Part 2: Pinehurst 2,Whistling Straits- What really makes a golf course great for the average player?

If you haven’t read Part 1 of this piece, the following might not make a lot of sense to you.

The first criterion on which I will use to judge a golf course are the aesthetics. It’s pretty simple: if a course has mountains, marsh lands, oceans, or some other spectacle of nature, the pirates will be a plenty; trailer parks, landfills, or sites reminiscent of Tennesse’s Neylan stadium (the previous three are redundant, perhaps) are likely to give a course only one jolly buccaneer.

The second thing I typically look for is shot quality. Overall, the course needs to have several memorable and unique shots that make the round interesting. If every hole is the similar and you could find the same shots anywhere, then there is no need to spend a week’s pay to be bored. If a course is going to receive four or five pirates, every hole must be somewhat unique, and there must be several memorable shots scattered throughout the layout.

Par threes are also a huge factor for me, because I hope that the first hole-in-one I make will be on a great par three, and I really don’t have time to waste my opportunities on mediocre holes. Also, everyone has a chance of hitting one great shot on a par three and making a birdie or par; thus, most players look forward to par threes. In order to receive four or five pirates, a course must have at least one great par three that plays around 200 yards from the tips, because in my opinion, long par threes that are well-designed are the best holes in golf. A course must also have a par three that is totally unique for me to consider it great. While well-designed par threes might be the best holes in golf, they are also the most rare. It’s very easy for an architect to slap down a few bunkers and a tee box and move onto the next hole; to add creativity to 200 yards worth of earth takes quite a bit of imagination.

Another major factor in my enjoyment of a course is the quality of the greens: if I’m paying more than $50 to play somewhere, I want greens that at least offer a consistent speed and roll; If I’m paying $75 or more, I want fast greens that allow every type of shot to react the way that a player expects; If I’m paying more than $150 I want to be putting on glass-like surfaces on which a downhill putt has no chance of coming up short.

Finally, overall value has to be taken into consideration. I want to feel like I got every bit of my money’s worth after playing a course, so much so that I would be willing to pay the same amount to play the course in the future. If there is the slightest doubt in my mind, a course cannot receive 5 pirates.

*A course also has a chance to receive bonus points based on how fun it is to drink beer while playing. It’s not something I can put into words, but I know a good drinking course when I see one, and that has to be taken into consideration.

Look for my upcoming list of courses that have achieved a 5-pirate ranking.