The Wales National course at the Vale Resort.
The course is in several sections so you had frequent walks between holes from one bit of the course to the next.
It prides itself on being 7433 yards long, yet for us paying visitors it was set up up at least 1500 yards shorter. That's nearly a mile of walking past redundant tee boxes.
It was so wet that carrying was banned! Everyone had to hire a cart or use(hire) a trolley and stick to the paved path. This path was always on the outside of doglegs and outside an area of rough.
Worst day I've ever spent on a Golf Course.
This was exactly my point about the current fad if mega forward tees on the other thread. The archie doesn't seem to think it is an issue because that ground needs to be covered anyway. It strikes me as design that will encourage cart use and that is generally not top notch design work.
Ciao
Yes compact sites can have many benefits... but regardless of site size, I always think that trying to position the middle two sets of four tees (that see 90% of play) nearest the previous green is a decent generalisation when laying out a course.
Sure, it might be simple for new courses if we assume that something like 5000 to 6000 yards is the target length to locate tees near greens. It's the retrofitting on already built courses where there are issues. I think it an extreme rarity to make tees range from 7000 to 4500 and have sensible walk when adding tees after the course is built. To me it's a scam which archies fall back on because they know folks will ride. Not a clever approach. Somehow, archies have to admit the mega tee concept has serious flaws if walking is an important aspect of design.
Ciao
I think scam is the right word. A few months after I played there the Europro (second division euro tour) held a comp. It was still very wet with zero run and balls plugging in the fairway. It was set up at less than 6600 yards or more than half a mile less than the boasted about "Championship" length. I later spoke to one of the players who confirmed it was a miserable experience.
The R&A are heavily implicated in this nonsense. They drop not so subtle hints that courses have to be 7300 yards before they can be considered for ANY of the competitions which are within their patronage to grant. Clubs then call in the Royal Artillery (M&E division) who will find them that distance. But can anyone tell me when The Open, The Walker Cup in the past 20 years GB&I has been played 'from the tips'? I have my yardage books from playing them and it's clear from my visits to Opens and the TV pictures, that back tees are not always used and that often its the front section of the second tee that's used.
Many of these tees are an expensive paper exercise which will never be used in the prevailing wind. Second tier clubs are jumping on board when they have no hope of a senior tournament but wish to be seen as top tier.
Jobs for the boys, and hang the members and the environment.