OPOS (One Picture, One Sentence)

[Ulrich Mayring]

Let me try a new form of golf trip reporting. OPOS stands for "One Picture, One Sentence" and it means that every course is to be represented with one picture and one (readable!) sentence only. This may lead to somewhat apodictic statements, but hopefully also cut down to the essence and spawn some discussions (which are of course not bound by the OPOS rules, although that might be an interesting experiment in itself ;-)

Ok, here goes:


Le Touquet, La Forêt course (Horace Hutchinson 1904):
Many strategically interesting holes combined with beautiful natural surroundings and great playing surfaces mean that there is no reason why Colt's La Mer should overshadow La Forêt for the average golfer.


Royal North Devon (Old Tom Morris 1864, Herbert Fowler 1908):
The oldest course in England presents itself much like it did in its infancy and would still be a world top 20, if all holes were as good as the stretch from 4 to 10.


Saunton East (Herbert Fowler 1919):
The masterfully low-key routing in dramatic surroundings asks question after question, but never devolves into an overbearing stress-test - worthy of an Open.


Saunton West (Frank Pennink 1974):
Shorter, tighter, quirkier, more undulated and harder for the average player than the East.


West Cornwall (Charles Gibson 1894):
No championship course, but world class fun, because every hole has some little or large twist.


St. Enodoc Church Course (James Braid 1907):
Quixotic, exciting, penal, beautiful, awkward, memorable and terribly difficult - has to be seen to be believed.


Perranporth (James Braid 1927):
Uncompromisingly traditional links sloping wildly this way and that, but not as crazy as some suggest.


Yelverton (Herbert Fowler 1919):
Delightful moorland track that features Fowler's usual restraint and elegance, but the short par 4s need more risk/reward.

[George Pazin]

Oakmont
Simple concepts applied to a variety of terrain maintained in a fitting manner result in a thrilling and complete challenge for even the best golfers.

[David_Tepper]

Ulrich -

Nice pics and insightful comments, proving once again that less can often be more.

DT

[Jason McNamara]

Ulrich, great idea.  Would a RND picture including the famed sea rushes serve that course better by highlighting the course's unique feature?

Also, fellow GCAer Scott Warren does a similar thing, but is even more succinct.  His course reviews are four words:  http://www.theglobalgolfer.blogspot.com

[Tony_Muldoon]

I like the idea but brevity without acuracy is a questionable concept.

Le Touquet in Normandy?
RND the oldest course in England "still played over"?  I'm not even sure that proviso is right.  Blackheath NLE was much older.  Perhaps it's the oldest "Links" course in England.

"Saunton West not worth playing off the yellows, there are longer P&P's".

[Ulrich Mayring]

Well... you're right, Le Touquet is in Pas de Calais, which is not strictly Normandy, but the culture, people and landscapes are very similar. Still, I modified the thread title to keep regional designations out, seeing that some other people like to post their OPOS as well.

RND markets itself as the oldest course in England and I support that position. Royal Blackheath, on the other hand, claims to be the oldest club in the world, but their documents are not publically available. That could be an entire new Merion thread right there ;-)

I played Saunton West from white.

Ulrich

[Tim Bert]

Is haiku acceptable?

DeVries Masterpiece
With ideal maintenance meld
Strategic and fun

[Tim Gavrich]

If you seek an inexpensive, fun Donald Ross course by the water, then Groton, Connecticut's Shennecossett Golf Course is a destination.


Rick Jacobson's pastoral Vista Links in Buena Vista, VA is about as much rollicking fun as one can have on a golf course for $35 or less.


Shed any preconceived notions about par 69 golf courses at the old-style Pequabuck GC in Bristol, CT.


The Redan is the ace of a set of par threes at Greenbrier's Old White course, brilliantly restored to its Raynorian glory by Lester George.

[Bill_McBride]

North Berwick's West Links, this course is the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

[Scott Warren]

Canterbury GC, Kent, UK - Harry Colt
"Not among Colt's absolute finest, but that a course with such fine holes, particularly its par threes, is so roundly ignored by fans of golf course architecture is as good an argument as exists that Harry Colt was a master of his art."

[Scott Warren]

Trevose GC, Cornwall, UK - Harry Colt
"If only Colt had arrived to find back nine land that rivalled the terrain of the seaside holes, visitors to Cornwall would likely be making their first stop south of Padstow rather than heading directly to Rock."

or

"Some silly prick on the maintenance team mistook a barrel of pesticide for putting green fertiliser last December and the clean-up continues, which is to say EPIC FAIL."