what makes a good golf course ?? give me your thoughts and the best course you played

I have played quite a few now and still haven't made my mind up what makes a great course. I primarily look at the quality of the turf on the greens been true and even paced and fareways been nicely cut and not ridden with divot holes. Bunkers with a grainy sand and no stones. but I am drawn to something that challenges your game which doesn't always mean lush fairways and carpet like greens.

My favourite so far was the cheshire course at Carden Park

my course - STAND golf club. Tight fairways, not overly long, fast greens, lots of bunkers. not much rought though, lots of trees..

i think a good course is made by the greens and fairways and a challenge to your game. something like Lytham or Birkdale.

There are an abundance of excellent courses in this country of ours, yet we all have our favourites. My personal favourite is Saunton which I consider the equal of any of the Open courses on the Rota and for an inland course I would plump for St. Georges Hill.

Having said that I can recommend my new club of Badgemore Park, which is very, very tight with monster trees but perfect greens. An unusual club in that playing to ones handicap will usually mean you are the victor. I can't seem to do it and neither can anyone who I have taken there.

My Favourite course ( excluding the greens ) is the Cheshire course at Carden Park. It was over the winter period so the greens were not great, but really liked the course overall. Favourite for the greens is Frodsham. They were all in great condition and ran the same. ( got my first chip in here off the rough fringe so a bit biased maybe )

My favourite course has to be The Old Course at St Andrews. The sense of history (walking in the footsteps of golfing legends) and layout is something never to be forgotten. I know it has its detractors, but I have never enjoyed so complete an experience on a golf course before or since. Unforgettable. How many courses can you say that about?

There are so many great courses. A good course for me is one where you remember the holes. I'm not a big fan of the courses that exploded in the 90's built on farm land and more often than not just up parallel fairways, up and down with the odd lake thrown in. Muirfiel is a great course and a true leveller. I played that when I was sharking off 6 in my late teens and ended up with 117!! (I never use exlamation marks). There are some good municipal courses too but they lack the attention and expertise of the private club greenstaff. Temple Newsham in Leeds has two great courses. Liam, I played Stand when our cricket team did a Lancs tour and we got a game in there. Great course, many varied holes in good nick, all for a weekday �10.

Good drainage.....

But seriously, I like a course that has a couple of shorter par 4's to give shorter hitters like myself a chance. Never like looking at a scorecard and seeing every par 4 is over 350 yds.

not a bad course is it? how'd you get on? was it long ago?

Visit a course once and make it your 'best ever' just doesn't work for me. You need to play it a few times in different conditions to get a real feel for it. Some courses have an atmosphere about them, The Old Course is one of them but the best I have ever come across is Royal Troon during an Open. The town becomes part of the course, maybe because Prestwick is nearby.

If I was to advise an area for the 'best ever' golfing break, Troon would top that list. Royal Troon, Prestwick, Barrasie, Glasgow Gailes, Westen Gailes and of course Turnberry. A Golfers paradice.

Is there such a thing as a bad golf course? I am obviously not too well qualified to comment on what a good course is, but I just love being on any course. I have just visited Matfen Hall for a family celebration thing and witnessed the course there. 27 holes split into 3 nines, you pick the 18 you want to play and it looks fantastic. I was not lucky enough to play it, but it does look very good.

Liam, muat have been five years ago. One of the cricket lads, a member of our cricket team and Stand CC was a memeber there at Stand. I managed to beat him with 35 pts. Though he got his own back at snooker in the clubhouse.

wouldn't happen to be Richard Booth would it? im good friends with him and i know he's a good cricketer.

Liam, no it was Andy 'Acky' Acraman though I think he left to work over this side of the pennines the year after.