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Do You Enjoy Playing Very Hard Courses / Setups?

Lions81

Lions81

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So a bit of background. Yesterday I played the course that will be hosting the PGA event in 2 weeks here in Detroit. Last year the scores were very low, and apparently the Tour told them it needs to play much more difficult. So in response they have grown the rough like crazy especially around the greens. (2 guys in our group hit chips where the ball moved less than an inch). Greens were also extremely firm and fast. Overall it played very difficult.

So it got me thinking. Do you enjoy playing very hard courses/setups? Or does it just turn into a grind? For me, I don't mind it every once in a while, but it is definitely not how I would like my regular rounds to be. I play golf to enjoy myself, not beat myself up for 4 hours. How about you guys?
 
Every now and then I need a challenge. Every day not so much.

That’s crazy they altered the course setup that much to try to bring scores up. Looking forward to see how they fare in a few weeks.
 
Never been afraid to enjoy a tricked out course, the challenge is real. But, I don’t want that mental grind every single round.

Now don’t get me wrong, if I was a member of some of these really tough tracks I’d be happy to be obliterated all the time by the course.
 
This is a great question.

For me, standard golf courses and the game itself is difficult enough so why try to make my life miserable and lead to not enjoying my round.

Am I up for a challenge? Yes. The challenge of going out on a standard difficulty course and trying to make some Pars and Bogeys.
 
I like to tell myself I play golf for fun, there are many things I could be doing that are much worse BUT the reality is I love the challenge of the game. To answer your question I would love to play a course like that to see what its like a couple times a year. Every week? No thanks...unless I have a ball spotter because losing balls in the rough when you should be able to find them is no fun.
 
mmaynard11 said:
Every now and then I need a challenge. Every day not so much.

That’s crazy they altered the course setup that much to try to bring scores up. Looking forward to see how they fare in a few weeks.
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I'm sure they'll still tear it up. Honestly they are so good and hit so many greens that it probably won't even come into play much. If they are missing greens they are going to have a very hard time getting it up and down.
 
Would like a challenge like that sometimes (once or twice a month) but not all the time. Looking forward to seeing how the pros play it and am glad the tour recognized it was a little easy for their abilities.
 
Yes!! I love how it forces you to play smarter on every shot, play for position, etc. Figuring out a course is part of the fun. I could do that every day. There will always be patty cake rounds out there somewhere if a guy needs a day off.
 
An occasional round on a tough setup is fun. I’m just not good enough to play on those types of courses all of the time. Speaking of which, it’s about time for my annual trek to Dove Mountain (former WGC Match Play site) so I can lose a bunch of golf balls and shoot 95! lol
 
I'm a big fan of playing really tough, challenging courses. It's fun to test myself and see how I can perform in those situations.
 
I like courses that are under 6500 yards and under 135 slope.

Just don't enjoy courses that are so hard I can't reasonably play as a 54 year old 11 handicap.
 
Roadrunner said:
An occasional round on a tough setup is fun. I’m just not good enough to play on those types of courses all of the time. Speaking of which, it’s about time for my annual trek to Dove Mountain (former WGC Match Play site) so I can lose a bunch of golf balls and shoot 95! lol
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Such a brutal course!

I don't mind an occasional challenge like that, but it is a grind and inevitably leaves me feeling demoralized. I'd rather play courses that are more suited to my ability, I don't have the chops that the pros do to negotiate courses like that.
 
A few years ago my home course was used for a web.com qualifier. They changed it up enough that it added 10+ strokes to my score because of the speed of the greens as well as the first and second cut. I really enjoyed the green speed, the rough not so much. I suck anyway, so playing on a course that I know has been set up for a tournament or PGA event puts a smile on my face and an increased respect for how good tour players are.
 
It depends. I love well designed, challenging courses. But on the other spectrum, I hate tricked up courses that are difficult for the wrong reasons. My Dad’s course is a great example. It’s a PB Dye design (not Pete Dye) and has all the Pete Dye features including an island green. Unfortunately the layout is just frustrating that penalizes a lot of good golf shots. When I play with my Dad I play with him at the 6000 yard tees and hit 5i off of almost every Par 4 tee. Heck there is even a Par 5 that i tee off with a 7i.
 
Yeah, I like playing tougher courses I don't mind playing them. I just play all courses as I find them.

If I know in advance the course is tough, I will give it it's due respect, and put more personal effort into scoring well.

For me, the speed of the green is usually what makes a course tougher. Really fast greens get my undivided attention really quick. I always liked McCord's analogy of a fast green as being "bikini waxed".

The course may have more water, and/or sand than I'm use to, but those hazards can be avoided. It's the same with more aggressive rough.

The toughest course I have ever played is, and will continue to be, the Spy Glass Hill course. I love playing that course.
 
It is good to play a monster now and then. I was a member at a course with a 150+ slope and loved it, then quit golf only to return to play a course that is probably too easy. Now that my game is returning, I'm looking for more of a challenge.
 
When I was younger I would say yes. Today no so much. I really just play for the enjoyment of the game. A super hard tricked up course would be too much stress for me.
 
I like courses that reward well placed shots.

I never enjoyed 7400 yards courses that had way too many golfers playing from the tips.
 
I played an extremely challenging course right in my backyard a few months ago. I could play there every found, it required a lot of creativity and was a really neat setup. It was also my worst round of the year by 8 strokes... I guess I could always use some variety.
 
Generally, yes I do. Not all the time, but the more difficult courses tend to be more interesting layouts. Certainly round here, the more difficult courses are also the more picturesque.
 
I don't mind difficult courses provided the level of difficulty isn't based pretty much just on the ability to hit the ball a long way. If forced carries are reasonable, and there is a mix of long and short par 3's and 4's then I can enjoy the course. I used to belong to and play often a Pete Dye designed course from tees that were over 6800 yards with a rating of 74.8/139 and enjoyed it. Of course, the last time I belonged there I was still in my early 60's and could hit the ball a little longer. :)
 
Love courses that test my ability & knowledge.
 
Like most, I enjoy it from time to time. If I'm playing a hard-to-obtain course for the first time, I don't think I want it set up to a high level of tour toughness. But if I've had some time to get to know the course and its layout, I'm pretty cool with making it as tough as possible.
 
With my level of play nowadays, overly difficult courses are very frustrating, and I don't enjoy playing them.
 
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