Golf Magazine "10 Courses That Get Too Much Love"

[BShannon]

http://www.golf.com/photos/10-golf-courses-get-too-much-love#start

10. The Country Club
9. Chicago Golf
8. Alotian
7. Hoylake
6. Olympic Lake
5. Old Mac
4. Royal Troon
3. OFCC North
2. Torrey Pines South
1. Medinah #3

Of this list, I have only played OFCC North, Torrey, and #3.

I agree with the criticisms of #3 & Torrey, but OFCC North has me scratching my head. To me, the most memorable holes (#3, #12, #14, #15) do plenty to offset the few snoozers (#1, #7, #10).

Weigh in on the others. The slideshow features 4-5 sentence blurbs on why they are overrated.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Alotian:

http://www.golf.com/photos/10-golf-courses-get-too-much-love#3


Paging Bill Schullz

[John Kavanaugh]

So you're in Chicago with a green against the water and you need a large mechanical fan to blow air on the green.  No love.

[Connor Dougherty]

It's an interesting list. I think the comments they give on Olympic are justified. But it's one of the true tests of golf for the pros, and one of the more intriguing ones at that. It serves a purpose in the game, but one that shouldn't be imitated too much.

Chicago has me really scratching my head. Big time. I am a little surprised by Old Mac's inclusion on the list as well. You may all remember my criticism of it a while back on Tom's "Rank My Courses" thread (and I've revised my opinion slightly since), but unless it's "courses this site gives too much love" (which, lets be real, Alotian is the last place to get love on here), but I still think it's a good golf course, and am a little surprised, given its place in the rankings, that it would be included on this list.

[Steve Lang]

  i was half expecting to see Chambers Bay on that list, sigh, oh well, maybe next year...

[John McCarthy]

Does this guy's ex-wife live in Chicago?

[Andrew Buck]

Does this guy's ex-wife live in Chicago?

Well, at least they showed a picture of Olympia South for Olympia North

[Alan Ritchie]

torrey pines for sure, although probably not on this forum.. I was certainly not in awe of the place. Troon and hot lake are the only others I have played on the list.. Certainly the weaker of the open venues I've been to but still with a great deal to admire and well worth the experience.  I feel their qualities are a bit more subtle and might take a few plays to fully appreciate

[Jim Nugent]

Whoever wrote the article is not in sync with GM's raters: GM itself ranks over half the courses on this list in its top 100 for the US...

Torrey               98
Olympia Fields    80
Old Mac             45
Medinah            44
Olympic Lake     30
Chicago GC        15

At Old Mac, the article is particularly incensed at numbers 10 through 12:

"As for holes 10 through 12, any sentient being can see they’re outright botches whose absurdist greens treat the game not as a test of skill but as a silly rendezvous with chance."  Curious to get feedback on this.  Ran, for one, seemed to love those three holes.  

I also noticed that GM ranks Caves Valley, in MD, #99.  Never heard of it before.  Anyone played it?  Thoughts?  

[David Davis]

and I was just going to include Royal Troon and Old Mac among my favorites. Better alter that immediately. 

I would say the start and finish at Troon are, well flat - ish but certainly interesting holes. The author must have also completely skipped the holes around the Postage Stamp. I'd say the stretch of holes from 5 - 13 are pretty excellent while the other are just very good.

Hoylake, again heavy criticism on a flat - ish property. I guess some of the non-GCA fanatics might not be visually impressed here. I sure did like the course myself, though I favored the back 9 and holes running along the dunes.

Torry Pines and Olympic Club get little love from me either. Though I did love the burger dog and may return just for that.

[Niall C]

The title referred to courses that get too much love. Since when did Troon get too much love, especially round here 

Niall

[Josh Stevens]

Does Chicago get too much love.  Far as I can tell only fifteen people a year actually play it so who the hell knows what it is like

How does Pebble not get onto this list.  Surely the most overloved track in the known universe.

As to the others - surely no one ever said Olympic or Troon were architectural masterpieces apart from the odd hole such as the postage stamp, but rather are good stern tests of golf with decent parking and good rail access and so are perfect major venues.

[Tim Passalacqua]

Ouch.  Old Mac and Olympic.  Two of my favorites.  I don't think Olympic gets enough love.  I would think it would be more appreciated for its uniqueness.  It has one of my favorite routings in golf.  A great, walkable routing that tumbles all over a hilly property.  Views of the ocean, Lake Merced, and awesome internal views.  With the way the course is routed and how the hole are draped so naturally over the land, the holes cannot be duplicated.  You will never see a course or holes that are similar.  There is a lot more strategy on the Lake than it is given credit for.  There are a ton of angles and preferred sides of the fairways to get clear angles into greens.  They keep it firm and it is a pleasure to see the ball bounce around on those hilly fairways and run it up onto those greens.  You can run the ball onto most of them.  They only complaint I hear is its too long and tough.  Tee it forward......way forward and I promise it will be more fun.  Most guys play blues, 6600 playing 7100.  Play the whites, 6000 playing 6500.  And how many guys would dare to play less than 6000 even if it meant enjoying the round?  Not many.  You are not going to be losing balls or have forced carries over hazards.  It is quite an enjoyable round on a stunning course and piece of property.

[Josh Tarble]

I really don't get the hate on Medinah.  Sure, it's big and brawny but it's not overly tight (anymore at least), very walkable and whoever wrote the greens are "deadly dull" hasn't played many courses with boring greens.  The greens at Medinah were rather difficult in my opinion, especially at the speeds they run. 

It has FAR more character than any number of courses, it's character just happens to be big and tough.  I think Medinah gets piled on because it's fashionable to do so more than any other reason.

[Jud_T]

Old Mac does not get too much love.  Arguably it doesn't get enough because it's a tribute design and is quirky.  Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straights get too much love IMO.  Medinah ain't my cup of tea, and love is not a phrase most anyone would use to describe it, but for sticks looking for a test it's hard to beat.  As to courses that get too much love for hosting tournaments and having history, well this is not exactly an earth-shaking revelation.  I give them points for just having the discussion though.

[Jon Wiggett]

The title referred to courses that get too much love. Since when did Troon get too much love, especially round here 

Niall

+1

and this despite the fact I would not pay anything to play Troon.

Jon

[Phil McDade]

Blackwolf Run -- River....

[Zack Molnar]

"Exclusivity often clouds our thinking...You can hit it almost anywhere. The greens are huge, the geometric bunkers largely benign."

If these are the criticisms (s)he lays on Chicago, how did ANGC not make the list?

[Stephen Pellegrino]

Honest men may disagree over the merits of the championship course at TCC, but the argument that membership and/or their guests do not have the chance to play that layout is just plain false. There are 7 scheduled days where the course will be in play in 2015 (in an official golf season that will last just shy of 6 months). So the layout is available slightly more than once a month - officially.

Unofficially, it is often possible for members to play that layout even when it is not being reserved for the purpose. Morning rounds during the early season or the late season are prime examples of moments when a bit of forethought and a touch of etiquette can make the course playable. Very enjoyable and done with some regularity.

As I said, honest men may disagree on certain things. Disliking the architecture of the layout is a valid stance. Disliking the concept of a composite course is another valid stance. Disliking the course because it is not available for play? That is just false, and the facts just don't bear that argument out.

-Stephen

[Greg Clark]

Agree or disagree with the list (and I disagree on Old Mac - love it) the author was certainly not afraid to state his opinion.  It was not your garden variety watered down schlock.  Reminded me a bit of the Confidential Guide.

[Dan_Callahan]

"It’s at once revealing and ironic that a place of so proud of its blue-blood lineage has to mongrelize itself when it wants to show the world the best it can be."

Revealing and ironic that a publication that sees itself as an industry leader would miss an obvious typo.

[Dan_Callahan]

"But you’re pretty much convinced that it’s elevated ranking owes less to reality than mystique."

Might want to get a proofreader who understands the difference between it's and its.

[PCCraig]

That list is beyond stupid.

[Gary Sato]

You'll remember that Tom Doak was asked to write this article but declined.  He did write about courses that are not loved. 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60469.0.html


I'm unsure who the author is.  I would be a little surprised if it was Joe Passov?

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Blackwolf Run -- River....

I felt the same way - mainly due to its configuration now. I played Meadow Valleys and thought the front stunk, then was blown away by the back nine. That's when I learned that River got chopped up. With that in mind I kept thinking how awesome it would be in its original layout. With that routing it would deserve its ranking, if not a higher one IMO