Looping Back at 9

[mcdavis17]

I've read a few reviews lately where the reviewer listed "Course does not loop back at half-way point" as a con.

To me, it seems that is something we have carried over from ball golf -- those courses loop around because a round can take 4+ hours to play, and let's face it, riding in a cart for the majority of 2 hours can be rather tiresome.:rolleyes:

I looked at the St Andrews Web page (you know, "The Home of Golf"), and what is interesting is that the Old Course and the New Course there do NOT loop around -- you play away from the clubhouse on # 1 - # 9, and back towards it on # 10 - # 18. How many ball golfers would honestly say that "the course does not loop back" is a CON for St. Andrews?

I was just wondering what other people's thoughts are on this. To me, it is not a con, as some courses cannot accomplish that in the lay of the land they are given to work with. I understand it may be convenient if you want to play a quick 9 (and I have utilized that design feature at my home course), but I'm not sure it should be something that takes away from a course.

Just my $0.02.

[magictenor1]

I think you are right on point. Many things do carry over from BG but this is not one of them. Dg courses are shorter than BG and take less time to play. It is not important to get back to the start after 9 holes. I would never consider that a con. Most courses can be played in an hour or hour and a half which as you stated is still less than a normal 9 holes of BG takes.

[valkyriefb11]

Im not sure there are any cons at St. Andrews.

For me looping around isnt too big of a deal. Its nice if a course does loop back around but it isnt neccessary. Tyler State park, my favorite course, doesnt fully loop around but I've never even considered it as a con. The only bad thing about a course not looping back, or having the front 9 and back 9 seperated (as in the case of a course like St Andrews) is for a person who has not played the course before. It can be difficult to find the next set of holes unless it is clearly marked out. (So signage would be a much bigger issue here than disance between holes)
DG courses are much shorter than ball golf courses and its much easier to walk from hole to hole than in DG. I think your point about the lay of the land is really good. So yea, looping around not a big issue for me.

[taxman]

i agree with you completely.

i think the first thing that should be looked at is "where are my natural holes?" you know, the great spots on the property that require little to no modification and are the highlight of the course. once you have all of those planned out put in some filler holes between them so that you have a full course with little distance between the basket of the last hole and the tee pad of the next hole. if it happens that you can do this and a figure 8 course where each 9 returns you to your starting location that's fine, but i don't think it's necessary.

at least that's how i would design a course. and as soon as i have acreage i will.

p.s. a big part of how i rate a course is how many holes feel like "filler" holes. the ones that just get you to the next real hole. hopefully a course has few filler holes than real holes.

[ERicJ]

A course that loops back mid-way is a "Pro", but one that doesn't shouldn't really be a "Con". Looping back to a parking area in the middle allows you to restock lost discs, or liquids from a cooler in the car, or anything else you may need.

ERic

[Adam Schneider]

A course that loops back mid-way is a "Pro", but one that doesn't shouldn't really be a "Con". Looping back to a parking area in the middle allows you to restock lost discs, or liquids from a cooler in the car, or anything else you may need.
What he said. The only reason I ever care about looping back to the parking lot is that sometimes you want to shed a layer or two of clothing, especially when you start early in the morning.

[cydisc]

I always list looping 9's as a pro, but never as a con if it doesn't have it. I'd like a course to at least run near a water hydrant or restrooms somewhere along the course but they don't necessarily have to be at the parking lot.

[Eagle Man]

I am actually indifferent, as long as you don't have a 10min walk back to your car after 24 holes I am happy