"Real Golf"

[TH3H4M]

Hello all,

 

I recently played in a tournament that was over multiple days at several different courses and it was a blast! However, talking with a few other players and commenting on the courses my favorite seemed to be an outlier.  The course I preferred was relatively short from the tees we played but most holes were tree lined so by no means a pasture or trouble free but I enjoyed the greens and layout. The other course was certainly more difficult if you're not a placement golfer because at least half of the par 4's require an iron off the tee to a spot. Their claims were its a better course because it requires "real golf" to be played. I can't get behind the notion that more irons off the tee signifies a more real golfing experience. Ultimately it doesn't matter I've played all types of courses and enjoy it all I just wondered if that was a fairly common way of thinking. FWIW this is my first post and look forward to being more than an fly on the wall!

[Fairway14]

Nine hole par 3 courses , 5,100 yard executive length courses,  6,400 average municipals, and 7,400 yardage monsters are all example of real golf, none more so than the other.

[N0rs3man]

2 minutes ago, TH3H4M said:

Hello all,

 

I recently played in a tournament that was over multiple days at several different courses and it was a blast! However, talking with a few other players and commenting on the courses my favorite seemed to be an outlier.  The course I preferred was relatively short from the tees we played but most holes were tree lined so by no means a pasture or trouble free but I enjoyed the greens and layout. The other course was certainly more difficult if you're not a placement golfer because at least half of the par 4's require an iron off the tee to a spot. Their claims were its a better course because it requires "real golf" to be played. I can't get behind the notion that more irons off the tee signifies a more real golfing experience. Ultimately it doesn't matter I've played all types of courses and enjoy it all I just wondered if that was a fairly common way of thinking. FWIW this is my first post and look forward to being more than an fly on the wall!

 

Yeah I think real golf is probably different to anyone you ask. 

 

In Tournaments you see alot of bomb, chip, putt style play. It doesn't give the golfer alot of variety.

 

I'd think those courses that make you take something other than a driver off a par4 would be a welcomed relief.

 

I mostly enjoy tight courses where I can play an iron off the tee and have something less than 175 in.

 

Driver, wedge/scramble, chip, putt gets somewhat old after a few hundred rounds.

 

Lately I've been hitting irons off tees even if I usually hit a driver just to mix things up

[Abh159]

"Real golf" is going to mean something different to every single person...

 

To me, real golf is the exact opposite of what you said the others described. I think you should at least have the option of hitting driver off the tee on 90% of all par 4s and par 5s. Maybe a driver isn't the best or smartest play, but you should still have the option to hit it if you want.

 

I think a course is "goofy" when you're constantly having to layup with an iron off the tee.

[Roody]

I think I do better on "target golf" courses than I do on longer "bomb it with driver on every hole" courses. But IMO they're both considered "real golf". I think someone who says a certain style of course is not "real golf" is maybe just annoyed that their game isn't as suited to that style so they have to tear it down in some fashion. 

[NJBigFish22]

I think real golf is a course where you have options, you can hit driver but it brings in potential hazards, taking an iron creates a different approach shot.  Greens where you need to carry and some where you can run it up.  Real golf to me means having to use different clubs, types of shots and think.  Hitting driver and wedge on every hole is boring or maybe since I can’t bomb it 3 bills I’m just a tad jealous.

[Ghostwedge]

I have to take a mid iron off the tee (so do 99% of the other golfers) on a couple par 4's at a course I play on occasion. Both are  dog legs left with 300+ carry thru woods otherwise. Not heavy woods but the owners are to stubborn to open up the holes. As is you have about a 10 yd landing area to hit to get a legit shot to the green. Not "real" golf in my book.

[stephenmatt]

This is why golf courses have course rating and slope. All are considered real golf though.

Edited August 18, 2021 by stephenmatt

[A.Princey]

I think there should be a variety of difficulty in a course, for it to be “complete”.  Narrow holes, lined with trees/trouble, some holes with elevation changes, wide open fws with tight green approaches, a few tricky green complexes, etc. However, never should one course rely on specifically one of these for it’s entirety unless forced. For example, I played Lawsonia from the back tees over a month ago, and it’s pretty hard to get in trouble from the tee, on any hole. The only real defense the course has is it’s green complexes, very one dimensional. Hidden gem, yes, top 100 not even close.

Edited August 18, 2021 by A.Princey

[A.Princey]

4 hours ago, Abh159 said:

"Real golf" is going to mean something different to every single person...

 

To me, real golf is the exact opposite of what you said the others described. I think you should at least have the option of hitting driver off the tee on 90% of all par 4s and par 5s. Maybe a driver isn't the best or smartest play, but you should still have the option to hit it if you want.

 

I think a course is "goofy" when you're constantly having to layup with an iron off the tee.

I think in many instances, courses lacking length could opt for par 5’s with penalty/trouble starting at 240 and ranging to 280, effectively making the hole longer, and a true 3 shot hole for 90% of players. You could effectively make a 500y hole play like 550 for longer hitters, who could risk a 280y carry, or give them a 270y second. 

[Fairway14]

3 hours ago, Roody said:

. I think someone who says a certain style of course is not "real golf" is maybe just annoyed that their game isn't as suited to that style so they have to tear it down in some fashion. 

 

Bingo !

[Superfast2.0]

As long as the course isn't ridiculously short in relation to par or has really gimmicky/impossible holes, there are tons of different ways to design a "real" golf hole/course.

[iknowbagu]

Are there tee boxes?  Are there greens?  A little cup with a flag sticking out that you try to get the ball into in as few strokes as possible?  If the answer is yes to all these then it's "real golf".

[phizzy30]

Yeah, there's a course out in Burbank called Debell.  I call it Dehell.  It's carved out of a mountain so that actual land used to build the course was very limited to begin with.  It's hilly, tree lined and very narrow.  There are quite a few "driveable" par 4's, but that's in yardage only.  You literally have to curve it 60 yards right in order to have a chance at landing on the green off the tee.  Very short course where I only get to pull driver out 5 times max.  It's not what I would consider "real golf". 

[Dr.Zevia]

22 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Yeah, there's a course out in Burbank called Debell.  I call it Dehell.  It's carved out of a mountain so that actual land used to build the course was very limited to begin with.  It's hilly, tree lined and very narrow.  There are quite a few "driveable" par 4's, but that's in yardage only.  You literally have to curve it 60 yards right in order to have a chance at landing on the green off the tee.  Very short course where I only get to pull driver out 5 times max.  It's not what I would consider "real golf". 

 

The first time I played there I rang that bell on the downhill hole a little too hard, had a ringing in my ears for at least a couple holes.

[phizzy30]

2 hours ago, Dr.Zevia said:

 

The first time I played there I rang that bell on the downhill hole a little too hard, had a ringing in my ears for at least a couple holes.

Yeah that thing is loud.  Don't wanna smack that thing too hard or be to close it it while it's ringing. 

[OldCuss]

Notwithstanding arguments concerning objective and subjective reality the impact is the same when I say, "Dear, need to buy another dozen golf balls; seems my driver is acting up a bit?" 

 

"Oh, wanna go shopping with me tomorrow?"

 

"Yes, love to."

 

Prefer the tree-lined fairways given I am more robust in the cold than the heat. More shade, thus a bit cooler in the summer and more opportunities to learn to hit straighter and thus do less shopping.

 

Old Cuss

[Hawkeye77]

11 hours ago, iknowbagu said:

Are there tee boxes?  Are there greens?  A little cup with a flag sticking out that you try to get the ball into in as few strokes as possible?  If the answer is yes to all these then it's "real golf".

Maybe - that description doesn’t rule out courses with clown’s mouths. 

[iknowbagu]

10 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Maybe - that description doesn’t rule out courses with clown’s mouths. 

 

Touche ... 

[caeye0710]

It's all real golf. Yeah, each course has it's own degree of difficulty and I also think that a players comfort level has a TON to do with the outcome of the round as well. I'll give you an example:

 

I'm a 3-4 handicap. On the course I play most of the time (which isn't overly hard, but still difficult), I tend to average somewhere between 75-77 with 81-83 being a really bad day. 

 

When I go back home and play the course I grew up on, if I shoot over par I feel like a failure.

 

If I play an extremely difficult course and play well, I still shoot somewhere in the mid-high 70s.

 

The biggest difference is: a bad round at my home course is still a low score. If you're playing poorly at a difficult course, you'll get exposed.

 

At the end of the day, you still have to get it in the hole. The difference is that on the tougher tracks, there are a lot of variables that can cause havoc on your scorecard.

[95124hacker]

Real golf should contain some variety. Not all par 3’s are the same length. Challenging but fair. Bailout areas as options. Chance to use each club in your bag, but not tricked up where your only option is mid iron off the tee & a longer approach to the green.

[bobfoster]

"Real golf". Enjoyed a great chuckle at that one (though I know people that think like that).

 

PS. Hawkeye, some of the holes with clowns heads on them are artificial turf downhill that stimp at, like, 12 or 14. Hit it just a bit too hard and it bounces off the head and beans the kid in the wading pool next to the hole ... 😂

 

PPS. Fun first post TH3H4M. Don't just be a fly on the wall.

[MattyO1984]

I can kind of see what the guys talking about “real golf” were getting at but I am not sure that they are really using the best way to describe it. I think back to a couple of weeks ago when I played Ladybank near to St Andrews. Lots of dog legs and a lot of holes where you had to think on the tee how you wanted to play the hole. I loved it and came of saying that to get round there, you really had to golf your ball. By contrast if we had played the set of tees further back the distance of the course would have meant that it would have been a lot more drivers off the tee. There would have been less thinking of the tee but it does not become any less of a golf course. 

[bazinky]

I'm not a fan of courses that require an iron off the tee on par 4s, but I love courses that have good risk/reward par 4's where playing an iron off the tee is the safest option. The best are those where where the safe layup leads to a more challenging/risky approach, and the aggressive drive produces a significant reward when you pull it off (and a significant penalty if you don't). 

 

Having multiple ways to play a hole is one of the factors that make for a truly great hole in my opinion.

[2bGood]

People often use their words without precision.

 

My preference is a course that is best played with every club in your bag. Ideally you hit a variety of clubs off the tee - not just driver each hole and to play the the course you need to work the ball both ways. Your approach shots should range from long iron to wedge and every par three should require a different club. 

 

I find courses that are bomb driver, hit short iron/wedge all day not as fun as a shot maker course. 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2021 by 2bGood

[Mcgeeno]

8 minutes ago, 2bGood said:

People often use their word without precision.

 

My preference is a course that is best played with every club in your bag. Ideal you hit a variety of clubs off the tee not just driver each hole and to play the hole in ideal fashion work the ball both ways. Your approach shots should range from long iron to wedge and every par three should require a different club. 

 

I find course that are bomb driver, hit short iron/wedge all day not as fun shot maker course. 

 

 

 

Just about to type the same thing but you said it better.

 

I can play all sorts of courses, the ones I remember the best challenge me on a whole bunch of different ways each hole. I get to use various clubs off the tees, into greens etc. 

 

My home course tips out at 6000 yards! But it has two 230+ yard par threes and two driveable par fours. Trouble and hazards and water on almost every hole. I could play it in a different way every time. 

[aenemated]

Are there 18 tees and 18 greens? If so, sounds like golf to me. 

 

That said, I like a course that mixes it up. The whole "use your whole bag" bit. Some long and short par 3s, a reachable par 4, par 4s that there's risk/reward for driver vs. playing it safe, long par 4, reachable/unreachable par 5s. 

 

This is a reason I really love my club's course. It requires a lot of thought off the tee on a most holes - like, you really do have to play shots. Plenty of holes where just finding the fairway isn't gonna cut it. Really covers everything that makes for a fun challenge.

[oikos1]

Rock. Stick. Hole. Dirt and grass = Golf. 

 

Everything after that is just permutations of a primordial, ancestral urge. 

[Cwing]

My opinion and my opinion only. Real golf is played on a “golf course”. It’s not played at Top Golf, on a putt putt course, on a par 3 course or in a simulator. Those all have their place and can be a blast in there own way but it’s not “real golf”.
 

 

I don’t know that it “real golf” but I personally don’t want it so long it’s driver / 3 wood / hybrid or long irons all day. I also don’t want it to be driver / wedge all day nor do I want to hit iron from every tee.

 

I want variety. I want to hit driver, i want to hit long irons/hybrids/wedges and woods.

 

I also want a course with good views, and an interesting layout.

[sevenfourate]

Love this topic.

 

I used to be a member of a very short but very tight; Par 68 / 18 hole course. Who many labelled as ‘Not a proper course’ as such…..
 

Every year a couple of the County course assessors (Both low figure single handicaps) would come and play - often in one of the competitions.

 

Despite those guys (Using standard criteria - and based around the play of a Scratch golfer: I know) labelling it / assessing it as ‘easy’ ; neither of them ever got close to playing near their handicaps and admitted it was tricky to score on  🤦‍♂️

Edited September 15, 2021 by sevenfourate