I want to get a feel for what this board thinks is the hardest course in the state?
One qualifier. It has to be a championship course. So adverse conditions ie bad fairways, dried out greens, etc. cannot be a factor. It does not necesarily have to hold a tournament, but it has to be of that quality.
I have played my share but have not played them all. But my vote would go to RamRock at Horseshoe Bay. One of my sisters is a member and I have played it many times over the years. And it has ALWAYS kicked my ass. I have never seen a more penal course. A shot from the tee or to the green that is off by just a few feet can give you a bad number in a big hurry. But it is not a shotmakers course. There are multiple ways to play most holes. And the greens are tiny and very challenging.
Case in point-This Friday on #10. I chose 3 wood and chose poorly. I slightly pulled the ball left into the trees and into the creek. I had to chip out from 110 yards because at RamRock the trees protect the hazard inside the line. So I am laying four in the fairway 80 yards out. The pin is right on the elevated side with monster traps in front, back, and right. Pin high left ten feet from the cup is the slope on the green that takes it 50 feet from the hole. I literally had an area of about 12 feet around the hole to land the ball or I was dead. Also, the green is elevated about half a club.) I hit a sandwedge that landed about 13 feet right of the hole and down into a bunker 15 feet deep. I actually hit a good shot out of that and barely kept it on the top level. Two putt for a triple without really hitting a bad shot. And 10 is one of the easier holes on the back 9.
I have never seen a course where you sit on the tee and think 'if I dont pull this tee shot off I am dead.' Then, after you pull it off, you get to your approach shot and think 'if I dont pull this shot off I am dead.' Then, after you pull it off, you get to your putt and think 'I could three putt this if I dont hit a perfect putt.' Rinse and repeat for 18 holes.
Also, other than the par 3's and the tee shot on #2, there is no advantage at all from the 400+ yards you gain from the regular tees over the championship tees. All it really does is force you to cut a tight corner or put a 3-wood/3-iron in your hand.
I personally love it. My sister thinks there is something wrong with me.
One qualifier. It has to be a championship course. So adverse conditions ie bad fairways, dried out greens, etc. cannot be a factor. It does not necesarily have to hold a tournament, but it has to be of that quality.
I have played my share but have not played them all. But my vote would go to RamRock at Horseshoe Bay. One of my sisters is a member and I have played it many times over the years. And it has ALWAYS kicked my ass. I have never seen a more penal course. A shot from the tee or to the green that is off by just a few feet can give you a bad number in a big hurry. But it is not a shotmakers course. There are multiple ways to play most holes. And the greens are tiny and very challenging.
Case in point-This Friday on #10. I chose 3 wood and chose poorly. I slightly pulled the ball left into the trees and into the creek. I had to chip out from 110 yards because at RamRock the trees protect the hazard inside the line. So I am laying four in the fairway 80 yards out. The pin is right on the elevated side with monster traps in front, back, and right. Pin high left ten feet from the cup is the slope on the green that takes it 50 feet from the hole. I literally had an area of about 12 feet around the hole to land the ball or I was dead. Also, the green is elevated about half a club.) I hit a sandwedge that landed about 13 feet right of the hole and down into a bunker 15 feet deep. I actually hit a good shot out of that and barely kept it on the top level. Two putt for a triple without really hitting a bad shot. And 10 is one of the easier holes on the back 9.
I have never seen a course where you sit on the tee and think 'if I dont pull this tee shot off I am dead.' Then, after you pull it off, you get to your approach shot and think 'if I dont pull this shot off I am dead.' Then, after you pull it off, you get to your putt and think 'I could three putt this if I dont hit a perfect putt.' Rinse and repeat for 18 holes.
Also, other than the par 3's and the tee shot on #2, there is no advantage at all from the 400+ yards you gain from the regular tees over the championship tees. All it really does is force you to cut a tight corner or put a 3-wood/3-iron in your hand.
I personally love it. My sister thinks there is something wrong with me.
