Top Courses that disappointed

[adamjstl]

Southern Hills Country Club. If you didn't know the history, accolades, and esteem behind it, you'd never think it sniffed a Top 100 list.

[dhc1]

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.

 

to each their own. Haven't played LACC/Riviera (next year!) but OH South is significantly better than QR and Sleepy Hollow, which I play regularly. Have you played OHS since the renovation?

[ThinkingPlus]

Spyglass - soggy ... I hate playing off of soft, moist turf.

Pinon Hills - I was +6 through 5 holes and never missed a green in regulation. 18 holes of putting through the clown's mouth is more than I can take. Downhill blind par 3 wasn't much fun either.

[mallrat]

The 1 or 2 people that I've met that told me they played Pebble said it was junk; hacked up, crowded, and expensive.

 

So, you haven't played it?

 

Part of your post is correct; it is crowded and expensive.

 

It is not junk or hacked up. I've played it 18 - 20 times and can assure you It is one of the best courses in the world. Just ask Jack Nicklaus.

 

Pebble is anything but hacked up. When we stayed there we stayed at Woods Hole, it’s a rental house right behind the 8th green and 14th tee box. The back steps put you out on the course. First i’m a greenskeeper so I have a general idea what to look for. Over 2 separate days they spent roughly 100 man hours meticulously maintaining each hole.

 

Hacked up, no

[jaw1978]

 

to each their own. Haven't played LACC/Riviera (next year!) but OH South is significantly better than QR and Sleepy Hollow, which I play regularly. Have you played OHS since the renovation?

 

I just played OHS last month. I suppose we all have our preferences.

[Malvern]

The 1 or 2 people that I've met that told me they played Pebble said it was junk; hacked up, crowded, and expensive.

 

So, you haven't played it?

 

Part of your post is correct; it is crowded and expensive.

 

It is not junk or hacked up. I've played it 18 - 20 times and can assure you It is one of the best courses in the world. Just ask Jack Nicklaus.

 

Pebble is anything but hacked up. When we stayed there we stayed at Woods Hole, it's a rental house right behind the 8th green and 14th tee box. The back steps put you out on the course. First i'm a greenskeeper so I have a general idea what to look for. Over 2 separate days they spent roughly 100 man hours meticulously maintaining each hole.

 

Hacked up, no

 

Not sure where the hacked up came from, was in superb condition (with one complaint) when we played in summer.

 

Mallrat, was your sense the course was over watered, it was when we were there and several other Aussie boys have mentioned the same. Looking for your perspective as perhaps due to the climate we generally play harder/faster out here.

[Argonne69]

Pebble probably gets more play than any other top course in the country. I think anyone who is expecting the course to groomed to the nines is in for a bit of a letdown. I don't think there's any way to get the greens running quickly without destroying them with that much play.

[mallrat]

I didn’t play when we were there but I walked it daily and a couple times twice.

 

Now I have 2 different perspectives which i’ll explain but was it over watered - no. Was it wetter than I would like it - yes but I fully understand why. When people want to play Pebble they want it as green as humanly possible, they want it to look like Augusta and to achieve that takes a good amount of water. People don’t want to pay $500+ a round for a brown course.

 

So from a guy who works on a course I understand it but is that how I would want it to play, not really.

[burritos4breakfast]

kapalua plantation

[monkutare]

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.

 

Not in tears but not overly impressed with Old Mac and Pacific Dunes.

 

[PapaJohick]

Interesting that nobody has said Harbortowne down on Hilton head. While it is a nice course, there are so many like it in the Lowcountry for much better pricing. Only really has a few memorable holes

[Superbrit]

How much was Pinehurst #2?

 

prices vary but, usually in the 450-500 range. About 400 to much

 

Just played No.2 a couple of weeks ago. Cost currently is $385.00 when I was there and you have to take a caddie so figure in another $125-150.

 

*I was invited to fill in with 3 members of the resort and given I was with them it was a very nice reduced and I was not required to take a caddie.

 

It is still walking regardless.

 

On any course that's insane money for a round of golf!

 

I played St Andrews Old Course in October with a caddie and it cost me £200, and i thought that was expensive!

[davep043]

I just got home from Scotland. We played Prestwick, original home of the Open, and I was a bit underwhelmed. There are a few great holes, a few quirky holes, but a fair number of pretty plain holes. It was great for the history, and for a chance to visit the member's areas, but I expected to like the course more. I loved playing Western Gailes, even in a good strong wind, and we had really nice surprises at Glasgow Gailes and The Glen in North Berwick.

[Noyes26]

I'm just gonna say it... Baltusrol Lower is BORING! Only cool thing about the course is the jack nicklaus plaque. The Upper is a million times better both visually and architecturally. Lower is just hard.

 

1-4 and 15-18 are 2 of the best groupings of holes there are. Not sure how you can call that boring? I get it if all you want is tricked out holes with waterfalls and crazy bunkering but the history of that 18 does not lend itself that way.

[mkunes01]

I'm just gonna say it... Baltusrol Lower is BORING! Only cool thing about the course is the jack nicklaus plaque. The Upper is a million times better both visually and architecturally. Lower is just hard.

 

1-4 and 15-18 are 2 of the best groupings of holes there are. Not sure how you can call that boring? I get it if all you want is tricked out holes with waterfalls and crazy bunkering but the history of that 18 does not lend itself that way.

 

7 good holes does not a great course make. You realize we're talking about the world's best golf courses here, right? There are tens of courses that have nearly 18 great holes. Thank you for proving my point.

 

Also if you want to get into the "tricked out" discussion, I would gladly argue how that is exactly the Lower's problem (again, when comparing to like-kind - think Oakmont, Shinnecock, etc). The Lower's prowess is not in architecture. Holes are hard because they're long with tight fairways that are surrounded by dense trees. There is nearly no thought or creativity required off the vast majority of tee boxes or into greens; the golf course tells you exactly what to do and it is a monotonous test of execution.

[SilverBullets]

Interesting that nobody has said Harbortowne down on Hilton head. While it is a nice course, there are so many like it in the Lowcountry for much better pricing. Only really has a few memorable holes

 

Golf in Hilton Head is overrated in general. There are a bunch of decent courses, a couple of good courses, but not much beyond that. I personally like Harbor Town but I agree it's not a top 100 track. Conditioning, at least in my experience, makes it better than most in the area but layout wise it's just a decent/solid layout with a few really good holes. Nothing more than that.

 

I'm playing it on Monday and am looking forward to it. I have played it a handful of times and I still enjoy getting on it. My family owns a place in Sea Pines so we get a better rate and not having to drive more than a couple blocks makes it well worth it haha

[PapaJohick]

Interesting that nobody has said Harbortowne down on Hilton head. While it is a nice course, there are so many like it in the Lowcountry for much better pricing. Only really has a few memorable holes

 

Golf in Hilton Head is overrated in general. There are a bunch of decent courses, a couple of good courses, but not much beyond that. I personally like Harbor Town but I agree it's not a top 100 track. Conditioning, at least in my experience, makes it better than most in the area but layout wise it's just a decent/solid layout with a few really good holes. Nothing more than that.

 

I'm playing it on Monday and am looking forward to it. I have played it a handful of times and I still enjoy getting on it. My family owns a place in Sea Pines so we get a better rate and not having to drive more than a couple blocks makes it well worth it haha

 

I would certainly play it more often if the rate was better. Its not horrible by any means, but like you said, HH golf is good, but prices tend to get inflated... much like up here in charleston haha. have fun out there!

[Full Melt]

I've played Chambers Bay 1-2 times a year since it opened, and it was fun to see how it started to suck as the US Open got closer and closer. That course is so much fun when the greens are true and the course is somewhat green. What you saw on TV was DOO DOO

[VNutz]

Tullymore is another course that is almost always in the top 100 public tracks in the U.S. Again, a fine course but compared to other Northern Michigan beauties I was not as impressed with it. Still a great course and yes I would love to be a member there as well but it just did not blow me away.

 

Harbor Shores also goes on this list. A fun track but the greens were were just to much for my liking and I also did not like how the course was spread out. All 3 courses on this list are def worth playing but I just left each a little let down.....thats all.

 

Agree on these two, with Tullymore likely being the biggest disappointment to me. Granted we played it in taking a year off from Arcadia Bluffs and other great Northern MI courses, but it just didn't live up to the rating for me. I kept waiting for the cool holes that made it worthwhile, but was underwhelmed. 18 is neat to look at, but something about going for a par 5 in two around water, with a massive tree planted smack in the middle of your target is just silly to me.

 

I enjoyed Harbor Shores, but the greens are silly, and if the wind is up, like it was for us, some of the holes are just dumb. We were 200 yards out on 7 with sand hitting us in the face from the dunes. Played like 425 into a 2 club wind with that tiny Word not allowed green perched atop the bluff. I like a good challenge but that's too much.

[Noyes26]

I'm just gonna say it... Baltusrol Lower is BORING! Only cool thing about the course is the jack nicklaus plaque. The Upper is a million times better both visually and architecturally. Lower is just hard.

 

1-4 and 15-18 are 2 of the best groupings of holes there are. Not sure how you can call that boring? I get it if all you want is tricked out holes with waterfalls and crazy bunkering but the history of that 18 does not lend itself that way.

 

7 good holes does not a great course make. You realize we're talking about the world's best golf courses here, right? There are tens of courses that have nearly 18 great holes. Thank you for proving my point.

 

Also if you want to get into the "tricked out" discussion, I would gladly argue how that is exactly the Lower's problem (again, when comparing to like-kind - think Oakmont, Shinnecock, etc). The Lower's prowess is not in architecture. Holes are hard because they're long with tight fairways that are surrounded by dense trees. There is nearly no thought or creativity required off the vast majority of tee boxes or into greens; the golf course tells you exactly what to do and it is a monotonous test of execution.

 

You are saying the only cool thing is the plaque. Which I’m disagreeing with. I understand what kind of courses we are talking about. I can’t tell if you are saying the Lower has tight fairways and trees? I actually think the fairways on the lakes are super generous. I’ve only played the lower (twice in the last 12 months) and I have been told that the upper is a better course. But I really really enjoy the test the lower lays out. It’s absolutely a gem in my opinion and a real test.

[jaw1978]

I may sink my own battleship here, but Garden City GC wasn’t that exciting. Amazing history, but the course was just decent relative to other Top 100 tracks I’ve played. I even got another crack at it two weeks ago, and came away with the same impression. Good, not great. Mostly to do with the variety of holes. Some were great, many were nondescript.

[kristan]

I was a bit disappointed with Royal County Down. The conditions were spectacular and the course was very interesting. But by the end I felt like I hit nothing but blind tee shots all day. Felt like I saw the course in 200 yard sections the whole day. It was a let down tbh

Two rounds in the 70s for me in one day in the wind. RCD was awesome in my mind.

[TUGolfer06]

I thought Olde Stonewall (Top 3 public in state) in Ellwood City, PA was a bit disappointing for the $100-$150 per round fee. The front 9 was more playable/straight forward while the back was filled with tricked up visually impressive holes. The back-2-back par 3's are extremely tough imo. It's a cool course but relative to the price tag it's really not worth it. $75'ish would be far more appropiate.

[golfortennis]

From a Canadian perspective, Eagles Nest in Toronto area(GTA as it's known), was a real letdown. A buddy of mine was comping the round as a gift for something I had done for him, and I felt really bad for him. He's a former pro, I'm a sub 5 cap, so we know how to play and have a decent idea on courses, and this one was a letdown. "Links style" everywhere in their marketing, but every green is 15 feet higher than the fairway, so not only is playing on the ground not an option, a foot short means you roll all the way back down. He even putted one that rolled off the green and left him with a longer chip than he had putt.

 

Some views were pretty impressive, but beyond that....

[Schoolboy]

From a Canadian perspective, Eagles Nest in Toronto area(GTA as it's known), was a real letdown. A buddy of mine was comping the round as a gift for something I had done for him, and I felt really bad for him. He's a former pro, I'm a sub 5 cap, so we know how to play and have a decent idea on courses, and this one was a letdown. "Links style" everywhere in their marketing, but every green is 15 feet higher than the fairway, so not only is playing on the ground not an option, a foot short means you roll all the way back down. He even putted one that rolled off the green and left him with a longer chip than he had putt.

 

Some views were pretty impressive, but beyond that....

The price tag at Eagles Nest is ridiculous. Was going to take my Dad there for Father’s Day a few years back and it was going to be $440. Needless to say we left & I’ve never been back.

[BRS2014]

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 :)

 

I can't believe I am reading this!

Talk about an under rated course that doesn't get the credit it deserves.

 

Please explain what you didn't like about Pasatiempo?

[I_HATE_SNOW]

Torrey Pines, one time I played it was a 6 hour round that was ended by darkness. Paired with an a****** producer, on phone all day and would park cart right in front of you, and a great local that left after 9, saying he'd never seen it so slow.

[BRS2014]

I think Bethpage Black is starting down this list for me.

 

I have played there 8 times to me it seems they are losing the architectural value of the course by trying to keep it relevant for the PGA Tour.

[CheckJV]

Pinehurst #5 was very disappointing. Just not a good track or in good condition. Played there years ago so maybe it’s been renovated but was not good when I played it.

[oregongolf]

I've played Chambers Bay 1-2 times a year since it opened, and it was fun to see how it started to suck as the US Open got closer and closer. That course is so much fun when the greens are true and the course is somewhat green. What you saw on TV was DOO DOO

 

When have the greens ever been true? I've played it in tournaments a handful of times plus some other leisure rounds and never once have I ever thought the greens were resembling pure.

 

Cool layout with some mixes of interesting holes, but playing plinko on the greens detracts from the whole experience for me.

 

I generally don't measure a course's greatness by their maintenance standards either (see pebble example).

 

My top courses that disappointed:

 

Torrey Pines

Harding Park

Sahalee