Is Royal Melbourne the world's least bad course?

[JESII]

David,

Strange comment about access...didn't realize that was a criteria?!?

Regarding your definition; could I gather a few groups and play 18 great holes on Long Island and consider it the best course in the world? How about we just limit it to the the contiguous Shinnecock, National, Southampton and Sebonak cluster?

Shouldn't some consideration be given to the architects work on a particular course?

[Ivan Morris]

Does anybody at RMGC, or anywhere, actually play golf in an anti-fly hat like the one RJD is sporting above? Wouldn't it be better to light up a big fat cigar even though I don't smoke?   

[Mark Bourgeois]

Does anybody at RMGC, or anywhere, actually play golf in an anti-fly hat like the one RJD is sporting above? Wouldn't it be better to light up a big fat cigar even though I don't smoke?   

Yes, everyone even the ladies. You take your pull cart then walk around the corner towards the first tees. On the left there's a sand box where you scoop out a small bucket to hang from your cart. Immediately to the right of the sand box is a fly-hat dispenser. You grab one and off you go.

[David_Elvins]

David,

Strange comment about access...didn't realize that was a criteria?!?

Sorry, but you seemed to be suggesting that it wasn't a real course.  I was trying to point out that it is a real course that real people play.

Regarding your definition; could I gather a few groups and play 18 great holes on Long Island and consider it the best course in the world? How about we just limit it to the the contiguous Shinnecock, National, Southampton and Sebonak cluster?

Royal Melbourne Composite is a real course. It is part of a club, it has a course rating and people regularly play it.  Coincidently, last night I was offered a spot in an event on the course later in the month.  My estimate would be that it gets over 1000 official  rounds a year these days. Not a huge number but enough to reinforce the point it is a real course.

Shouldn't some consideration be given to the architects work on a particular course?

Royal Melbourne composite's holes have the same pedigree as each other.  There was a course on the site before Mackenzie arrived and he used some of these existing holes in his routing which I think included all the current composite holes other than 7w, 4e and 17e.  All the composite course holes were built by Alex Russell and Mick Morcom.  The east and west holes were built concurrently and in the first 7-8 years holes were switched back and forward between the two courses.  Settling on a composite arrangement in the 50s is no less of a design feat than settling on a east and west arrangement in the late 30s.

To suggest that the royal Melbourne composite course is similar to some sort of Frankenstein's monster creation made out of holes from NGLA, Sebonack and Shinecock is a very poor analogy.  Its a real course with a pedigree similar to many other courses, that is regularly played by many golfers.

[Steve Lapper]

Can someone explain to me how a composite course can be discussed as though it were a single course? Especially considering the apparent re-routing of the manufactured composite...it simply doesn't hold water to me.

This isn't a knock at Royal Melbourne because plenty of people list the West as their favorite in the world so i assume it's one of the few very top...more a question of the critics.

Jim & Michael,

  When parts of two different items are put together and the whole is then greater than the parts, the combination creates a different entity than the parts. 2+1=5 in this case. For example, if the par 5's of Baltusrol Lower were to appear as part of the Upper, I'd venture the Lower would never host the championships it has.

  RMGC Composite is quite simply 18 holes of "near" perfection. "Near" only because there at least a few others off the East, left out, that rise to that praise as well.

  You should want to play all 36 holes at RMGC (and preferably multiple times) to understand just how amazingly brilliant the design is. Not a single water hazard or artificiality exists to interfere with the integrity of the layout.

Chip,

  Dornoch certainly possesses the charm, and at times throughout the 18 the brilliance of design of a RMGC, while Seminole only rarely steps up to that level.

[James Bennett]

Not a single water hazard or artificiality exists to interfere with the integrity of the layout.

Steve

there is a water hazard on 6 west, just below 2 east green.  It is aa absolute rank short pull shot that gets there, and it is more swampy than water, but there is a red-staked water hazard somewhere on RMGC.  From a technical perspective. 

James B

[Steve Lapper]

Not a single water hazard or artificiality exists to interfere with the integrity of the layout.

Steve

there is a water hazard on 6 west, just below 2 east green.  It is aa absolute rank short pull shot that gets there, and it is more swampy than water, but there is a red-staked water hazard somewhere on RMGC.  From a technical perspective.  

James B

Having never seen it in my go-rounds there, I dutifully stand corrected, however my point remains: not a single "trick" artificial hazard, or otherwise, exists to mar this gem!

[Mark Chaplin]

As a visitor who has played the composite course I can assure you it is totally in keeping with it's surroundings, a wonderful course containing several of the world's finest holes and in no way contrived. Indeed unlike playing RMW or RME it's all in one paddock and you don't have to cross a single road.