I’m going to play Ko’olau in Hawaii (http://www.popeofslope.com/...) in March this year, it is touted as the hardest course on the planet. What is the toughest course you have played? – What makes it so tough?

I personally found Wollongong Golf Club, a good links course…surprisingly in Wollongong, to be the toughest I have played in Australia thus far, the layout in itself is quite hard (not overly long) but what makes it sooo tough is the wind…when I played there it was howling a gale and there are about 6 holes directly on the beach. I was hitting a driver on the 16th (215m par 3).

Overseas so far is the Blue Monster at Doral. Mainly due to the length, the almost unplayable rough and the very subtle rolls on the greens.

Anyway, let’s hear your war stories, I’m sure there are going to be some beaut’s.

Ive played plenty of “tough” courses but ,like live4golf said about wollongong, long reef in a strong sw wind is very challenging. on the 130m par 3 13th i have hit a stinger 3iron and only just made the putting surface. 16th hole coming down the hill requires a tee shot aimed out of bounds and over the ocean. the only hole that this wind helps on is 18.

in calm conditions the course is very manageable, but once the wind blows the course can play several shots harder.

I certainly agree with you Brad about Long Reef when it is playing in a gale. It is actually one of my favourite courses in Australia although I have not played it for many years. I have played many golf courses around the world and as for my most recent experience as a “tough course”, I would have to say that playing golf on Lindeman Island in the Whitsunday’s was a huge challenge whilst on holidays there. You cannot miss a fairway there on any day and when the wind gets up, it is one tough and long 9 hole course. The 8th hole is a par 3 downhill. One day I hit a punch 8 iron into it and the next day it was a 3 iron.

Southern.

Anyone who can putt on the rubbish they call greens is a genius.

Kennedy Bay for me.
Played off the black tees, howling gale.
Course is tough at the nest of times, but in a gale its near impossible.

Southern.

Anyone who can putt on the rubbish they call greens is a genius.

Gary Glenday has boobs like the chick in my avatar.

Depends, are you a 5-6 marker…apparently it can get real tuff then

Huh?

Magenta Shores, Central Coast NSW.

Andre, how did you get onto Magenta? – you stay there or do you know someone? – I live local and would love to play there but think I missed my window.

In Oz it would have to be NSW or Barnbougle OS its Carnoustie championship from the back.
playing Magenta in a couple of weeks so will report back but I hear its a brute.

Stayed there, ‘twas a christmas pressie from the good wife.

It’s easy. Played it three times, the third in the wind. Tore it a new bumhole round the front nine. 2 over with a ball OOB (however it was only 2 over because of an eagle)

Played my arse off in the wind, and forgetting the eagle played to my handicap round the front. Then she taught me a lesson in humility around the back.

triple after triple :)

Great fun.

Southern.

Anyone who can putt on the rubbish they call greens is a genius.

Gary Glenday has boobs like the chick in my avatar.

What wrong with Southern’s Greens? The poa or the other ones?

muirfield or royal st georges, very different to your traditional links courses, if you go in the rough, you are dead & the bunkers are savage especially the fairway bunkers, you cannot go forward. both brilliant to play & if you ever play muirfield you have to try ernies bunker shot on 13, it would have to be the hardest bunker shot you could play!

Barnbougle Dunes & Magenta – Obviously both are capable of having plenty of wind & you are basically dead if off the fairway & not much room around the greens either. The 8th about 445m Par 4 at BD comes to mind – off the fairway or green mostly dead & a big cross breeze off Bass Strait.

Pacific Harbour is a good test as well.

Ayer Keroh, Malacca , Penisular Malaysia
OOB (primary Jungle) on almost evey hole
fairways are about 30 meters wide on average

and some long par 4s/5s too

Southern.

Anyone who can putt on the rubbish they call greens is a genius.

Gary Glenday has boobs like the chick in my avatar.

What wrong with Southern’s Greens? The poa or the other ones?

Colonial Springs in dead of summer when every ball eventually rolls into one of the 700 lakes on the course. Only course where I have hit driver, 9 iron, 7 iron to a green on a Par five.

Magenta Shores in the wind.

I take a dozen every time I play up there!

NSW in a 30 knot southerly from the tips…no more need be said..

Now for setup.. I reckon the way they set the Australian up for the Australian Cup a couple of years ago was diabolical,, A good mate who plays at a much higher level now managed 97 including putting off the 13th green and then having to pitch back on from 40 metres back down the fairway..

Augusta

and no its not agusta national

its Augusta WA

sand greens that are tiny…its over 6000 meters…windy as all hell
and nearly all of the greens are severly elevated…one hole was i kid you not about 15 meter elevation (it was like mini helicopter pad you would see on an oil rig)...if you landed short of this postage stamp it rolled all the way down back past you…..each time getting further away..took 3 goes to get it on!!

Its serioulsy the hardest hole I have ever played!!

flies snakes sting flys…ants mosis…bloody dam well anything that bights was on that course ay some stage

if you hit in the rough it was gone down a rabbit hole….I saw 2 tiger snakes in 3 holes so i didnt evn bother goin into the rough!!

value for money that course!!

oh yeah and the cut off the championship tees on a windy day aint easy either

Glashedy at Ballyliffen when the wind blew! Parred the first and last, played some of the best golf of my life and was probably around 20 over!!!

Brookwater QLD,
This course is amazing.
Perfect fairways and greens, extremely hard bunkers and absolutely stunning scenery.
The course requires a great degree of accuracy, if you miss a fairway you are in bush and I don’t mean a bit of long grass and a few trees, it is thick natural bushland.

I must say though that the windy courses mentioned above would kill me.

Overseas = Royal County Down (rough and blind drives) or Woodhall Spa (bunkers)

Australia = The National – Ocean (wind) or Moonah Links – Open (wind & bunkers)

In general i think links courses play the toughest…why because the wind speed is trippled over a tree lined course

and the rough on many links course is deep…all you can do it is hack it out (thats if you find it!!....) whereasa tree lined course you can get lucky bounces of trees…plus the odd tree strike stops the ball from going in deeper

I played the cut on a windy day and it was tough tough golf

was a member a the cut for 18mths and it certainly ain’t a happy place to be when it’s blowing !!

sometimes the wind blows so hard it is near on impossible to address your ball little own hit it somewhere near where you want it to go. ( Very similar to Port Kennedy in this respect )

It can be quite scary standing on one of the ocean tee’s watching the rain coming in over the water knowing you are going to cop it.

Spectacular views though and well worth playing at least once.