Are There Certain Courses You Just Play Bad At?

Wheelieb · January 18

So I’ve found that there are two courses I play, that for whatever reason I just don’t play well at. I go to play with my friends and I feel like it’s going to be the day I do well. But then that first tee comes and it’s like I have no idea what golf is or why I’m there. I’ve played those two courses numerous times, best score is a 98. And neither are that difficult or tight. Anyone else have that issue with a course?

Josh Parker · January 18

I wouldn't say certain courses as much as certain holes.

There are some courses that I play and I get to the same hole every round and it just doesn't line up for my sight lines. Could be the way the tees line up down the fairway or a hazard that is in view for a lefty that isn't for right handers.

cnosil · January 18

I’d say yes. In my opinion it starts to get into the strengths and weaknesses of your game and course design. A golf course that is more target golf oriented is going to penalize a player that struggles with dispersion. Small greens will probably creat issues for a player with a weak iron or short game. Large greens may punish a player that struggles with lag putting. Greens with undulations will punish a player that can read greens. Or the hole layouts just put you at distances that make you uncomfortable and Impacts your mental game.

Siamese Moose · January 18

I live on a course (public) that I play poorly. It's mostly target golf with some severely penal areas for a left miss. Combine that with carts only, and I seldom play it.

Preeway · January 18

Ironically, the course use for my Wednesday night league was my worst course last year. In 11 rounds played last year, I only broke 40 4 times. My worst score was 44. The worst part is it's a short course without a lot of hazards. My biggest woe is the slow greens. Any course with slow greens will eat my lunch. I play my best on courses that run around 11. I just can't make myself hit 15 footers hard enough to even have a chance on slow greens or worse, I will hammer them 5 feet long trying to get it there. Granted, this is entirely a mental block. But I tend to play my best on courses that are difficult and require me to stay focused.

BallsLeon · January 18

My local muni makes me lose balls like none other. Dense tree line on every hole, and they let the rough grow out really long. If you venture off the fairway at all it is likely gone. Not my favorite course to play for this reason, I lose enough balls as it is haha

Wheelieb · January 18

My league course I will have those rounds where for whatever reason I can't make the putts. Then I will have rounds where my tee shots just are hot garbage. Or the rounds where my iron play just isn't that great. But I can go play VB National and shoot low 90's and was close to breaking 90. Don't ever get overly confident on a two foot put that is straighter that a runway. Pushed it wide and then left it short and shot a 91 that day...Either way, even when I feel my game is on at that league course, I've never shot low 90's. It's like that mental block is there with it and the base course.

cnosil · January 18

10 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

I will have those rounds where for whatever reason I can't make the putts.

I will have rounds where my tee shots just are hot garbage.

rounds where my iron play just isn't that great.

Sounds like golf.

f you want to break 90, target a score of 5 on each hole. Iron off the tee to get you in play, iron to on the green or close, get the ball on the green and 2 putt

BMart519 · January 18

I abandoned 1 course, it seemed like they didn't have enough space to finish all 18 holes. There is 25 yards of width between dense treed areas for the entire length of multiple par 4's. The trees themselves are not thick, so you don't get favorable bounces back into play or the ball dropping straight down. 90% of the time it is a lost ball for anything slightly offline.

The 13th hole is 400 yard par 4 from middle tees playing straight into the prevailing wind. At 25 yards wide, I've been able to lose a ball with every possible club down to a 6 or 7 iron on either the tee shot or approach. Fairway is 15 yards wide the whole way except where it widens behind some trees so it is easier to roll behind them requiring a punch out. Average score is 6.2 (including many improper drops at point of entry)... Followed by a 90-100 yard par 3 that you could possibly tee off with a putter.

17th hole is a 270 yard par 4 down wind. Your best play is to try to drive the green next to a pond as at least that is a drop from red stakes and the fairway pinches to 10 yards wide at narrowest LOL. Widest part of hole is 100-140 yards from the tee, which is again roughly 25 yards wide between forested areas and you would hit your approach through a 15-20 yard window or over the edge of trees 50 yards in front of you.

These holes combined with a couple other holes that are gimmicky and don't appeal to me when the rest of the course is a links style made me realize it wasn't worth my money because I don't enjoy my time playing there versus other places and only went because it was the cheapest course kept in good condition with fast greens in the area. Which still required a 45 minute drive.

Edited January 18 by BMart519

Middler · January 18

Nope, but I sure know a lot of guys who believe that. If they try a new course and play poorly, it’s forever a bad course to them thereafter. Two bad rounds and ‘they’re never going back.’ Some courses are harder than others, but yardage, slope and course rating show that. Or if you slice everything and a course is all doglegs left and hazards right, you’re probably going to have a tough day - that’s not a bad course.

Edited January 18 by Middler

Bossfan · January 18

My brother in law’s home course gave me fits the first few times I played there. There are a lot of tee shots that just didn’t fit my eye and got in my head. Now that I am used to it I’m fine there but it took many rounds.

Wheelieb · January 18

2 hours ago, BMart519 said:

I abandoned 1 course, it seemed like they didn't have enough space to finish all 18 holes. There is 25 yards of width between dense treed areas for the entire length of multiple par 4's. The trees themselves are not thick, so you don't get favorable bounces back into play or the ball dropping straight down. 90% of the time it is a lost ball for anything slightly offline.

The 13th hole is 400 yard par 4 from middle tees playing straight into the prevailing wind. At 25 yards wide, I've been able to lose a ball with every possible club down to a 6 or 7 iron on either the tee shot or approach. Fairway is 15 yards wide the whole way except where it widens behind some trees so it is easier to roll behind them requiring a punch out. Average score is 6.2 (including many improper drops at point of entry)... Followed by a 90-100 yard par 3 that you could possibly tee off with a putter.

17th hole is a 270 yard par 4 down wind. Your best play is to try to drive the green next to a pond as at least that is a drop from red stakes and the fairway pinches to 10 yards wide at narrowest LOL. Widest part of hole is 100-140 yards from the tee, which is again roughly 25 yards wide between forested areas and you would hit your approach through a 15-20 yard window or over the edge of trees 50 yards in front of you.

These holes combined with a couple other holes that are gimmicky and don't appeal to me when the rest of the course is a links style made me realize it wasn't worth my money because I don't enjoy my time playing there versus other places and only went because it was the cheapest course kept in good condition with fast greens in the area. Which still required a 45 minute drive.

There is a course back in my home town that was like that. But they never did any sort of landscaping to keep the place up and running well at all

Wheelieb · January 18

2 hours ago, Middler said:

Nope, but I sure know a lot of guys who believe that. If they try a new course and play poorly, it’s forever a bad course to them thereafter. Two bad rounds and ‘they’re never going back.’ Some courses are harder than others, but yardage, slope and course rating show that. Or if you slice everything and a course is all doglegs left and hazards right, you’re probably going to have a tough day - that’s not a bad course.

Oh I’d still go play those courses. I just struggle playing them. It’s like I’m either over confident or just in my head so much playing them

RangerGrey · January 19

There are certain course that have holes that I hate to play and if it's real windy I play bad at all of them, it seems that the wind is always a crosswind or right in my face