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Hardest Course You Have Played?

JB

JB

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Let's talk hard courses and maybe limit it to the last 18 months or so.
What is the hardest you have played in that time frame?
 
Lyman Orchards in CT, and second place would be Ballenisles East course in FL
 
Probably Mauna Kea, sloping at 138 at 6300 yards. I'll attribute it to vacation mindset, but I haven't hit the ball as well as I did that day in a long time.
 
Last 18 months would either be the Jones course at pine hills or Crumpin-Fox.


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Probably Tehama. It's Clint Eastwoods private place up in the hills above Carmel. Every hole has major elevation, so my yardages were all over the place. The greens were rapid too. Even on the practice green, I dropped some balls down to putt and they started to roll until they had rolled off the green.


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Probably Harbor Town, not sure it would be on there if I was driving the ball well but that made it extra hard, a close 2nd would be Tobacco Road.

I think Olde Stonewall had the hardest slope rating (141)
 
Victoria National.

I still have nightmares.
 
mikedean441 said:
Probably Harbor Town, not sure it would be on there if I was driving the ball well but that made it extra hard, a close 2nd would be Tobacco Road.

I think Olde Stonewall had the hardest slope rating (141)
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I'm headed down there in October. Is it worth the crazy cost to play Harbour Town?
 
Probably Olde Stonewall in PA or Purgatory in Noblesville, IN. The Hideaway courses were tough but the immaculate conditions and having the forecaddies tell you everything you needed to know made it easier.
 
Played Isleworth today, greens were running very quick and with a lot of slope. Watched two playing partners putt off the green on a couple of occasions, and there were some putts were I was happy to get away with a three putt based on where I left myself.
 
Westwood plateau ,lots of slope and tricky greens


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I'd have to say Greywalls in Marquette, MI (http://www.golfgreywalls.com/greywalls_course/)

It's only 6828 from the tips (course rating 73.0, slope 144), but you have to play smart positional golf (which I'm not good at) and some of the greens are absolutely diabolical. It's one of my favorite rounds of golf every year.
 
Duke University's Golf Course ... 7154 yards from the back tees & I was stupid enough to play from there. :banghead:
 
St James Bay, Carrabelle, FL, which I played on Saturday in a two club wind into my face for most of the front nine. Tips are only about 6,600 yards, so I started there. After five holes and being 9 over, we moved up a tee, and my game returned to some semblance of normal. With the wind the way it was it made shot selection and targeting next to impossible. The course, on a dormant day is hard enough as there literally isn't any rough. You miss the fairway and you are dropping a ball for your next shot, as you will not find it in the junk. My buddy I played with yesterday ran out of golf balls on hole #16 and had to use some from my bag. If you play this course, you need to bring at least two dozen golf balls, as you will probably lose at least one a hole if you don't hit a drive straight, or your approach shot on the green. I've played this course before and broken 80 on it, but that was when there was very little wind, and every drive I hit was right down the middle. If you normally shoot in the 90's or above this course will make you quit after nine holes. That's what happened the last time I played it a year ago, as two of the players in my foresome quit in frustration after nine holes. You really just have to show up here and forget about the score and just hit golf balls. If you try and take your round seriously and count your score it will frustrate you to no end.
 
golfinnut said:
Duke University's Golf Course ... 7154 yards from the back tees & I was stupid enough to play from there. :banghead:
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That is a really tough track. Played it hungover on a 110* day. Ate me for lunch.
 
There's a course by my house that is stupid hard from the tips. Blind shots, forced carries, narrow fairways which if missed leads to balls being lost forever down in to the canyons. Hidden Valley Golf Club in Corona, Ca. It's a 141 slope at just over 6900yds from the back tees
 
I'd have to say Ocean Edge in Brewster,Ma.
Greens with multiple tiers, mounds, false fronts, and typical Nicklaus raised with shaved fall offs into chipping areas with very tight lies.
Lot's of elevation changes and several holes had some forced carries.
Barely a hole without some type of bend to it.
Fairways had tons of undulation/mounds. Out of 54 holes I probably got a flat lie maybe 20 times.
Add to that a 15-25mph winds for last round and it was mentally and physically exhausting.
Close 2nd was Indian Pond CC 2 weeks after they had some type of AM qualifier. Greens were virtually like putting on a granite counter top.
 
i don't think it's recency bias, but i would say orange tree golf club in orlando http://www.orangetreegolfclub.com/

greens were crazy fast, it is tight and requires a lot of precision.
 
mpeterson said:
I'm headed down there in October. Is it worth the crazy cost to play Harbour Town?
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Yes, absolutely, at least 1 time. I scoffed at the fee as well but it was so worth it and having a great forecaddie along with you for 18 holes made the whole experience even that much more enjoyable.
 
The Blessings in Johnson, AR. Stupid hard & super exclusive. 153 slope & 79.1 rating says it all.

So private that they don't even have a website & only have 80 members. Wiki has a little info on it:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessings_Golf_Club
 
Tobiano. A lot of blind shots and a lot of wind plus I couldn't hit anything that day.
 
The Ranch GC had the highest slope rating, though I found my round at Weston GC to be tougher due to the speed and undulation of it's Donald Ross greens. Going back a bit further Turtle Point at Kiawah was brutally tough for high handicapper.
 
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