Kevin, I appreciate your interest and curiosity and take it for respectful inquiry. if you have only played 4 of the top-40, it's not surprising to me that your standards for Ballyhack or for other courses touted by a few folks here and elsewhere might be skewed. Having played 35 of the top-40 Modern layouts, I can only tell you that the more you play the more your judgements should become refined and the more you will learn to mistrust the enthusiasm of certain people. There are all sorts of reasons why some people decide to like and tout a golf course, and sometimes it has to do with psychology of being a booster.
I heard a lot about Erin Hills, and when I saw it found it to be a confusing jumble or superficial naturalism and incoherent shpt-making. Three course renovations into its first five years I gather they are on the verge of getting some things right. But they started out so single-mindedly devoted to being a natural or minimalist layout that they conveniently overlooked the fact that the green sites they chose, while natural, were the wrong ones for the shapes they relied on. Maybe some day they will get it right. I hope so.
You point out a disconnect" between the rave reviews Ballyhack got among some GCA posters and the results thus far with Golfweek's raters. That's because, I think, among some enthusiastic fans of a certain retro-style, they are quick to endorse and rave about courses in that general tradition rather and to applaud such efforts, in the process being quick to support courses precisely because they are odd, quirky, confusing, and at times discordant, i.e. not immediately receptive and manageable. That's admirable, but it also can too easily mislead people into endorsing oddity and uncertainty for its own sake. My own sense of Ballyhack is that it set out from the opening tee shot (a forced carry over a reasonably long ravine) is that it went out of its way and tried really hard to be different, weird, proliferating options, manufacturing choices and then obfuscating lines of play.
Brad,
Thanks for the feedback. I understand my potential limitations given my relative inexperience, but at the same time, I am consciously avoiding a "booster" mentality and actively seeking out the potential criticisms of the course. Also, when I visited Ballyhack, I specifically avoided any discussion of the course on here beforehand or even any photos, so I wouldn't have any preconceived notions about it (or about the "type" of course it would be). I developed my own impressions of the course, and only after did I look at the discussions here (where I found many similar thoughts).
I'm fully aware that it's human nature to overreact to a new course, simply due to the "high" of experiencing something new. I've walked off a number of courses with an inflated initial perception, and then "dampened" my enthusiasm after sitting back and acknowledging some of the weaknesses (e.g. Tobacco Road / Irish Course at WS). In fact, I remember your specific review of Tobacco Road that had this effect on me. However, Ballyhack hasn't "fallen" in my eyes, even after a more critical review.
The "sense" that you listed above (oddity & uncertainty for its own sake / trying hard to be weird, different, etc.) seems to be a critique more easily applied to most Strantz designs I've played, but I didn't get that sense at Ballyhack. I never really felt that options were "forced on the land" at Ballyhack.
I don't really understand your critique about the opening tee shot. The piece of land is severe and has many natural ravines and ridges. Occasional forced carries are inevitable unless you want to deny the nature of the land. Even so, the forced carries are not oppressively long and feature generous landing areas (and #1 is the most challenging, by far).
Ultimately, I am trying to learn more and "refine" my judgments through this exchange. I recognize that I have much to learn, but hope you appreciate I have consciously tried to filter out "fan boy enthusiasm." While not as extensive as your experience, I have played a number of the supposed "elite" modern and classic courses, and have an appreciation of what leads to their ranking. I'm genuinely interested in hearing some of the perceived limitations your raters may have noted at Ballyhack so I can challenge my initial judgments even further and see if they hold up. I've already taken some of your comments above and used them to re-assess Ballyhack (as well as other courses I have played).
When you do get out to Ballyhack, I look forward to hearing your impressions and reading your review.
Thanks for the time - Kevin