Are UK courses ever set up like this?

[Bravo]

We were playing in our tourney last weekend on the Robert Trent Jones Trail courses on Saturday. As I have written here before, these are tough courses. I would say that about 60% of the par 4's and 5's have large fairway bunkers that protrude out into the fairways, so they come into play quite a bit.

There is one course maintenance practice they do that really chaps my butt: On almost all holes, they have about 40 yards of rough in front of the green.

I was hitting my driver well most of the weekend. On a 520 yard par 5, the yardage marker said I had 250 left to the green. While I cannot hit my Sonartec regularly this distance, with a good blow and lots of runout I have definitely hit shots of this length several times off the deck.

So I pull out my Sonartec and my playing partner says..."remember that you cannot run it up to the green, your ball will roll right into the deep rough in front of the green". Of course at that point, I dropped back, took out a 7 iron and lagged up. This really began to piss me off as we played 36 holes that day on two different courses in the same complex.

On UK courses, (both parkland and links) do they ever set up the courses like this?

[Adam Pettman]

Not any I've ever played. Definatly not real links if you can't run the ball up onto the green.

[Dannykos]

not anything i've seen either on any proper courses - sand / water / ditches etc yes, but no rough.

[Garrett]

I love robert trent jones courses. They are usually big in every way. Greens have huge depth. I have never played in Europe so I can't compare.

[longshot]

I havent played on any like that.Some have rough from the tee so you have to clear that to reach the fairway.I have played on one that has a bunker that starts almost next to the tee and runs all the way to the green.

[Bravo]

Originally Posted by longshot

I havent played on any like that.Some have rough from the tee so you have to clear that to reach the fairway.I have played on one that has a bunker that starts almost next to the tee and runs all the way to the green.

These courses have the design elements you described..and since they are built around a lake, the marshy lakeside areas come prominently into play...

[dave.]

NO,they must be rare set-up like that.

[OmegaG5]

There's one hole on my home course (the 390yd par 4 11th, SI 4) that is a bit of a bummer like that.


The 100 yard marker (a white slab in the fairway - a dot on the photo) is 100 feet above the green. (Sloping steeply down in the direction of the arrow). There's a bit of rough at the bottom of the hill, and then a deep ditch.

Any strong shot that makes it past the 100 yard marker is going to roll down the hill, through the rough, and into that ditch. You can see the green from 150 yards, but not from further back. So any shot from 150 to 100 yards out is OK.... if it isn't over hit over into the brown pond.

The big problem with this hole is that the tee shot has to be a great drive of 250 yards plus, uphill and left out of sight, to be able to get to the 150 yard marker. Anything short of that means too long a safe shot to the green (because you can't see it), and a lay up second shot must be short of the 100 yard marker. That effectively converts the par 4 into a par 5.

R.
(lucky enough to get a helicopter ride a few weeks ago)

[Bravo]

We have some Par 4's on my course that are similar to that...you must carry the ball over hazards etc to get it to the green.

My beef with this course was not the design...it was a consistent maintenance practice that prevented players who had a decent chance of hitting a par 5 in two from attempting the shot, because there was no way to hit a fairway metal and give the ball an opportunity to run up onto the green. The design of the course was fine...a well placed shot of sufficient length would do it - but there was no chance because of heavy rough 40 yards from the front of the green out to the fairway.

I thought it sucked and took away from the game...

[ezra76]

They can't make them that easy. Even the hack course I play at I cannot run a shot onto the green of a par 5. One has a stream 10yards in front, one had a huge dropoff into a gully for the last 120yds. and the last is a 90* dogleg right but its at about 400+ yds. I've cleared the stream one with a hybrid a few times but never on the green. I've put it on the gully one with a 5wood once (banked it into the side and popped up) as well as with a 5iron that stuck too well (pin was in the back). Maybe what they want is to have it so there is no shot unless you can bomb the driver and take a 4-6iron in.

[Bama Duffer]

You're right, B, it is a pretty consistent practice. Must be something the maintenance guys are trained on statewide.

What did you think of the Judge?

[Andy_79]

Originally Posted by Bravo

I would say that about 60% of the par 4's and 5's have large fairway bunkers that protrude out into the fairways, so they come into play quite a bit.
On UK courses, (both parkland and links) do they ever set up the courses like this?

I played Royal Belfast, here in Northern Ireland, last Sunday. Many of the bunkers there do that and the 150 yard marker seems to be at them, or just after or before them, so its tricky to try and get to it without going in or near them. It is a Henry Cotton design and this was a design feature of his, apparently.

Yeah, lots easier parkland layouts I have played here that have little space/money to recreate tougher features seem to let much thicker stuff grow up just short.
Shorter, drivable par-fours that then sometimes prevent you from hitting driver/3-wood, and instead make you hit 4-iron & wedge. Seems silly/crap sometimes, like