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igrowgrass

If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« on: November 17, 2011, 07:23:40 PM »
If Royal Melbourne was located in the United States and 'everything' was the same as we see it on TV in Australia. (everything being, grass types, wind, maintenance practices) would we consider it the #1 golf course in the world?
How much is location a factor in ratings. 
Love watching this place on TV.  It's fantastic.  Also worth playing on Tiger Woods 2011 but still does it no justice.



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Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2011, 08:00:36 PM »
Wind does RM justice, I'll grant you that!  What a difference a breeze from the wrong direction makes!
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Bill Brightly

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2011, 08:39:08 PM »
RM is superb and ranked in the top 15 of the lists I have seen. I don't see much to argue about if you want to move it up but good luck moving one of the other courses out of the top ten... They are ALL elite courses, masterpieces if you will, an absolute treat if you get to play one, so why waste time ranking them?
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Mark Johnson

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2011, 09:00:59 PM »
Quote from: Sean Reehoorn on November 17, 2011, 07:23:40 PM
If Royal Melbourne was located in the United States and 'everything' was the same as we see it on TV in Australia. (everything being, grass types, wind, maintenance practices) would we consider it the #1 golf course in the world?
How much is location a factor in ratings. 
Love watching this place on TV.  It's fantastic.  Also worth playing on Tiger Woods 2011 but still does it no justice.






Is the version in TW2011 the routing for Presidents Cup or the actually routing the members play?  (The presidents cup is a patchwork of the 2 courses)
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David_Elvins

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2011, 09:02:22 PM »
Sean,

When it comes to ratings, it depends on whether you rank the composite course or the east and west seperately.  The composite course is defintely a better course than the west course.  

The composite course was regularly rated in the world's top 6-7 courses but the recent trend to rate the two courses seprately, Ernie Els's 60 and and some pretty average course conditioning has seen the course slip.  As Bill says, its a great course but so is everything else in t he world's top 10.  
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Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2011, 09:04:00 PM »
Royal Melbourne was as high as sixth in the rankings of the top 100 in the world.  I think the main reason it has fallen a bit was that they suffered through a few years of drought and not having enough irrigation water to maintain the course ... it was really in bad shape four years ago from all reports.  Perhaps a successful Presidents' Cup will get it back in the top ten where it belongs.  [I've always ranked it higher than that.]
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Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2011, 09:31:21 PM »
It seems to me it gets Royal treatment in its current location. I think it is top 10 in the world which puts it in the group of courses that live in club of greatest courses in the world.  The answer is no.
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igrowgrass

Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2011, 10:06:40 PM »
Try to think of this way.  You took the environment and layout of Royal Melbourne and switched it with that of Pine Valley, they are most comparable in this case.  Everything is the same, but location of each course.  Would we consider Royal Melbourne the best course in the world while considering Pine Valley great inside the Top 15 in the World. 
Is it the location within the world (on a globe) that limits Royal Melbourne from being ranked #1?
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John Mayhugh

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2011, 10:16:20 PM »
If Royal Melbourne was in the United States, I suspect lots more Americans would have played it.  How would that affect rankings?

I think RMW (not relying on the composite) could fit in the top 10 World.
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David Kelly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2011, 10:44:19 PM »
I think RMW is a great course and probably deserved of Top 10 status and I think RME is a very good course. 

I don't have enough rounds at both courses but I went away from my last trip to RM thinking that I would like RMW over the composite course because of the way the routing flows. 
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JR Potts

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2011, 10:47:16 PM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on November 17, 2011, 09:04:00 PM
Royal Melbourne was as high as sixth in the rankings of the top 100 in the world.  I think the main reason it has fallen a bit was that they suffered through a few years of drought and not having enough irrigation water to maintain the course ... it was really in bad shape four years ago from all reports.  Perhaps a successful Presidents' Cup will get it back in the top ten where it belongs.  [I've always ranked it higher than that.]

How much differently does the composite course play from the standard MacKenzie course (West?).  Is it a better golf course?
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mike_beene

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2011, 10:53:51 PM »
It is not like a Pinehurst that is a long way from a major city.It is half an hour from the centre of one of the great sports cities in the world in a golf crazed country.One of the tennis slams is played in Melbourne.The average US golfer is unfamiliar with a number of the top 20 courses.
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Bill Brightly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2011, 10:54:26 PM »
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 10:16:20 PM
If Royal Melbourne was in the United States, I suspect lots more Americans would have played it.  How would that affect rankings?

I think RMW (not relying on the composite) could fit in the top 10 World.

OK John which one of these are you dropping?

Pine Valley
Cypress Point
The Old Course
Shinnecock
Royal County Down
Oakmont
Merion
NGLA
Sand Hills
Ballybunion
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mike_beene

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2011, 11:01:58 PM »
How busy is the road crossing?Is there a tunnel?Would it really be a problem to just use the West?
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Sam Morrow

Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #14 on: November 17, 2011, 11:02:50 PM »
Quote from: mike_beene on November 17, 2011, 11:01:58 PM
How busy is the road crossing?Is there a tunnel?Would it really be a problem to just use the West?

Maybe they could build a horrible bridge like the one at Dallas Country Club.
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John Mayhugh

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #15 on: November 17, 2011, 11:08:35 PM »
Quote from: Bill Brightly on November 17, 2011, 10:54:26 PM
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 10:16:20 PM
If Royal Melbourne was in the United States, I suspect lots more Americans would have played it.  How would that affect rankings?

I think RMW (not relying on the composite) could fit in the top 10 World.

OK John which one of these are you dropping?

Pine Valley
Cypress Point
The Old Course
Shinnecock
Royal County Down
Oakmont
Merion
NGLA
Sand Hills
Ballybunion

I think RMW is better than Oakmont & Royal County Down.  I could put it ahead of those two, and I really like them both.
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mike_beene

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #16 on: November 17, 2011, 11:18:23 PM »
Sam,Dallas needs the bridge.You realize that both Mockingbird and Preston are unguarded and people from all over can drive on them.Some of those people even fly coach.So you see,the bridge is essential.
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Sam Morrow

Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #17 on: November 17, 2011, 11:22:48 PM »
Quote from: mike_beene on November 17, 2011, 11:18:23 PM
Sam,Dallas needs the bridge.You realize that both Mockingbird and Preston are unguarded and people from all over can drive on them.Some of those people even fly coach.So you see,the bridge is essential.


I think it's the most vertical bridge on any course in the world.
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Todd Bell

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #18 on: November 17, 2011, 11:28:32 PM »
the super would be canned because the greens don't suck up a rescue club from 160.
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Bill Brightly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #19 on: November 17, 2011, 11:46:22 PM »
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 11:08:35 PM
Quote from: Bill Brightly on November 17, 2011, 10:54:26 PM
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 10:16:20 PM
If Royal Melbourne was in the United States, I suspect lots more Americans would have played it.  How would that affect rankings?

I think RMW (not relying on the composite) could fit in the top 10 World.

OK John which one of these are you dropping?

Pine Valley
Cypress Point
The Old Course
Shinnecock
Royal County Down
Oakmont
Merion
NGLA
Sand Hills
Ballybunion

I think RMW is better than Oakmont & Royal County Down.  I could put it ahead of those two, and I really like them both.

Well, we are splitting hairs but RCD is magical, so I can't agree there. I left Pebble and Augusta out of my top ten because I figure you would put RM ahead of them ;)
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Jason Topp

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #20 on: November 17, 2011, 11:59:35 PM »
Quote from: Bill Brightly on November 17, 2011, 11:46:22 PM
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 11:08:35 PM
Quote from: Bill Brightly on November 17, 2011, 10:54:26 PM
Quote from: John Mayhugh on November 17, 2011, 10:16:20 PM
If Royal Melbourne was in the United States, I suspect lots more Americans would have played it.  How would that affect rankings?

I think RMW (not relying on the composite) could fit in the top 10 World.

OK John which one of these are you dropping?

Pine Valley
Cypress Point
The Old Course
Shinnecock
Royal County Down
Oakmont
Merion
NGLA
Sand Hills
Ballybunion

I think RMW is better than Oakmont & Royal County Down.  I could put it ahead of those two, and I really like them both.

Well, we are splitting hairs but RCD is magical, so I can't agree there. I left Pebble and Augusta out of my top ten because I figure you would put RM ahead of them ;)

I've only played 3 but I would put it ahead of Ballybunion (1st 5 holes)  and The Old Course  (repetitive nature of front nine).  I'd leave it behind Sand Hills.

I am not sure whether its location helps or hurts its reputation.  It is tough to have a better reputation.
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David_Elvins

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #21 on: November 18, 2011, 12:03:58 AM »
Bill,

I think royal Melbourne composite and west course are both clearly better than merion.  Not to take anything away from merion which is clearly q very good course.
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Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #22 on: November 18, 2011, 03:18:16 AM »
Bill,

For my money, RMW is a significantly better course than TOC and not far behind Pine Valley and National.

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Kevin Pallier

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #23 on: November 18, 2011, 04:36:09 AM »
For mine the Composite Course at RM is a World Top 5 course.

RMW is very good but the 6 holes from RME on the main paddock used in the above routing certainly help it achieve that IMO.
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Scott Warren

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Re: If Royal Melbourne was in the United States
« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2011, 04:59:03 AM »
Kev,

Is it that much of a difference between RMW and RMC?

1E v 14W
2E v 9W
3E v 13W
16E v 16W
17E v 15W
18E v 8W

For mine there's three from each batch than win those match-ups, and the increased variety of the inclusion of an additional par three is a big thing in the West's favour for mine, as well as the positioning of 1W as a starting hole and 16-18 as the closing stretch.
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