Pacific Dunes vs Aiken GC

[Steve Wilson]

First of all, we got a break on the green fee, so Aiken's price is in the $30-40 range rather than $20.  So we are not talking about a 10x--more like a 5-7x differential in price to play.   Since I have never played PD and never will, I can't directly compare the two but I have a difficult time accepting that PD is five to seven times better than Aiken.

But to return to the genesis of the thread, Eric didn't ask about the architecture.  Perhaps he meant to, perhaps it was implied, but all he asked was how do you split ten plays.  There's really no wrong answer--it's a matter of personal preference. 

I have been surprised but pleased to see that Lou Duran, Rich Goodale, and Sean Arble, three gentlemen I've played with, have very high opinions of Aiken.  I acknowledge they have a more experienced and sophisticated appreciation of architecture than I do, but they lean towards Aiken.  I knew as I was playing it that we had stumbled onto something special.  There are reasons other than architecture to prefer one course over another, and Aiken seems to have considerable "it" factor for some of our more prolific posters.

I understand its appeal.  I played five courses Augusta CC, Cobblestone, and the Dixie Cup rota, and if I had one round to play out of those five I think I'd take Aiken.  Part of it is economic, part of it is the course suiting my game (short), and part of it is fun.  But that's just my personal preference.  Which is what, after all, Eric asked.
   
 

[Jim_Kennedy]

Those who've played them both, how do you split 10 rounds?
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Ok, that's not really what I'm asking.  Clearly, these are two different public golf models.

One is ultra successful both commercially and critically and they charge a fortune for a round of golf.

The other I will asssume makes money. At $20-$37 a head it takes it in a bit more slowly then the other I would imagine.

But if golf is ever to grow again, how many more Bandon type models do we need? How many Aiken's?

Can't a golfer come off both of these golf courses similarly full from their day on the course?

If a man had good land for a golf course, would he go into it with a plan to charge 150 to 300 dollars per round or take a different path and build a course that could be enjoyed for 30-50 dollars?

I'm told Pac Dunes is mind blowing good.  Hopefully I'm there in 6 months.  But I was plenty full after Aiken.  Is there that much more to eat?

Steve,
Here are posts #1 & 2, both by Eric. He asked about the architecture and splittiing plays.

[Steve Wilson]

You know Jim, somehow I just slid over post #2.  I think it was the picture in Kalen's reply that caused me to move on. 

So, yep, you're right the second post clearly does reference the architecture.  The thread starter is a straightforward how do you split the plays, but the second clarifies Eric's intent.

Not that it invalidates my own personal opinion or anything

 

[Sean_A]

Sean
You have no idea about the types of courses that I play regularly, most are comparable to Aiken, i.e. inexpensive and fun while also containing some attention-holding architecture to boot. Just 'cause you're miffed that I think your method of comparing these two courses is a poor one is no reason to try and make it seem that I said anything bad about Aiken golf course. Just the opposite is true, I said it intrigued me enough that I'm going to play it a few times when I head south.
Actually, the only one referring to Aiken as a 'Poor Hillbilly' is you.....plus, you aren't doing much to make me think your comparison is credible by saying  "I may make it to PD one day, but I can tell you that I will more likely make it to Aiken beforehand - the course looks like it has all the right stuff so far as I am concerned"

Jim

We all have our preferences and it doesn't really matter why we hold those preferences.  Its good enough for me that you prefer PD over Aiken and it doesn't miff me in the least why you prefer it.   

Ciao

[Jim_Kennedy]

Jim

We all have our preferences and it doesn't really matter why we hold those preferences.  Its good enough for me that you prefer PD over Aiken and it doesn't miff me in the least why you prefer it.   

Ciao

Sean,
That's just an assumption on your part, I've never said which I prefer.

[Sean_A]

Jim

We all have our preferences and it doesn't really matter why we hold those preferences.  Its good enough for me that you prefer PD over Aiken and it doesn't miff me in the least why you prefer it.   

Ciao

Sean,
That's just an assumption on your part, I've never said which I prefer.

It doesn't matter which way your preferences slide - that was the entire point - we all have our reasons, of which, architecture may only be one of them.  From my perspective, it doesn't matter to me if someone thinks A is better than B especially when one costs 4 or 5x the other - usually I would expect the more expensive course to be better - after some trial and error I have discovered the price often has nothing to do with quality.  What I really want to know about A and B is which do folks prefer and why.  Then I can get a sense of where they are coming from.  Architecture is far too much a subjective element to rely on the opinion of others, but as a part of a over all assessment, it isn't a problem. 

Ciao 

[Jim_Kennedy]

Sean,
If all you want to know is which course a person prefers, you don't need to pit an Aiken against a Pacific Dunes to find that out.
There are a number of reasons why we like one course over another, but when you try to pit courses at the extremes of cost you   are mainly going to find that it comes down to the money, and you cannot get away from that no matter how much you think you can. Your own expectations show that.
 
 
By the way, I prefer my home course to Pac Dunes or Aiken. It's where I meet with my friends and have some of the most fun times that can be found while playing this game. It has enough good architecture on it to keep things fresh and it costs someone off the street the princely sum of 14 bucks American, 20 if you go around the nine twice. 

[Sean_A]

Sean,
If all you want to know is which course a person prefers, you don't need to pit an Aiken against a Pacific Dunes to find that out.
There are a number of reasons why we like one course over another, but when you try to pit courses at the extremes of cost you   are mainly going to find that it comes down to the money, and you cannot get away from that no matter how much you think you can. Your own expectations show that.
 
 
By the way, I prefer my home course to Pac Dunes or Aiken. It's where I meet with my friends and have some of the most fun times that can be found while playing this game. It has enough good architecture on it to keep things fresh and it costs someone off the street the princely sum of 14 bucks American, 20 if you go around the nine twice. 

Jim

Value isn't always about the cheapest.  I would go back to Merion in a heartbeat and its a pretty expensive day out.  Same goes for Sandwich etc etc.  I wouldn't go back to a course just down the road from me and it costs a tenner.  As I say, cost, like the architecture, is only one element of critique. 

Ciao

[Jim_Kennedy]

Who the heck said it was, but I can see now that we've reached the end of anything else to say as your latest reply added nothing, and we're just circling around. 
Enjoy