Royal Melbourne = goofy golf

[Roadking2003]

If this is the pinnacle of good golf courses as the TV talking heads are saying, then give me a bad course. All that is missing is a windmill by the hole and an alligator in the bunkers.

 

 

[dpb5031]

IDK, I think it looks awesome and would love to play there. I like that you need to think your way around and use imagination. It gives you multiple options, some safe but not necessarily ideal, some requiring risk to execute for ideal results. Sounds fun to me

[hollabachgt]

Ok, l'll bite. While watching the presidents cup what stands out on the course as being goofy?

[sailfishchris]

Wouldn't that be a croc in the bunkers?

[teejaywhy]

I don't know. I'm seeing what appears to be the coolest looking golf course in the world.

Just my opinion. 10 rounds between Royal Melbourne and Augusta National: 9 RMGC; 1 ANGC (and 1 for ANGC just to say I played it)

 

 

[mukster]

And it begins.....................

[tiderider]

lol ... greens that have movement and require some damn fine iron/short game shots are "goofy" ... they just all need to be flat circles with no bunkers? ...

 

and "talking heads"? ... just about the entire golfing world thinks the course is great ... there's no conspiracy to make RMGC have a better image ... it's been considered a great course since it was built ...

[Roadking2003]

The ball rolling around the greens like on a pinball machine. I used to play Putt Putt mini golf as a kid. These greens remind me of mini golf where you hit and hope you get a good bounce.

 

Too much luck involved.

[Roadking2003]

And that's why they race horses. Everybody has an opinion.

[Roadking2003]

You are the only one who said "conspiracy".

 

 

[az2au]

I was lucky enough to play the composite course as a visitor (didn’t even plan it, just worked out) and it was one of most fun courses I’ve ever played.

What I have seen in brief viewing makes me want to go back again. I can’t imagine watching it and thinking the course looks tricked up in any way. This is not to argue. I truly don’t understand it.

[GoGoErky]

Someone had a little to much partaking of the herbs.

The course looks great and it’s fair.

[tiderider]

the use of "talking heads" indicates you seem to want to demean the folks on tv saying it's a great course ... that they are trying to convince people of something that isn't true ... that's how/why the term is usually used ... hey, it's your opinion ... nothing wrong with that ... like someone said above, i don't understand how someone can not like this course ...

[vallygolf]

Ill throw out a conspiracy theory: @Roadking works for the network broadcasting the presidents cup. This discussion has sparked my interest to watch.

[hollabachgt]

Would you rather the greens be shag carpet? There is not a crazy amount of elevation and movement in these greens, nowhere close to a course like Augusta, but they are very firm and slick, so the ball will run. I'm not seeing all that much luck coming into play either. I'm seeing players factoring in the condition of the greens into their shot choices and allowing the ball to feed towards the hole naturally. I really like seeing players at this level having to land the ball 20-30' short of the pin with a wedge in order to get it close. Really helps to showcase how good these guys are and reading and managing a course.

[Moo]

The first time I played the Mackenzie course at The Universtity of Michigan (about 25 years ago) it was the day after they had an invitational. Let's just say I was pretty shell shocked and I had a triple digit day. And then I absolutely fell in love with that course and must have played it another 50 times since then. We've got about 650 courses in Michigan and it's my favorite by far.

Crystal Downs destroyed me too, but I loved it.

RMGC is a monster, but a good monster.

[Z1ggy16]

Other than the greens looking extremely firm, I don't see what's weird about this course. Looks like a really cool set up.

[dpb5031]

I have played Medalist in FL many times in dry conditions where it's a very similar type track. Razor edged bunkers, greens stimping 13+, no rougher first cut to slow down an off line ball. The pros love to play there for a reason

[LICC]

Have you ever been to Augusta National? You probably wouldn't say that if you have seen the course. It looks much different in person.

Royal Melbourne looks like an excellent course on TV. It also probably has elevations that you can sort of see on TV but would be better in person. That said I can believe that it is also overhyped. I think the run outs and roll-offs are a result of the extreme conditioning for this tournament rather than a normal feature of the course design.

[dlygrisse]

Seems like you would be better suited for Top Golf? :)

 

I think it's awesome, I wish I had the option to play a course like this. I'm tired of playing one course after another that just requires high soft shots. boring. Anyway, you throw a wee bit of water on that course an it would slow down some, but that firm sandy soil is how golf was meant to be played.

[Roadking2003]

Darn. You caught me.

[Roadking2003]

Quite the opposite. I tried Top Golf once. Never again. In fact, Royal Melbourne greens remind me of top golf. Hit the ball to one side and it ends up in the hole..... just like Top Golf.

[medicoreMAgolfer]

Actually think you're wrong on this being extreme conditioning. By all accounts that I have read learning about this course, this is just the way the course plays. This is NOT the USGA taking over Merion

 

 

[mci711]

There are 2 extremes in golf culture right now, just like politics (staying out of that). This post has them both. There are the extreme "woke culture" who hate..well everything that isn't minimalist and are probably the most annoying people in golf right now - think The Fried Egg on twitter. And then there is the opposite end of the spectrum - people who think a golf courses should be bright green, tree lined, thick rough etc. These people aren't as loud and pronounced, but they are just as bad. They think everything should be straight forward, a putt should only break once, greens should be small, Royal Melbourne is goofy etc. Idk where I am going with this other than I am glad I am in the middle and can appreciate this course enough that I'd love to play it but am not woke enough to think i'd play it 9 to 1 over Augusta lol.

[LICC]

Seems like it always plays firm and fast, but I think they pushed it even more for the President's Cup.

[jli2636]

whatever you are smoking keep it to yourself... I am loving this golf course(well, what we have actually seen of it between all the commercials). It makes the pros think. It’s not point and shoot like literally every other week on tour.

[tiderider]

 

[farmer]

One of the most interesting looking courses, fits so well into the terrain, and the flow is wonderful. For member play, it would be brutal if these conditions are the norm. Celebrating only a three putt would dampen my enthusiasm.

[ddetts]

I would mostly disagree with this topic, but will say while watching coverage the last two days there were a just a couople shots into greens I was thinking the same thing. Like, watching the ball roll and snake around for 20-30 seconds after lending on the ground seemed a bit much. I can't recall what hole #'s the shots were on.

I am almost entirely positive on the course and overall I like the variety, the options for shot shaping, strategy of tee shots, the look of the course and it would be a dream to play it. I just think there may have been a couple of spots on a couple greens where they took firm and fast a bit too extreme.

[Sean2]

I think it is a great golf course. And, it shows a course doesn't have to be long to have teeth.