Restaurant analogy
Bluemont in Arlington VA is a solid 3.5 disc 9 holer that any other 9 holer you're considering giving a higher rating to should be compared against. ...Olorin gave it 4 discs, how's that for a testimonial. :thmbup:
tmahan, thanks for the vote of confidence!
I was thinking of chiming in with Bluemont as an example, so this gives me the nudge to do so.
Without rehashing everything said so far, I agree completely with what RussMB has said.
My ratings are all about my enjoyment (NOT quality) of the course. For me the very best 9 hole course leaves me dissatisfied. I think the 18 holes is the standard, so when I play a great 9 holer it's like going to a restaurant and only being served 1/2 a plate of food. With a 9 holer I might love what I got, but I walk away without being "full".
In fact, since I'm talking about enjoyment the restaurant analogy might be a good one, if you consider 18 as a standard portion. Think of different restaurants where the enjoyment of the food is the same:
· 18 holes leaves me full
· 9 holes seems like ½ of a plate. It might be good, but it's not enough.
· 6 holes seems like 1/3 of a plate. Even if it's great, this is seriously not enough. Like a small appetizer.
· 27 holes is like a free dessert or a super size portion for the same price. I'm stuffed, so I enjoyed it even more than an 18 holer.
So my highest rated 9 hole course so far is Bluemont Park, and I gave it an 8.5 out of 10. That's the standard that I judge other 9 hole courses against. But as great as it is, I always leave wanting more. (You can see my updated list of
9 hole course ratings for a more detailed view of where various 9 holers I've played stack up.)
This only leaves comparing different restaurants where you enjoy the food differently.
· A 9 holer has to be more enjoyable so that the smaller portion makes it worth while. If Bluemont was 18 holes it would easily get a 5 disc rating from me, but as it is I enjoy it slightly less than 18 hole courses that I've given 4.5 discs. On these 18 holeres each 9 of the 18 holers probably doesn't equal 9 of Bluemont, though. I enjoy the holes of Bluemont more than other 18 holers that I've rated as 4 discs. On whole the fare of Bluemont's 9 is far superior to 4 disc rated 18 holers, but there just wasn't enough of it.
· The smaller portion from an enjoyable 9 holer is better than the larger portion of a lower rated 18 hole course. I'll take Bluemont over any 18 holer rated 3.5 or lower.
In summary, here's one more way to look at what I'm trying to say. Consider the courses that I've given top ratings to:
· Water Works in KC (18 holes) = 5
· Seneca in MD (27 holes) = 5
· Walnut Creek in VA (18 holes) = 4.5
· Bluemont in VA (9 holes) = 4
It's all about enjoyment, and if I had a limited choice to just play one course here's the order I'd choose: Seneca... Water Works... Walnut Creek... Bluemont. I'd choose Seneca first because with the 27 holes I'd leave "stuffed" and totally satisfied. As great as Bluemont is it's just not enough to compare to a full course meal type of course.