[David Harshbarger]

1. The Summit-NLE- Berkeley Springs, WV-Had the worse hole I've ever seen!

2. Sleepy Hollow-Charles town, WV

3. Goose Creek-Leesburg, VA

4. Carper's Valley-NLE- Winchester, VA

5. Cobb's Creek(Olde)-Philadelphia,PA

6. Sea Scape, Nags Head, NC

7. Montclair-dumfries, VA

8. Chesapeake Bay(North East)-North East, MD

9. Bowling Green(North)-Front Royal, VA

10. Ed Oliver-Wilmington, DE
[/quote

Cory, do you mean Slepy Hollow in Hurricane, WV just outside Charleston? Charles Town is over in the eastern panhandle whereas C harleston is in the middle of the state. If so i am surprised to see that Sleepy Hollow on anyone's worst 10 list. 

Heck, I'm surprised to see Hurricane WV's Sleepy Hollow on any list.  We were members there in the 60's-80's.  Once old enough, my father took us out regularly.  On the Doak scale, it would be a 3, I think: a perfectly acceptable parkland track.

[Cory Lewis]

Cory, do you mean Slepy Hollow in Hurricane, WV just outside Charleston? Charles Town is over in the eastern panhandle whereas C harleston is in the middle of the state. If so i am surprised to see that Sleepy Hollow on anyone's worst 10 list. 

No I mean the one in Charles Town.  The only place I have seen a literal shotgun start.  Played in high school tournament there every year.

[Tim Martin]

1. Gillette Ridge-Bloomfield CT
2. Cape May National-Cape May New Jersey
4.Lyman Orchards Gary Player Course-Middlefield,CT

That`s as far as I can go without breaking down and crying uncontrollably. There are certainly no shortage.

[Mike Hendren]

Bill Schlulz,

Thank you for your frank commentary about The Alotian.   Hopefully, Ran has established a GCA witness protection program.

Bogey

[Tim Martin]

Bill Schlulz,

Thank you for your frank commentary about The Alotian.   Hopefully, Ran has established a GCA witness protection program.

Bogey

 

[astavrides]

2. Cape May National-Cape May New Jersey

good call

[Tim Martin]

2. Cape May National-Cape May New Jersey

good call

Has to be one of the most disjointed routings and worst walks in golf. The funniest part is that they bill themselves as "The Natural".

[Sean_A]

I have to give this some thought, but these seven certainly feature

BALD HEAD - SC

DUKE - NC

THE BEAR - MI

FOX HILLS - MI

PINE VIEW - MI

WARREN VALLEY EAST & WEST - MI - just because they had the gaul to screw up what would be a good Ross 18 holer

Ciao

[Bill Gayne]

I've played a combination of ten really lousy courses in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Fortunately for me, I've blocked out the most of the names of the courses but unfortunately can still visualize them. I took up the game while living in Atlanta shortly after finishing school and without private course connections or much money ended up on some rough tracks.

[mike_beene]

Does Alotian have more miles of cart paths than Stonehouse? I add Stonehouse to my bottom 3

[Kyle Henderson]

Of the courses mentioned so far, surely "Mahogany Run" has the most fitting moniker for a distastefully conceived golf course.

[Duncan Cheslett]

It is interesting that there are no contributions from the UK in this thread so far. While it is true that we do not have many really poor golf courses there are a few...

Let me propose Moorend Golf Course as an example. http://www.moorendgolf.com/index2.htm

In the early 90s the farmer who owns the land decided on a whim that there was potentially more money in golf than in grazing cattle - so he climbed on his tractor and laid out a golf course. I imagine that it probably took him most of the afternoon.


Ironically though, it turned out that he was spot on in his analysis. He rode the crest of the golf wave and for fifteen years made a killing. Starved of any opportunity to play golf at private clubs, working class casual golfers flocked to his course and long queues formed at weekends. He proceeded to build an impressive driving range as an 'add-on' to his business.

Today, the driving range has been hived off to the teaching pro and thrives. The 'course' however, receives almost no maintenance, is a boggy quagmire, and has seen visitor numbers plummet as golfers discover that they are now welcome at any 'proper' course for a green fee hardly any more expensive than that charged at Moorend.

The owner meanwhile, apparantly lives in his French chateau bought on the proceeds of his glory years, and clings onto the hope that the planned relief road to Manchester airport will result in his land being compulsorally purchased...

[Matthew Petersen]

Matt Peterson  ( reply 21) is right on the Crossings at Carlsbad. It is also probably the most expensive GCA disaster ever. I believe the clubhouse cost $40 million and the course $20 million. Last I heard they were going to put another $10 million in to " improve" the course.

Well, the clubhouse wasn't terrible.

[Sean_A]

It is interesting that there are no contributions from the UK in this thread so far. While it is true that we do not have many really poor golf courses there are a few...

Let me propose Moorend Golf Course as an example. http://www.moorendgolf.com/index2.htm

In the early 90s the farmer who owns the land decided on a whim that there was potentially more money in golf than in grazing cattle - so he climbed on his tractor and laid out a golf course. I imagine that it probably took him most of the afternoon.


Ironically though, it turned out that he was spot on in his analysis. He rode the crest of the golf wave and for fifteen years made a killing. Starved of any opportunity to play golf at private clubs, working class casual golfers flocked to his course and long queues formed at weekends. He proceeded to build an impressive driving range as an 'add-on' to his business.

Today, the driving range has been hived off to the teaching pro and thrives. The 'course' however, receives almost no maintenance, is a boggy quagmire, and has seen visitor numbers plummet as golfers discover that they are now welcome at any 'proper' course for a green fee hardly any more expensive than that charged at Moorend.

The owner meanwhile, apparantly lives in his French chateau bought on the proceeds of his glory years, and clings onto the hope that the planned relief road to Manchester airport will result in his land being compulsorally purchased...

Duncan

Never you fear!  I have a few doozies in England.

BANK HOUSE HOTEL - outside Worcester - on big bog

THE ABBEY HOTEL G&CC - outside Redditch - where to begin

BIDFORD GRANGE - Worcestershire - ironically, one of the closest courses to my house - an old farmer's field - I think the farmer designed the course

Ciao

[Tony_Muldoon]

Perhaps I've been lucky or have lower standards but there are only two of approx 180 courses I've played that I would have difficulty dragging myself out to play again, even in a comped match vs. Scarlett Johansen.

These two are toxic.

1
The Vale. Glamorganshire
A hotel in S Wales with 2 courses and I played the Championship one.  I've written on here before how awful it is from beginning to end and how laughable the features they advertise are.  NO drainage in South Wales.  Hundred yard minimum walk to get jsut to the very back tees (which were never used – see below).

It still seems to be there so it is attracting a crowd but it can't be good for golf. I am particularly mad because I went with a really great group and our itinery included wasting a second day playing it.

Two stories.
Having a drink afterwards I said to the bar man that it seemed to be a poor man’s copy of Celtic Manor.  He looked around to  see no one was watching and said staff had been sacked for uttering that very thought.

Later I met with a guy who had played it on the Europro Tour.  He had seen my tirade against it on GCA and said he totally agreed and it was the worst they had to play but they were not allowed to criticise the host courses.  It was quickly dropped from a rota that seeks out courses with marketing budgets.

Last I heard the genius “Architeect” who had been on the board of Director,s parted company with them and was planning to build “the longest course in the UK”.  8000 yards+ somewhere in the monmouthsire hills.

2
Top Valley. Essex.
Another ex farmers field. Not enough land so lots of doglegs played up and down between saplings and unmown grass.  Result  hackers spending hours looking for balls. Around the 10th in total despair I tried to top myself with my driver; but it had been so long since I had last swung a club, I whiffed!

It’s less than a mile from my office and I do use the range. It’s very cheap and there’s never a shortage of players. So what do I know?

3
Royal Lytham
(only part joking    )

[Scott Warren]

Central London Golf Centre -- Would be a great place to ride motorcross bikes, with all the berms, mounding and containment ridges. Avoid.

[Greg Tallman]

Heck there is a course in the top 10 in NC that i was seriously considering for my list.

Do tell

Elk River, nice club but the course...

[Brian Colbert]

I'll call this my "all-overrated" list. I can't say these are the worst golf courses I have played, but they are courses which in my mind are over hyped by the general golfing public.

1. Fiddler's Elbow River Course- Just awful. Routing is horrible, course goes near the interstate. A way overhyped private club which is awful.

2. Reunion Resort Watson- Framing mounds, 20 fairway bunkers per hole, terrible greens. This past year they hosted Big East and the complaints were almost universal.

3. TPC Tampa Bay- Every hole feels the exact same off the tee.

4. Makray Memorial GC, Barrington, IL- Just terrible.

5. Bull Valley GC, McHenry, IL- Tricked up, feels like a fantasy course on Tiger Woods

6. ACE Club, Lafayette Hill, PA- Unwalkable, even though all the holes are relatively close together there are still inexplicably 3-4 walks between holes which are 300+ yards

7. Plymouth CC, Ambler, PA- I have no clue what Flynn was thinking when he designed this course. 2 is one of the most ridiculous holes I have ever played.

8. Newport National, Newport, RI- Well, actually, any Arthur Hills course for that matter. 95% of the ones I have seen are an abomination.

9. Oak Grove, McHenry, IL- Hole 6 requires a shot that 1 in 100 golfers are skilled enough to play around or over a tree in the middle of the fairway. Hole 11, well, just google map it. You'll know which one I'm talking about.

Couldn't get to 10. I'm fortunate in that I don't really play too many awful golf courses. Could have thrown Kemper Lakes in there, opted not to.

[Cliff Hamm]

Brian...would like specifics as to why Newport National is an abomination?

[Bart Bradley]

Heck there is a course in the top 10 in NC that i was seriously considering for my list.

Do tell

Elk River, nice club but the course...

Greg:

This is too harsh.  Elk River is not among the worst 10 courses you have ever played... The first 4 or 5 holes aren't that bad. 

Unless you haven't played much?

Best wishes,

Bart

[Greg Tallman]

Heck there is a course in the top 10 in NC that i was seriously considering for my list.

Do tell

Elk River, nice club but the course...

Greg:

This is too harsh.  Elk River is not among the worst 10 courses you have ever played... The first 4 or 5 holes aren't that bad. 

Unless you haven't played much?

Best wishes,

Bart

Bart, it did not make my bottom 10, I simply said it received consideration.

[Matt_Cohn]

3 pages and nobody has mentioned The Ranch in San Jose?

[Mickey Boland]

Sam,

I have played 4 of the courses on your list.  I played what was then called Ellington Golf Course in the late 70's when you had to go through the base to get to the course.  Go through Air Force security at the gate, and then dodge MP's ticketing everybody exceeding the 25 MPH speed limit.  They built a new entrance some time later.

When I played in high school, we played a tournament every year in Kingsville on a course where the chemical plant is just north of town.  Hard as a rock and hardly any grass.  But there must have been pipelines running under the course because every now and then you would come upon these hardened lava flow-looking pools where something had obviously come up out of the ground.  A drive landing on one of those would get a lot of extra yardage.l

[Sam Morrow]

Sam,

I have played 4 of the courses on your list.  I played what was then called Ellington Golf Course in the late 70's when you had to go through the base to get to the course.  Go through Air Force security at the gate, and then dodge MP's ticketing everybody exceeding the 25 MPH speed limit.  They built a new entrance some time later.

When I played in high school, we played a tournament every year in Kingsville on a course where the chemical plant is just north of town.  Hard as a rock and hardly any grass.  But there must have been pipelines running under the course because every now and then you would come upon these hardened lava flow-looking pools where something had obviously come up out of the ground.  A drive landing on one of those would get a lot of extra yardage.l

Glad to see another Texan chime in, which 4 have you played and what's your bottom 10? Also tell me again where you live and I might be able to put yours together!

[Mickey Boland]

Sam,

I have played 4 of the courses on your list.  I played what was then called Ellington Golf Course in the late 70's when you had to go through the base to get to the course.  Go through Air Force security at the gate, and then dodge MP's ticketing everybody exceeding the 25 MPH speed limit.  They built a new entrance some time later.

When I played in high school, we played a tournament every year in Kingsville on a course where the chemical plant is just north of town.  Hard as a rock and hardly any grass.  But there must have been pipelines running under the course because every now and then you would come upon these hardened lava flow-looking pools where something had obviously come up out of the ground.  A drive landing on one of those would get a lot of extra yardage.l

Glad to see another Texan chime in, which 4 have you played and what's your bottom 10? Also tell me again where you live and I might be able to put yours together!

I live in the Valley.  I've played Pharoah's, Ellington/Pasadena, Bear Creek President's and (obvious by my logo) the A&M golf course.  I'm not as harsh on the A&M course.  It does have some of that back-and-forth routing you talk about but it also has a few good holes that run along Texas or George Bush and a couple of good par-3's.  I would rank Bryan Muni below it.  

My bottom 10, in no particular order.

1)  Riverview/Fort Brown Municipal in Brownsville.  We had a bullet go over us from Matamoros once, and a friend of mine was playing and witnessed a knife fight on the fifth green (and it wasn't golfers fighting).
2)  Bryan Muni - Poor conditions and internal OB.
3)  Lake Waco
4)  Okmulgee (OK) CC
5)  Dow Chemical Course, Kingsville (or whatever it was called) that I reference in my original post.
6)  I would agree with Ellington/Pasadena.
7)  Llano Grande, Mercedes, TX
 I would agree with Bear Creek President's.
9)  Can't remember the name but it was a short course located on S. Main St. south of the loop in Houston, not too far west of Astroworld.
10) Lakeridge CC in Lubbock has some terrible forced shots because of housing.

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