[Will E]

When I walk a course it almost always appears much more difficult than it does when I actually play it.

So much in fact that I feel that I can't tell much about the layout until I play it.

I remember the first time I saw NGLA (and Fisher's Island) and walked them  I thought that there was no way they were playable.
After playing them I was very surprized at how wrong I was.

Does this happen to you? Any ideas?

Sorry if this is rehashing an old thread.

[ed_getka]

Interesting question. I generally find the course to play about the way I see it when I have walked the course in advance. I think seeing the green contour and surrounds ahead of time helps when I'm playing the course, because then I know where I can miss and where I should try to end up (not that I can do that often as a 10 handicap). Seeing the course definitely helps me commit more fully to my shots, and commiting to the shot at hand is the most important aspect to playing well for me at my level.

[Matt_Ward]

Shooter:

You're analysis is right on target. When you play the course you take what "might be" and stamp it with a "what is" reality when you start top play actual shots.

Often, the carries involved cannot be fully appreciated until you play ... ditto if there is any significant elevation change.

I've played many courses that "look" a certain way, but really when actually played present a far different perspective.

One thing that is often overlooked is that when you view a course with subtle greens there is a tendency to think that particular course may lack character until you actually encounter the greens personally.

Regards,

[Tom_Doak]

Shooter,

I think you're probably right that a lot of good courses look harder than they really are.  The hazards may be severe, but [hopefully] you're not going to get in them all day.  I've noticed this with course conditioning, too -- people often react to the fact that it looks bad, even if they don't get many bad lies.

Certainly, though, some people are better at seeing how a course will play than others.

What you forgot to mention was the other side of the coin:  how playing a course once biases everything you see about it.  For a lot of players, I think that's an even bigger factor.

At the Open at Shinnecock in 1985, Peter Jacobsen told me he'd walked the whole course the day before his first practice round.  He wanted to see every hole in a positive light, instead of hitting a bad shot his first time out and starting with a negative feeling about any of them.  Subconsciously, I think most golfers have the same problem:  if they make a double bogey, it's not a good hole!!

[TEPaul]

Shooter:

I completely agree with you--courses you're looking at for the first time seem harder than they are when you play them. Things often seem farther to me than they actually are.

[Patrick_Mucci]

TEPaul,

Now I know why you're against the STYMIE !

[TEPaul]

Pat:

Will ya forget whether me or anybody else is for or against the stymie!? Just focus on the fact that love it or hate it, it ain't never coming back!

I've been trying to break it to you gently for about six months now but you just won't listen.

Maybe you and I ought to just play the damn thing one of these days! Stymies were not supposed to be done on purpose, you know? Laying a stymie on purpose was supposed to be an uncouth and ungentlemanly thing to do! At least if we go out and play it we'll both likely find out who's a gentleman and who isn't!  

[Tim_Weiman]

Tom Doak:

I've personally experienced how playing poorly can bias someone against a course on one of your designs.

A long term golfing buddy and I went over to Black Forest after spending a few enjoyable days at the Gailes Course in Oscoda.

My 7 handicap friend started out by playing the tee shot quite aggressively on #1.  He found a bunker, then a couple more and went on to make ten and barely break 100 for his round.  The entire round he complained what a bad course it was.  Hell, six years later I'm still hearing about how he thinks the first par 3 (#3???) is one of the dumbest holes he has ever seen.

Well, I played number one quite different: 3 wood (well left of the bunkers), five iron, eight iron and two putts on route to a very enjoyable round of 81.

All in all, if I visit a special course, I'd much rather go out and walk it first.  It could well be that I'm in a long spell of not playing much golf, my game sucks and I'll miss the real reason I made the trip.

[aclayman]

I don't think I've ever walked a course prior to playing it. I really enjoy not knowing and figuring in out, COLD. As was the case at SFGC. I counted on Mr. Tillinghast keeping to the natural feeling I had felt throughout. Meaning, Even though it was only the second hole, I knew from the feel of the first, that if I hit a fade over the left bunker it would then take the terrain towards the flag. I even turned to DK and commented that " if this Tillie is worth his salt, this ball will kicked towards the center of the green" To an all uphill second shot from 194 to the #1 handicap par 4 hole.
It was this not-knowing that made the experience so special and educational. I usually only learn from my mistakes but this confirmed I have the ability to see what a great architect had made available without actually spying it with me own eye.

There are a couple I've walked but not yet played. Medinah, Olympic and The Preserve.
The first two look narrow which translates to hard(for me) but not imposs. The later is interesting because while I have walked it four times now, I don't think I viewed it as hard, save for a few spots which were near imposs to get a feel for i.e. severe undulations on some greens and whether a tee shot was as tight as looked.

In contrast to my Virgin round at Monarch beach(?) in LaGuna nigel. Where if you hit what looked like the spot to play to and then ended up in the water wasn't me it was the DAMN ARCHIE.  

[RJ_Daley]

Shooter, I think that there is a big difference in walking VS playing as everyone responding seems to acknowledge.  I think it is very important for "raters" that they do both a preliminary walk through much like Doak describes about Jacobsen's reasoning, and a playing of the course.  If one is only going to get one round at the course, I don't think someone evaluating the course should play it in any competitive sense.  I think one should not feel resrticted from dropping extra balls to make shots from areas other than you actually played to in order to get as much as you can out of the playing experience and see the potential variety offered in the design.  A follow-up walk through is an extra dimension to get the right objectivity if you have that opportunity.

I recently was overwhelmed at the visual intimidation of forced carries on the Ogallala Proctor and Axeland course at Bayside.  Yet, upon playing some comfortable drives to wide fairways into a breese, the driving demand was not nearly so difficult as they appeared.  That I think is due to the vast landscape views that cause the distance perceptions to go whacky in one's mind.

[THuckaby2]

Well, reading this I am kinda proud of myself.

Yesterday I played a course called Stone Tree in Novato, CA, a bit north of SF.

I think I finally found a bad golf hole:  #12.  Two blind unmarked hazards not even listed on the yardage guide / map; plus a hazard 260 out, requiring a 280 clear or a layup given the downwind nature of the hole... thus meaning one has no place to hit his drive or 2nd shot on this 535 yard hole.

I layed up, lucked out by hitting a bad enough shot to miss both hazards, pitched on and made par.

I still hated the hole.

I made double on #9, a great, tough par 4 with water right off the tee and left by the green...

I still loved the hole.

Cool, I guess I am overcoming personal performace bias.

TH

[Tim_Weiman]

aclayman:

I understand the appeal of "discovering" a course, but also believe this can also be done by walking the course first.

Prestwick stands out for being a real joy when I walked the course before playing it the first time.

Also, isn't Pebble Beach a place where people walk a few holes (especially #18) before playing it the first time?  And, don't they get a real thrill?

[aclayman]

Tim- I can only speak for myself and I didn't walk the 18th prior to my first round but I did step on the putting surface the night before. It was of absolutely no help and now I have a video of me three putting from 15 ft, forever.

I suppose If I had a valued competition I would walk prior to my first round with the intent of using visualation to help me sleep.

[Bill_Spellman]

To take this a slightly different direction, I refer to the last chapter of "The Mystery of Golf" by Arnold Haultain. He refers to this exact idea and how the course is appreciated while walking it. I think we all miss things when playing that we might appreciate while on a walk.

[John Bernhardt]

I agree too. however i love to walk a course after playing it. Or to take a moment and look at the holes backward while playing them.

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