How hard is your home course?

Wake

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How hard is your home course, or the course you play the most? We see alot of people who talk about their handicaps not traveling well or traveling well, and I wondered if that might be a case of their home course being tough, or easier than ones they travel to.

Do you think your course is hard?
Do your friends who come play struggle on it?
What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course?
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses?
 
I find my home course to be quite tough due to a ball off the fairway being punished pretty heavily, with OOB looming close on many holes. The ratings are below.

Blue- 73.9 rating, 136 slope
White- 71.6 rating, 134 slope, these are the tees that get the most play
Yellow- 68.3 rating, 127 slope

I think it's rated pretty fairly, I think it plays very tough for those of us that struggle with a loose ball off the tee. It also really punishes you for going long since most of the greens slope from back to front. There isn't alot of water, so if that is your weakness you might think it plays a bit easier than it's slope and rating. I typically score better on other local tracks than I do at home.
 
I'd say my home course is fair, no too hard, no too easy, right now with the rough quite overgrown it's playing tough if you don't find the fairway, but overall I'd say it's probably middle of the road in terms of difficulty, I always say it's manageable and fun to play!
 
The course I grew up playing isn't that hard at all. It's a nine hole, 36 par | 2,835 yards

Blue - 35.3 rating, 114 slope
White - 33.7 rating, 107 slope
 
Middle of the road as far as off the tee difficulty, but it has some reasonably tough approaches into greens, and is very much a second shot golf course in the sense that it's tough to hit a really good shot. And the greens are pretty darn tough, but roll true.

Tees we usually play are the Blues at 70.3, 128, 6,217 yds. The rating is reasonably fair I'd say, though I personally think the slope should be a little higher given the amount of water in play.
 
I think my home course is a bit harder than the slope/rating indicates. It's a par 70 that has 69.8/127 as its rating/slope from the back tees which are 6440 yards. But it's a Donald Ross course so the greens can be deceptive, plus there are a number of holes where the fairways are pretty narrow and the rough can be pretty penal. The other muni here in Boston is almost 500 yards shorter from the back tees and is also par 70, but that course is at 69.5/126, which is a joke in my eyes that the raters think that the 2 courses play so similar in difficulty. Driving the ball is the weakest part of my game, and that gets punished on my home course, so in a weird way, I think my handicap travels well because it's a little higher than it would be if I played a wide open course most of the time.
 
Not terribly hard by rating but the greens are really quick and nothing is flat.

71.2/128 from the blues
 
Mine 'home' course pretty challenging. There's less room for error on Bayonet, but the greens on Black Horse are typically faster. I typically from the whites and blues.

Do you think your course is hard? Yes, it can be a legitimate PITA.
Do your friends who come play struggle on it? Definitely.
What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course? Bayonet 72.8/135 and Black Horse 71.5/131 from the blues. I think both are accurate.
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses? I generally play better at other local courses.

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I don't have a home course, but the course I normally play is 71.3/126 (6600 yds) from the men's & 74.2/137 (7100 yds) from the tips. I typically play mixed tees between the two.

I would say my handicap travels ok, but I'm use to my home course and know where to miss. Going into new course I get in trouble not understanding where to miss or being unfamiliar with the course.
 
Do you think your course is hard? It is not hard if you keep the ball in play. It is pretty penal if you get too far off the fairways. Fairways are narrower and greens are much smaller than all other courses I go to play.
Do your friends who come play struggle on it? Mid to high handicaps do because of the narrow fairways and small greens.
What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course? Blue - 71.1 / 121, White - 69.7 / 118. I believe the rating from the whites should be a stroke higher. The card states that there is 300 yard difference between blue and white but where they typically have the white tees positioned, it is about half or less of that. I typically score the same from either set of tees but usually play white because that is where all tournaments are played from.
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses? I typically score comparably on other courses I go play.
 
Yeah, my home course is a bear and that's why I like it.
Everybody struggles on it.
My handicap travels well. A few years ago all of my "used for handicap" scores came from rounds not at my home course. Right now 3 of my 10 best scores used for handicap are rounds at my home course.

Here's the scorecard. Most of my rounds are from the blue.

scorecard.jpg
 
My home course is hard. From the tees I play, which are around 6600, the rating is 72.0/136. The fairways are very narrow, and if you miss them there are trees everywhere. The greens are also quite small and run very fast. It is a Willie Park design. Friends that come play it for the first time usually struggle, especially if you are wild off the tee. I generally score pretty similar at local courses because while they are usually a bit easier than my home course, I also know my home course so well that I usually play well on it.
 
White - 6193 yds, Rating: 69.5, Slope: 105 - I tend to think that the Slope might be too low.

I don't think the course is hard, but I think you need to be precise for it to be easy. Being on the fairway, and advancing the ball on every shot is essential. Domed greens make approaches very difficult.

I struggle at the course, and friends struggle on it. Lots of elevation changes. Par 3's are all 170 yds or more.
I normally score badly here. Lack of familiarity with the course, and with many of the holes being long par 4's, I need two very accurate shots to be on a GiR.

I play league here, and chose to get a membership this year. I feel like on this course accuracy from the tee, and precise shots into the greens are a necessity. Both things I need work on, and this course is a good place to work on that.
 
Home Course: Arrowhead Golf Course in Akron, NY (White Tees 6,316 yards)

I think it's a fair test and if you are spraying your tee shot around you can be in trouble.
My friends that have come to play it seem to like the course and do fairly well (see above).
70.3/125, I think it is a fair portrayal.
I score about the same on comparable courses although a few I frequent are more on the easier side.
 
My home course, Royal St. Patricks in Wrightstown, WI;

Black: 7071. 73.9/137
Purple: 6632. 72.1/135
White: 6285. 70.7/122
Grey: 5852. 68.8/118
Green: 5106. 70.2/113 (generally considered the Ladies' Tees)

I think it's harder than a run of the mill goat track. My home course has the most kept fairway, in terms of area, in the state of Wisconsin. Almost double the average fairway area. But outside of the fairway, thick rough, fescue, and OB. There is little room to miss the fairway. It's a praireland links style course so wind is frequently a factor.
 
Mine is just a little what most consider an executive course due to its length, only about 2600. It is very tight with accuracy being required off the tee and really only 1 hole needed driver and really most should not play driver on the hole. I like it because it forces me to try different clubs and shots off the tee and if do not execute you will be in some trouble.

I also play there for free and it is hard to complain about free golf.
 
This year my home course is Royal New Kent, home of the DMV vs Carolinas #Regional Rivalry.

Do you think your course is hard? I think it is a very difficult course.
Do your friends who come play struggle on it? Yes, even accomplished players can struggle here until they learn the Strantz layout.
What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course? 73.7/145 from 6700 yards. 77.1/153 from the tips at 7500 yards
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses? I tend to score better on other courses. RNK can be a constant 4 hour grind if your games off just a little.
 
I don't have a home course but will use the three courses at Andrews for this thread since it's where I used to play almost all my golf until the last couple years.

i don't think the courses are hard. They are challenging but fair. Others who have played them that aren't familiar with them do struggle sometimes but mostly because they are spraying the ball.

west course from white tees is 6175 69.3/122 par 71
east course from white tees is 6431 70.6/124 par 72
south course from white tees is 6304 69.8/122 par 72

i think my game travels between these courses and other locally now that I have a more consistent game
 
Mine is a challenge for sure. Most out of towners that join me for a round will certainly lose a few. Other courses around town do 'feel' easier when I play them. Not sure if it is a confidence thing or my home course is making me a much better player.

Lakes - Creeks
Black Tees: 73.7/132
Blue Tees: 71.4/130
White Tees: 67.7/116
Red Tees: 69.2/118


Creeks - Oaks
Black Tees: 73.3/131
Blue Tees: 71.3/129
White Tees: 67.7/116
Red Tees: 68.2/119


Oaks - Lakes
Black Tees: 73.7/136
Blue Tees: 71.7/134
White Tees: 68.3/121
Red Tees: 67.8/118
 
Do you think your course is hard? Not particularly, I've played it so many times.
Do your friends who come play struggle on it? Yes they do, it has good misses and very bad misses.
What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course? Our Mens Club plays the blues at par 71, rating 70.7/128, only 6100 yards. I feel its pretty spot on. We also have black tees at 72.7/134 and 6450 yards.
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses? I score pretty similar at other courses but I also play other courses very frequently so my "home" course is only that in name.
 
Mine play fairly difficult, especially if you miss big off the tee. Most holes are tree lines and the woods are so dense that it's almost all lateral hazard. If your ball goes in its gone 99% of the time.

http://www.oobgolf.com/courses/scorecard.php?id=14927

Because of that I feel like my handicap travels well.
 
I think about average. 73.3/128 and 7077 yards from the blues. It plays shorter than that due to elevation and generous rollout on the fairways. There are only 3 bunkers and I have never been in any of them. Tree lined fairways, a number of water hazards, elevated turtle back style greens, and long par 3s are the bigger challenges.
 
Do you think your course is hard?
-- I think my golf course has a lot of really nice give and take. The three final holes are considered one of the most challenging finishes in the Tri-State area, but for the most part I think it plays fair enough to keep me honest, enjoying the experience, and capable of scoring elsewhere.

Do your friends who come play struggle on it?
-- I've yet to have a friend come out and destroy their handicap on my course, regardless of where we play from. they usually have a decent stretch of holes and then get challenged elsewhere. I've seen at handicap a few times, and I've seen way above handicap a few times.

What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course?
-- From the tips, 73.4/137 from 6.921 -- From the Tournament tees, 71.8/132 -- I think the slope/rating does not get higher purely because the fairways are pretty generous. My course is very much a second shot golf course that gets set up by the first shot, and people playing poorly on approach feel the teeth rather quickly

Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses?
-- I don't really play too many other local courses because I spend as much as I do at my home course, but I think it's a reflection of the Slope/rating. There are a couple I play regularly that are pretty easy to keep at par it seems
 
Do you think your course is hard?
Yes.

Do your friends who come play struggle on it?
Yes, often.

What is the rating and slope? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of the course?
Do you normally score better or worse on other local courses?
Championship-7563yds, 76.3/138
Blue- 7043yds, 74.5/143
White-6639yds, 71.5/129
Seniors- 5811yds, 68.9/124

I think our ratings are dated, interested to see how the pros do out here for the web event, and how the course is setup for the event.

My handicap may be high but my scores often drop by several strokes when I hit up other local tracks, though most are lower difficulty ratings.
 
I would say average. 134 slope, 6300yds from the blue tees and 139 slope, 6800yds from the tips.
 
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