How important is belt notching?

[Mark_Fine]

My old boss got me into belt notching 40 years ago.  Frankly it changed my life!  I traveled the world, saw hundreds and hundreds of the world’s greatest courses (or at least those that were on TV or on some magazine or publication’s list).  We would pull out the best in the U.S. and World lists as say, “what customers or suppliers do we know in Spain or Japan or Oregon or Alabama or Ireland,….”, so we could justify a trip to check off another course we wanted (needed) to play.  Frankly it was an amazing experience and I saw places (not just courses) I would have never gotten to see.  I met so many different people, did countless business deals (no better place to get to know someone and build a relationship then on the golf course), and at the same time learned an incredible amount about golf course architecture in the process.  I started collecting and reading golf architecture books in my early 20’s because I wanted to know about all the best courses out there in the world and how they came about.  Having a photographic memory along with keeping every scorecard that was filled with countless notes and snapping literally thousands of pictures didn’t hurt either.  Who would have known chasing golf courses would not only help my original career but move me into another one in GCA to where I am now a member of the ASGCA having worked on and helped in some capacity dozens and dozens of different courses/clubs in the U.S. and abroad. 


Along the way I belt notched over 1600 different golf courses and don’t regret seeing any one of them (you can learn something from experiencing any golf course regardless of its quality) and it is also not always just about the golf . 


These days I am not as driven to just play courses I have not seen before or that are on some list.  I still do some of that but am more interested in seeing what I want to see or re-experiencing a course I saw in the past and want to see again and again as the best courses need to be seen more than once or twice to really appreciate and understand just how good they really are. 


So to summarize, nothing wrong at all with belt notching.  There probably isn’t a person alive who doesn’t belt notch something.  Find me someone who doesn’t and I will show you a person with few if any goals. 


Happy New Year to everyone and here is to experiencing/notching something in your belt that you have always wanted to do in 2024!

[John Handley]

I think this term of "belt-notching" being thrown around is supposed to be a bad thing.  I think it's stupid term anyway. I'm guessing it refers to people who want to play courses because they are highly rated or on a top 100 list. Does this also imply that if you go to a great restaurant or go to an art museum to see a famous painting you are some sort of "belt-notcher" too?


I see absolutely nothing wrong with ANYONE who wants to go experience great golf courses anywhere.  Why would you feel bad about it? Enjoy it, it's golf for crying out loud.  If you travel somewhere you want to go and there is a great course there, play it 5x if you want.


I sense there is a little envy in this whole term of "belt-notching." Don't hate a guy or gal because they've played all the courses on a Top 100 list.  Why would it bother you what that person does?  Maybe because you haven't played them?  Whatever the case, if it is important, enjoyable, or fun for someone to play great golf courses then I am all for it.  Play 'em twice!


This happens to be a website that celebrates golf course architecture.  Many of the courses on these Top 100 lists are done by great golf course architects. We should all be trying to see as many great courses as we can.  And if you can't, stop hating on those that do.


Happy New Year and here's to more "belt-notching" in 2024. 








 

[Peter Sayegh]

What’s not important is telling us.

A great resolution for the New Year.

[Tommy Williamsen]

It seems that belt-notching is a pejorative term. We notch our belts in a variety of ways. I know folks that eat at many different restaurants. I have a friend that has read dozens of books on the Second World War. They enjoy comparing them. I am taking my son to South America to ski. It will be a different experience than Colorado or Utah.


Belt-notchers are folks that enjoy different experiences.

[Peter Sayegh]

What’s not important is telling us.

A great resolution for the New Year.

It seems that belt-notching is a pejorative term. We notch our belts in a variety of ways. I know folks that eat at many different restaurants. I have a friend that has read dozens of books on the Second World War. They enjoy comparing them. I am taking my son to South America to ski. It will be a different experience than Colorado or Utah.


Belt-notchers are folks that enjoy different experiences.

Maybe trumpeting has led to its pejorative connotations?

[Tim Martin]

It seems that belt-notching is a pejorative term. We notch our belts in a variety of ways. I know folks that eat at many different restaurants. I have a friend that has read dozens of books on the Second World War. They enjoy comparing them. I am taking my son to South America to ski. It will be a different experience than Colorado or Utah.


Belt-notchers are folks that enjoy different experiences.

A voracious reader regardless of genre is a belt notcher? I’m not sold on that analogy.

[Michael Whitaker]

Interesting old thread.  I was always taught that if I gave money to charity to get recognition, i.e., name on a library or many or lesser recognitions, that I was giving it for the wrong reason.  I think this is similar but hard to separate cleanly. 


However, if you are playing a course to get up to X of the top 100, it is probably for the wrong reason.  If you are playing for enjoyment or as a gca nerd, because you are continuing your pursuit of just knowing and learning, then you are okay.


As to Tom Doak's point, isn't there something you can learn from almost any course relative to design?

Jeff - I totally agree that motivation is the key. I’ve played with numerous guys who’ve played the Top 100 of some list and can’t tell you much about the courses except where they rank. It’s just a numbers game for them… and, bragging rights.

[Kalen Braley]

There is a fair bit of nuance here that may be getting lost.

You can be a belt-notcher and an intrinsically curious/explorer type of person at the same time. 

And its certainly not limited to golf, at one point in time I had sampled roughly half of the beers on the Rate Beer top 100 list.

Just do whatever blows your hair back...

[Cal Carlisle]

Does this also imply that if you go to a great restaurant or go to an art museum to see a famous painting you are some sort of "belt-notcher" too?

I think it's very similar. I know people that will plan at trip and eat their way through a list of Michelin starred restaurants. I can't do it. At some point the meals all bleed togther. It starts to feel like Brewster's Millions - spending money to get rid of it. I need a break. Sprinkle some pizza or tacos in there somewhere.

Museums? Ever try to looking at a piece of artwork through a throng of people taking photos with their phones? It's art! Look at it!



As far as belt-notching goes, I think golf is kind of the same way as the restaurants. You've got to sprinkle some pizza and tacos in there somewhere.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

There are more people whose wish is to play with me than courses I need to see.

I am glad to have played 97 of the top 100 (that I have been chasing for years) and while I still hope to play the others, but I am not moving Heaven and Earth to make sure that happens.  But I am happy to say I checked off the "round with Barney" box a couple times starting many MANY years ago! 


So I got that going for me... which is nice!!

[Matt Schoolfield]

I don't think there is anything wrong with belt notching... we are all passionate about golf, and if we have the time and the finances, playing exciting courses around the world seems like a worthy endeavor so long as it's, you know, kept in reasonable perspective. Where I think the term becomes pejorative (and this is probably my background in philosophy talking), is when the notches are associated, more so, with a specific list or lists, and not with a passion for the game.

Generally speaking, appeals to authority are helpful, even in aesthetics. It's generally impractical and imprudent to not generally defer to experts. Thus, the authoritative lists are a perfectly reasonable proxy to use. However, when some authority is chosen, and their list becomes the authoritative source of notching, the enthusiast could be seen as a disciple, or worse, as a zealot. An authoritative list can be a great guidebook, but they are not divine oracles. They can be wrong, and the real fun should be in the arguments they inspire. A cannon of golf is nice, but most of the folks here, I think, know far more about their favorite genre of golf than some panel.

For me, I'm more the type of person that would rather play one course a dozen times than play a dozen courses once. I'll fully admit I'm not the type of person who can just look at a fairway and green and just see all the best lines into all the hole locations. I prefer repeat play so I can understand the course better. So, I try to add some shibboleth when I talk to well traveled enthusiasts about courses they play. For example, the unkempt sites like Iona or Colonsay. I also have a fondness for the exceptional vernacular architecture of a Pacific Grove, Northwood, or Lions. And I know my clear preference for the wind and open spaces that make me gravitate toward spending energy to get to a Ballyneal, Landmand, or Wild Horse type location.

At the end of the day, when talking to someone who has lots of notches that I'm impressed by, I just want to know the person I'm talking to understands why they like what they like. And if they do, I feel like I can learn a lot from them.

[Mike Hendren]

I’m curious whether many Southerners are belt-notchers.  We were raised to attend only if invited without asking. 

[Bernie Bell]

The term becomes pejorative if nothing is learned along the way.  Hopefully if one's thing is to see the best symphony orchestras in the world .... based on others' lists .... one will appreciate Joshua Bell's talent even if he were busking incognito on the DC subway.  On the flip side, if one's tastes become so refined that they can't enjoy the "average," they aren't usually great company.  This to me was the genius of Bourdain.  And there are a few golf Bourdains on this board who keep it interesting.

[Tommy Williamsen]

The term becomes pejorative if nothing is learned along the way.  Hopefully if one's thing is to see the best symphony orchestras in the world .... based on others' lists .... one will appreciate Joshua Bell's talent even if he were busking incognito on the DC subway.  On the flip side, if one's tastes become so refined that they can't enjoy the "average," they aren't usually great company.  This to me was the genius of Bourdain.  And there are a few golf Bourdains on this board who keep it interesting.

It was amazing how many people walked past Bell when he played in that DC station. I think there are some US courses that are committed from our best lists because they are in the wrong place and don't have the correct pedigree.

[Mike Worth]

There is a fair bit of nuance here that may be getting lost.

You can be a belt-notcher and an intrinsically curious/explorer type of person at the same time. 

And its certainly not limited to golf, at one point in time I had sampled roughly half of the beers on the Rate Beer top 100 list.

Just do whatever blows your hair back...

I like this description because it fits what I think I’m doing


I’m not on a quest to play every course on a list, but I am on a bit of a travel adventure — i’m exploring.


I’ve hit a point in life where I can afford to do it and I now have the time.

[Charlie Goerges]

There is a fair bit of nuance here that may be getting lost.

You can be a belt-notcher and an intrinsically curious/explorer type of person at the same time. 

And its certainly not limited to golf, at one point in time I had sampled roughly half of the beers on the Rate Beer top 100 list.

Just do whatever blows your hair back...

I like this description because it fits what I think I’m doing


I’m not on a quest to play every course on a list, but I am on a bit of a travel adventure — i’m exploring.


I’ve hit a point in life where I can afford to do it and I now have the time.

I don't consider it belt-notching if you're doing it because you love the architecture or even the experiences. If your reason is you want to impress others, you're probably a belt-notcher.