Where's The Meat? Courses which start and finish well but go AWOL in the middle

[Duncan Cheslett]

For those unfamiliar with Hesketh GC in Southport, it starts in fine fashion with a decent par 4 over rumbly tumbly linksland, followed by a good short hole to the top of a dune. We then cross the road for 11 holes of which I challenge anyone to remember any feature. The final five are back on the good ground however, and include a couple of the most memorable holes in links golf.


Yesterday I played North Wales GC in Llandudno, and was struck by the similarities to Hesketh. The first is a bit of an unsatisfactory dogleg requiring a long iron from the tee, but once round the corner the sight is inspiring. Wonderful links landforms with a tiny green tucked into the dunes. The second continues in the same vein and I was beginning to wonder why this course is not more highly thought of.


Stood on the third tee I found out.


We could see before us the next 8 or 9 holes, crossing back and forth over flat ground with few noticeable features. I am sure that technically we were still on links, but it felt like a windswept farmer's field. We played on until the 5th green, beside which stood both the 6th and 12th tees. The view from the latter was by far the more inviting, and the course was quiet, so we agreed to miss a few holes out.


Those final 7 holes were great! A couple of lovely two shotters, a long par 5 which, with the help of a following wind I reached in two(!) and three fantastic short holes in huge dunes, including the famous "OL" and "LO".


Both Hesketh and North Wales are on sites which feature dramatic dunes, but only a few of them. The remainder of both properties is on flat inferior ground. Each course addresses this problem by giving you a taster early on, and then reserving the rest for a big climax.


Contrast this with Wallasey, which starts in the dunes, eases off with a few flat holes, goes BACK into the dunes, flattens out again, and then builds to a fabulous finale.


Such inspired routing is probably not logistically possible at Hesketh or NW, in which case both courses should probably been built as 9 or 12-holers. Their current configurations are horribly unsatisfactory, despite their possession of some very fine holes.


It will be a long time before I return to either.

Any other examples of meatless sandwiches?

[Sean_A]

Duncan

Big mistake.  8-11 are lovely holes at North Wales. The only real issue is 3-6 and 1. 5 & 6 suffer because they play near 3 & 4. 

Ciao

[Steve Lang]

  Hey Duncan,


Is this an example of some farming before golfing purpose for those middle hole lands?


still using the electric trolley?
steve

[Ally Mcintosh]

Prestwick St Nicholas could fall in to this category. But I'd heard so much about the drop in quality over the road that I ended up being pleasantly surprised.


Ally

[Thomas Dai]

A couple if examples - bit harsh maybe?
The more parkland type holes at Golspie aren't as good as what's come before nor what comes later.
Always thought there was a blip in the middle holes at Cruden Bay (not yet seen the new 9th/10th though)
The holes on the back-side 'hill' at St Enodoc are nothing like as good as those that come earlier and later.
Portstewarts mid/later holes are inferior those that come earlier and later.
Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Prestwick St Nicholas could fall in to this category. But I'd heard so much about the drop in quality over the road that I ended up being pleasantly surprised.


Ally

Ally,


I was pleasantly surprised by St. Nicks when I played it as well.


Thomas,


a bit harsh with Golspie for sure. The only hole that I don't like is the long 14th because it is just too narrow. 15 is not a bad hole at all and the green is very good.


I was thinking of the Municipal course at Dunbar (Whitefield?) which starts with a stonkingly good cliff top par 3 followed by a whole row of mundane, back and forth flat holes but really picks up once it crosses the entrance road with a series of very good links holes.


Jon

[Paul Dolton]

I totally agree about Hesketh but thought North Wales was pretty good.
Must admit it was a while ago that I played NW and my opinion may be biased due to how poor I thought Maesdu was next door.
Strangely all the locals seemed to rate Maesdu above NW

[Tim Gallant]

Not sure about AWOL in the middle, but I know what course takes the Atkins Diet award - Panmure. The meat in the centre is there, but it lacks the buns at the start and finish!

[Alex Miller]

Not that they're "bad" holes in any way, but NBW definitely has a lull in the middle of the round.

[Robin_Hiseman]

Burnham & Berrow.


I have played this links more than any other in the UK since I was 10 years old. It is one of my favourite courses, so I'm setting a high bar, but...after a great start (1-5) I've always felt the pace drops off between 6 and 11, with the exception of the marvellous 9th hole. 12 through 14 pick up the pace again before the brilliant closing stretch starting at 15.


Over the years I have come to better appreciate the holes in the middle, but I always play them looking forward to getting to the holes beyond them.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Interesting to read, Duncan. I agree about Hesketh. At North Wales I think a lot depends on what condition it's in. Those are poor holes early on, but they're even worse when it's wet under foot. Maesdu is rather a nothing course. Think it's rated higher that North Wales because it is longer, not because it is better. It's usually in better condition, however. I much prefer Holywell and I very much like the back nine or so at Prestatyn. I would also recommend to you Wrexham, which has the distinction of having no two holes in any way similar.

[Matt Dawson]

Anybody played Ardglass in N.Ireland?


I played it a few years ago and really enjoyed the first few tight along the coast, and the last few coming home into town were pretty good as well.


But in the middle it really seemed to lose its way, just back and forward versions of the same par 4 with not a great deal of variation.

[Don Jordan]

I played the Old Course 3 times recently and while it isn't an opinion I share this commentary was applied to the Old Course by playing partners on a couple of occasions. There is the thrill of the first few holes and being out there but a sense of waiting for the big finish as you criss cross the turn.

They miss something in I found 11 to be one of the great par 3's I have played and 9 grew on me, the absolute flatness of the approach makes it a little tricky to get close due to depth perception issues and so many choices of how to play the shot it can cause some doubt.

[Jonathan Mallard]

Anybody played Ardglass in N.Ireland?


I played it a few years ago and really enjoyed the first few tight along the coast, and the last few coming home into town were pretty good as well.


But in the middle it really seemed to lose its way, just back and forward versions of the same par 4 with not a great deal of variation.

To a degree.


Depending on which version of the routing they currently have in play, the par 5 up the hill at the end of the course(9?), the par 3 downhill (10?) and 11,12,13 were fairly interesting. I do tend to agree with the sameness after that for the next 3 holes, but that gives me 4-5 holes out of 18 vs the 9-11 you're implying.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Everyone knows Pete Dye's Straits Course at Whistling Straits - site of the PGA in 2004, 2010 and 2105 and Ryder Cup in 2020.


On the same site is Dye's "Irish Course" and it qualifies for this thread. High expectations after the opening hole; a majestic and inviting 400 yard uphill par 4 into a well defended but accessible green. What followed was what I would call "ten pounds of sausage in a five pound casing".


Perhaps Mr. DYe succeeded in making me feel uncomfortable all day in my surroundings.
Or, perhaps he just annoyed the piss out of me for paying so much for a transplanted Florida residential development course masquerading itself as a natural inland work from Ireland.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Not sure about AWOL in the middle, but I know what course takes the Atkins Diet award - Panmure. The meat in the centre is there, but it lacks the buns at the start and finish!

Probably the first Atkins Diet reference ever on gca.com.....nice!