Is La Costa as bad as it looks?

[Robert Thompson]

Gents: While watching the golf today, I was struck by just what an awful golf course they are playing.
I was specifically floored by the fact their are power lines cutting across the course and if you hit them, like Darren Clarke did, you simply replay your shot.
Now I've played some local $30 courses that are criss-crossed with power lines, but have never seen it on the PGA Tour.
Any other great courses out there with power lines on them? I'm open to suggestions....

Robert

[Carlyle Rood]

I wasn't as horrified by the course.  I did take exception to our local ABC affiliate leaving the broadcast while Davis Love and Darren Clarke were playing the 18th.  Why did we have to pre-empt?  Entertainment Tonight!  Pathetic.  Apparently we missed a great comeback and playoff.

[JohnV]

Any other great courses out there with power lines on them?

Wintonbury Hills

[Kevin_Reilly]

SFGC on the 8th hole as recently as the 80's.

[CPatrick]

Chick Evans Golf course in Golf, IL is loaded with power lines.  Maybe they could get Rees to add 1000 yards and they could hold the Western there.

[David Kelly]

Bob Cupp's Cascades Golf Club in SoCal has crackling power lines throughout the course including a few towers, one of which is located in a bunker.

In 2000 a plane that was involved in a mid-air collision exploded when it hit the power lines and fell onto the 7th fairway.

[Dave_Miller]

I wasn't as horrified by the course.  I did take exception to our local ABC affiliate leaving the broadcast while Davis Love and Darren Clarke were playing the 18th.  Why did we have to pre-empt?  Entertainment Tonight!  Pathetic.  Apparently we missed a great comeback and playoff.

Robert:
The course you are seeing on TV is a composite of holes from both the North and South courses.  I've played both and liked each.  Gotta' be honest I don't remember the power lines being an issue.  
My big problem at the time was the conditioning was poor and it was very expensive.
Best,
Dave

[Jeff Goldman]

My problem with the place is that it doesn't appear good for matchplay.  I have no idea whether it is good or bad architecture, but there doesn't appear to be a lot of risk/reward shots.  Imagine if they were playing the River course at Blackwolf Run.  Having one player challenge the other by going for the green on 8 (Els eagled it once in the old Anderson tourney), 9, 11, 14, 15 or 16, with disaster lurking would be tremendous.  Seeing what Davis or Tiger would do if the other player put it in the wrong part of the green on 4, 10, 13, 17, etc. would be great.  Here, there doesn't appear to be any of this gamesmanship.

Jeff Goldman

[A_Clay_Man]

My problem is that there seems to be almost no elevation changes and the contouring of the fairgreen is a tad mundane.

Look at how high that rough is.. Could it be hiding something? ...

[SPDB]

Where's Pat Mucci to denounce this thread?  

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

I'm thinking about it  

[FREEMAHC]

I thought it looked OK, there seemed to be some variety between the holes. The thing that struck me was that all the opening holes seemed to be going East, and were right into the sun. Not sire if the composite front nine is the fron or back of one of the courses, but it certainly seemed like Tiger and Davis were shading their eyes frequently this morning

[Robert Thompson]

It looked to me like the course is largely bland, flat and featureless. I also agree that it is dull as far as match play goes -- par-5s were often too long to attempt in two, and there were few risks worth taking. That means players simply took the conservative route, making for uninteresting golf.

But the power lines slay me....

R

[Patrick_Mucci]

Robert Thompson,

It looked to me like the course is largely bland, flat and featureless. I also agree that it is dull as far as match play goes -- par-5s were often too long to attempt in two, and there were few risks worth taking. That means players simply took the conservative route, making for uninteresting golf.

Did you ever consider that perhaps the deluge of rain over the past few days had something to do with that ?

But the power lines slay me....

How about the water towers at Winged Foot, Friar's Head and Garden City Golf Club ?

SPDB,

You would have loved Ron Prichard's presentation, it was very informative, had a wonderful historical perspective, and addressed assessing the playability of a golf course from aerials taken at 10,000 feet and watching TV.

[SPDB]

pat - i was sorry to have missed Ron Prichard' and other's presentation. But honestly, where's the outrage here? i wouldn't want to have to explore the possibility that you have MFNs, as well.  

Another thing, the towers at FH, GCGC and WF have no basis in comparison to power lines that run above golf holes. The towers don't come into play, and if they do they might ricochet your ball back into play, in which case you'll be thankful they are there.

[Patrick_Mucci]

SPDB,

I've seen more then a few balls bounce off the windmill at NGLA, some even coming to rest inside it.

Annapolis has a similar power line problem and I believe that power lines are a distraction at Old Marsh and a golf course in Santa Rosa, California.

Amongst the attendees, it seemed as if there was universal agreement with respect to Ron Prichard's position.
I am merely one of many who found his remarks refreshing and germane.  

[SPDB]

Pat -
Should have mentioned the windmill before, you wouldn't have gotten any argument from me. The towers at the other three, are not in play and do not impact the play at all.

Don't keep me in suspense on the substance of Prichard's remarks.

[FREEMAHC]

sometimes progrees might get in the way of a golf course - it's just a fact of life. If your ball hits a power line, you are entitled to play a second tee ball at no penalty.

I don't see how anyone can say the course is poor based solely on the fact that there are power lines in view.

[Paul Carey]

A couple comments.  

The power lines do not come into play as far as I can remember

The course they play is the original golf course.  There is another nine holes similar to the original course and a new nine that really does not fit with the rest ot the holes.  It is now a composite because of additional holes that have been built.

I really liked the golf course.  There is a great variety of holes and some elevation changes.  

[JNC Lyon]

I know Waialae Country Club has power lines cutting across the 9th hole on the tee shot.

La Costa does look pretty bad from TV. No strategy in the bunker placement, no bold hole design. I'd rather have Riviera any day.

[Bruceski]

Is it bad design when a creek runs through at least 3 holes at La Costa, but does not appear to be in play on any of them?

[Robert Thompson]

Paul -- perhaps you should let Darren Clarke know that the power lines aren't in play. He hit them on Saturday and got to rehit his shot -- as were the rules of the tournament, according to the TV announcers.

Maybe bad was too strong a term to use in describing La Costa -- how about dull?

And Patrick, your comments about other strange objects that appear on courses -- like the water towers -- is interesting. However, I've never seen a water tower built in the middle of a fairway, and if you hit one, do you get to play your shot again? I'm joking, of course, but unusual objects that appear on golf courses would be an interesting thread.

Robert

[FREEMAHC]

I don't know the history of the power lines and La Costa, but having done a lot of work with my state's DOT, I can say that when a roadway project is going through the process of acquiring right of way, property owners who refuse to sell their land usually come out on the short end of the stick. The government can and will take them to court, and essentially demand that they sell their land.

My thought is that either the resort project would not have been possible without using the land in the power line easement, or that the power company simply used their power to pu the lines over the course. Simply stating that a golf course will not get in the way of a projet to get power to millions of acres of land on the other side of the course.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Robert Thompson,

Walls, stone watch towers and other man made objects are right in the middle of fairways on a number of golf courses, but do-overs are hard to come by.