I currently have 3 courses started, 2 of which are real that I play in real life. The third is a course I've been wanting to do for a while....a US Open style/type of course that is very long and very difficult. I just want to know how anybody would feel about an 8,000+ yard course. I do know that some players, like Sandwedge, likes to play with this family, so I would either make a second version or make some drastic distance between tee boxes. There are some real courses that actually are that long, and we will probably see one in a US Open in the next 10 years or so. Here are some scorecards of courses that I have found that are over 8,000 yards.
The Shoals Course, Alabama -- part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Ross Bridge, Alabama -- also part of the RTJ Golf Trail
The International Club, Massachusetts
Some of you guys can shoot the lights out on any kind of course, no matter how long it is, and I have a tendency to make easy courses. Any kind of feedback is appreciated.
thanks,
Doron
Extremely long courses
Re: Extremely long courses
Thanks for thinking of us 
With a "family" set of tees, I say go for it. I like creativity and thinking outside of the box - it might even inspire me to step up my game a little bit. You guys realize the "family" set of tees would be for me. My one daughter is a freshmen in college and my other daughter is a senior in high school so they literally have grown up with PGA. They both play much better than I do, on the computer screen and at the real links. I do play at the top level now from the championship tees when playing PGA 2000 solo, but if the girls want to tee it up, I play at the standard level and from the pro tees still to keep up. The RTJ trail courses are beautiful - would love to see one for PGA. Hope that gives you some really positive feedback 
With a "family" set of tees, I say go for it. I like creativity and thinking outside of the box - it might even inspire me to step up my game a little bit. You guys realize the "family" set of tees would be for me. My one daughter is a freshmen in college and my other daughter is a senior in high school so they literally have grown up with PGA. They both play much better than I do, on the computer screen and at the real links. I do play at the top level now from the championship tees when playing PGA 2000 solo, but if the girls want to tee it up, I play at the standard level and from the pro tees still to keep up. The RTJ trail courses are beautiful - would love to see one for PGA. Hope that gives you some really positive feedback Re: Extremely long courses
Doron! GO FOR IT. As you can see from the scorecards the courses in Alabama have 5 sets of tees with a big difference in yardage. The one in Mass. is a little less forgiving but still the short tees are a reasonable 6500 plus. I'm not a long hitter but I'd give it a go from the long tees. It would probably remind me of the very 1st time I played Bethpage Black 8 years ago and how long it seemed to me then.
Re: Extremely long courses
We do have a good example of looooooooooooong courses... take a look at Telegraph Road... Par 89... something like 11,000 yards. The shortest hole on the course is almost 600 yds... lol.
Re: Extremely long courses
Par 89? That means one of those holes has to be a par 4!! I am in no way attempting to make a par 5 course, just something a little more challenging that usual.tincup wrote:We do have a good example of looooooooooooong courses... take a look at Telegraph Road... Par 89... something like 11,000 yards. The shortest hole on the course is almost 600 yds... lol.
Steve, I still struggle with how hard Bethpage is! The length of the course isn't really the issue there, it's the guarded fronts of the greens, thick rough and extremely fast green texture. I still love it!
Re: Extremely long courses
I'm about ready to do elevation work and post pics in the next week or so, but I'm really disappointed that I have not been able to do much on my real course, Granada Farms. Granada Farms is my home course that I play at least 15-20 times a year. They are doing some work on the course, which makes me wonder how much I am going to have to change in the near future. Some of the traps have been iffy for years, with ruts in them, small stones, and even plastic sticking out in some. They have let the grass take over a few of them, which made me take the first couple off of my layout. They are much more playable as grass bunkers, but it looks so different than what I am used to. Also, if any of you watched the Wells Fargo in Charlotte, you saw what the weather had done to that course. I am about 40 miles from Charlotte, and have seen the exact same thing on almost every course I have played this year. Granada Farms, even with bermuda greens, has had some issues with 2 or 3 greens. They have let the green grow up around part of the 15th green as fringe, so the actual putting surface is smaller. It's already the most difficult green on the course (in my opinion), so I don't know if I should change it on my arch file.
Anyways, I will have some pics of my U.S. Open style course by next weekend.
Doron
Anyways, I will have some pics of my U.S. Open style course by next weekend.
Doron
Re: Extremely long courses
Yeah some of the greens at Quail Hollow looked BAD. Not sure what that is but it looked like a fungus.
Re: Extremely long courses
If I might be so bold as to offer my input at this point; design it as you remember it when it was at its best. Call it Granada Farms Classic edition. Then do a newer version when the changes on the real course subside. That way what you love about the current course will be preserved for you and others to enjoy. They did an update on my home course and changed the track in the process. The girls and I hate it and keep wanting to play the layout the way it was - we might have more folks teeing off these days but those of us who have been here awhile are starting to reminisce a little 
The only good thing about the changes is they kept the short par 3 hole that my oldest daughter got her first birdie on years ago in the same part of the routing - of course now it has 3 more bunkers and a two-tiered green
The only good thing about the changes is they kept the short par 3 hole that my oldest daughter got her first birdie on years ago in the same part of the routing - of course now it has 3 more bunkers and a two-tiered green Re: Extremely long courses
My layout is complete, and now I am starting elevation work. Here are some pics of the first hole, a par 4 of about 470 yards. The trees/bushes are just for placement, and I will more than likely change them.
From the tee: From the fairway, about 170 yards out, to an elevated green: Finally, the green itself, with some subtle undulations and a false front: I do want to mention that I am color blind, but I can still figure out what colors pretty much anything is, I do have a hard time telling what looks good together. I do want to keep the dogwoods, but if they look bad with the Woodford Park textures, please let me know.
Thanks,
Doron
From the tee: From the fairway, about 170 yards out, to an elevated green: Finally, the green itself, with some subtle undulations and a false front: I do want to mention that I am color blind, but I can still figure out what colors pretty much anything is, I do have a hard time telling what looks good together. I do want to keep the dogwoods, but if they look bad with the Woodford Park textures, please let me know.
Thanks,
Doron
Re: Extremely long courses
Doron! Nothing wrong with a few dogwoods here and there but be careful of where they are and how many. It seems most players don't like big groupings, or courses that have dogwoods or other flowering trees scattered all over on every hole.Tee shot I can't really tell if I can cut the corner or not because of the trees to left of tee. You may want to think about rather to challenge some of the longer hitters. Aproach looks good. Green looks REAL GOOD.