Friday, March 4, 2011

The World's Best Ten Golf Courses

By Paul Monahan


What do golfers look for in a course? The average golfer will often look for a course that will take him or her towards the limit. There's no comparison in the achievement in defeating yourself and getting through the obstacle that golf presents you. A golf course that will not provide a breath taking views, but will also offer a fair amount of difficulty is a pleasure for players. Public golf courses employed for tournaments can also provide the much-needed experience for the typical golfer as they also get to face what the professionals deal with. After searching high and low, here are a few of the best courses that a player can go to. There's a whole lot of courses around, but these golf courses give best of the best.

The Old Course, St. Andrews Links: For being around for up to 6 centuries, who will not come to an agreement that this golf course is "The Home of Golf"? The game of golf has been played in this course since 1400 A.D. and is the very large golfing complex in Europe. The fairways mindfully taken cared of, the beautiful scenery, and the the taunting challenge beginning with the first hole will make your round of golf a very unforgettable experience. The images seen or videos shown online or in television may trick you. The ground appears flat but when actually on the course, the grounds are humped and the bunkers are much deeper thus the challenge is all over you. You may book upfront by ballot to this golf course which is located in Scotland. If you want to feel what golf really is about, this might be perfect for you.

Murfield: This really is the course of The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers - the eldest group in golf. The design of the course is simply a masterpiece, and it has been like that since 1891. If that is not enough, the club was associated with writing the original rules of golf long ago in 1744. This course was created with holes set up in a circular fashion that require the golfers to always adjust with the wind directions. There are situations when players must stop and admire the excellent view of the course which includes the sea view and the tree around it. The eye candy is just a facade of what it actually brings to the golfer. Bunkers are all around and the greens are small which is quite challenging for the golfer with regards to accuracy.

Oakmond Country Club: If you achieve the opportunity to play golf in the course, you should expect an experience worth reminiscing. It has 210 deep bunkers and greens that slope away will await the golfers which can be very challenging as every shot should be carefully done. One wasted shot can lead you to wind up on the course's deep bunkers. The fairways are tight, so accuracy will be the key point. The history of this course stretches as far as 1903. This course may very well be the most toughest to play on as bunkers is visible left and right.

Royal Birkdale (The Birkdale): This course is a top ranker in England, with the spectacular scenery and the great golf holes. The fairways are designed in such a way that the ball will rarely go off course. A nice club house, kind staff and a well-stocked golf shop is just a tip of the course's iceberg. But be ready to have a good punch at your pockets as the experience may be expensive. However, the challenge the course offers will make sure that the money will be well-spent. The wind Birkdale has is really an evil force to deal with, but the challenge will push the golfer to the limits. A good bang for the buck.

Shinnecock Hills: This course has hosted four US opens and is a very rough course to play on which was built in 1891 and remodelled during the 1930's. The holes may start out very easy to make shots with, but it will progressively become difficult and quite deceiving. The hole will demand that the golfer will learn to adapt and play employing astounding skills. The 300-acre course has a clubhouse that is located at their highest point, hence giving a good view to the place. this golf course swanks of winds from the Atlantic, the sandy terrain, and the grasses that border the fairways. Aftergame cocktails could be availed by the club members aside from the game experience they receive.

Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland: The Turnberry Golf Club was established in 1902, then the Turnberry Hotel in 1906 that links to the nearest railway station. It was even almost destroyed as it was used in the two World Wars but it was reopened in 1951 after extensive repairwork. What makes this course unique from the others is the absence of dunes on holes near the sea coast, which makes a perfect test for the player. It has hosted 4 Opens and remains a favorite. The view of the British Isles is just a teaser for the game experience and being on the same holes Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson fought on!

Royal County Down Golf Club: This course is worth it as it one of the top front nines among the world's courses. It welcomes the golfers with a impressive view of the Bay of Dundrum as it is found in Northern Ireland, resting nicely on the foot of the Mourne Mountains. The pristine condition of the this course is good for a challenging game, but it has not hosted a single Open. The course may offer you the eye candy, but can also give major pain in your game, as the winds are unpredictable. The wind is strong enough to topple a trolley, bend the ball in flight, or bend the flagstick. The difficulty of the course will challenge a golfer to the limit, not only because of the winds but also with its quantity of blind drives also. The challenge it offers simply warrant a spot in the top ten of the world.

Augusta National Golf Club: Being the host to the annual Masters, this dream course is located in a dream-like setting, and even getting to play here is also dream-like as well. The highly exclusive status of the club lives up to its reputation, even the green fees and its list of members are not available to the public. The fame of the course is all over, with lots of other courses that tried to emulate the course design. Designed by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie, anyone can easily say that it is the perfect duo that designed a perfect course. Normally, every after concluded Masters, changes are done with one or two holes to add variety to the playing experience. No wonder that it gets closed every 6 months and not anyone can simply list up and get to play the tee. The scenery just comes second with the good reputation of this course, the playing experience and with the exclusive status. An oppurtunity to play is undoubtedly a golfer will not ever refuse to take.

Cypress Point, USA: This golf course has surely the largest water hazard of all which is the Pacific Ocean on the third tee. It is a longshot to even get the chance to play on this course that even the late J. F. Kennedy was declined entry to the restaurant and it has only a few members such as politicians, actors, and corporate giants. The course still saves it historical traditions, being a walking-only course, no yardage markers and even the lockers could make you feel that it's still 1920. The parking lot isn't even more than 15 stalls, and doesn't get that much players in a single day. It is really an advantage for the course to have not so many players as it will help the course to be kept pristine in its condition and one of greens that is so smooth without bumps, ball marks, nematode patches, or sand from nearby bunkers. If given the opportunity to play on it, it is simply one of the greatest courses of the world.

Pine Valley, USA: This was a brain child of Philadelphian hotelier George Crump, who passed away a year before the course's completion. It opened on 1919 and players had a hard time completing the course in 70 strokes, easily gaining the reputation as the ultimate golf challenge. Each hole mocks you with a different challenge, with one bunker 10 feet deep. Missing the fairway will mean a lot, as there are sloping greens and the holes are wrapped in pine covered heath - not a good place the see the golf ball go. It can give a lot of punishment the moment you get an error in your shot. Having the chance to play in this magnificent course is terribly rare, so don't refuse an invite. There's never a course visually inviting and as challenging as Pine Valley. It greatly justifies why golfers rank this as No. 1.

Certainly, there are many other courses out there that does not require membership. But, to able to experience the genuine challenge of golf lie in these golf courses, so don't allow an opportunity to play in these courses pass you by.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails