Golfweek’s Criteria for Evaluating Golf Courses
1
EASE AND INTIMACY OF ROUTING
The extent to which the sequence of holes follows natural contours and unfolds in an unforced manner.
course through severe terrain and then asking golfers to perform well on it can be taxing, both physically and emotionally. But it’s not to be mistaken for good design, or for a course that will rate well. Most of all, a course that rates well
has to offer golfers a distinct sense of place. Part of the appeal of Pete Dye’s Whistling Straits outside of Kohler, Wisc., is the looming presence of Lake Michigan and how the routing and sequencing of holes allows golfers to experience it. The routing of each nine-hole side assures that the lake will play on both the left and right side of holes. Dye highlights this on the par 3s, which literally hang over the edge of the lake. And if you’re not playing on the lake’s bluff, you’re seeing the water at a near-distance. You know where you are. You know you are only in one place. And you also know that it’s the game of golf that makes it pos- sible for you to be there. I’m a big believer in course ratings.
Not because they feed an owner’s ego or drive traffic to a particular site. They help golfers appreciate and embrace what is so special about the game. In no other sport is the diversity of the playing field such a central element of the game. Golf is hard enough to play. Ratings re- mind us that no matter how well or how badly we play, there’s been something powerful gained in the process of trying. What we’ve acquired for that time is a powerful sense of the land, of the natural elements and of scenes that transport us into some other realm. A course that achieves that effect
deserves to be more highly rated than one that doesn’t.
INTEGRITY OF ORIGINAL DESIGN (Classic, before 1960) The extent to which subsequent changes are compatible with the original design and enhance the course rather than undermine or weaken it.
2a 2b
QUALITY OF FEATURE SHAPING (Modern, after 1960)
The extent to which the land’s features have been enhanced though earth-
moving and shaping to form a land- scape that suits the game and has aesthetic/thematic coherence.
NATURAL SETTING AND OVERALL LAND PLAN Quality and aesthetic relationship of golf course, clubhouse, cart paths and other facility features to surrounding structures and native scenery.
3
INTEREST OF GREENS AND SURROUNDING CONTOURS Shotmaking demands on and around the putting surfaces.
4 5
VARIETY AND MEMORABILITY OF PAR 3s
Different clubs hit; different terrain; different looks.
6
VARIETY AND MEMORABILITY OF PAR 4s
The extent to which the angles of play, varied terrain and left-to-right/ right-to-left shots create interesting and varied playing options.
7
VARIETY AND MEMORABILITY OF PAR 5s
The extent to which holes offer a variety of options from the tee and on the second shot as well as risk/reward possibilities.
8
BASIC QUALITY OF CONDITIONING
Variety of playing textures; extent of turf coverage; consistency and quality of bunker sand; delineation of tees/fairways/roughs/collars and chipping areas (beyond day-to-day changes because of weather, aerification, overseeding or repairs).
LANDSCAPE AND TREE MANAGEMENT The extent to which trees and any floral features complement or enhance rather than impose and intrude upon the ground features, and the playing options of the course.
9 10
“WALK IN THE PARK” TEST The degree to which the
course ultimately is worth spending a half-day on as a compelling outdoor experience.
Coeur d’Alene Resort
BRADLEY S. KLEIN is the longtime architecture editor of Golfweek, where he runs its national and international course evaluation program. His most recent book is “Wide Open Fairways” (University of Nebraska Press, 2013).
SUMMER 2014 /
NCGA.ORG / 47
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