What constitutes a "championship" golf course

BigChap1759

I see a lot of courses stating "championship golf course" but are there any actual criteria for using this description? I would assume you the course should have held some championships of some description or is this just marketing?

Jawgap

I don't think there are, but I'd imagine overall yardage would be a good starting point?

Probably have to have a minimum and maximum number of par 5's and 3's - 2 to 4 of each?

Mantis Toboggan

Jawgap wrote: »

I don't think there are, but I'd imagine overall yardage would be a good starting point?

Probably have to have a minimum and maximum number of par 5's and 3's - 2 to 4 of each?

Not sure about that, citywest calls itself a championship course and it's a short par 69

valoren

In Fota for example, there are 27 holes.
There are 3 different 'courses'. The 'Championship' course would be the Deerpark course.

The term only applies really where there is more than one 18 hole courses in a complex.
Bethpage 'Black' or Pinehurst No '2' would be the Championship courses for example.

Where there is only 18 holes then using Championship is a moot term unless there are dedicated 'Black' tee boxes in addition to the regular 'Blue' ones.

josey_whale

There is no one definition of a "Championship" golf course. It's mostly a marketing term. According to the golf course designer William Langford...

"Any course, short or long, with 18 holes which require accuracy or distance and are sufficiently varied to test all departments of the game is a course fit for a championship"

RoadRunner

I thought it was a course where an important "championship" type event had taken place. Due to the fact that the championship event took place there, it was decided that the configuration, condition and facilities was of a standard and setup correct to host a particularly large event. Plently of nice courses might not have sufficient parking, clubhouse facilities to host large events. They are not called championship courses. Neither are courses that may be capable of handling a large event, but just have not yet.

Ally McIntosh

During those boom course building years of the 80's and 90's, the term became a marketing tool rather than a meaningful one. And a damaging one at that because it drove the idea of every course developer wanting a long course so he could bill it as "championship" or "championship length".

FixdePitchmark

Here is a definition - by some so called expert (Brent Kelley)

Definition: "Championship course" is a term with a traditional meaning and a modern meaning. First, the traditional meaning.

Some private golf clubs or public golf complexes contain more than one golf course. A club might have two or even three sets of 18; or it might have an 18-holer and a 9-holer. "Championship course" grew out of these facilities.

When such a club hosted a tournament, it was usually hosted on its 18-hole track that was considered the more challenging, better course. Hence, that 18 holes came to be termed the "championship course" because it was the one used to host championships.

In modern usage, the term "championship course" has been quite devalued. Today, golfers most often encounter the term in advertising. Any new golf course might choose to advertise itself as a "championship course" to try to convince golfers of its quality. So today, the phrase has essentially become nothing more than a marketing term.


In my mind - this is just in my head , it is a course that could / can or has held a major championship.

RoadRunner

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

In my mind - this is just in my head , it is a course that could / can or has held a major championship.

with preference to it has otherwise anyone could claim their course could host whatever.

FixdePitchmark

RoadRunner wrote: »

with preference to it has otherwise anyone could claim their course could host whatever.

They could, but would be daft.

Certain courses are designed to a certain spec. Cerain courses are to a standard to hold a "championship"

If you knew nothing about golf and said - I want a course that could hold a certain championship / major tournament / Boards outing. - you would get a certain thing.

The Rape of Lucretia

Any course that is attached to a hotel or owned by Nama is by definition a Championship Course.

Golfgraffix

Would love to know too, I have seen it on so many courses and all are so different

I my head it means a tour venue course

J

fred funk }{

I always took it that it meant that the course could facilitate a professional tournament.

valoren

The term 'Championship Course' is a marketing term for me. It is used as a byword for Quality essentially or as mentioned to justify a higher green fee.

Golf is meant to be a test. We all have different levels of ability thus the test must be fair.
Therefore it follows that there are 'Championship Conditions'. If a course markets itself using the sex appeal of "Championship Course", then to me, you're only playing a Championship Course if you are playing in a competition on said course. There are Championships for all of these levels of ability.

My own stab at a definiton would be this;
A course which is employed by a governing body to determine a 'Champion' golfer, from all levels of ability, by way of a competition.

A course is designated as being a championship course from the first teeshot to the last putt of a competition, with the course set up under championship conditions. The governing body is tasked with providing the requisite test based on the skill levels of the competitive field. Any course which a governing body considers as an adeqaute challenge has the potential to be a championship course. The old Trevino quip goes that if the USGA needed to hold a US Open at short notice, they could just use Oakmont as it's always in Open Championship 'conditions'.

There's only one course in the country where you could step out right now — right now — and play the U.S. Open, and that's Oakmont

Playing a round of golf? You're playing golf on a golf course.
Playing in a Championship? You're playing golf on a championship golf course.

It applies to all levels of the game from the Junior golfers to the Professional elite.

coylemj

It's probably so overused and abused that it now has the same value (none) as the term 'orthopaedic' has in the sales description of a mattress or 'award winning' on a pub that does food.