Tyler Waugh
Big shot bobs shot into the green on the 18th at the Scottish open to make a birdie only to have Rory top him with an eagle to claim the trophy
Link to commentJustin McCarthy
My immediate thought was Costantino Rocca holing the putt from the Valley of Sin to force the playoff with Daly at the '95 Open.
Link to commentWill Knights
As soon as I have a signed contract. Long Island, New York on 6/23
Link to commentBrian Decker
My favourite in this genre is Cabrera stuffing it on the 72nd hole at Augusta in 2013, only to be matched and eventually lose in the playoff to Adam Scott. The pelting rain, the walk after it, the hug with his son after making birdie. If I’m not mistaken he also backed off the shot and chastised a cameraman before stepping back into it, pulling the trigger in about four seconds and hitting it to four feet.
Link to commentDavid Salle
DJ at chambers after dropping shots to start the back 9 makes birdie on 17 (a hole speith doubled), then pipes one down the middle on 18 and gets home in two. If he sinks the eagle putt or forces a playoff it's remembered a lot differently
Link to commentDavid Salle
When is the location of the summer member guest being put out? Or at least a region of the counrtry for travel planning
Link to commentBrendan Popson
Hi all,
30, married, no kids, no interest in fighting. Live in UES and play at sims over the winter but hoping to play more outdoors this upcoming season. Unfortunately no car at the moment (though I'm considering getting one and would be happy to pick people up to play). Would love to meet and play with some NYC FEGC members!
Link to commentMatthew Schoolfield
> If you're going to put a course in that kind of category, it's pretty unsatisfying not to have a thoughtful justification alongside it.
Look, I've tried to go out of my way to appreciate the position that, in certain frameworks, any course can be considered good by people who prefer that kind of golf. Where I'd strongly push back against you here is that, it's very obvious that most people don't want a course to be one that PGA Tour players like. The relationship between the PGA Tour and the average golfer has never been father apart. Equipment gains have separated the way courses play to the point where it's hard for an everyday golfer to appreciate any 2+ shot hole that tour players play, because the way distances scale, you'll either lose the reasons why the tee shot or the approach is interesting.
When you add on top of that the fact that "fairness"-style of golf that professionals seem to prefer, any venue that is operated by the Tournament Players Club will likely not be one preferred by golf enthusiasts. That seems like a fairly straightforward justification, even if it wasn't said out loud. It makes sense that FEG, an outlet that consistently advocates for interesting golf for most players, don't particularly care about a course that is optimizing to test equipment they don't think is good for the game. I suspect that is why the bottom of this list is where the TPC courses mostly sit.
I can really appreciate the technical designs that make a course like this interesting. I really like golf architecture focused on game design, even though that's not the current zeitgeist in golf (and they applications here don't actually apply to me). At the same time, it seem very obvious to me why TPC courses get criticized by the general public. I can only speak for myself, but my experiences with courses that the Tour visits are that they are often designed to test things I don't care about, and to remove the kinds of tests I would like to see. I'm admittedly not much of a sports fan, but I basically only watch the Open Championship and really only when the weather is sub-optimal. The tour players want architecture to maximize their control over the outcome the receive, as though it were an applied driving range. I don't really want to watch that, I don't think most people want that either.
Link to commentJoseph LaMagna
Fair points! The specific critique (on top of the bunkers) would be that there's very little intrigue off the tee. I would even argue against the point you've made about the angle in the first round on No. 16 and believe you're overstating the importance of that angle. One of the closest approach shots of the first round (for which you've included the ShotLink plot above) came from the left-hand rough(!). Salinda hit it to 9 feet and just didn't make the putt. So I'd contend that the "Green light if you find the right side of the fairway, grind for par if you don't" concept doesn't work as well in practice as in theory, even if I wish it did.
So overall, imo some of the design decisions misunderstood what challenges a modern Tour pro. But then again, soft conditions doesn't do the golf course any favors.
Link to commentDavid Eldred
Absolutely -- I guarantee no one is coming on here to write up a defense of TPC Twin Cities!
Link to commentA.B. Mengel
For real though maybe Louie Oosthuizen in 2012 Masters - albatross and then losing to Bubba.
Link to commentA.B. Mengel
Any Kevin Kisner shot to force a playoff, followed by him losing said playoff?
Link to commentMichael Hayes
Hello All! I am very excited for another year of Fried Egg Events. I will be travelling in my van down from McCall, ID. to Ojai, Ca. and am up to see a few more SoCal courses as well. Then I will be driving Route 66 all the way to Chicago, where I will be capping off my road trip with the TFE SW Michigan trip! I need golf suggestions for OK and MO, 2 states that I have never played in! It's going to be a great spring!
Link to commentBen Denison
Justin Rose's back 9 at Augusta this year would count I feel like
Justin Thomas getting a plaque at Erin Hills for his 18th hole 3 wood that didn't win him the tournament
Sergio on 16 at Medinah probably best example?
Link to commentBrian Decker
For what it's worth, I took it in good humour. There's a reason I put Joseph's 'there's also TPC Toronto' tweet in my post. Being subject to that kind of criticism and humour comes with the category TPC Toronto and the other courses occupy.
In fairness, though, I'd say the same about the high standards that apply to FEG. If you're going to put a course in that kind of category, it's pretty unsatisfying not to have a thoughtful justification alongside it. And not to make this too much of a meta-take, but it was hard to find substantive critiques *anywhere* including outside of FEG, which left the void to be filled with commentary like "unfortunately, it's a golf course," "garbage golf hole," and "bad golf course." The last two are direct SGS quotes - Please Do Not Put In The Newspaper That I Got Mad.
For someone who comes to FEG for thoughtful analysis of golf courses, why *wouldn't* their takeaway be that TPC Toronto is, in fact, a very bad golf course? That's why I framed the discussion around what the definition of a bad course actually is.
Link to commentAlex Hunter
Nice Analysis Brian. As a local to Osprey Valley I have always had varying levels of appreciation for the golf courses on offer. I don't think I have a preference of pre-reno North vs. post-reno. Neither are my favourite on property. It feels like not much changed for me to differentiate it and given the price tag associated with those changes I ultimately question why. Sure there are overall improvements in quality. But these changes have just made the experience more expensive for everyday golfers with little value added outside of a TOUR event.
I think you know my partial affliction for the North course. From hole to hole I find its visual variety lacking in comparison to my personal preferences and the two other courses on offer on property. North's drawbacks are mainly due to the bunker shapes and sizing - scale and repetitive nature of the single thumb really draw my attention away from the enjoyment of the other elements on offer. That is amplified on TOUR because of the elevated nature of the shots presented. It detracts from North's strongest characteristics because it's easy to pick out. For example, North has a number of notable green sites like the 3rd, 9th, 10th, and 13th, that I think are worthwhile to see. You'd probably never know that without playing the golf course though.
Is North a "bad" golf course. Surely not. The land is decent enough to help achieve some form of engaging golf from hole to hole. Is there room for improvement and a stronger architectural design that could warrant a better evaluation of the golf course for both TOUR players and everyday golfers, yes.
Link to commentSteven Brooke
I just got back from playing RM, Kingston, 7 mile, and a few others in NZ last month, so here’s my 2 cents. Overall it was amazing.
Play RM and Kingston Heath. Take caddies (you need a caddie at RM for international visitors, and they gotta be paid in cash). But they’re also useful because the courses are such that having someone to point out lines and tricks will help you get the most out of your round. Make sure to take enough time to play the Furrows at Kingston (free and super fun) but also to walk around the clubhouses/facilities and enjoy it/sightsee. I had a blast.
Play Sandringham (Sandy golf links). It’s literally across the street from RM and superintended by their grounds crew. It’s an awesome public course and facility and such great value. No brainer to hit this one.
I played Cheltenham one evening. Fun 9 holer that shares a border with Victoria. Much more working class and not really the sandbelt feel but I really liked it.
It’s not necessary to rent a car. I stayed in the CBD and took public transport down to the courses (train, bus, tram). It was super simple and convenient. I did hop an uber once or twice because I was pressed for time, but those were cheap once down around the courses.
Do not forget your sun protection. The sun doesn’t feel super strong but it will absolutely roast you.
7 mile was awesome but hard- I had winds over 40 starting on about #6 and just got beat up from there on in. People were extremely nice, views are amazing, course was very good. Be careful going into the brush b/c of snakes.
Link to commentGarrett Morrison
Meh. It was clearly a lighthearted barb in the context of a tiering graphic. I think we need to allow for some fun in the discussion of golf courses.
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