The Most Weather Exposed Courses List

[Ben Lovett]

Just spent christmas playing golf in Cornwall and would have to say take your pick between Trevose, St Enodoc and Perranporth! With Trevose possibly being the strongest

[Matthew Petersen]

As Kapalua has shown at times, you can get some really extreme winds in Hawaii. Especially the courses on the Kona side of the Big Island, where there's no vegetation to speak of and those winds have been blowing for thousands of miles with nothing in their way until they hit you.

Someone also previously mentioned King Kamehameha, which is in the valley on Maui, definitely the windiest part of the island.

[Doug Siebert]

I would think it would be Old Head as well, given how much wind the SW coast of Ireland sees in general, and how high up it is.  When I played there it was breezy - 20-25 mph I'd guess, but nothing compared to what I'm sure is possible on that site.  On a really windy day I wouldn't worry about losing my ball, but losing my life if I was too close to the edge and got knocked off balance by a sudden gust!

The windiest place for me has been Prestwick - it was incredibly windy both times, and combined with some rather crappy shotmaking I managed a 95 on my first visit and, hoping to improve upon that on the next visit, I did so but not in the way I was planning with a 102 the second time!  That second time was sandwiched between a 76 at Turnberry and a 77 at North Berwick.  Hopefully third time is a charm...

My windiest round ever belongs to Lahinch back in 1995.  There was a sign or notice or something by the door of the clubhouse stating we had "Force 9" winds that day, which I googled and found are 47-54 mph.  I don't know if that was steady or gusts, but it was impossible for my dad's stand bag to stand no matter what orientation he tried, and even the heavy 9" pro style bag I carried back then would roll over with every gust if it was laid down perpendicular to the wind!  On the Klondyke, I hit an 8 iron second from 200 dead downwind, with less than a 3/4 swing trying to keep it from ballooning (but I had to give it a reasonably high trajectory to clear the hill) which flew the green and the road, ending up in the yard of one of the houses across the street.  The moment after contact a huge gust sent me stumbling forward and almost losing my feet, and I imagine also propelled that ball much further than it had any business going.  I turned around into the wind for the Dell and swung as hard as I could without losing my balance with a 2 iron and barely made the front edge.

I had so much fun that round, I wouldn't hesitate to play in similar conditions again if I could, even though there were a few places where we had no choice but to putt a ball that was still moving a bit or had a few ugly shots where a gust hit us at just the wrong time.

[Bryan Izatt]

For the most consistently windy course I'd put forward Tierra del Sol in Aruba.  The wind blows there at about 20 mph from the east or northeast pretty much every day of the year.  The wind there convinces me that a 20 mph wind is a pretty strong wind.  The holes have been designed and routed to accommodate the wind - a par 5 of 450 yards into the wind and another of 600 yards downwind.  I reached the latter but not the former in two.

Sometimes windier sites that I've played at include Nairn, Castle Stewart, Bandon, Rustic Canyon, and Barnbougle Dunes.  At each, the winds were at least a sustained 40 mph with higher gusts.  It was difficult to walk against the wind, balls blew off tees, it was difficult to maintain balance long enough to swing, and balls were blown off greens.

[Jim Sherma]

I would think it would be Old Head as well, given how much wind the SW coast of Ireland sees in general, and how high up it is.  When I played there it was breezy - 20-25 mph I'd guess, but nothing compared to what I'm sure is possible on that site.  On a really windy day I wouldn't worry about losing my ball, but losing my life if I was too close to the edge and got knocked off balance by a sudden gust!

The windiest place for me has been Prestwick - it was incredibly windy both times, and combined with some rather crappy shotmaking I managed a 95 on my first visit and, hoping to improve upon that on the next visit, I did so but not in the way I was planning with a 102 the second time!  That second time was sandwiched between a 76 at Turnberry and a 77 at North Berwick.  Hopefully third time is a charm...

My windiest round ever belongs to Lahinch back in 1995.  There was a sign or notice or something by the door of the clubhouse stating we had "Force 9" winds that day, which I googled and found are 47-54 mph.  I don't know if that was steady or gusts, but it was impossible for my dad's stand bag to stand no matter what orientation he tried, and even the heavy 9" pro style bag I carried back then would roll over with every gust if it was laid down perpendicular to the wind!  On the Klondyke, I hit an 8 iron second from 200 dead downwind, with less than a 3/4 swing trying to keep it from ballooning (but I had to give it a reasonably high trajectory to clear the hill) which flew the green and the road, ending up in the yard of one of the houses across the street.  The moment after contact a huge gust sent me stumbling forward and almost losing my feet, and I imagine also propelled that ball much further than it had any business going.  I turned around into the wind for the Dell and swung as hard as I could without losing my balance with a 2 iron and barely made the front edge.

I had so much fun that round, I wouldn't hesitate to play in similar conditions again if I could, even though there were a few places where we had no choice but to putt a ball that was still moving a bit or had a few ugly shots where a gust hit us at just the wrong time.

Force 9 is big. I played Rosslare in Ireland in a force 9 gale and it was unreal. Luckily most of the holes were straight downwind or into the wind because the few crosswind shots were ridiculous. Definitely the windiest conditions I ever played in. The long stretch back into the wind was simply knock down drivers followed by stinger 2-irons and bumped 5 and 7 irons once I got inside of 140. Putting was impossible but the day was still really fun.

[James Bennett]

Sven

I expect Port Fairy in Victoria, Australia would rank up there.  Probably windier and less protected than Barnbougle and Mornington Peninsula.

James B

[Pete Balzer]

Toana Vista in early March

[David Davis]

I think almost any member of a links course that plays them regularly could argue they have one of the windiest areas. I know west coast of Ireland pretty well, tons of wind. Scotland in many places lots of wind. Deal in England, loads of wind. The Netherlands, it's always blowing, the average windspeed at my club, Noordwijkse is 4.6 bft. Which equates to just under windforce 5 (19-24 mph, 29-38 kph). Our average is just under the level at which they start to shut down pro tournaments in the US. This is a major reason why links courses have far slower green speeds than your average parkland course in the US for example. Half the year we wouldn't be able to play due to balls not staying still.

This site has a nice chart for anyone interested in what's realistic about wind-speeds.

http://www.marinewaypoints.com/marine/wind.shtml

It's also my experience that most golfers indeed highly over exaggerate the wind speeds.

I tend to make photos to prove my "fish that got away" stories...here's two from 2012 that I especially like and perhaps have even posted before, I also have a great video of Old Mac from Sept but I don't know how to post it, I think it's great:

the wind was consistently above 90 km/h on this day when we played. With gusts above 100 km/h.


Horizontal flag sticks often indicate high winds :-)

[Mark Chaplin]

David - you cannot argue with the speedometer! I've only played twice when a golf bag laying down on the ground started to move once in Scotland in force 10 winds with hurricane force gusts 82-88mph and once in Deal but it was playable then just really strong gusts.

[Michael Goldstein]

The most exposed courses would probably be the flatter links as there's less shelter. 

So I'm guessing many on the West coast of Ireland, whilst notoriously windy, wouldn't top this list.

I think Oreti Sands, the southern most links, is probably there or thereabouts.

Happy NY to all...
 

[Leo Barber]

Ngawi Links - southern most tip of North Island of New Zealand.  Paraparaumu Beach honourable mention ofcourse.

[Kevin Pallier]

I think Oreti Sands, the southern most links, is probably there or thereabouts.

Mike

Am glad we got it on a fine day then....Kauri Cliffs on the other hand....

[Anthony Butler]

The reason links golf feels windier than the anemometer might indicate is the amount of moisture in the air... add the ability of warmer air to hold more moisture, your ball flight is more affected the warmer it gets... e.g. the same quality drive on No. 5 at NSWGC November through March could result in playing your second straight up the hill into a wall of wind or having a half wedge for your second, depending on the wind direction. Of course, if you're playing on the West Coast of Ireland in March the ball isn't going very far to begin with...

For many reasons, it's more difficult playing on a course with a lot of elevation changes when it's really blowing.

[Zack Molnar]

The most consistently exposed course that I have played is The Ocean course, having been windy each of the dozen or so times I have played it. But it seems that it is relatively benign to many of the stories here about British Isles golf.

Is there any course in the US that matches UK courses for weather difficulties, both wind and precipitation wise? Bandon seems to be the only place that comes to mind

[Tim Leahy]

Bodega Harbour Golf Links, on the north coast above the Golden Gate, has the fiercest weather I've experienced in the states. A wall of wind and fog will suddenly rise up, race across the icy water and cascade over the bluffs far up the hillside like an enormous breaking wave.

The summer wind in Bandon can be fierce, but there are many respites as the routings tend to move in and out of exposed areas. Even late in the afternoon with the breeze screaming off the ocean, I've never felt the same damp, penetrating cold endemic to the north coast here. The wind and water seem deeper, angrier and more violent to me.
   

+1 on Bodega Harbour, round started calm then after about 30 miinutes, wind came up and never stopped, at least 40 mph.

[David Stamm]

Desert Dunes in CA surely must be considered on any lit of inland courses.

+1. There is a reason that there are wind farms there. I remember on the range I hit a sand wedge that went back over my head!