Is there such a thing as an easy driving course?

thewobbler

Almost every course review I've read on this site - whether it's links, parkland, heath - highlights the need to be straight off the tee.

Obviously, getting on the fairways is a key part to any successful round. But surely it can't be the case that every course requires you to be in tip top form in this regard.

Apart from the beginner's courses where it's little more than 18 flags in a field, can anyone highlight a course where it's actually not punitive to blaze your tee shots?

LostPassword

Many newer courses have fairways lined by young trees that are slowly maturing - wild tee shots have much less chance of being blocked out and can often make it through the trees onto adjoining fairways. Examples of such courses would be St. Margerets or Castleknock.

death1234567

LostPassword wrote: »

Many newer courses have fairways lined by young trees that are slowly maturing - wild tee shots have much less chance of being blocked out and can often make it through the trees onto adjoining fairways. Examples of such courses would be St. Margerets or Castleknock.

+1. My home course is new and there's no proper trees in the way on most holes. You can miss the fairway and if you get a good lie in the rough there's no punishment.

Kid Charlemagne

death1234567 wrote: »

+1. My home course is new and there's no proper trees in the way on most holes. You can miss the fairway and if you get a good lie in the rough there's no punishment.

Care to share the name of this shangri la for us teebox donkeys?:pac:

Kid Charlemagne

Knightsbrook would qualify, lots of the fairways are banked in your favour.
Thought luttrelstown wasnt too bad either.

Two lovely courses to play as well.

Claude Harmon

+1 on Knightsbrook.

Its long but you can hit it everywhere and you'll usually be okay.

blue note

Tullamore doesn't punish you too extremly for being wild off the tee.

charlieIRL

moate & mount temple in Westmeath are wide enough as well. Tullamore is offaly isnt bad if you are off line either

coddlesangers

Old Conna, Rathsallagh, Lutterelstown, South County, Any new (ish) course, tends to have wide fairways with a premium on bashing it distance rather than laser like accuracy. A personal *hate* of mine is wide open fairways, as my eye doesn't pick a target well in those circumstances - I'm more likely to hit a narrow fairway than a big wide one, bizzarely. :mad:

stockdam

Any course that doesn't have deep rough or tall trees and also has parallel fairways will tend to be more forgiving off the tee. The easiest that I have played is Donaghadee (sorry most of you will never have heard of it); you can be two fairways away and still have a reasonable shot into the green.

On some courses you can be wild off the tee and still have a shot; some courses have tall trees but as long as you get over them and are on the next fairway then you still can hit the green (you may have a shot over trees but that isn't necessarily difficult).

AldilaMan

Any Jack Nicklaus designed course. Killeen Castle immediately springs to mind.

SM746

AldilaMan wrote: »

Any Jack Nicklaus designed course. Killeen Castle immediately springs to mind.

Are you saying you can blast the ball on ANY Jack Nicklaus course and have no problems? I am not claiming to be an expert on Nicklaus design but surely he must have some courses that require precision of the tee with the big stick? Would Mount Juliet not be one of these?

Bandana boy

Deerpark is very forgiving from the tee box

Johnny_Fontane

Claude Harmon wrote: »

+1 on Knightsbrook.

Its long but you can hit it everywhere and you'll usually be okay.

we've grown up the rough for the junior solheim cup including the proper heavy stuff a la carton, it still pretty open, but those trees are growing. The problem with knightsbrook is that if you do go wide, you'll leave yourself a very long shot in. Its a very long course, no drive/wedge combos on any hole (normally).

But if you go the right direction, there can be space.....

Trampas

Kilcock

chalkie 501

Mahonys point is quite an easy driving course, there are 1 or 2 tight holes, but you'd have to try hard to lose a ball around there.
Killorglin is handy enough aswell,lots of fairways running parallel with small/young trees in between

mr.mickels

Being straight is a basic requirement in all golf courses, obviously some being more punishing than others.
I played Castlemartyer last week, I would say it is an easy driving course.
Of course every golf track is an easy driving course if you hit it straight all the time!!!

cackhanded

Lots of forgiving courses around but with the wet and mild summer we've had, plus a lot of clubs not cutting rough as much to save costs, I'm finding the rough to be a real penalty in most courses at the moment. Nothing wrong with that, but it can get a bit frustrating - missed one fairway in Cahir the other day by 3 inches and couldn't see the ball 'til I was right on top of it, then nearly broke my wrists slashing it out with an 8 iron!

rafared

Navan golf club if its still open.

johntommy

SM746 wrote: »

Are you saying you can blast the ball on ANY Jack Nicklaus course and have no problems? I am not claiming to be an expert on Nicklaus design but surely he must have some courses that require precision of the tee with the big stick? Would Mount Juliet not be one of these?

Nicklaus gives you plenty of room off the tee but his greens are always well protected by bunkers. From memory(its over 10 years since I played it) Mount juliet is wide open but seriously bunkered around greens.