AlexD243
Par Member
variety, some woods, some open, some straight, some to the left, some to the right, and a few doglegs.
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Playing many hot weather rounds lately..
+ for shade
+ for parking that allows for pit stops mid round
+ for nearby convenience store for beverages / ice
+ for fountains (wash off poison ivy / cool off)
^^ I so want to play that course - gotta plan a road trip to KC.
Ahh, I see that you're 18. Wait until you reach 30 and older.I will respectfully disagree with this. While having a bathroom onsite might be nice occasionally, I rarely find myself having to go in the middle of a round. Taking care of that kind of stuff before leaving home is smart.
I've only seen a few backyard courses[and I've seen plenty] that even qualify as good, let alone great. If you mean that you live next door to a excellent, developed course, I agree. But 10 minutes is as good as next door almost anywhere in the US.
I've seen a few. I think a few courses in the Top 25 might qualify. At any rate, the "backyard" post was a supplement to Bogey's list; a course with all that, AND in my backyard.
Ah, but that's just an individual's benefit, not a definition of a Great Course.
10 minutes away might be better than in your backyard...because it means someone else is doing the work.
First and foremost: variety.
-Fairway Types: open, moderately wooded, densely wooded.
-Fairway Shapes: left, right, straight, S-shaped, some weird or interesting ones...
-elevation: uphills, downhills, risk reward pin placements on near slopes/drop-offs, holes that throw over gullies, over hills/rises, and at least a few flat or nearly flat, some holes that can have you putting uphill or downhill based on where your upshot lands.
-Distances: good mix of all kinds of distance, and should have at least a couple of 175-225' Ace Runs, and at least a couple of 500'+ bombers, and all sorts of stuff in between, especially good if there are some holes of similar distance that play quite differently due to elevation.
Until you have ^this^, you can't begin to think about a truly great course - that's square one.
Multiple pins/tees helps (if well executed), but is not absolutely necessary, and won't save a bad course from being bad.
Other factors that determine whether a course is truly great or not:
Basics: Tees, baskets, signs, upkeep & maintenance. I don't care how great the holes are, if people can't find their way, or things are in disrepair, things aren't great. Basics don't have to be incredible - they just have to be good enough to "not be a factor." No one really shoots better because of truly exceptional baskets, tees, or posts, but they can certainly shoot worse when things suck. Good = great as far as I'm concerned on this. If you get this wrong, it doesn't matter what else you get right.
Beauty - a great course is inviting to play and a pleasure to see, would be a nice walk without discs.
Challenge - great courses are challenging, yet able to be accommodating to a variety of skill level. Hard to be great if too many holes are easy (or impossible) to par, which leads me to...
Scoring separation: tougher to do than it sounds. Well designed holes create scoring separation. don't want to elaborate here, search other threads for more info.
Good use of natural elements, especially water.
Flows well from hole to hole.
Fun factor - makes you want to come back.
Bonus for things like: unique holes, hanging baskets, basket in tree, water carries that aren't absurd, charm, and unique touches you often see on private courses which give them personality (as long as things aren't overdone).
Top of the world shots (who doesn't love 'em?).
I'm pretty sure I left some stuff out, but if you used my list to evaluate a given course, and everything scores favorably, you definitely have a great course. How great is a matter of details related to that course and personal tastes.
^^^Sounds like a great course!
You know what they say about opinions.