Passing golf courses by.....

[Bob_Huntley]

Mike,

S'funny, I do stop to listen to a good performance but not to some scrappy stuff of little talent; however, I do stop and greet a dog and their owner, no matter what.

Bob

[Joe_Tucholski]

My wife and I saw Joshua Bell play on Tuesday night.  In all honesty if I heard him playing in a subway tomorrow I wouldn't recognize his play as world class or even that of a professional musician...just someone who was good.  My inability to identify the play as world class is because I can't tell great from good.  I am able to distinguish between good and bad but that's about it.  To add to the issue I really only enjoyed one of the pieces he played.  So why do we pay to go to the LA Phil monthly - because my wife enjoys getting dressed up, we enjoy the atmosphere, it gives us a reason to leave the house and we get to grab dinner and drinks at happy hour…plus the music IS good.

To relate to golf my wife and I are watching the AT&T ProAm at Pebble.  We've visited a few times and it's my favorite course but she asked what it is that is so great about the course and said she can't really say it's any better than most of the other courses she's seen (she has only walked courses ranked by the magazines and a few military courses where we've played together).  Like my inability to distinguish a great musician she can't distinguish a great golf course - but is able to indicate the course with the setting she most enjoys similar to the way I'm able to determine a piece I enjoy. 

I like to think that I can distinguish merits of a golf course because I have seen more and read more but in all honesty architecture is probably not the most important differentiator in my rankings of top level golf courses.  The question was posed if someone was transported to Pine Valley would they recognize it as the best course…sure I would know it was a good course but I’m guessing I wouldn’t recognize it as the best course were it not for seeing photos on this site.  Further I would bet most people on this site who have not played the course would not know the course was the best without some sort of cue or recognition from photos they’ve seen.  Further if Pine Valley offered a lesser “experience” would it still be a top ranked course…certainly not.

I guess I'm perfectly content living with the fact that I won't "know" great but will be blissfully happy with good that touches something within me.

If you feel you are able to distinguish the great golf courses roughly how many courses did you have to see until you were able to make your assessments of just the course and separate the experience?  Was it the first time you saw a great course or after 50 great courses and 200 total courses?

[Sean_A]

Whether or not I stop to listen to a busker has as much to do with the situation/setting as the music.  If I am on the London Tube I am not likely to stop because its an unpleasant space.  If I am walking through Central Park, around St Remy or Venice (three of my best busker moments) or in general on holiday I am more likely to stop.  I am not looking for great musicianship, I am looking for great music selection in a pleasant setting.  I can say the same about golf. Only once in a while do I come across an exceptional course virtually by accident, but more importantly, I come across many good courses which are a pleasant if in no way an exceptional day out.  Arguably, and like buskers, these courses can be just as enjoyable as the famous counterparts.  Finally, the fantastic thing is, and again like buskers, is it doesn't cost much to have a look.  

Ciao  

[Carl Rogers]

For those traveling up and down the East Coast USA, a stop in Suffolk, VA at Riverfront will give a window to TD & Teams early work ... pre Pro V1 & the 460 cc Driver