The Most Fun Course

[Anthony Gray]

  Recent threads got me thinking again. If the only criteria was FUN. What courses would you rank high. What is your No. 1 FUN course?


    I am going to predict Scotish courses like North Berwick, Prestwick and Cruden Bay are going to rank high.  Because they are not quirky but naturally interesting.


                     Anthony

[George Freeman]

Not sure if this counts, but the Sheep Ranch on a warm windy day with good company is sure hard to beat....

[Tom Huckaby]

Best = fun = favorite for me.  So my lists would be all the same.  I can't really understand distinguishing among these - isn't the purpose of playing golf to have fun?

TH

ps - George, good call re Sheep Ranch - golfing man is not mean to have more fun than what can occur there - it's just hard to call that a golf "course."

[Jed Peters]

Hrm....maybe Pac Dunes? I dunno...but that's a pretty DAMN fun golf course....

[Anthony Gray]

Best = fun = favorite for me.  So my lists would be all the same.  I can't really understand distinguishing among these - isn't the purpose of playing golf to have fun?

TH

ps - George, good call re Sheep Ranch - golfing man is not mean to have more fun than what can occur there - it's just hard to call that a golf "course."

 Tom,

  My most fun is Cruden Bay. But it is not a 10.


  George,

    Sheep Ranch is a honest answer. I grew up in West Virginia and the thought of a sheep ranch brings back bad memories.


   Anthony

 

[Tom Huckaby]

Anthony:

It's not a 10 by your standards, or someone else's?

And if Cruden Bay is the most fun course you can play, why ISN'T it a 10?

Conversely, if other 10's are not as fun, should they really be ranked higher than Cruden Bay?

We've battled this many times before in here.  I do understand the distinctions.  I just don't believe in them.

TH

[PCCraig]

Shoreacres.

No course I have played has mixed toughness with fun golf shots like Shoreacres. Many would call it easy...I call it fun.

[TEPaul]

Anthony Gray:

To me a whole lot of the fun factor on most golf courses pretty much revolves around the degree of firm and fast there is. Unfortunately, on some of the more modern essentially aerial-designed type golf courses that can get pretty limited or frustrating simply because it mostly doesn't work that well in a risk/reward context.

[Jeff_Brauer]

I agree on Shoreacres and perhaps most Raynor courses, just because I like the bounce in shots, etc.  So much so that I put a lot of them in my designs.  Only problem is, getting people to realize that you can aim 20 yards right of the green and still get there.  Some good golfers hate that. 

And most average golfers only discover it in a sequence like "Oh, crap, I sliced it....Oh crap its going right....Holy Crap, that ended up PERFECT!"  After that, the course is kinda fun for them.

[Jerry Kluger]

Ballyneal of the modern - NGLA of the classical.

[JESII]

Great point Tom. In our neck of the woods a great example is Applebrook. I hear that they like it firm there, but the handful of rounds I have played have been anything but. Weather has probably been an issue so I am not passing judgement. Hell, it's nice to hear people at least start talking about firm and fast.

To that end, when HVCC gets really flying there are not many places I would prefer to play...and the ones that might make the list are links courses that would also need to be fast...

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Ballyneal..as much fun as I have ever had on a golf course...having the opportunity to play the round at your own pace and if you want to spend 20 minutes chipping around a green site, being able to do so...marvelous place..just love it!

[Chip Gaskins]

Ballyneal or Tobacco Road for new.

Prestwick or St. Andrews for old.

[Brian Laurent]

There's a lot that goes into the fun factor IMO.  In addition to the characteristics of the golf course (and sometimes more important) would be the company you keep on the course.  Also, I'm usually having more fun when I'm playing well.

With that in mind, the course that sticks out to me as the most fun is Gray at OSU.  We usually had some great matches and the course sets up very well for scoring.   

[Tim Gavrich]

Yale for old, Shelter Harbor for new.  Two golf courses I could spend every day on and not get bored.

[John Kirk]

Ballyneal and Friar's Head for modern.

National Golf Links for classic.

I am sure I would enjoy many British links courses.  Firm turf makes golf more fun.

[JNC Lyon]

Yeamans Hall is a ton of fun due to a few key factors:

-Firm and Fast conditions allowed for great options into and around the greens.  Low runners were allowed on 15 of 18 holes, though many also encourage an aerial attack.  Therefore, the fast conditions create different challenges to test both low and high shots equally.  Great fun.

-There are no water hazards or Out of Bounds to gobble up golf balls, slow down play, or add penalty strokes.  It seems excess penalty hazards are always the main things that eliminate fun for me.

-The course has a great coastal setting that presents great beauty and opportunity for wind.

-The Raynor design on perfectly rolling land has tons of variety in every aspect of the course.

[Michael Blake]

 Wolf Point Club was the most fun I've had playing a course.

Despite the outcome of my current golf shot, good or bad,  I so looked forward to my next shot.

There are so many options when considering a shot.  It's pure freedom.

Wide open rolling faiways, some are doubles.  Large undulating greens, with #8 and #18 being a double.  Fairways run seemlessly into greens.

It's also pretty fun when your group is the only one on on the entire course, except for the owner's dog who walked nine holes with us.

[Ken Moum]

So far...

Brora, without any doubt.

The one thing that some people criticize it for is IMO the primary component of its fun factor--you almost can't lose a ball on it.

I would imagine that for a really good player on his game it may lack challenge, but it's plenty challenging for me. But I think I could play it 100 times without ever ending up ball-in-pocket.

I think every linksy golf course in the world needs a flock of sheep to keep the rough down.

<G>

Ken

[Steve Lang]

  TOC. 

Flighting one over the Lion on the side of the "shed" on the Road Hole and nearly birdying.. priceless

[Anthony Gray]

Anthony:

It's not a 10 by your standards, or someone else's?

And if Cruden Bay is the most fun course you can play, why ISN'T it a 10?

Conversely, if other 10's are not as fun, should they really be ranked higher than Cruden Bay?

We've battled this many times before in here.  I do understand the distinctions.  I just don't believe in them.

TH

  Tom,

  Cruden Bay is a 10 on the fun scale but it lacks the essentials to put it on the level of TOC PB and others. It is more playable for a 15 handicapper. I do not like playing a course and feeling beet up after I finish.

      Anthony

[Mark_Rowlinson]

TOC played from sensible tees - even if you are not on your game you still enjoy the fun of it.

Royal Dornoch is up there, too.

[Mike_Cirba]

Wild Horse needs to be in this discussion, as does Kingsley Club.

Throw in Boston Golf Club, as well.

However, George Freeman is correct.   The Sheep Ranch is nearly orgasmic.

[Jeff_Mingay]

I agree on Shoreacres and perhaps most Raynor courses, just because I like the bounce in shots, etc.  So much so that I put a lot of them in my designs.  Only problem is, getting people to realize that you can aim 20 yards right of the green and still get there.  Some good golfers hate that. 

And most average golfers only discover it in a sequence like "Oh, crap, I sliced it....Oh crap its going right....Holy Crap, that ended up PERFECT!"  After that, the course is kinda fun for them.

Jeff,

I don't have the clipping with me, but there was a really interesting blurb in the Edmonton Journal about Blackhawk Golf Club earlier this summer. Basically, it was a simple report that there had been an extraordinary number of eagles and 2-3 hole-in-ones made there over a period of a few weeks. 

I think this a credit to some of the interesting slope and contour in and around the greens, there, at Blachawk.  When holes are cut in certain positions, less than perfect strokes are repelled. But, when flags are placed in certain other spots, this same slope and contour tends to funnel balls toward the hole, resulting in eagles and occassionally a hole-in-one (or two!).

I guess what I'm saying is, interesting slope and contour in and around greens makes the game more challenging certain days, but also more fun on others... when holes are cut in more easily accessible spots, where balls tend to funnel toward.   

[Jeff_Brauer]

Jeff,

It sounds like I would like the cousre and hope to see it some day.

I agree that the eagles are a testament to some great green contours.....unless of course, they were reported by that same lady who has claimed dozens of holes in one while no can say they actually saw a shot go into the hole!