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What is the best way to make a Golf Course difficult?

ArmyGolf

ArmyGolf

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The title may come off as a bit confusing so I'll try rephrase. What are your favorite ways that golf courses provide a challenge? I have played so many different courses in the past year or two and so many different styles of courses that I feel are so different from each other.

Do you prefer a course with a straightforward layout but tons of huge trees lining the fairways?
A course with minimal trees but many strategically located sand traps and water hazards?
Wide fairways and tough, small greens?
Narrow fairways and wide, flat greens?
Use of elevation change in the form of blind tee shots and blind approaches?
Using water hazards to lengthen holes or to protect greens?
Simply just making a course long? Like 6500 from the whites long?
Any combo of the above?


I've read that some people think using trees on a golf course is kind of 'cheating' when it comes to course design, and I've read that some people think water is way too prevalent on modern courses.

Personally, I love a course that uses water appropriately with an island/peninsula green or two and making one side of some fairways very risky. I love elevation change and the extra challenge it provides but I prefer to have no more than 1 or 2 blind shots. I like trees, but I hate dense forest as it causes massively slow play and high scores. I'm not a huge fan of bunkers in excess because so many courses around here have flat boring layouts but they just slap down bunkers around every green and in every fairway landing area to artificially make the course tough.

What say the minds at THP?
 
I like lots of bunkers since it sort of makes you plan ahead off the tee. Hate straight holes with a bunch of trees. Hate overly long holes. Don't mind elevation so much, but there are some courses that seem like everything plays uphill and I don't care for that.
 
I guess I'd say courses that protect themselves around the greens.
 
I like courses with wide fairways, but half of the fairway being no bueno when it comes to the second shot. Lots of fairway bunkers are great as well. I like blind shots, as well as large, heavily sculpted greens.

To me, a great course can be enjoyed by scratch golfers as well as though that struggle to break 100. A course that is tough, but doesn't keep you searching for balls accomplishes that the best.
 
Wide fairways with small greens. Allows players to get the ball in play off of the tee and choose angles of approach if they want to do that, but creates difficulty on approach shots as well as short shots around the greens. Huge greens with tons of slopes in them are not fun and gimmicky, IMO.
 
The courses that make it hard for me, have alot of sand, lots of water or thick of tree's and you have to hit everything perfect. My local course is in the middle of the woods so all I can do is play it safe on every shot. And I think if your going to have alot of water, it really messes with the head.
 
I am a fan of a links style course, easy to see most shot lines, not a ton of trees but bunkers all over the place. Hit good shots and you are awarded, hit bad shots and you are penalized.

Also feel the pace of play is quicker since you can usually see where your ball ended.
 
I'm really up for anything, the only thing I really hate is courses with tons of uneven lies in every fairway. If I bomb one out and end up anywhere in the middle of the fairway I shouldn't have to try and figure out my footing on an uphill sidehill lie on 5 out of 10 holes.....
 
I've come to appreciate forgiving fairways and tough greens. I'm not talking dead straight holes but an appropriate dog leg can off a wide landing area but your approach could play 9i to hybrid depending on your tee shot.

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Forgiving fairways in terms of width, but small greens. Protect the side of the fairway that offers the best attack angle with a fairway bunker. Increase risk/reward off the tee, or force a tougher second shot. Pin location has a lot to do with it, as well. Protecting the pin from birdie opportunities but not making it so difficult that missing an approach is a sure double bogey is the balancing act not a lot of courses get right.
 
Forces long approaches. Aka like water/waste area cutting through the fairway that can't be carried and forces a shot from less than driver.

Tap Tap Taparoo
 
Tight fairways with trees i always seem to find them
 
I find courses with lots of elevation changes around the greens very challenging.
 
Pretty much I like anything but just lots of trees, which kind of sucks up here hahaha. Really though, I like bunkers and water used to make things interesting. Elevation change is fun so long as it's not just a bunch of the same thing.
 
I like courses that force you to play a bit of target golf. By that I mean not being able to overpower the course even if it's short. Protect the landing area with drivers with narrow fairways, fairway bunkers, water, etc. Force players to take different clubs off the tee rather than just whacking away with the driver. Throw some pretty severe dog legs that makes golfers use creativity to get a good score.
 
(1)Fairway bunkers in the landing zone for ALL GOLFERS, not just the big hitters.
(2)Bunkers in front of greens, I'm sick of supposedly low handicap golfers that can't get the damn ball off the ground and run the ball along the ground onto every green.
(3)Trees that actually come into play, and on the matter of trees I hate seeing a big stand of trees with perfectly manicured ground under them. Let that be natural ground cover or shrubs and see how much more difficult it becomes to get out of the bushes, lol.
 
Fescue. I like the look of it and how it frames a hole
 
I like wide fairways with small greens as well as strategically placed bunkers.

I also like some water but not too much.


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I like tough but fair golf courses that reward great golf shots, but don't penalize good golf shots. Good hole design, and pin placement to me are a key ingredients to making a golf course tough. I don't want bunkers in the fairway, or in front of every green. I don't want close clipped (5 o'clock shadow short) pitching areas or 3" grass 1 foot off the green. These things, sometimes are poor replacements for good golf course design.
 
Variety. Different challenges throughout the round, being provided a number of options to advance through each hole and being required to execute a number of different shots. I like a design that presents a lot of visuals that makes you think about your shot. Whether it's intimidation, temptation, excitement or something else, a well designed course will do this.

Specifically, I like elevation changes to create a few blind shots, distance issues and forced carries, dog legs, false fronts, well placed hazards, undulating greens and canted fairways. Moderate use of trees and rough. Off fairway should make your next shot difficult, not a penalty. Each nine holes in a loop is ideal to account for wind.

My two favorite courses, Yale and Pasatiempo, do these things terrifically IMO.


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I like semi narrow fairways with park kind of tree setting and a few bunker mixed with some beautiful water hazards. I prefer narrow to wide and long.
 
I like water on par 3s. I enjoy having bunkers that force me to think about the shot I'm about to play.
 
From a challenge standpoint, I like holes with bunkers/water and guarded greens. I hate courses that just put a ton of trees everywhere, especially since over time they don't necessarily "age" well, and the area to hit might be 1/3 of what it was when the course was designed. Played a course a few weeks back where there was literally no way short of hitting a punch shot off the tee you wouldn't hit the overhanging tree from the tee position they had. The other thing I'm not a fan of, at least on public courses, is absurdly thick rough. But that's more of a pace of play issue than a challenge issue.
 
I just like a course to have character. Holes that make you think more than just taking a driver out on every tee especially on shorter holes. Shorter holes should not be easier they should just be different. short doglegs should not just easily allow one to cut across. What good is a short dogleg if everyone can just cut it without much risk at all. The point is then moot. A course should imo have a good mix of long, short and require some good thinking about how to play each hole. It doesnt mean it has to be very hard and difficult but should not be very easy.

Each hole should say something to you. even from any tee should not just allow for the easiest do anything you want type of golf. Again, this doesnt mean it should be made very difficult. Too long combined with too difficult can get boring and tiresome the other way around too. But they should require more than just get up to the tee and have at it. I can do that at a driving range. I am not very good and consistent but I do not want things just handed to me. I want to earn it to some degree with decision making and only with better play. I shouldnt be able to play sloppy golf and still end up with decent scoring.
The above is why i sometimes hate courses that were just thrown in and slopped together in places they really dont belong and without much thought on building it other than simply to open for business.

I also hate when they constently move the already foward tee up to and/or near the most forward tee. There are some holes at one my locals that does this too much. I am already playing one tee up (middle set) and i dont now need the grounds crew deciding to push me up even further. A short par5 to begin with where i am up a tee to begin with and now someone decides to make it even shorter than that. Takes away all character of the entire hole almost like whats the sense of calling it a par5. I dont play the blues though I am long enough when driving well. I dont because I am not consistent enough enough times throughout my entire game. I am playing a par5 that is at 475 from my tees and they now make it 430. With a good drive I shouldnt be an 8 or 7 iron out or even a 6 or 5iron out with a less than good drive on a par 5. Again no character imo.
 
Make me think. I hate blind shots, but love setups where you can see the hole layout, but are forced to think the strategy. Be able to execute your game plan, get a birdie putt. Fail on your plan or don't have one, take at least a bogey. Pretty much any Ronald Fream course.

I played a course ten years ago and still remember the signature hole: I didn't mind waiting five minutes on the tee box, as the whole time I was pondering my options and admiring the hole: Everything from a driver to six iron off the tee made sense.
 
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