Toughest Course/Conditions You've Ever Played In

[Thrillhouse]

I have probably played in tougher conditions (maybe) than this but this is the one that stands out because I performed well in it. When I was 17 we played a junior tournament at the beginning of april, which is the beginning of our season up here in Canada. The first day the wind was gusting up to 100kmph, they had to take the girls and the 13 and under boys off the course after one girl got blown down a hill on a par three. On top of this it was raining off and on the first round and the second day we played in a rain/hail mix for the first 9 holes. I wound up shooting 77-75 to win in absolutely abysmal conditions.

[Jack Pearsall]

Toughest course was the PGAWest TPC Stadium at La Quinta, a Pete Dye monster that hosts the Q School final.
That day it was windy my friends, I recall they closed the Palmer design because of sand storms.

So, you have this Pete Dye destroyer course, and then throw in a lot of heavy wind and it was your basic death march to Bataan round. The islandish par 3 at 17 with the wind -- hopefully you have enough balls left at that point.

I still have the hat I got to commemorate my demise that day..

[Jack Pearsall]

Worst conditions were at Bodega Bay Golf Links in Mendocino County, California. It's winter, pretty fracking cold, a blanket of fog descends on the second hole, then driving rain that is HARD hit us at the 4th, almost felt like ice. The wind swept the rain in removing the fog banks.

We thought we were in some John Carpenter movie as we watched our good day's walk spoiled.
By the time we called it, the black clouds were so foreboding even we knew it was time to get the hell outta there.

[goldberg1701]

Pretty much all my extremes have been in El Paso, TX. Best was at Butterfield Trail GC a couple months ago. Winds were steady at about 25-30, gusts in the 50s. All of a sudden, a large sofa-sized tumbleweed comes barreling across the fairway. I had to move the cart to prevent it from getting rolled over. I've also played in similar winds that turned into a dust storm. Nothling like crunching sand in your teeth as you play!

[MoaningM]

Am playing Carnoustie a week on Tuesday so will have to wait until then!

[littleprov1x]

La Purisima in Lompoc. It is a tough course with no wind- they played the finals of Q School there in 1996 and even par qualified. I played a college tournament there and the wind was blowing so hard that the flags were almost touching the surfaces of the greens. They nearly had to postpone play because the greens are pretty slick and the ball would move around randomly (I don't think my putter touched the surface of a green all day). We played 36 holes and I shot 79-77 and was in third place. Probably my two best rounds ever. I don't think I have ever been as mentally exhausted after a day of golf as that. It was brutal- it took over 11 hours to play 36.

Next day, not a breeze in the air and I think I shot 87. I had played so many punch shots that my shoulders were killing me and I was blocking everything.

[HackerVance]

I played Wolf Creek in Mesquite Monday in 25 mph plus winds. That was hard enough for me. An amazing course and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[golfnut-2X]

Played in a number of tournaments in cold downpours before and they are not fun even with the rain gear.

The worst I can remember I was caddying for my 6yr old daugther last spring in one of her tournaments. Forecast was clear nothing in it - ~ 72* F. Everyone wore shorts and didn't bring rain gear because of the clear skies and forecast. The send the younger 9 holers off last. Most players except the 9holers were in the club house. Out of noware the sky darkening winds easily 30mph (trouble standing just to make a shots and putts) but it seems like they didn't call the alarm because of no lightning. Hind sight fire the guy responsible for the horn. Couple holes light rain but they played through freezing rain blowing sideways for 5 holes. Conditions were aweful and we shot a ~ 50 for 9 where she averages low eighties for 18 hole 3000 yards. Kept checking with her if she was too cold and to withdraw. Moment she said it was too much regardless of the tournament we are off, but she kept waiting hole by hole and then finished.

Lesson learned - we now pack all rain gear, extra clothes, etc regardless of forecast for each tournament. It was brutel but now we look back when the forecast is questionable and we laugh at it now but she feels like she can play through anything after that.

[cml694]

Saticoy Country Club...40 mph winds, even faster gusts. The greens were running over 13...that day was hell!

[Mags]

Don't really have any bad weather stories, but in terms of just difficulty of course it's no question. In 2010 my "home course" was where the USGA Public Links was held and I played the course about a week before the event started, but it was for the most part set up as the tournament would play (maybe slightly softer/slower greens than the 11+ the tournament ran at, since bent grass isn't a fan of 90 degree heat and humidity, and they needed to keep the greens alive). But that was the gnarliest rough I've ever seen. 2.5", thick bermuda that always seemed to let the ball settle down. I almost lost a ball on one hole where I hit a bunker shot too hard and it rolled maybe 1-2ft into the rough. Needed to be right on top of it looking straight down to even catch a glimpse.

Of course those guys went out and ripped it apart. Medalist in the 2 round qualifying was -9 (really -11 but they played it as a 7200 yard par 71 instead of 72). Figure that's about as close as I'm gonna come to playing in a USGA event, haha.

[cradd10]

I thought that i had played in some tough conditions. But after reading a few on here, maybe not.

[dc211]

Desert Dunes, its the golf course going out to Palm Springs where all the wind generators are. Well there's a reason they have all those wind generators. Golf course is fairly easy without the wind, but its never really not windy. Would have never even teed off but it was a qualifying event for the Southern California Amateur. It blew 40-50 pretty much all day with gusts over 60. The lowest score in a field of amateurs all better than a 2 handicap that day was 87, qualifying historically requires a score around par. Despite the horrendous conditions it was fun to hit several 400+ downwind drives. Not so fun smashing driver back into the wind and not have it get past 200.

[DLiver]

I had a tough one last fall at Sandhills. It was raining, blowing hard and cold (upper 30s), and a bunch of us were waiting for the weather to calm down like the forecast said it was supposed to. Sure enough, it stopped raining and the wind dropped some. Several of us hopped into our carts for the ride out to the course (about a 5 minute ride). By the time we got to the tee, it was raining AND sleeting, and the wind was howling. By the 4th tee, my hands were so cold I couldn't grasp a tee to pull it out of the ground. One of my playing partners started wearing socks on his hands, and proceed to hit the par 3 second green--driving into a gale while wearing socks LOL! I was shivering so bad by the 9th hole I could barely putt. We stopped after nine.

The other time was in a State Am qualifier when it was so windy, all the stand bags were blowing over and putts were being blown around the green. They should have stopped play, but didn't for some reason. Anything in the low 80s qualified.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

It wasn't the worst conditions I've played in, but last weekend my dad played in a two day tournament. Saturday, the wind blew 25 mph gusting to 35, and it rained the last 4 holes. Sunday, it was sunny, but the wind blew at 35 gusting to 45mph. I know it is windy when a golf bag will not stand up. Saturday we played a scramble and shot a 1-under 69. Sunday was a shamble, and we shot an even par 70. We were the only team that did not shoot over par on Sunday, and we ended up winning by 3 strokes.

 

Sunday, the wind got so bad on a few holes that you felt you had no shot at hitting the green. One par 3 played with a vicious left to right wind. The hole was only 165 yards long, but I hit a knock down rope hook 6 iron that ended up drawing up 2 yards. It ended up 15 feet from the hole on the green and we made par. One of the teams in the group behind us made an 8, and lost to us by 5 strokes. We probably picked up 3 strokes on the field on that hole.

[tesuquegolfer]

I played in the NM State Match Play qualifier a few years ago at PaaKo Ridge which can be a pretty tough course. Well, it was brutal that day with winds 25+ mph, this is a tight course and if you get off course you are in the rocks... Mind you there were ~65 of the best golfers in the state there including about 5 UNM Division 1 College players there. Well the year before 77 or better qualified for the Match Play event. That year 86 or better qualified. They posted all of the 9 hole scores and there were only 2 in the red, that's 2 out of 130 9 holes scores. There were plenty of +2 to +4 golfers in this event. I shot 87 as a 4 hdcp and it was one of the best rounds I ever played in those kind of conditions. One of the guys in my group was a +1 and he shot 92, the other a solid +2 shot 84. On one of the par 5s I compensate for a left right wind and my usual fade and end up hooking one in the junk. I stripe my provisional right down the middle and head off to the woods to look for my first ball. As I am walking around in the bushes and rocks, I see balls all over the place and I think I should just call it lost and go play my provisional, when out of the corner of my eye I see a ball with a stripe on it and sure enouhg it is mine. I got NO shot even with an unplayable at 2 club lengths or away from the ball inline with the flag. So, I pick up and head back to the tee. When I get to the tee there is the group behind us waiting, talk about a nerve racking shot as I tee up to hit my third shot with a 25 MPH crosswind and with a group of sticks watching me. Well I stripe it down the middle about 270. I end up wrecking the hole and taking a snowman. Did you understand above that I missed qualifying by one? That was one tough day!

[PingG10guy]

Diamondback in Abilene Texas. 15 mph winds and an annoying ice rain. It was fun

[Child Please]

Mine was actually in perfect weather--played Torrey Pines 7 weeks before the Open in '08. The USGA had not come out and cut the rough. Marshall's said it was roughly double the length that it was going to play for the open. Basically any shot in the rough was wedged out. Shot 93 and actually played well

[2ball]

If you are a diehard golfer in Chicago, or anywhere in the midwest, you've seen it all probably. I've had rain turn into snow and the temp drop 30 degree in mid November. That the only time I've ever walked off a course (after 15 holes). Started out 58 dropped to 28. When you arn't dressed for it. It gets a little painful.

[jmvargas]

i almost always stop playing when it rains too hard and i can't grip the club well anymore and if it's in a tournament it normally get's cancelled anyway or we call off our bets for the unfinished holes...

i guess the hardest conditions i've played in when i HAD to finish the game would be super windy conditions....on ANY golf course..

when i am hitting the ball well i have never really found any golf course that i have found the hardest...

when i'm hitting it badly.......ALL courses are hard!!

[Marbelizer]

Northern Alberta last year, sometime in july. Me and my buddy decide to go get a quick 18 in after an early day from work. We finish the front 9 and its about 20 celcius out. By the time we hit 14, the temp had dropped to about 5 degrees and started to cloud over.

After hitting our tee shots the rain started, within 5 more min the hail started and by the time we hit the green. It was white and we couldnt even putt out. Tried to wait it out, but with the wind it was insane. We ended up just driving back in the golf cart and with the wind and rain it would have been just as well we swam back. Was not a single part of us dry. Course was flooded out in a matter of min.

I think that was the worst i have ever seen.

[golfnut-2X]

daughter played in a tournament recently and it was a complete down pour all day with gusting winds. posted earlier on one of her tournaments last year where 5 holes (of 9) were in unexpected freezing horizontal rain where we were not prepared. this time we were prepared since it was pouring all day and not expected to let up. played through complete down pour and shot 1 over. it was about 49* F but the rain / wind made it feel a little colder. it was tough conditions and i was hesitant at first on sending her out but looking back very cool what she shot. she is very proud she did that in the rain.

[kakashi54]

club champs told the green keeper the course was playing to easy big mistake didnt water the greens they baked double cut and rolled them rock hart stimping at 14 windy conditions shot 93 off plus 3

[golfnut-2X]

greens keeper being funny once played an interclub tournament away and the home team thought they were being funny in a similar way. they had a short course with small undulated greens. they double cut and probably rolled them with a 18 wheeler and they had to be over a 14 with undulations. they obviouslly practiced with those conditions and we got our clock cleaned - the greens were almost un puttable.

[jmvargas]

another reply from me if i may:

1)toughest conditions would most probably be heavy rain, super winds, extreme heat/cold or any combination of these..

2)toughest course will be a bit more subjective but would include those that are tough EVEN when you're striking the ball well..

it would include holes with narrow fairways, lightning greens, penal rough and long carries----any normal US Open course!!

...unfortunately or fortunately i've never played any of those....

PS..

i would be curious to know,however, which are the toughest SHORT courses--ie--6500 yards or less and properly maintained..

[Skygolf76]

Yesterday playing on the Jones Course at Pinehills, MA. For who of you played it surely knows the Jones is a challenging course...even with perfect whether conditions..
Teed off at 8 am...It was cloudy and little windy...I play 10hcp...after 3 holes (par par par) I was happy with my game and the ball impact...I was the only player on the course, then I understood why: heavy rain started to fall....from hole 4 to the end of my round...by hole 7 everything was wet...me, the cart, the clubs, my wallet inside the golf bag..and visibility got lower...putting was impossible...the toughest golf I ever played...finished with an 89 (+10 on the back nines).

I was supposed to play Waverly Oaks in the afternoon but the course was closed due to weather conditions...

[kellygreen]

[quote name='ricknoberts' timestamp='1332560699' post='4567940']
I played Tiger Woods '12 the other day in some absolutely preposterous conditions on a ridiculous course, and it made me think of the hardest round I ever played.

Last year I was lucky enough to go to Scotland and play a number of elite courses, but the first day was absolutely brutal.

My brother and I played the Ailsa Course at Turnberry from the tips in a driving rain with constant winds above 35 and gusts above 60. I heard that Prestwick gave refunds on greens fees for the first time in years that day. After a long delay waiting for our clubs, we were the last group of the day off.

For those of you who don't know the Turnberry layout, the first several holes alternate into and downwind, but after the openers, the next several holes play directly into the teeth of the wind. The 15th hole played about 195 that day, and we both hit driver on the screws and didn't get there. On the fifth hole, which was downwind, I skanked a tee shot off the heel and it went 330+.

By the turn I started to wonder if I was actually going to die on the golf course. I've never been so cold.

I honestly don't know if there is a man alive who could have broken 75 on that course that day. My brother in law, who plays off scratch, felt ecstatic with his 97.

If someone would have asked me to put a slope on the course on that day, I would have said infinity.

For you all, what is the combination of brutality that has tested you the most?
[/quote]

King's North down in Myrtle Beach about 8 years ago.

Was at the southern end of a Nor'easter that turned into a blizzard when it hit New England.

Steady winds of 30 mph, gusts to 45-50 mph.

Was a 15 at the time, and shot around 100.

The "Oh my" story of the round was the knockdown 8 iron I hit hole high....from 105 yds, into the wind. I was hitting an 8-iron about 150 back then.

[jack1123]

Well golf in the UK can have pretty nasty wind and rain conditions as standard. Maybe one of the windiest I have played a few days ago. I hit a 6 iron from 155 and came up a club short. I normally hit a 6 180-185

[mglosier54]

For me, the toughest course/conditions I have played in is when we had a college tournament at Cog Hill in Chicago, Illinois on the Dubsdread course! Practice round was great, good weather, somewhat calm wind, and just had fun. The next day was the first round of the tournament which also happened to be 36 holes, It rained the entire 36 holes (a steady rain) and oh yea we were playing Dubsdread which made it about fifty times harder! Ended up shooting 81, 81 which wasn't terrible considering the conditions but I wasn't happy with it. The next day was more of the same. Rain, Rain, and more Rain and at points it was a complete downpour! The entire course could have been classified as "Casual Water" but Cog Hill has those sub-air systems, and the greens were rock hard! It was awful. I hit a perfect drive on #10 and had 76 yards to the pin which was on the middle back of the green, hit a 56 degree and it landed about 15 feet short of the pin bounced once (a big bounce!) and went over the green and plugged in the bunker. Ended up making double bogey. But needless to say the course was so tough and definitely the worst and hardest conditions I have played in!

[letsplaygolfswing]

Two for me...played Blue Heron Pines near Atlantic City after the ice storm in '93...8 degrees with 35 knaught gusts and ice on everything in site. balls bouncing off the greens like they were parking lots!!! Even better was when I played a few holes in Viet Nam in '67...not only was it 104 degrees and 99% humidity but there were NVA snipers in the trees. Now that was a tough back nine...got two birdies and two gooks:)

[elp3022]

Great topic! A couple of years ago I went to Ireland. First course I played was Old Head. The day before when we arrived, it was clear skies, light wind, and about 70F. I awoke the next morning to dark skies, 35+ wind, and rain. Well, I didn't fly 12 hours and pay alot of money to sit in the hotel, so off I went to the course. For those of you who don't know, the course is on a peninsula and is exposed to the elements. Absolutely stunning. After a brief warm-up, my caddie and I head out into the wind and rain. It basically rained all day and the wind was steady at 30-35mph all day. On hole 10, the fog rolled in. You'd hit the ball and after 50 yards it would disappear in the clouds. The caddie and I just looked at each other and said, "Oh well. Lets see if we can find it." That went on for 5 holes or so. I went through one other group that day but basically had the whole course to myself. I guess no one else was brave/stupid enough to play that day! I didn't experience weather like that the rest of trip, thankfully.