Post by banner12 on Jul 15, 2009 17:58:07 GMT -5
Here is a companion piece to my other thread. Here are a list of golf courses that are harder than their rating/slope/reputation.
All California courses.
Coto de Caza North Course:
A Robert Trent Jones monster. Played it a number of times but the difficulty didn't sink in until one day when I played 45 holes. About hole 42 I said to partner, "Ya know, there is not 1 easy hole on this course."
Narrow landing areas, difficult lay up areas, sloping, tricky greens and long. You miss a shot, it's hard to recover. And hitting good shots doesn't guarantee a thing. Brutal.
Ocean Trails Golf Course (original Dye design - Palos Verdes):
Before Trump fucked it up this was the hardest golf course I've ever played. Ribbon wide fairways, 6 inch rough, OB/Hazards on every hole, 60 foot deep fairways bunkers and impossible to read greens.
I played there with 2 teaching pros once and after 16 holes one of them gave up saying, "I just can't take it anymore."
The other one shot 87.
I stopped counting.
Lost Canyons Sky Course (Simi Valley):
I know I said the Shadow course here was easier than its reputation, but the Sky course is harder, a lot harder.
Visually very difficult off the tee (blind shots, elevated fairways, etc.) This is a tighter version of the Shadow, therefore the lateral hazards come into play and if you hit it off line, it's gone.
That back side especially difficult as you go up and down a ridge and 17 and 18 are ridiculous. You have to literally miss the green short on 18 just to hold the green. Silly hard.
Palos Verdes Golf Club (Palos Verdes)
George Thomas' best design say some. Also his hardest. Unlike Rivie, LACC or Bel Air, you have little room to miss and if you do you eat it. Severely uphill and downhill with tilting fairways and awkward stances you rarely have an easy shot here and the greens while not sloping, are tricky beyond belief.
A short course so the rating/slope is not off the charts, but yard for yard one of the toughest around.
Pasatiempo (Santa Cruz):
I hesitate to list this one because I shot a good score here the first time I played it so how hard can it be?
Plenty hard. I just happened no to miss a shot that day and thinking back that is the reason I never went back there. Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice.
Alister McKenzie was no slouch and this course if not played exactly right it can bite you just about anywhere. The greens are off the chart fast with slopes that were designed before the invention of the modern lawnmower.
Some forced carries that are also blind shots add to the fun. It's expensive to play and the members don't like outsiders so that makes it a real swell time.
All California courses.
Coto de Caza North Course:
A Robert Trent Jones monster. Played it a number of times but the difficulty didn't sink in until one day when I played 45 holes. About hole 42 I said to partner, "Ya know, there is not 1 easy hole on this course."
Narrow landing areas, difficult lay up areas, sloping, tricky greens and long. You miss a shot, it's hard to recover. And hitting good shots doesn't guarantee a thing. Brutal.
Ocean Trails Golf Course (original Dye design - Palos Verdes):
Before Trump fucked it up this was the hardest golf course I've ever played. Ribbon wide fairways, 6 inch rough, OB/Hazards on every hole, 60 foot deep fairways bunkers and impossible to read greens.
I played there with 2 teaching pros once and after 16 holes one of them gave up saying, "I just can't take it anymore."
The other one shot 87.
I stopped counting.
Lost Canyons Sky Course (Simi Valley):
I know I said the Shadow course here was easier than its reputation, but the Sky course is harder, a lot harder.
Visually very difficult off the tee (blind shots, elevated fairways, etc.) This is a tighter version of the Shadow, therefore the lateral hazards come into play and if you hit it off line, it's gone.
That back side especially difficult as you go up and down a ridge and 17 and 18 are ridiculous. You have to literally miss the green short on 18 just to hold the green. Silly hard.
Palos Verdes Golf Club (Palos Verdes)
George Thomas' best design say some. Also his hardest. Unlike Rivie, LACC or Bel Air, you have little room to miss and if you do you eat it. Severely uphill and downhill with tilting fairways and awkward stances you rarely have an easy shot here and the greens while not sloping, are tricky beyond belief.
A short course so the rating/slope is not off the charts, but yard for yard one of the toughest around.
Pasatiempo (Santa Cruz):
I hesitate to list this one because I shot a good score here the first time I played it so how hard can it be?
Plenty hard. I just happened no to miss a shot that day and thinking back that is the reason I never went back there. Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice.
Alister McKenzie was no slouch and this course if not played exactly right it can bite you just about anywhere. The greens are off the chart fast with slopes that were designed before the invention of the modern lawnmower.
Some forced carries that are also blind shots add to the fun. It's expensive to play and the members don't like outsiders so that makes it a real swell time.