[Jason Thurman]

Inspired by the thread on walking off courses due to poor architecture...


Have your ever been unable to finish for some reason, and brokenhearted about it?


I never got to even tee off after four hours at Wichita CC, and I had to get off Dannebrog after 5 holes. I'll explain later, but awfully bummed about both.


Still haven't played the last two holes at the Pfau either.

[JimB]

I had my first HIO at City Park in NOLA. It was a hole late in the round with plenty of time to finish. However, as we walked up the next hole a wind that was blowing about 10 MPH towards the lake immediately turned into 20 MPH off the lake and a line of rain and lightning approached. It was just too dangerous to go on. I was heart broken not be able to make it “official”.


I also remembered that the first time I played Pebble Beach it was with an employee. They used to be able to play and bring guests for free after the last guaranteed time to finish. This would have been around ‘98. We got to 17, hit our tee shots and then were asked to stop. I did not get a chance to play again until 2003.

[Ira Fishman]

Less than a month ago. Century CC. Forecast was for a beautiful day. On the 11th green, the skies opened up with no break in sight. Weirdly, that is the only one that I can remember in 45 years of playing. We had a few weather outages, but they were at courses we had played at least once. We have been very lucky even in Scotland and Ireland.


Ira

[John Kavanaugh]

Birdied the first five holes one round that I unfortunately started at 6:30 pm. Made a bogey and then another birdie at the turn. Turn on the lights that is.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I can tell you one round that broke my sons’s heart not to finish. It was at Rehoboth CC in Delaware. He was about fifteen and playing in a junior event. Through 12 holes he was two under par. Then a gargantuan thunderstorm stuck. Officials drove out to get the kids in their cars. The next day he didn’t break 80 and was heartbroken.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Merion...   played 17.5 holes...


Throughout the front nine we twice were chased to storm shelters to wait out thunderstorms and even hail on the greens twice, but we were not deterred as we knew we may never be back.  So the back nine is relatively uneventful until it starts storming again nearby on 16 and 17 but we tried to get the round in...


On the 18th tee I went first with a sudden gale force wind behind us I ripped a drive way down there, the second guy hits his drive as the storm worsened, as before the third guy could even tee it up lightning strikes very close to us and send us all running for the clubhouse.   It was loud, immediate, and sent a chill down everyones spine.  I am not sure how close it was, but it was close enough...


I grabbed my ball off the fairway and optimistically stuck a tee in the ground in case we came back out, but after the storm worsened we decided we probably should let the caddies go home since they had weathered a couple thunderstorms, and two hail storms.  It felt like we had experienced all four seasons in one afternoon.  We waited for a long time in the clubhouse but it did not improve as we waited.


That is how I played 17 and ½ holes at Merion.  It broke my heart that day (but my anguish was assuaged by a shower under the legendary shower heads!) 


And I was right I have never been fortunate enough to make it back...

[Matthew Rose]

Kapalua Plantation, especially since the last two are EPIC holes. Ran out of daylight.

We hit tee shots in the dark but didn't play either one out. But it was soaking wet anyway, so I'm not sure I would have got the whole effect.

[JohnVDB]

We were on the 16th hole at Sand Valley when the horn went off and skies opened up and we had to quit.  We didn’t get to finish as we had to head to Erin Hills for meetings the next day.


I remember having dinner in the yacht club at Pebble Beach watching a number of groups skip 17 (and possibly earlier holes) to play 18 before it got too dark.  Others didn’t get that far.

[Steve Burrows]

Still haven't played the last two holes at the Pfau either.

So, driving down the cart path during a monsoon is not the same as actually playing the holes?

[Wade Whitehead]

Have a friend who ran out of daylight on the 13th hole at ANGC (volunteer play day).

WW

[Kalen Braley]

Someone on GCA posted a story years ago about having a friend who finally got to play ANGC. 

IIRC, supposedly on the 2nd hole, he holed out with wedge for eagle and was so excited he accidentally smashed his club into his foot, and broke it. He tried to keep going, but the pain forced him to pull out on the next hole or the 4th...and never got a chance to play there again. Ouch!

[Marty Bonnar]

Back in 2005 (I think!), due to the somewhat persistent precipitation, we abandoned Pasatiempo after 5 holes. Redanman wanted to play on (special reason), so Ed Getka and I grabbed a cart and headed out to accompany him. Miserable day, but had a great time anyway!


Cheers,
F.

[Terry Lavin]

We were called off the course after only nine holes at Fox Chapel. Magical place.

[John Kavanaugh]

Back in 2005 (I think!), due to the somewhat persistent precipitation, we abandoned Pasatiempo after 5 holes. Redanman wanted to play on (special reason), so Ed Getka and I grabbed a cart and headed out to accompany him. Miserable day, but had a great time anyway!


Cheers,
F.

No worries. You didn’t miss much.

[Phil Burr]

2 come to mind:


1. Essex CC (Windsor, Ontario), a former top 25 Canadian course.  Great layout on pancake-flat land.  Rained out after 10; rain didn’t let up for 48 hours after that.
2. Olympic, Lake course.  Did not attempt to play 18 as it was in full view of the clubhouse and not convenient to the fence line where we had parked our car before sneaking onto the course.  Full disclosure: this took place 40 years ago.

[Mark Smolens]

About 20 years ago I was invited up to Kohler for a weekend of golf on a buddy's client. Played Meadow/Valley on Friday, but that night started pouring, and didn't let up. Sunday, about noon, my buddy and I put on our rainsuits and drove over to the pro shop. They gave us a  cart key, and we drove around the River Course in a driving rainstorm. Made sure to get back there many times, but the first trip around was pretty memorable -- especially  that walk from the parked cart up to the 5th teebox. Cresting that hill and seeing the panorama of the river below, and the elevated green in the distance for the first time was magical.

[Adam Uttley]

Lots of times and for lots of different reasons:


1. Sunningdale Old. It rained so hard the greens were flooded which takes some doing on that turf.  Luckily I’ve been back a few times.


2. Carnoustie.  It had rained overnight and the Barry Burn had burst.  I’d driven up especially but we had to finish at 16.  I still haven’t played 17 and 18.


3.  Princes.  Ran out of daylight as the group in front took an hour to play 3 holes. Haven’t been back yet.


4.  Hunstanton.  Played this weekend in the Grafton Morrish and each time our foursomes match finished on the 16th. Never got to 17 and 18!




All of these pale into comparison in the heartbreak stakes with cancelling a trip to Tara Iti.  It was all booked as a quick side trip for me whilst on a family holiday.  Torrential rain meant campsites were flooded and after being couped up in an RV for 2 weeks with a 3 and 5 year old in the constant rain, and more forecast,[size=78%] [/size][/size]the family decision was to leave New Zealand 2 weeks early, meaning I missed the Tara Iti leg.  I still haven’t got over it![size=78%]

[Tal Oz]

Chicago Golf Club - a few summers ago, I had gotten another invite to Chicago and managed to convince my friend in Boston to fly out specifically for this round. Forecast was showing rain all day, but we arrived to blue skies. It starts raining on 9 and as we walk around the pond I look to my right at the clubhouse and see a giant bolt of lightning hit directly behind the clubhouse. We hurry into the halfway house hoping the skies let up then eventually play the Short 10th and I belt my tee shot on 11 only to turn around and run for the clubhouse.


My friend has yet to play the final 8 holes.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Harbor Town.
And I hate the "club" for it...;-)


I was there in October of 2005 right after a big storm blew through.
One of our biz partners took me to Hilton Head for a few days. we were 2-some.


Course was almost deserted.
Teed off behind 2 four balls (who were together) and we waited on every shot. We were the only groups on the course.


On a par 3, we asked to play through and were flatly denied.
we called the clubhouse to complain and some sour-patch "marshall" dragged his fat ass out and literally did NOTHING.


At the 4 hour mark, we are on 16 tee and it starts raining.
Hit our tee shots and the skies just open up.


We jumped into our carts and headed in.


Nope, didnt finish 16 or play the cool closing holes.
Yup. I went into the pro shop and aired my grievances and had some choice words for that dumb-ass marshall.


The GM refunded one of green fees that were, at the time, $250.


I still think that place is one of the most over-rated courses in the world...;-)

[John Kavanaugh]

Of all the resort courses I have visited I have found the staff at Harbour Town to be the most generous and forgiving. A refund of a full green fee seems more than fair.


I recently watched a guy in my group of 12 claim he had a discount round coming that the staff could not locate in their records. So the rest of us could get on with our lives they just let the guy have what he wanted. When it was my turn to pay I asked the pro if I was paying what my friends were or was it going to be full boat. Full boat was the answer and we both had a nice laugh.

[Tom_Doak]

I played Merion years ago with a friend who was one under par after 16 holes when the lightning horn sounded and we had to go in.


He waited for about 90 minutes, went back out and bogeyed 17 and 18. 


My personal worst was shooting 33 on the front nine at Sterling Farms at 5:00am, only to go in to pay for the round and be told I couldn’t play the back nine because it was ladies’ Day!!!  That was the last time I ever played there.

[Steve_Roths]

Friar's Head.  Lightening after playing the first 16 holes.


Never been back to play the last two.

[James Brown]

2 weeks ago I got to play Southern Pines on a Thursday afternoon, teeing off around 3.30 pm.  Course was packed, given it’s just reopened (and I loved the renovation BTW).  It became clear from the outset that we would be lucky to finish before dark.  And you could tell golfers in the groups in front of us were starting to bail on the back nine.  The two guys I was playing with bailed at 10.


I hooked up with another group on 12 and they bailed on 18 tee right as the last light faded.  Played the last by myself in the dark by the light of the clubhouse and listening for my wedge to hit the green.  Took me a few passes to find my tee shot. 


Was the last car in the parking lot.  Been a while since I closed down a course. 

[Jeff Schley]

Certainly not the golfer I was 15 years ago (we could all say that) so my expectations were low and to enjoy this round. It was a charity round that I took my dad and typically my brother comes, but he couldn't make it. He had one of his kid's baseball tournaments and he passed up a great day as it was at Riviera. I subbed in one of the GCA posters here who I met for the first time, it worked out wonderfully and we enjoyed our day, he can comment if he sees this.


I was a 15 or so handicap at the time and wasn't playing particularly good at all that summer. We started off with the announcement at the 1st tee, which is very cool. Our host was wonderful and the weather, as is the case continually in So Cal, was great. Started with 2 bogeys and played good on the front with 4 over, but little did I know I caught lightening in a bottle on the back shooting 1 under 35. I drove to the front middle of 10 and chipped to a middle back pin only to miss a 8 foot birdie and missed a 6 footer on 17. It could have been lower, but did birdie 11, 16. I get to 18 and I didn't look at the score or add it up as I was thinking let's just take this hole and get a par.


I hit a good drive and have 178 to the pin. I was thinking 6i, but then said I don't want to be short and took 5i. I hit it very solid and hit in the middle of the green and rolled to the back middle fringe. I had a downhill 25 footer and boom!  Birdie which I was thinking OMG, what did I shoot? I added it up and it said 70! I was really shocked as my previous best was 75. Why the details no one but me probably cares about?  I forgot we didn't play the 7th hole as it was out of play for they were having their bunker renovation. UGH! I remember our host saying this on the front as we walked by hole 7 to 8, but was too focused on the back to recall.

I recorded 75 as with my handicap of 19 for the white tees that day and hole 7 is the 11th handicap I gave myself a bogey. So I hope to be back and at least play the 7th hole.

[Mike Worth]

I have an addition to this topic. Happened to me yesterday


I played Highland Links, Nova Scotia. Was able to play 15 holes. I had to skip the last three holes.


It was partially because of my lodging accommodations being some distance away and the need to prepare to travel back to the US early this a.m.


The main reason I skipped holes was the pace of play. Highland Links has succeeded in creating an American style resort experience, complete with a 5 1/2 hour round.

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