Multiple Plays on a Trip?

[Padraig Dooley]

Do you like playing a course multiples times on a trip? Or do you prefer to see as many courses as possible?
I do like playing places 2 or 3 times to get to know them better.

[Jimmy Muratt]

I much prefer to play a course multiple times.   The first go around is often sensory overload and it's hard to appreciate the subtle features.   Seeing the same course in varying wind conditions and with different hole locations gives you a much greater appreciation.   

[Tim Martin]

If I’m somewhere I may not get back to any time soon I would rather see as many different courses as possible. I do a fair amount of car travel where I catch one on the way in, spend the night and then one the next day before heading for home. I have NYC and the east end of Long Island, Providence and Boston all within a 2 and a half hour drive and Philadelphia four hours from where I live.

[Keith Phillips]

I prefer multiple plays but on most overseas trips I'm in such a hurry to 'check the box' that I seldom repeat a course.  On a recent trip to SW Ireland the itinerary allowed a second turn at Lahinch, and getting to know the course better elevated our view of the course above the other strong plays in the region.  Will keep that in mind for future plays.  Another thought...in Scotland in particular there are so many fun options (Crail as an example) in the vicinity of the big names that I would hate to miss by repeating.

[Richard Hetzel]

Unless it is a crazy good course, I would prefer to play as many different courses as possible.

[Kalen Braley]

If I travel to NY, am I gonna eat every meal at the same restaurant, or try other ones... 

[Jim Sherma]

I try to get two plays per course. It cuts down on windshield time and I find that I get a lot more enjoyment out it. Also lends itself to spending more time around the club.

[Ira Fishman]

Kalen,


There are several restaurants that I have eaten at more than once on the same trip to NYC. Chicago and New Orleans too. Then again, we went frequently enough that we could try lots of places.


Which brings me to golf. If I know we are likely to be in the area only once or at least for the last time, I have gotten in the pattern of playing 2 rounds at the course in which I am most interested in learning but leaving days for other courses. So we played NB 2x on the trip we also played Kilspindie, Elie, Crail Balcomie, and Kingsbarns. I debated on playing Kingsbarns, but it received a 70/30 support on here. If we get the opportunity to return to the area, I definitely would play Elie again instead and not just because of the fee. Similarly, we played PH2 2x which is the only PH course I would play again, and we played Pac Dunes 2x but would play all of the Bandon courses again should we be able to get there for a third visit.


Ira

[Sean_A]

Years ago I would often target the showcase course for two different days. Having seen just about every big name course I want to see in GB&I I don't do it much these days. Other than wanting to see lesser courses so much, most big name courses are too expensive to revisit let alone play more than once on a single trip.

Ciao

[mike_malone]

In the late 90’s I had 12 on a trip to Ireland. Most weren’t coming back again. I tried to arrange three courses for two plays. Ballybunion wouldn’t allow it but Royal County Down and Portrush did. The guys loved it because it cemented memories of those courses.


I played Dornoch four days in a row and it was an experience.

[jeffwarne]

Years ago I would often target the showcase course for two different days. Having seen just about every big name course I want to see in GB&I I don't do it much these days. Other than wanting to see lesser courses so much, most big name courses are too expensive to revisit let alone play more than once on a single trip.

Ciao

This.
I did make an exception for St. Patrick's, which was a very good choice, and the rate(at least at the time) was more than reasonable.(may well have been an industry rate)
On days exceeding 18,I do try to pair a big scale course with more intimate layouts or 9 holers, and sometimes a repeat, fits into this scheme.
The second go round at St. Pat's paired nicely with Dunfanaghy, after the first pairing with Old Tom/New Tom.

[John Handley]

I think it depends on your goals.  When I first started going to Scotland and Ireland, it was about seeing as many different courses as possible.  SO most, I only played once unless we did a 36 loop, Dornoch and County Down come to mind.  Now that I have been doing those trips for 20+ years, I usually see some new courses and play the ones I love 2x.


My most recent (last Sept) trip to Scotland was:


- Dumbarnie
- Prestwick
- Turnberry Ailsa 2x
- Western Gailes
- Renaissance Club 2x
- Muirfield 2x + alt shot in afternoon
- North Berwick
- Gullane


It was awesome.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

When I am at a course and they tell me "come back and see us again" or something similar I normally say "you don't get to 2200 different courses (2247 as of today) by playing many of them more than once!"


So obviously I love seeing different golf courses, but there are ones where (if I am allowed or can make it work) I love to play multiple times.  My best compliment I can give is which repeat courses I play when I come back to an area for a second (or third time) even though I have played them before.   Or in the case of a private club when I say "I would love to be a member here, and play it every day!"


But I do love the quest to see as many different ones as possible.  And I love seeing both ends of the spectrum.  Many that are architecturarly significant, but also those that are just there, on the side of the road.  I think it is always good to see both sides of that coin.


I do grow weary when I am on some kind of buddies trip and get stuck on a well below average course for multiple days, so I guess from that standpoint I have become a golf snob.

[Tim Gavrich]

Too many golfers who play mediocre courses over and over at home go somewhere else and play far superior courses only once. In practical terms it makes very little sense. Why would you go to southwest Ireland and play Lahinch one day and then Doonbeg the next when you could stay in Lahinch and get to know not just the golf course but the town a little bit?

[cary lichtenstein]

Great question: On my trips to Scotland and Ireland, I preferred multiple plays. My wife and I did 3 trips and played the really great courses from 2-5 times. Always 36 holes walking per day and 18 holes and driving then to the next course. As we got older, and traveled to Aus, NZ and Tasmania, it was one course per day and visit the town and the culture. When I was on my final bucket trip to complete the top 100 courses in the US, we played 35 courses in 35 days, which I look back on as idiotic. Exhausting!!!!

[Bob Montle]

It depends on the trip.
Locally, or in the states, I prefer multiple plays.
But when I go to Scotland, there are so many courses beckoning me to play, that I prefer single plays in order to see as many courses as possible.

[Steve Lang]

   Used to do some 3 day weekend and annual 8-9 day long golf trips with the buds for over 25 years and found we needed to bounce around and check things out as much as possible, for reference.  We eventually stayed centered on favored courses and best logistics... when exposure-time wasn't of the essence.  Like Cary implies, no need to get exhausted, very nice to have a place to retreat to for lunch/dinner between rounds or for the evening, versus riding in a van or car endlessly...


If its nice, you'll think to come back... is anything else really needed?

[Sean_A]

Too many golfers who play mediocre courses over and over at home go somewhere else and play far superior courses only once. In practical terms it makes very little sense. Why would you go to southwest Ireland and play Lahinch one day and then Doonbeg the next when you could stay in Lahinch and get to know not just the golf course but the town a little bit?

Variety?

Ciao

[Mike Feeney]

Have done several US to UK links course trips with 8 players -- ranging from 3-14 handicaps. We often booked day tickets...not only for the discount.  The 1st round we would play our own ball in nassau betting fourball matches.  On the 2nd loop, we would play 2-man scrambles.  Not as stressful and enables you to try the riskier lines on these strategically designed courses.  As a 5-6 handicap, I liked experiencing & appreciating the architecture as a more skilled player...hitting significantly more fairways & greens. 

[Kalen Braley]

I think the bottom line is some of us are "nesters" and others are "explorers"....And I don't think anything is intrinsically wrong with either, but I certainly know what revs my engine when I travel.

Discovering/seeing something new whether it be a golf course, landform, or just whatever is great fun!

[Tim Gavrich]

Too many golfers who play mediocre courses over and over at home go somewhere else and play far superior courses only once. In practical terms it makes very little sense. Why would you go to southwest Ireland and play Lahinch one day and then Doonbeg the next when you could stay in Lahinch and get to know not just the golf course but the town a little bit?

Variety?

Ciao

You wouldn't experience a satisfactory variety of golf shots over the course of two rounds on consecutive days at Lahinch, one of the best golf courses in the world?


How many times have golfers played a great course on a trip, said "Man, I could play here every day!" and then move on to the next course?

[John Kavanaugh]

Coming to the end of a month long deep dive into LA culture. Go deep or go home.


I’d take a month in any of the great golf villages in the world. Much like all the great experiences in our lives; Hit and runs are the best part of a wasted youth.

[Edward Glidewell]

Too many golfers who play mediocre courses over and over at home go somewhere else and play far superior courses only once. In practical terms it makes very little sense. Why would you go to southwest Ireland and play Lahinch one day and then Doonbeg the next when you could stay in Lahinch and get to know not just the golf course but the town a little bit?

Variety?

Ciao

You wouldn't experience a satisfactory variety of golf shots over the course of two rounds on consecutive days at Lahinch, one of the best golf courses in the world?


How many times have golfers played a great course on a trip, said "Man, I could play here every day!" and then move on to the next course?

If you don't know when or even if you'll be back in Ireland, wouldn't you want to see as many courses as possible rather than play the same one repeatedly?


Hard to just skip playing some great courses if you're not sure you'll ever be back, and I think that kind of one time trip is far more common among the average golfer than people who travel back every year, or even every few years.

[John Kavanaugh]

Because if you stay in one spot you may see real Ireland. You need to give locals enough time to pull back the curtain. Stop long enough to become more than a commodity. No one is friends with dudes who leave the motor running.

[Ben Sims]

I think there’s a certain acceptance that needs to occur. It’s impossible to see it all. But there are some things that must be seen.