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Top Courses that disappointed


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Ballyneal-good, but not great course. Most likely a victim of too much Doak hype.

 

Double Eagle-living off of exclusivity, nice place and course, but no business on a Top 100 list.

 

Philly Cricket-Wissahickon Nice enough, but on my Philly trip it was easily #5 of 5 courses played.

 

Dormie Club-what a mess, hopefully the new owners get it where it could/should be.

 

Old MacDonald-too wide?

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Ballyneal-good, but not great course. Most likely a victim of too much Doak hype.

 

Double Eagle-living off of exclusivity, nice place and course, but no business on a Top 100 list.

 

Philly Cricket-Wissahickon Nice enough, but on my Philly trip it was easily #5 of 5 courses played.

 

Dormie Club-what a mess, hopefully the new owners get it where it could/should be.

 

Old MacDonald-too wide?

 

Wissahickon was surprisingly good when I played, but maybe my enjoyment was because I had never heard of it prior. Still a great track IMO.

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I'd say number 1 disappointment for me is Old Macdonald. Ive never been more excited to play a new course and I've never been more let down walking off 18 green. I was almost in tears I was so disappointed.

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Ballyneal-good, but not great course. Most likely a victim of too much Doak hype.

 

Double Eagle-living off of exclusivity, nice place and course, but no business on a Top 100 list.

 

Philly Cricket-Wissahickon Nice enough, but on my Philly trip it was easily #5 of 5 courses played.

 

Dormie Club-what a mess, hopefully the new owners get it where it could/should be.

 

Old MacDonald-too wide?

 

Played Dormie Club about 2 weeks ago and they are turning it around. I thought it was really good.

 

The two caddies in our group said they have not see the course in such great condition for a LONG time. Conditions where excellent. Rumor also is they are blowing up Hole 10 which they should as I thought that hole did not fit.

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Quivira in Cabo San Lucas.

 

Never have I played a track I was so looking forward to only to experience the level of disappointment increasing as the round went on. This is Nicklaus' much ballyhooed track with the eye candy holes #5, 6 hanging on the side of a cliff looking down at the Pacific Ocean. The wind is present most of the time the locals told me and we're not just talking breeze but a 3, 4, 5 club wind. Half of the cart paths are buried under 2-3" of sand. They cannot keep them clear because of the wind. Several of the bunkers have ugly dried out straw bales perched side to side on the upper lip to help keep the wind from blowing sand from the bunkers on to the greens. Plus you have a handful of blind shots that are just not conducive to an enjoyable hole. It's a course that IMO should not have been built where they built it. But it gets its kudos for the two cliff hanging holes one of which is a BS short par 4 and the other a decent 3-par.

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Torrey Pines South. Views were outstanding, the course was good. For a tournament course, especially one of US Open stature I expected more in terms of layout and shot value. Don't get me wrong, Torrey Pines South is a good course but I've played courses that I felt were a much better test, especially for a US Open.

 

Totally different playing it before a tourney. They get the rough to nasty lengths and thickness.....definitely a test if your off the fairway.

I love the hate for Torrey, being a local, I hope none of y'all come out.. Makes it easier for us locals to get times! :taunt:

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Oakland Hills South isn't some golf course with tons of scenery. Its about it being a classic Donald Ross design, beautiful bunkers, and the crazy greens that guarantee 3 putts if your not in the right spot. Also its about walking the same fairways that the greats have walked. I do not know where you've played thats wowed you but I though Oakland Hills, South was a very nice course.

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Oakland Hills South isn't some golf course with tons of scenery. Its about it being a classic Donald Ross design, beautiful bunkers, and the crazy greens that guarantee 3 putts if your not in the right spot. Also its about walking the same fairways that the greats have walked. I do not know where you've played thats wowed you but I though Oakland Hills, South was a very nice course.

 

It’s not that the history isn’t compelling, just that it was underwhelming vs other top tracks I’ve played. LACC, Riviera, Quaker Ridge, Sleepy Hollow...just to name a few. History is on OH side though.

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Torrey Pines South. Views were outstanding, the course was good. For a tournament course, especially one of US Open stature I expected more in terms of layout and shot value. Don't get me wrong, Torrey Pines South is a good course but I've played courses that I felt were a much better test, especially for a US Open.

 

Totally different playing it before a tourney. They get the rough to nasty lengths and thickness.....definitely a test if your off the fairway.

I love the hate for Torrey, being a local, I hope none of y'all come out.. Makes it easier for us locals to get times! :taunt:

 

Well. The reason you like it is BECAUSE you are a local. Having lived in SD, there are VERY few public golf options. You've Balboa down the road, and Coronado. Both public, both VERY crowded. Then you are left with crap. Course under 6,500. You could travel 1hr plus and go to Woods Valley, or some of the others. But yeah... given the choice as a local... Torrey is about it. Now tell me you would pay $250 on a weekly basis to play it?

"Some emotions cannot be endured with a golf club in your hand." - Bobby Jones

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Played Dormie Club about 2 weeks ago and they are turning it around. I thought it was really good.

 

The two caddies in our group said they have not see the course in such great condition for a LONG time. Conditions where excellent. Rumor also is they are blowing up Hole 10 which they should as I thought that hole did not fit.

 

Great news about the 10th hole, easily the worst hole on the course and maybe in the whole C&C portfolio.

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I'd say number 1 disappointment for me is Old Macdonald. Ive never been more excited to play a new course and I've never been more let down walking off 18 green. I was almost in tears I was so disappointed.

 

haha I wasn't that upset but I completely agree with you. I was really excited to play it and walked away disappointed. The course didn't do anything for me and was a distant 4th for me in terms of the bandon courses. Heck you can say it was 6th for me behind the Preserve course and the Punchbowl LOL. I thought it was very 'meh' and it was completely overwhelmed by the other courses on the property.

 

Other courses in my disappointed/overrated:

 

Whistling Straits - Straits: I thought it was really pretty and overall a cool place but I didn't care for the actual golf course itself. It felt out of place and overdesigned (which considering it was a flat piece of land.. it is out of place and overdesigned) and I thought they would have done a better job making it look like it belonged. It didn't. The whole course just didn't work for me. I also didn't really care for how the course played in general.

 

Blackwolf Run - River: Awesome plot of land, great condition course, I just thought much of it was unmemorable and much of great plot of land was poorly used. Maybe someone other than Dye would have done a better job with this course.

 

Spyglass: I agree with what others have already said

 

Double Eagle: Boring course, as another poster said, it's living off being exclusive and that's about it

 

Harding Park: This is probably the most disappointing big name course I have ever played. Period. Terrible conditions. Really boring layout. Needed a hard hat while dodging balls on the interior course because of the short course. Jam packed golf course which took over 5 hours. I really have nothing good to say about Harding Park other than there were a couple nice holes on the back side. But only a couple. It is a muni and it absolutely felt like a muni... in terms of pace of play, conditions and design.

 

I don't want to sound overly negative here. In general, most of the big name courses I play live up to or exceed expectations. Even when they don't, I always enjoy my round and experience. But those are courses which I won't be seeking out to play again... well I'd play Double Eagle again because, well, it's double eagle and it's not easy to get on lol. And I will play Old Mac again because Bandon is a mecca and you need to experience all of the courses when you are there. But if there were 4 Old Macs on Bandon's property I wouldn't be returning.

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South course. Set up for me by a friend. Played solo. It was early May, so conditioning was just ok due to the harsh winter, but that wasn't what I was underwhelmed by.

wow, I'm stunned. Your friend must have some serious pull. But yes, after a horrible winter I doubt it was in close to top shape. Now for the US Open, Ryder Cup, Us Am.....perfection.

 

Oakland Hills South is not hard to get on. Totally agree it's underwhelming. Imo it's not even in the top 3 in Detroit.

 

What would be your top 3 if you don't mind asking.

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It's always tricky if you get your hopes up too much. Over hyping anything will lend itself to a possible letdown. Most great courses are subtle and require multiple rounds to appreciate them for the nuances. I tend to appreciate courses much more the third or fourth time around.

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I was a bit underwhelmed by The Country Club and that was playing it in Its US Open/Ryder Cup config. Would not put it in my top 10 in Mass and other than the obvious history just did not get it. Thought similar about Salem CC as well.

 

I will also say Pasatiempo was disappointing and very overrated. Very pretty though. I am sure I will be in the minority there!

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It's a difficult question, whether you view your disappointment with the course design/condition/routing or the whole "experience".

 

My answer is normally Pebble Beach but with a waiver, as Big Ben said, if places become over hyped and also come with a big price tag its often impossible for them to meet the promise. We had a terrific day however it is always going to be a one off.

 

Ones that have disappointed both in terms of the course and the day were Doral and Trump Bedminster

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OMG...I am having a hard time reading this thread. I think many of you need to add more color to your comments.

 

Pebble Beach - sure I get it...I don’t think it warrants the #1 public moniker over say Pacific Dunes, but overrated? By how much? Can you put 20 public courses in front of it? How many private courses ahead of it? I would prefer to see a 1929 MacKenzie restoration to the course, but beyond that it is stunning.

 

Pasiatempo- if the course was kept up like a private course it would be highly ranked.

 

Ballyneal- Couldn’t disagree more on this one, I would even argue the opposite. Creative design, great use of the landscape, strategic bunker layout, amazing green conplexes. And if you want to go this far...the entire experience is about golf...we need more places like this!

 

I realize we all have opinions, but I am often shocked by the opinions of others.

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Quivira in Cabo San Lucas.

 

Never have I played a track I was so looking forward to only to experience the level of disappointment increasing as the round went on. This is Nicklaus' much ballyhooed track with the eye candy holes #5, 6 hanging on the side of a cliff looking down at the Pacific Ocean. The wind is present most of the time the locals told me and we're not just talking breeze but a 3, 4, 5 club wind. Half of the cart paths are buried under 2-3" of sand. They cannot keep them clear because of the wind. Several of the bunkers have ugly dried out straw bales perched side to side on the upper lip to help keep the wind from blowing sand from the bunkers on to the greens. Plus you have a handful of blind shots that are just not conducive to an enjoyable hole. It's a course that IMO should not have been built where they built it. But it gets its kudos for the two cliff hanging holes one of which is a BS short par 4 and the other a decent 3-par.

 

Must have been when you played. I was there in March and it was the most enjoyable round I played in Cabo. Other rounds played were at Diamante Dunes and Cabo del Sol Ocean.

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I have to agree with Harding Park. For the locals paying resident rates it's not a bad course. However, playing $170 to walk as a non-resident was a big letdown. Other that the last 3 or 4 holes, very little was memorable. Yes, it was in good shape, as it should for $150+. However, it just didn't do it for me. I thought Presidio for nearly half the rate was more interesting.

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I will jump on the bus with Old MacDonald. I get what they were trying to do and I get how a certain golfer might like the course. With this last visit, I have now played it close to 10 times and to be quite honest, I just don't get it. In fact, on my next visit, I have 8 rounds scheduled and for the first time, zero on OM. I don't think I will ever play the course again unless it is an unscheduled reround and it is the only option.

 

I find it terribly boring, repetitive, and monotonous. I feel like I am playing the same hole about 10 or 12 times. And I have played it in all conditions.

 

As a side note, my 3 usual trip partners to Bandon all don't care to play it ever again also.

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I will also say Pasatiempo was disappointing and very overrated. Very pretty though. I am sure I will be in the minority there!

 

I would never imagined that Pasatiempo would get listed in a thread like this. Yes, I would agree with the third sentence above! No offense, of course.

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I will also say Pasatiempo was disappointing and very overrated. Very pretty though. I am sure I will be in the minority there!

 

I would never imagined that Pasatiempo would get listed in a thread like this. Yes, I would agree with the third sentence above! No offense, of course.

 

No offense taken at all. I don’t think I have ever read a bad word about the course on WRX so it’s totally me and whatever skewed expectations I had the day I played it :)

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Ping 425 17, 19 & 22 deg hybrids,  Ping Tour 85X
Mizuno 923 Hot Metal Pro, 5-GW, DG 105 
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Vokey SM6 60 K wedge
Mizuno IOMI #3 putter

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