What makes a Golf Course a "Good" one?

[Donn lost in San Diego]

1. Panoramic views.  Of anything, except of course a bunch of new style-less houses or condos.

2.  Layout that actually follows the contour of the land.  I know some designs move thousands of tons of earth.  Why?

3.  No more than 1 gimmick hole, no more than 1 Pete Dye trick.  Unless the actual contour is in play.

4.  Not many long carry off the white tee over hazards.  I know a tee shot should go up in the air but I was on a course I won't name, but, almost every hole, I had to ask someone:  "where am I supposed to aim ?  I don't see a fairway."

5.  Strictly enforce a maximum skirt length on the beer cart driver. 

[Ray Eaton]

A course where the staff is friendly, immaculate/well kept greens, and pace of play is enforced. Having a challenging layout that makes you utilize various clubs and your imagination is also a big plus.

Edited February 15 by Ray Eaton
misspelling correction

[Wu1f]

My home course is one of my favorites because it challenges you to hit to a specific location.  If you do, your next shot will be easier, but even if you miss, you still have a decent chance for par - unless you REALLY miss.

[jbern]

9 hours ago, tomdisy said:

RED

Rememberable

Enjoyable

Dog (a place your dog would enjoy walking)

 

I can’t remember the author’s name or title, but this comes from a book on architecture I read  

 

I like that quote when describing a good course!

[Hitnhunt]

Like many that have responded, cost, course conditions, and layout are the primary factors.   Something to look at to keep your mind of the last poor shot doesn't hurt either. Length is really unimportant.  A course doesn't have to be 7200 yards to be challenging.  It doesn't take a great deal of imagination in course design to simply make 240 yard par 3's and 485 yard par 4's and call it a challenging course.  I'm almost 65, and likely won't be playing the tips in any event.

It seems most courses for a while now have all been designed with the goal of selling real estate, rather than for actually playing golf.  You want 7400 yards, and a quarter mile from one green to the next tee to maximize the number of houses you can fit in there.  The assumption is that nobody will want to walk, and besides, the number of lots is what's really important.  However, all that length means plenty of water, chemicals, maintenance, and that equates to cost.

I love golf in places like Scotland, where every town has their own course, and seems like most of them have no houses to be seen.  The courses were for playing golf.  Literally every course offers membership (something unheard of here in the Phoenix area), and most courses seem like an episode of "Cheers" where all the regulars show up and it's a real community thing.

 

[Kevin W]

One that keeps pace of play with the use of legitimate rangers.

Good condition course.

For me a big one is a course that just has that certain, almost epic look to it from the tee boxes.

Room off the tee, tightens as it approaches the green.

Holes that are just fun as defined by yourself.

Reiterate though, pace of play emphasis especially now because courses are more crowded.

Have fun everybody.

 

[Fatshot]

I'm a senior, so I don't have to play on weekends, and we usually tee off at 8:00-ish, so even if there's a group or two ahead of us, they're probably quick players who don't waste time, just like us.   So, pace of play is rarely a problem!

I'm from NW Ohio, which is flat as a pancake, so hilly terrain like some of these pics show would be a real luxury for me!   Beyond that though, I like a course that has a variety of holes.....some doglegs EACH way....par 3's of different lengths.....some thought given to where the senior tees are placed (I don't want to play 380 yard par 4s anymore, but I don't want 280 yard ones either!)...good turf in the fairways and on the greens.....I'm a walker, so I'd rather play a course where I don't have to walk 200-300 yards from the green to the next tee......and most of all, I want to use EVERY club in my bag, and have to play a variety of shots from around the greens.    Factor all those things together, and that would be my idea of a really good golf course!!!

[FmrCaddie13]

Do you like to play it? If yes, it's good. The end.

[JonMUSC08]

6 minutes ago, FmrCaddie13 said:

Do you like to play it? If yes, it's good. The end.

100% agree. If you enjoy it; for price, for condition, for location, etc then its a good course. I play a muni in lightly-decent shape and i've also played Pebble Beach before. Pebble at $600 was incredible. But $30 at the muni is great too bc i can play it ALL THE TIME and i have fun and it doesnt change my score.

[archship]

Accessibility and Affordability are the two most important For me, it has to be a course I can play. Sure Augusta National is incredible, but I will never know that personally, so it isn’t good for me. Money also has something to do with it, as courses like Pebble Beach are out of my price range; so, again, it wouldn’t be good for me. After accessibility and affordability are cleared, it is nice to have a challenging course that has decent greens and maybe has good views with no or few houses.  I could care less about the actual manicure of the course or the amenities. I learned to play on 9-hole sand greens courses in Nebraska and Kansas. The course conditions may have been atrocious to some people, but it was cheap, available, and there were always great views. What more could you ask for?  I now live in Myrtle Beach. The golf is mostly cheap, available, and the views are good. Again, what more could you ask for?

Edited February 15 by archship

[Shapotomous]

Quite a few factors popped into my head while thinking about it.  Many other posts have the same factors as mine.

Friendly respectful staff.  I dislike the condescending attitude that some have where they are doing you a favor by allowing you to play their course.  

Interesting layout.  I get bored by the back and forth wide open holes where you can play your hole from two fairways over.  Elevation changes are nice but not required.

Pace of play.  First off, lets not give tee times 5 min apart.  And if there are rangers please have them do something about slow players.

Good conditions.  I am not asking for tour level but I dont enjoy paying decent money then looking for a grassy patch in the fairway to hit from.

I like a course where you need to use most all of the clubs in your bag.  Driver wedge or short iron all the time gets boring.

[BNewton51]

Quite the interesting question to ask...

For me, at least, I break it down into a couple categories and the answers are slightly different.  

Places I always play:

In this category I look at "good" courses from the lense of why do I play them all the time.  When thinking through that, frankly, I come to the conclusion that the company and or memories are what brings me back to that course frequently.  For example my home course.  Small short 6100 yard course from the tips I believe, but I'm there ALL THE TIME because A. it's home and B. the memories I have there can simply not be replaced. 

Tournament Courses:

Not that I'm a Pro or anything, but I did sleep at a holiday in express recently.  And they did leave the light on.  Wait... That's Motel 6.  But I digress.  Favorite Tournament course are ones that I view as places where I've had success, the course set up is ALWAYS challenging, and they draw the best fields.  There are probably about 4 courses locally that when they have a tournament upcoming I am always going to sign up and play there.  Harrisburg CC, Hershey CC, West Shore CC, American Legion CC to name a few.  These places, the last being the least attractive of the bunch, always set their courses up challenging and I've enjoyed modest success at them.  But the fields are ALWAYS strong and that satisfies the competitive nature of things. 

Destination or Vacation Courses:

These courses frequently are played due to reputation, views, location and value prop.  Frankly, those are ones that I look more at the views and course design than anything.  Tidewater and Grand Dune in Myrtle for example.  What an amazing and beautiful course these two are!!  The courses mix in challenge with scenery.  They stick out to me for both.  The first time I played them, it wasn't pretty.  Frankly, those scores will never be mentioned.  But... I can tell you I walked away from them knowing for the value on a vacation and the opportunity to check that box on each it was more than worth it.  Coincidently, the more I've played them the better the scores. 

Overall, fabulous question.  And frankly tough to have a one answer fits all.  At least for me.  I would probably say that any time we spend on the course is always good.  Even those times we play on a dog-track so long as the company is good, the laughs are plentiful and we can walk away ready to fight another day!

Great question!

[Swood1994]

I'm sure there are bunch of things I would say make a a course good but if I had to give a top 3 it would be:

1. Level tee boxes
2. True fast greens
3. Layout

I'm not hard to please haha

[kylebennett006]

I think #1 is course condition. I do not want to play on uneven, patchy tee boxes. If there is no discernible difference between fairway and rough, what's the point? Greens that are peppered with pitch marks and dead spots are not nice to look at and really lower the margin of error. Another, often underlooked feature, I think, are cart path conditions. If I'm having to drive 4 mph to avoid spilling my drink or knocking something in the cart over, that's no fun either.

If the course is in good condition, I will find a way to make it fun and enjoyable.

[Shannon Severson]

It might be easier to ask What makes a Course Bad in your opinion. Golf is great, even in the yard at home. A good course is one that keeps it green when it is the drought time of summer. Consistency throughout the season.  

[Rob Person]

You know, I didn't see it, and maybe I overlooked it in another post. A course can be Amazing in the spring thru fall seasons, and still be Great in the winter too, or theyblet it fall to crap, doing bare minimum maintenance. I think for those of us that can play golf year round, this is a key item to add to the list.

Premier/Destination courses are the exception for the most part, as they are gleamed for their pristine conditions. 

But for local courses to maintain their sites throughout the entire year, even with dormant grass and hard soil,  is a  in the plus column for me. They know the fairways and edges aren't going to be plush and green, but they pride themselves with the upkeep of tee boxes and greens.

[KevinJ]

Good but not great, in my opinion would be one that has a good staff when you are greeted, and a clubhouse that is simple yet good food.  For the course, I don't mind one that make you think about not using a driver every hole.  I enjoy the challenges of hazards (not ones that are so hard a little of target and good luck on any recovery) and well-designed greens.  For a good course, there should be value in play and not break the bank.  As for the greens, I expect them to be as consistent as possible from green to green.  I liked a challenge on the greens with slopes and tiers, just not greens that are all slope that makes for a little miss hit the ball to roll off.  Picky I know.  

[jdischy]

I think this question is different by the individual. For me its value for the money. I'll pay a little more for a golf course in great condition, that doesn't have me waiting behind groups all day, and that I can reasonably play with my length and ability. I also would pay more for a once in a lifetime opportunity to play. That said, if I pay I have the above expectations. If the fairways and greens are tore up, the sand not raked, the course stacked with people, I'll definitely not be back. 

Example: I played a course last year for the first time in a few years. It's a premium course around where I live, and usually has the best greens and fairways around. It's very tight and challenging, but not overly long which fits my game. The issue on this day is that a normal round with a partner for me is under four hours. The course was so full on this day that we were on the course for 6.5 hours and didn't get to finish the last 2 holes due to darkness. On #14 tee box when we approached 3 groups ahead of us that knew each other combined and there were 12 golfers playing at the same time. For whatever reason there was no marshall out on this day and when we called in they just said "We are really busy today". Part of the expectation of a premium course to me is that you manage it appropriately. I assume you charge more to not only pay for the upkeep, but also because you limit the amount of players on the course at one time. This was unacceptable to me.

Needless to say I haven't played it again, and I have zero ambition to play again. I didn't feel valued or respected. On the other hand, I play a course called River Greens in Ohio. They have 27 holes, are moderately priced, host several scholastic events and the course is always well kept, but what I really like is that even though they are always busy you never notice it on the course. I never remember having to wait on the tee, and we can always make a day of it, knowing approximately when we will be done. It's my favorite regular course to play. Always go back to it a couple times a year even though its a 2 hour drive for me.