Golf World UK - August 2017

26 Golf WorldAugust 2017

MY TOP 100 REVISIONS

Firstly, well done for

producing another definitive

list on the Top 100 courses in

England–yourpanel

certainlyhaveplayedenough

of the courses each to make

an objective opinion.

Unfortunately, I almost

ruined the pages by spitting

coffeealloverthemwhen

IgottotheTop10!

Ihavenotplayednearly

asmanycoursesasthepanel,

Iamat48intotalsofar,but

IhaveplayedalloftheTop10

bar Woodhall Spa.

I detect a real inland or

parkland course bias in this

year’s list, especially for the

Top10.Giventhatlinksgolf

istheoriginofthegame,Iam

surprised by that.

Thereisabsolutelynoway

that Royal Birkdale can score

awholemarklessthanRoyal

St George’s for playability –

andit’swhollymoreconsistent

toboot.Ihadagreattime

playingRSGbutsomeofthe

fairways on the par 4s border

on unfair and for me detract

from the enjoyment of hitting

agreatdrive.

The proposed rule changes

by the R&A to speed up play

are flawed.

Encouraging golfers to try

the rules in friendly games

will only generate limited

opinions.IftheR&Aare

serious about seeking real

evidence, they should let

clubs run ‘pilot’ competitions

andpassaLocalrule

allowing them to run, say,

two qualifying competitions,

onestablefordandone

medal. That way, they’d

obtain quality and

quantifiable feedback.

The round times could be

measured against

competitions played under

thecurrentrulesinsimilar

weatherconditionsasa

control. Reluctant

participants are more likely

to provide feedback direct

totheR&Aifacompetitive

round has been affected

positively or negatively by

the new rules!

Tim Moore, Macclesfield GC

NowIknowthegameis

not meant to be fair but you’re

supposed to be comparing

courseshere–andintermsof

consistency and playability

RoyalBirkdalehasitforme

overallthecoursesrated

above it.

WhileIamatit,Saunton

East is more consistent and

playable than St Enodoc.

The panel itself suggests that

there are some quieter

momentsatStEnodocwhich

formedonotoccurat

SauntonEast,whichisagreat

testandveryreminiscentof

FLAWED

FEEDBACK

Dear Golf World...

YOUR VIEWS

@GolfWorld1

GolfWorld, Media House,

Peterborough, PE2 6EA

[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/golfworld

Get in touch...

PRIZE LETTER

OFTHEMONTH

Royal Birkdale.

I think I would rate Royal

West Norfolk and Royal

Cinque Ports as better quality

than St Enodoc overall.

I enjoyed my rounds at

Hunstanton far more than

Hoylake too.

I have to say the quality of

the final 4/5 holes at Royal

Lytham are tremendous but

I find the rest just a little bland

as an overall package, though

I accept there is undoubted

quality there.

My top 5 would read:

1. Royal Birkdale. 2. Saunton.


2. Royal West Norfolk.


3. Royal Lytham.


4. Sunningdale Old.
   Looks like I need to get
   myself up to Woodhall Spa!
   Andy Burgess, Email

Travel editor’s reply:We could

argue all day about the merits

of St Enodoc v Saunton/RWN/

RCP! And we’d end up having

to agree to disagree. I do

however agree you have a

worthy point with regard to the

‘fairness’ of RSG. Some,

especially the pros, deem it

unfair. Our panel happens to

enjoy the fun and randomness

it offers, and do not believe it

detracts from its ‘playability’

and actually enhances the

experience. This is actually the

first time our Top 100 has been

accused of bias against links;

usually it is the reverse, which

illustrates the thankless but

enormously entertaining and

privileged task of compiling

Top 100 lists.

YIPPED IN THE BUD

Having recently returned from

a six-week holiday Down

Under (no golf – it was far too

hot), I was looking forward to

getting out and hitting that

end us your views and you could

wina£199.99Motocaddybag

ter ofthe month wins a new Motocaddy 2017 Dry-Series cart bag. Weighing only 2.4kg, it is

% waterproof with heat-welded seams and thermo-sealed zips. It has seven spacious, easy-

en pockets; 14 full-length dividers and offers compatibility with Motocaddy’s EASILOCK™

g-to-trolley connection system. http://www.motocaddy.com