If I pretended to have played the world's Top 100, could you tell that I hadn't?

[Niall C]

I imagine that, over time, an astute observer would notice that I never seem to play any top 100 courses while it's raining, or even soon after it has rained. I never mention how the course plays when wet, or how well it drains.

I'd imagine the other give away, over time, would be if all your reviews and thoughts conformed with the consensus thinking for each course. Even the least astute (and clearly you are a very astute guy  ) would pick up on something that jarred with the norm.

Niall

[Frank M]

Why would anyone care to spend years "faking" they've played the Top 100?

Beyond that, why in the world would anyone care if they did?

[Peter Pallotta]

I'm surprised this popped back up.

Pat M and Niall C were amongst the few who seemed to get what I thought was an obvious concept/question, i.e.

What aspects of (and experiences with) great golf course architecture would most likely give me away as someone who had merely read about and studied the Top 100 courses but never played them?

I asked because I thought the answer might highlight the very aspects/features/experiences of great gca that don't often get mentioned in reviews that are regularly posted here....many of which (as Niall elegantly suggests with his "over time" clause) seem to reflect the consensus view as found in books and magazines

Peter     

[cary lichtenstein]

I guess if Hilary and Donald can fake 300 million people, anything is possible

[Mark Provenzano]

I'd be more interested in finding out who among us flies under the radar.  That being the guy with the great resume who doesn't care to or want to bother with letting the world know about his belt-notching. 

Don't bother looking in the Your Last Ten or Whip It Out threads, he probably avoids those like the plague.


Sven

I had the pleasure of being paired with a guy like this on a windy day at Talking Stick. Just the 2 of us, the course was pretty empty. He was glad to share stories when asked about the many courses he'd played over the years; nothing even remotely boastful, just incredible insights on some of the places he'd been fortunate to visit.

My favorite story was when he cleaned out an office approaching semi-retirement, he found a decades-old version of one of the early Golf Digest Top 100 Lists he'd saved. As a younger man, he thought he might like to play them all someday. As it turned out, he'd hit 98 of the 100.

[cary lichtenstein]

Every once in a while, I run into a guy who claims he was a scratch player and it is so preposterous, ditto with the phonies who claim to have played the top 100 courses. A few swings and the phony scratch player reveals himself, a few questions and the phony top 100 phony reveals himself.


It goes to the character of the individual, ditto the individual who has a ridiculous high or low handicap. The guy who wants to take 6 and 8 footers.

[Tom_Doak]

a few questions and the phony top 100 phony reveals himself.

I'm not so sure.  As I told Peter when he posted this a year ago, I did know someone who claimed to have played all the top 100, until a couple of people told me he'd faked a lot of it.  He had his stories down pat.  Meanwhile, I know one or two who HAVE played the top 100, but don't remember nearly as much about some of them as you would expect them to:  they just have so much money and time that it became a bucket list item for them to check off, without as much meaning behind it as you would expect.


Between those two experiences, I find the people who are trying to play 1-100 somewhat disturbing.  They will travel ten time zones and skip the interesting course across the street, because they're on a mission and that course isn't officially part of it.  I find nothing more depressing than that.  If you tell me there's a cool golf hole nearby, I want to go see it ... I almost feel obliged to go see it !

[Tom_Doak]

What is the most unique characteristic of the clubhouse at Ellerston?


Where is the extra par 3 in the routing at Shanqin Bay?


What holes at Durban have security guarding golfers from the busy adjacent urban street?


How many euros is the standard bag fee for a caddie at Morfontaine?


What color are the flags on the flagsticks at Merion?

I am only sure I can answer two of these questions.  [I haven't been to Ellerston.  I played with the greenkeeper at Morfontaine - no caddies.  And when I was at Durban 24 years ago, they didn't need security.]  Does that make me a faker?  Or someone who is paying attention to more important things?

[BCowan]

I think there is an amazing correlation here. My massive consumption of all the finest booze in the world does not make me an expert on what is the best choice for someone else. As a matter of fact, my tastes have become so eclectic that my fellow alcoholics rarely enjoy the same things as me. Just because I would as soon suck kerosene through a log straw I have zero right to preach to others how they should enjoy a fine libation. These guys who travel the world to play other peoples lists are no different. Its the same ole story in every addictive behavior.  The addict pushes the envelope until even FedEx can't get him back home in a day.


As I have said before, you are better served trusting the opinion of someone who indulges in moderation.

Jk,

I missed this earlier in the year.  U took a topic that made little sense to me and made it come together.  Thank u sir

[Doug Siebert]

Between those two experiences, I find the people who are trying to play 1-100 somewhat disturbing.  They will travel ten time zones and skip the interesting course across the street, because they're on a mission and that course isn't officially part of it.  I find nothing more depressing than that.  If you tell me there's a cool golf hole nearby, I want to go see it ... I almost feel obliged to go see it !

Some of the most interesting courses/holes I've played on my visits to Scotland & Ireland have been those in the vicinity of a "big name" course we were playing, or a "arrived at the hotel at noon after an overnight flight, need something to do with the afternoon because if I take a nap my sleep will be off the whole time" round.