  I think a lot of the problems facing golf these days (dwindling participation numbers, high cost and the time it takes to play) could be helped if more golfers would realize that it is okay to play and enjoy the courses in their neck of the woods that might not quite warrant a fancy bag tag and wouldn't be on a top 500 list if one existed.
 

[Garland Bayley]

Being a competitive person, the enjoyment of competition in a match is more important to me than good GCA. Undoubtedly good GCA can make the match more interesting, but only in comparison to playing the match on the most mundane courses (lower than Doak 3 perhaps) would it become more interesting.

That said, in the absence of a match to be played, GCA becomes a significant factor.

[Dan Byrnes]

Not particularly important in comparison to location, affordability and good people but if I can get the first three than it would be the deciding factor.

[Peter Ferlicca]

Some of my most fun rounds of golf were when I was up in Washington living in Ellensburg.  My friends and I would venture out around 6pm with our dogs and a couple of beers playing nine holes at Ellensburg Muni, a 9 hole track.  The golf course has some fun holes but nothing spectacular.  I must admit having your dog with you playing golf is about as good as it gets. 

[Jud_T]

Joe,

You make a valid point.  However, based on the "Your Last 10" thread I'd say you're barking up the wrong tree here.  Either that or we're all playing a bunch of great courses and not enjoying it much...

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

It is how I plan my competitve schedule..unless it is State Am governed, I wont play at an evenet unless I am going to feel like the golf course is what I consider"good"...You could say that I have become a golfing snob, but at this age when I compete I feel like that is my perogative.
Good fields on good golf courses...otherwise I stay home and play at my home course which itself is "good".

[Jeff Shelman]

I subscribe to the theory that life is too short to play really bad golf courses.

That said, there are times when I break that rule. It is usually because it is a round I have to play for some reason or because it is where friends want to play.

And I'll even try to talk my friends into someplace a little better.

I want three things: good greens, some interesting holes and a decent pace of play. The order of those three probably depends on the day.

[PCCraig]

I'll play anywhere as long as it can be played quickly. It better be one heck of a good golf course to justify a 5+ hour round.

Generally though, I'll play anywhere at anytime with friends. But if I had the choice, I would probably try to play the more interesting course to me...but that's normal right?

[Carl Rogers]

Modest courses need to have some character, some strategy and some personality to itself otherwise you are just banging a ball.
Last October, I had the chance to play 3 older modest Ross efforts in Western North Carolina.  The experiences were more interesting and subtle than I could have expected.  Walked all 3 in less than 3.5 hours.

[Mac Plumart]

Good GCA is becoming more and more important to me.  And it really has nothing to do with bragging about having played course X, rather it has everything to do with enjoyment. 

And that is kind of it.  I think people will like the game more when they find what type of course they prefer.  Perhaps many retail golfers are leaving the game at such a steady rate because the courses they play have bad GCA and/or are not a fit for their ideal style of golf. 

Most likely these courses are wanna be championship golf courses with overly penal, overly lush design and maintenance practices.  Rather than fun golf courses...or perhaps they are the dreaded good "members" course.  Honestly, give me that 10 times out of 10 over a "championship" course.

[Garland Bayley]

Modest courses need to have some character, some strategy and some personality to itself otherwise you are just banging a ball.
Last October, I had the chance to play 3 older modest Ross efforts in Western North Carolina.  The experiences were more interesting and subtle than I could have expected.  Walked all 3 in less than 3.5 hours.

Are you sure you didn't run? 1 hr 10 minutes is a very fast round of golf.