Lost Ball courses

[Nick Campanelli]

The Shattuck Golf Club - Jaffrey, NH (Brian Silva, Architect)
If you miss a fairway or green, your ball falls off a cliff, on every hole.  Built at the bottom of Mt. Monadnock in Southern New Hampshire.  

Widow's Walk Golf Course - Scituate, MA (Dr. Michael Hurzdan, Architect)
Once again, very tight fairway, built around wetlands on an old quarry near the coast south of Boston.

While these courses are extremely tough, the are two of the most scenic rounds i have ever played.  I'll keep going back no matter how many balls i lose!

I know these aren't on the top 100 list, but they are definitely in my top ten of most difficult to navigate.

[Matt_Ward]

Sean:

Check the title of this thread before barking at me.

Dunluce swallows golf balls -- excuse me -- let me emphasize it -- SWALLOWS BALLS. There's no need for a stellar design to overdose on the rough dimension -- scaling it back would allow for recovery shots and also help those who are slow to speed up their play.

The problem is that too many courses think the extreme of either being in fairway or the hayfields is fine. It's rubbish and shows a penal streak that is totally out of bounds in my mind.

In the States -- PR does the same thing but now because of rough but because of too narrow holes w H20 and trees and underbrush framing way too closely on the playing lines.

 

[Jamie Barber]

In their defence, at some links they are only allowed to cut the rough at certain times of year. This is the case at Prince's (I think they can cut something like Nov-Mar, but then only if it's dry enough of course). The rest of the year the rough is not allowed to be cut (something to do with nesting birds I think).

Wet summers can be brutal because the rough shoots up and can't be cut back. Usually it burns off around August but in 06/07 when we had wet summers the rough was up all year, and a missed fairway became a lost ball, even if you missed by only a yard. I distinctly remember a medal with 33 entries and 27 NRs due to the rough.

[Mark Chaplin]

Jamie is quite right, one of the pleasures of playing one of the Kent links courses is the sound of skylarks high above you. As ground nesting birds they need protecting and rough cutting in the spring and summer would be harmful to them. The only realistic way of keeping the rough in check is the use of sheep. This could work at Sandwich and Princes however Deal is too exposed and any sheep would undoubtedly be stolen if left out overnight!!