This question immediately brings to mind a course I must have played in the mid eighties, when i was probably around 12 years old, Brick Landing Plantation, in Ocean Isle, NC. After loosing 17 balls in the water in as many water hazards, and en route for score of 121, I walked off the course being not only enraged with my poor skills, but also disgusted with the course's design. After hearing all the horrible things I had to say about my round for which my parents paid for, my mother took me aside and told me if i ever acted like this again on a golf course, i would never, ever play another round. The next day, with my tails between my legs, i clearly remember going back out on the Sandpipper Bay course nearby, designed by Dan Maples, and shooting my best round ever, a 93. At that time, i remember walking off the course thinking this was the best golf course I had ever played.
To this day, Brick Landing remains the worst day i ever experienced on a golf course. I don't know if it's my score, or the design that left me with that impression.
YP