Why do you have a home course advantage?

[Doug Siebert]

JakaB,

Not really.

I know guys that are oblivious to architecture, yet, they play a conservative game, fairways and greens, content to stay out of trouble and plod along.  Accepting bogey while avoiding high numbers that their competitors are taking.

If you asked them if they noticed that the fairway pitches right to left while the green pitches left to right, they'd say, "huh"

They understand the limits of THEIR game, and play it, mostly ignoring the architecture, blunt or subtle.

Wouldn't you say that a Fred Funk needs to understand the architecture of a course more than a JB Holmes?  I don't understand who these people are that stay out of trouble and score without seeing and reacting to the architecture.

Isn't scoring well always the result of exploiting the architectural features that fit your game? To exploit you must first understand.

Some people score well because they just avoid mistakes.  If you aim for the middle of the fairway and the middle of the green, and are good/consistent enough to actually hit where you aim most of the time, you could score well while being totally ignorant of the architecture.  Every course would look like a driving range to you, and golf would be just as (not) fun as hitting balls, but you could still go low.  Not saying you couldn't still save or stroke or two here or there if you had that game and played to the architecture...

I doubt Moe Norman gave a crap which side of the green was better to miss to, because he just assumed he wouldn't miss to either side.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Bill McBride,

I think GCA transitioned away from deceiving the golfer some time ago, probably when the game transitioned to medal play.

Are there any relatively new courses, crafted in the last 20-30 years that as part of their core, try to deceive the golfer ?

I can't think of a resort course that would do that.
I can't think of a residential community course that would do that.
I can't think of a vacation course that would do that.

Perhaps a private course might attempt to deceive, and nothing deceives more than a blind shot, but, I just don't think modern architects have that as their mission statement or at the core of their creative process.

I would love to see some of our participating GCA's chime here and back me in my assertion that there is ALWAYS some effort to deceive the golfer, or at least tempt him into doing something foolish.   It may not be as plain as the nose on your face but it's there.

I agree that blind shots are out of favor, but there are many ways to skin a cat - or a leprechaun.   

Trying to build deception in to golf holes is a big part of the fun... I'd be very surprised if there are GCAs out there who disregard this aspect.

I think it may have been reduced in new courses with the prevalance of distance markers more so than medal play, Patrick...