After playing LOTS of home-club golf this year and enjoying the hell out of it even in spite of my home course's limitations, and getting out last week to play some excellent courses away from home, I've been thinking about what I want from a home course vs. what I NEED from a home course:
WANT: Firm conditions. Golf is always better when the ball bounces, but I still enjoy playing golf when it's soft. It was frustrating that the weather didn't cooperate last week and literally dampened the trip, but it didn't figuratively dampen the fun.
NEED: Fast conditions, at least on the greens. It's painful to go from playing golf every day on greens that run 10-12 pretty much year-round to playing golf on greens running like sand (not an issue last week, but has been a bummer a few times during "away" rounds this year).
WANT: Significant strategic interest. Rounds at places like Lawsonia and Sand Valley illuminate just how much more interest the average shot carries on a course with significant strategic interest, vs. my more straightforward home course. But... I still enjoy everyday golf even without an abundance of architecturally strategic scenarios.
NEED: Variety. My home club does a great job testing a player's full game. Par 3s range from 115-215 yards. We have half-par holes on the high and low side. The areas around our greens require all kinds of recovery shots. Even the character of our individual greens varies a lot throughout the round. In the absence of a lot of strategic interest, much of my day-to-day playing interest comes from the variety of shots I face.
NEED: A general forgiveness for errant shots. I don't need a course to grant me the ability to blow tee shots all over the place and face unencumbered recoveries. Bring on the trees, bring on the hazards. But I do generally like to have a chance to find my ball after all but the worst shots, in most situations. It's hard to lose a ball on my home course unless your shot leaves the course's perimeter, or splashes on the 5-6 holes where water could come into play. A course without ANY of those things might bore me a bit, but I generally don't want a preponderence of ball-eating shots. I love Blackwolf Run, but it's probably right on the borderline of what I would want to play as an everyday home course.
WANT: The ability to hit driver often, and hit it well. I love courses like Lawsonia, Mammoth Dunes, and Sand Valley that encourage a player to pull the driver out and make a full turn with it. I don't mind that my home club has 4 or 5 holes where driver may be imprudent, but I prefer courses that encourage good, aggressive driving of the ball, especially when multiple strategic lines of play are presented.
NEED: A competitive playing culture. I enjoy the golf more when there's a little game going on, even though I rarely wager more than $20 or so. I love the ability to show up and get a game almost any day of the week at my home club.
I'm sure I'll come up with more. What's your list look like?