Most Overrated Course

[jptruck]

[quote name='kalch' timestamp='1445434424' post='12486814']
I hate saying it, but for $500 pebble is overpriced and over rated.
Great course, but not for the price.
[/quote]

What should Pebble cost? $200, $300? Whatever your opinion of the place, it's still booked with players from dawn till dusk, practically every day of the year.

What's ridiculous about Pebble is you have to spend $700 a night at the hotel. Still, suckers are born every day and until they lose play and/or revenue, they will charge as they like.

Don't equate cost to play with quality of play. The same could be said of exclusivity. Not to go all zen on you, but enjoying a round of golf is a state of mind. If you have grand expectations and they aren't met, it'll seem like a bad deal or waste of money. A walk at Pebble is one the great walks on the planet. The golf is a bonus.

[dlygrisse]

[quote name='WestCoastHacker' timestamp='1443038111' post='12357804']
Hands down Spanish Bay. $270 to play a course in the condition of a run of the mill muni goat track is not my idea of fun.
[/quote]

The "problem" with Spanish is that it looks like a links course, they sort of promote it as a links course, you want it to play like a links course, it is built on linksy type of land yet it plays like a target golf course.

[dlygrisse]

[quote name='vpd' timestamp='1441121468' post='12245258']
[quote name='2bGood' timestamp='1439403626' post='12124610']
I wil be the guy that puts it out there:

Pebble Beach and St Andrews - Old Course.
I love playing both because of the history and the fact you get see them again on tv of the rest of your life, but remove all of that and just look at the courses:

Pebble is overrated and over priced. Some of the best holes you will play, and some very mediocre holes. Don't get me wrong it is a great course, but not in my view does it deserve to be considered the best (or near the best)

I think the New Course and Jubilee Course are better courses than the Old Course. Saying that playing there and in the region was my best golf experience of my life, but you can argue the course itself does not deserve the rating.
[/quote] I applaud you for your comments on Pebble Beach. Many mediocre holes. If it wasn't for it's history it wouldn't make the top 50 courses in the US. Bandon Dunes and the new Coore Crenshaw course at Cabot in Nova Scotia has Pebble Beach beaten by a mile. Actually I think Spyglass is a much better track overall than Pebble. I have not played the Old Corse so I can't say but I have heard from many a good golfer that it also is way overrated.. Again, history trumps the oversll quality of the course. That's not to say I wouldn't play it once or twice when I eventually get to Scotland.
[/quote]
Pebble has history, and that is why everyone should play it once, however Pebble has 6 of the greatest golf holes in the world, 6 really good holes and 6 disappointing holes. After playing 6-10 playing 11-16 is like a let-down, you go from playing the greatest stretch of holes in the world to playing what appears to be a good muni or resort course. 17 and 18 do give some redemption however.

[TRheezy]

I equate overratedness with price overall satisfaction of the experience you have. When paying a certain price you have an overall expection on how you should feel after the round. Based strictly on utility, I would say most of the public courses in Charleston are overrated. Lots of the course here are expensive (in comparison to were I grew up playing and places I have lived in before, Louisville/Nashville/Seoul) and imo do not warrant the price they ask you to pay. There are some straight s*** courses that want $90 for 18. Living in Seoul would be the only exception, where almost every course you go to is going to cost you min $300 (Sky 72, the Jack course for the Pres Cup cost about $1000 to play), thank god the copious amounts screen golf locations. I hope to get out to Kiawah soon, since the military rate is only $100, I anticipate I won't find the course overrated. The only other course might have a hefty green fee that I have played is Pinehurst #8, but I was able to play for free during military appreciation day. I am not sure of the actual green fee there, but if is over $175 I would say that it is overrated.

[dan360]

[quote name='Drudersh' timestamp='1443039498' post='12357946']
[quote name='dan360' timestamp='1443031021' post='12356892']
[quote name='MrTmag' timestamp='1439690372' post='12145550']
Augusta is a very overrated course in my opinion. I think it's image and history overshadow the actual course which isn't all that special in my eyes. I know it's on most golfers bucket list but I'd honestly decline the invitation to play there if I was ever offered.
[/quote]

I'll agree with the over-rated part, but call BS on declining the invite. I think the place is chock full of The Emperor's New Clothes but would play in a heartbeat and wear the entire club house wardrobe while doing so.

...and probably mark my ball with the little green & yellow ball marker for the rest of my life, too.
[/quote]

Would't using the Emperor's new clothes idiom here imply that there is false value assigned to the course? The course is fantastic, and deserves the admiration that it gets. The Masters tends to get overblown, but Augusta National deserves that rating it has.
[/quote]

Other than being manicured for TV and presumably nice overall condition wise when it's open for members to play, the entire atmosphere there is contrived and a bit ridiculous. For people to act like it's the zen home of perfect gentleman golf is laughable.


No worries about me ever getting an invite there because they most likely background check everyone and this post will secure my fate. All good with that. But, that said, if I ever *was* invited I'll buy a green and yellow outfit with matching bag head covers and grips for the occasion.

[littleinjunp]

1. Augusta
2. St. Andrews
3. Pebble
4. Torrey P South
5. Doral

[mattmcg81]

[quote name='golfheaven69' timestamp='1439735254' post='12147496']
Bay Hill. Every time I've played it conditions have been subpar. Go around tournament time or don't go at all.
[/quote]

I agree - I felt exactly the same way after I played it

[quackhead]

I agree with Torrey South being overrated. Plenty of other good courses in San Diego.

[adamjstl]

[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1439425985' post='12126678']
Torrey South has to win this argument. I would throw the other muni across the country in the mix as well in Bethpage Black. They just made long, narrowed in courses by the rough with small greens. The designs are very ordinary. Spyglass has to be one of the biggest let downs I've experienced in a while. And this is going to be blasphemy to say but Pine Valley is up there as well. Was so pumped for that first trip and was so let down. Coming off 18 I couldn't believe that was the course I was so excited about.
[/quote]

What about Pine Valley was so disappointing? Be specific.

[adamjstl]

Cog Hill #4 (Dubsdread): Average players should never even attempt to play Dubs. The design is dull, the scenery is bland, and the entire course is a struggle.

[Drudersh]

[quote name='adamjstl' timestamp='1445537556' post='12492748']
[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1439425985' post='12126678']
Torrey South has to win this argument. I would throw the other muni across the country in the mix as well in Bethpage Black. They just made long, narrowed in courses by the rough with small greens. The designs are very ordinary. Spyglass has to be one of the biggest let downs I've experienced in a while. And this is going to be blasphemy to say but Pine Valley is up there as well. Was so pumped for that first trip and was so let down. Coming off 18 I couldn't believe that was the course I was so excited about.
[/quote]

What about Pine Valley was so disappointing? Be specific.
[/quote]

While I did not find Pine Valley to be disappointing, I do consider it to be overrated. There are some truly fantastic holes, #'s 14, 15, 16 and 18 are all challenging, visually beautiful and brilliantly designed holes. But there are some truly goofy holes as well. The tee shot on #4 is a little silly, as is the tee shot on #11. The double green is not my favorite and the green complexes on #'s 3 and 17 have an absurd amount of slope to them. This again falls into the category of no way I would ever turn down an invite to play, but perhaps to much reverence is applied to the course.

[kingotheworldma]

[quote name='RichieHunt' timestamp='1439395157' post='12123764']
Somerset Hills was disappointing. I liked the course, but I just didn't see it as a top-100 golf course. I think because Tillinghast designed it and because of its age people overrated it.

Kings North in Myrtle Beach is pretty overrated as well. I'm a fan of Palmer designs, but this is probably one of his weaker designs IMO and it's considered a 'must play' course in Myrtle. I remember in '98 they were charging $100 greens fees in the summer on TEMPORARY GREENS.

I would say the same for Pawleys Plantation. I liked some of the holes, but some of it gets really goofy.

Chateau Elan is not a bad course, but I found it pretty bland and wide open. It's typical Atlanta, tell people it's great and overprice it with a wine vineyard and they'll show up in droves. I would much rather go up the road and play Cateechee for half the price and have a much better designed course with better views.





RH
[/quote]

The woodlands course is great but the chateau is boring as hell. Too wide open for sure. Cateecheemi sure do like.

The university of Georgia course is my personal favorite of just about any around.

[utkochster]

Not expensive and is a decent track....but by Golf Digest World Rankings...... St. Georges Hill @ #78 is absurd...... I certainly wouldn't put it in the top #150

[kalch]

[quote name='dlygrisse' timestamp='1445437854' post='12487076']
[quote name='vpd' timestamp='1441121468' post='12245258']
[quote name='2bGood' timestamp='1439403626' post='12124610']
I wil be the guy that puts it out there:

Pebble Beach and St Andrews - Old Course.
I love playing both because of the history and the fact you get see them again on tv of the rest of your life, but remove all of that and just look at the courses:

Pebble is overrated and over priced. Some of the best holes you will play, and some very mediocre holes. Don't get me wrong it is a great course, but not in my view does it deserve to be considered the best (or near the best)

I think the New Course and Jubilee Course are better courses than the Old Course. Saying that playing there and in the region was my best golf experience of my life, but you can argue the course itself does not deserve the rating.
[/quote] I applaud you for your comments on Pebble Beach. Many mediocre holes. If it wasn't for it's history it wouldn't make the top 50 courses in the US. Bandon Dunes and the new Coore Crenshaw course at Cabot in Nova Scotia has Pebble Beach beaten by a mile. Actually I think Spyglass is a much better track overall than Pebble. I have not played the Old Corse so I can't say but I have heard from many a good golfer that it also is way overrated.. Again, history trumps the oversll quality of the course. That's not to say I wouldn't play it once or twice when I eventually get to Scotland.
[/quote]
Pebble has history, and that is why everyone should play it once, however Pebble has 6 of the greatest golf holes in the world, 6 really good holes and 6 disappointing holes. After playing 6-10 playing 11-16 is like a let-down, you go from playing the greatest stretch of holes in the world to playing what appears to be a good muni or resort course. 17 and 18 do give some redemption however.
[/quote]

go play Cabot Cliffs. Better than Pebble, without the history (or price)..

[skraper]

Your right, golf on the Monterey Peninsula pretty much sucks. Another course even more overated than Spyglass Hills is Cypress Point Country Club. My a** stuck out of that dinky pro shop and it really spoiled my round. I was so piss ed off about the tiny pro shop that I didn't really enjoy the course that much. I do remember having to walk across a public roadway TWICE and got salt spray on my glasses from the fricking ocean. One and done.

[Chilidog]

[quote name='adamjstl' timestamp='1445537556' post='12492748']
[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1439425985' post='12126678']
Torrey South has to win this argument. I would throw the other muni across the country in the mix as well in Bethpage Black. They just made long, narrowed in courses by the rough with small greens. The designs are very ordinary. Spyglass has to be one of the biggest let downs I've experienced in a while. And this is going to be blasphemy to say but Pine Valley is up there as well. Was so pumped for that first trip and was so let down. Coming off 18 I couldn't believe that was the course I was so excited about.
[/quote]

What about Pine Valley was so disappointing? Be specific.
[/quote]

Part of it was building up in my mind that I was about to play the best course in the world by some standards. First, let me talk about the experience. Everything in the place is run down...seriously, you are taking a step back into the 70s/80s. Wood paneling everywhere, very dark and seemed dirty. Next, to hit balls before your round, you have to jump back in your car and drive out to where the range is. When you are done, you load your clubs back up in the car and drive back to the clubhouse.

Now, let's get to the course. Having played the redesign of #2, I was expecting something like it but better. Well, it wasn't. It was borderline goofy. I think it was the 5th hole that is the par 3 back by the clubhouse that is a 240 yard par 3 that has a tiny sliver of a green but nowhere to miss. You can't miss short (junk), right (down the hill and lost in the junk), deep (junk) or left (down the other hill on the other side of the path into junk). There is one small sliver of a bunker on the left side of the green that if you hit it in there, you barely have enough room to make a back swing. This repeats its self all over the golf course. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good holes, but plenty of goofy holes. Like 18...pretty from the tee. Then you get down to your ball and you realize the road comes across the fairway between you and the green. I went to hit the shot and right when I did, I hear a loud car horn and I ended up blading it into the hill 20 yards short of the green. I look over and some elderly man in his car is driving through and yells at me for hitting. My caddie looked at me and said it was his fault that happened and to hit another one. Well, no, I'm not hitting another one as I'm posting this score to my handicap. Just stuff like that around the course that is goofy. I actually played really well there though which was good, but when we drove out I looked at the other guys I had brought up and asked them how they liked it. The resounding response was "ehhh"...everyone would play it again, but there are lots of other courses they wanted to play first.

[jptruck]

[quote name='skraper' timestamp='1445671711' post='12500296']
Your right, golf on the Monterey Peninsula pretty much sucks. Another course even more overated than Spyglass Hills is Cypress Point Country Club. My a** stuck out of that dinky pro shop and it really spoiled my round. I was so piss ed off about the tiny pro shop that I didn't really enjoy the course that much. I do remember having to walk across a public roadway TWICE and got salt spray on my glasses from the fricking ocean. One and done.
[/quote]

Forgot to use sarcasm font.

[adamjstl]

[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1445694852' post='12500786']
[quote name='adamjstl' timestamp='1445537556' post='12492748']
[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1439425985' post='12126678']
Torrey South has to win this argument. I would throw the other muni across the country in the mix as well in Bethpage Black. They just made long, narrowed in courses by the rough with small greens. The designs are very ordinary. Spyglass has to be one of the biggest let downs I've experienced in a while. And this is going to be blasphemy to say but Pine Valley is up there as well. Was so pumped for that first trip and was so let down. Coming off 18 I couldn't believe that was the course I was so excited about.
[/quote]

What about Pine Valley was so disappointing? Be specific.
[/quote]

Part of it was building up in my mind that I was about to play the best course in the world by some standards. First, let me talk about the experience. Everything in the place is run down...seriously, you are taking a step back into the 70s/80s. Wood paneling everywhere, very dark and seemed dirty. Next, to hit balls before your round, you have to jump back in your car and drive out to where the range is. When you are done, you load your clubs back up in the car and drive back to the clubhouse.

Now, let's get to the course. Having played the redesign of #2, I was expecting something like it but better. Well, it wasn't. It was borderline goofy. I think it was the 5th hole that is the par 3 back by the clubhouse that is a 240 yard par 3 that has a tiny sliver of a green but nowhere to miss. You can't miss short (junk), right (down the hill and lost in the junk), deep (junk) or left (down the other hill on the other side of the path into junk). There is one small sliver of a bunker on the left side of the green that if you hit it in there, you barely have enough room to make a back swing. This repeats its self all over the golf course. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good holes, but plenty of goofy holes. Like 18...pretty from the tee. Then you get down to your ball and you realize the road comes across the fairway between you and the green. I went to hit the shot and right when I did, I hear a loud car horn and I ended up blading it into the hill 20 yards short of the green. I look over and some elderly man in his car is driving through and yells at me for hitting. My caddie looked at me and said it was his fault that happened and to hit another one. Well, no, I'm not hitting another one as I'm posting this score to my handicap. Just stuff like that around the course that is goofy. I actually played really well there though which was good, but when we drove out I looked at the other guys I had brought up and asked them how they liked it. The resounding response was "ehhh"...everyone would play it again, but there are lots of other courses they wanted to play first.
[/quote]

We all build courses up in our minds- the higher they are rated, the more we expect. It's easy to be disappointed. In 2011, I played Milwaukee C.C. and experienced similar feelings. It's a really nice course, but... I'd played top 100 public courses that blew it away.

Using the Doak scale to rate courses is easier and more accurate.

[PreppySlapCut]

[quote name='RichieHunt' timestamp='1439483339' post='12130508']
[quote name='lionman19380' timestamp='1439404223' post='12124686']
I couldn't disagree with you more on Somerset Hills...I would go as far as to say it is the most UNDERRATED course I have ever played
[/quote]

I didn't think the entire front nine was very special at all. I enjoyed the back nine more. The clubhouse and pro shop was a joke. I understand a minimalist philosophy, but they just looked like garbage to me.

The conditioning was fantastic, but I've just seen far better courses out there that if it Ron Garl had designed it instead of AW Tillinghast...nobody cares.






RH
[/quote]
Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but the last sentence just doesn't hold up. There's plenty on Tillinghast courses in the Met that nobody cares about. SHCC gets the attention that it does because it's just a great golf course. Excellent variety in par 3s and some of the best green complexes on the planet.

[az2au]

Always personal for sure. I love Spyglass. Second favorite course on the peninsula and I have played them all as well. I used to always mark Pebble as number 1 on this list but have grown to appreciate it more over the years and many of my rounds there have been business paid so it had nothing to do with money. Harding Park and Doral Blue Monster are probably the top of this list now.

[WiscoGolfAddict]

[quote name='vallygolf' timestamp='1439396872' post='12123942']
Top 3

Trump Doral Blue Monster (renovations improved it, but so blah) after awhile the whole fairway and green with rolled edges into the water gets old. I actually preferred the Red Tiger. Silver Fox was still under construction when I played.
Trump LA: More good shots rewarded with poor lies/problems than any course I have ever played
Whistling Straits (Dare I say it this week) Probably one of the worst conditioned courses I have paid so much to play. If I could get out to play it this week I might feel differently. layout and design was amazing.
[/quote]


The Straits course definitely has its moments for when it's in good and then not as good of conditions. The key is to play it in the heart of the summer or in the fall. They have early-season rates that are considerably less expensive, but even throughout May the fescue is still growing in. It is what it is, but it usually doesn't [i]look [/i]good until June - case in point, the 8th hole on May 8 vs. the 8th hole on August 10 of last year:

May 8, 2014:
[url="http://wiscogolfaddict.com/?attachment_id=5564"]http://wiscogolfaddi...achment_id=5564[/url]

August 10, 2014:
[url="http://wiscogolfaddict.com/?attachment_id=5563"]http://wiscogolfaddi...achment_id=5563[/url]

It actually stays in [i]beautiful[/i] condition for quite a while - just takes some time for the fescue to get there during the spring!

[spud3]

I noticed that none of the Bandon courses are included in the replies for this thread, while they are all mentioned many times in the "Best course you have ever played" thread nearby...

Just sayin'.......

[dan360]

[quote name='spud3' timestamp='1446615660' post='12550280']
I noticed that none of the Bandon courses are included in the replies for this thread, while they are all mentioned many times in the "Best course you have ever played" thread nearby...

Just sayin'.......
[/quote]

cuz if anything, they're under-rated. Especially Trails.

[andrew_m]

[quote name='mallrat' timestamp='1439415952' post='12125826']
This may be sac religious to some but Torrey and Spanish Bay, IMO.

Spanish Bay was the epitoMe of target golf and that is not my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed Spyglass on the other hand.

Now Torrey, IMO, was a bunch of utterly forgettable holes with 2 or 3 scenic holes thrown in. If it wasn't on the coast would it be talked about at all?
[/quote]

Torrey is way overpriced for non-residents, but for $40 or whatever I'd much rather play that than most of the other overpriced tracks in San Diego. I'll usually play the north, though, because the south is always jammed with tourists....so I guess it is pretty overrated.

Golf in Southern California in general is pretty overrated though.

[duff2303]

[quote name='lionman19380' timestamp='1439404223' post='12124686']
[quote name='RichieHunt' timestamp='1439395157' post='12123764']
Somerset Hills was disappointing. I liked the course, but I just didn't see it as a top-100 golf course. I think because Tillinghast designed it and because of its age people overrated it.

Kings North in Myrtle Beach is pretty overrated as well. I'm a fan of Palmer designs, but this is probably one of his weaker designs IMO and it's considered a 'must play' course in Myrtle. I remember in '98 they were charging $100 greens fees in the summer on TEMPORARY GREENS.

I would say the same for Pawleys Plantation. I liked some of the holes, but some of it gets really goofy.

Chateau Elan is not a bad course, but I found it pretty bland and wide open. It's typical Atlanta, tell people it's great and overprice it with a wine vineyard and they'll show up in droves. I would much rather go up the road and play Cateechee for half the price and have a much better designed course with better views.





RH
[/quote]

I couldn't disagree with you more on Somerset Hills...I would go as far as to say it is the most UNDERRATED course I have ever played
[/quote]

Agree with lionman - Somerset is one of the more underrated courses i have ever played.

[Tcraw59]

Dove mountain in Tucson, now I understand why they had the match play there instead of normal events. Some of the greens are just way too unfair to be fun. Also overpriced

[ChickenHead415]

[quote name='Drudersh' timestamp='1445539133' post='12492832']
[quote name='adamjstl' timestamp='1445537556' post='12492748']
[quote name='Chilidog' timestamp='1439425985' post='12126678']
Torrey South has to win this argument. I would throw the other muni across the country in the mix as well in Bethpage Black. They just made long, narrowed in courses by the rough with small greens. The designs are very ordinary. Spyglass has to be one of the biggest let downs I've experienced in a while. And this is going to be blasphemy to say but Pine Valley is up there as well. Was so pumped for that first trip and was so let down. Coming off 18 I couldn't believe that was the course I was so excited about.
[/quote]

What about Pine Valley was so disappointing? Be specific.
[/quote]

While I did not find Pine Valley to be disappointing, I do consider it to be overrated. There are some truly fantastic holes, #'s 14, 15, 16 and 18 are all challenging, visually beautiful and brilliantly designed holes. But there are some truly goofy holes as well. The tee shot on #4 is a little silly, as is the tee shot on #11. The double green is not my favorite and the green complexes on #'s 3 and 17 have an absurd amount of slope to them. This again falls into the category of no way I would ever turn down an invite to play, but perhaps to much reverence is applied to the course.
[/quote]

Funny you say that. My buddy Caddies at Seminole/PV ... The president of Seminole took 12 caddies to Augusta last year, he said outside of the signature holes it was slightly overrated, he'd take PV over Augusta. His favorites are Merion and Fishers. We played Cypress a couple of years ago and Fishers was still his favorite.

[C_belske]

I have to echo all the people saying blue monster at doral. I thought the complex was beautiful but the course was absolutely forgettable.. It doesn't help its case that I played streamsong a few days prior.

[HighSpeedScene]

Two stand out for me:

Played pebble twice - once no wind, once with wind. Without wind, its overrated by a lot. Very awesome with the wind up.

Cog hill dubsdread. Just...yuck.

[ChickenHead415]

[quote name='HighSpeedScene' timestamp='1449873716' post='12709096']
Two stand out for me:

Played pebble twice - once no wind, once with wind. Without wind, its overrated by a lot. Very awesome with the wind up.

Cog hill dubsdread. Just...yuck.
[/quote]

Agreed with Cog. I'm a fan of Ravine's and even #1 & 3.. But for $150 Dubs just isn't worth it, you might as well go play 36 at Harborside for the same price.