Cobbe Beach Way overrated

[wallbanger]

Went there for 2 days, the Inn is awesome.

The course not so much. Fairways and area around greens in rough shape. And there is no rough at all. Greens and T boxes are perfect.

Tees and greens 9.5
Fairways 3
Difficulty 4

I was there with my buddy, were 40 and 30 yrs the youngest people there. Nothing to do near owen sound and I mean nothing


I played Smugglers 2 weeks ago and no comparison when rating the courses. I give Sugglers a 9.5 and cobble a 3.5

Oh and by the way Cobble is much more expensive

Wallbanger

Just my opinion

[Big Shooter]

Thanks, was thinking about heading there next week (played it this time last year, and thought it was one of THE BEST courses I played last year)

We all know they've had 'issues', but I thought by now PERHAPS they'd been resolved...GUESS NOT!!!? :$:(

[fourputt]

Is the OP aware of the work being done up there? It has been discused here many times and the course itself warns about it. This thread doesn't warrant reading or further discussion.

[akrus]

Is the OP aware of the work being done up there? It has been discused here many times and the course itself warns about it. This thread doesn't warrant reading or further discussion.

I think you're wrong - this thread is very much needed - with pictures would have been so much better.

I was just told last week that the pro shop has been telling people that the fairways were back to "80% recovered", which seems to indicate improvement over the previous "70%" that callers were being told. This thread seems to be warning that things may not be exactly that.

Personally, I didn't care much for the layout (don't like hitting middle of fairway only to have the mounds redirect the ball to the rough), don't particularly like courses in which the greens predominantly break in one direction, don't care for the odd feel I got from the velvet greens, BUT I thought it was worth the money and was a change, most certainly.

There are aspects that I do like and I think it's got some potential, but it looks like it is in need of some time.

[wallbanger]

The Inn and golf is run impecably. They must be loosing $$$ right now as there is at least 25 staff working between the Inn and the golf (not including course Maintenance). Its clear to me, and very smartly so, they are showcasing the amenities of the resort as a sales pitch for the homes being built around the course.

The place will be beautiful in a few years. Im a golfer first so really who cares about homes being built around the course? Does this enhance the course? I think not.

The thread was started solely based on the course, i did give some pub to the resort as its a very nice small place with beautifuly views.

Now back to the course - I found it a little boring to be honest. Forget about the fact everyone knows the problems they had with the fairways. The first 5 holes are ah. There literally is no rough and I dont see how there will ever be any.

To me its a nice seniors type course.

To pay what I did there was no value in terms of golf as far as I am concerned. I saw 2 couples cancel after day 1 of a 2 night package. $500 2 nights 3 rounds, no meals is too much .

We really should have been offered some golf vouchers for the next time or something, maybe a dinner just as a nice jester given the conditions and the fact we paid full pop.

Its a great place to take your wife or girly for a very nice quiet getaway but if your going for some primo golf there is better and cheaper just as close if not closer to toronto.

SO if you think the above is not reading as your previous post stated, then you must work there

These forums are to educate the golfers in this area. I am 100% objective in my evaluation.

[RobertThompson]

100% objective? Hardly. All you have commented on is the course conditions -- which aren't great at the moment, but that is widely known. I think management at the course made a serious error in trying to deal with their rye grass infestation, and I surely would have complained to management there if they said the course was 100% and charged you accordingly, while you received something else.

That said, I think the layout is terrific. Akrus -- golf was not meant to be fair. You've played too many over-graded, entirely unnatural courses. Most of the greats -- from Highlands Links in Nova Scotia, to the Old Course in St. Andrews -- have lumpy fairways, as that's how the land was. You learn to adapt because that's what golf is about. You sound a bit too much like Scott Hoch or Kenny Perry for my liking. :)

I think the first and second holes are warmups, and I'm not crazy about the 16th, but beyond that, I think there is plenty of challenge and variation in holes at Cobble Beach. To say otherwise would suggest one didn't pay much attention. Fine to say you didn't care for it -- but a "senior's layout?" That's just ridiculous. Given the fairway contours, as well as several tricky greens, I'd say it is anything but a simple course. As for "rough," what were you hoping for? Day one at the U.S. Open at Bethpage?


The Inn and golf is run impecably. They must be loosing $$$ right now as there is at least 25 staff working between the Inn and the golf (not including course Maintenance). Its clear to me, and very smartly so, they are showcasing the amenities of the resort as a sales pitch for the homes being built around the course.

The place will be beautiful in a few years. Im a golfer first so really who cares about homes being built around the course? Does this enhance the course? I think not.

The thread was started solely based on the course, i did give some pub to the resort as its a very nice small place with beautifuly views.

Now back to the course - I found it a little boring to be honest. Forget about the fact everyone knows the problems they had with the fairways. The first 5 holes are ah. There literally is no rough and I dont see how there will ever be any.

To me its a nice seniors type course.

To pay what I did there was no value in terms of golf as far as I am concerned. I saw 2 couples cancel after day 1 of a 2 night package. $500 2 nights 3 rounds, no meals is too much .

We really should have been offered some golf vouchers for the next time or something, maybe a dinner just as a nice jester given the conditions and the fact we paid full pop.

Its a great place to take your wife or girly for a very nice quiet getaway but if your going for some primo golf there is better and cheaper just as close if not closer to toronto.

SO if you think the above is not reading as your previous post stated, then you must work there

These forums are to educate the golfers in this area. I am 100% objective in my evaluation.

[akrus]

That said, I think the layout is terrific. Akrus -- golf was not meant to be fair. You've played too many over-graded, entirely unnatural courses. Most of the greats -- from Highlands Links in Nova Scotia, to the Old Course in St. Andrews -- have lumpy fairways, as that's how the land was. You learn to adapt because that's what golf is about. You sound a bit too much like Scott Hoch or Kenny Perry for my liking. :)


Guess you'll have to get to used to me not agreeing with your opinion when it comes to Cobble...

As for "adapting", you're way off base here... I'm far more accepting of courses idiosyncracies than you know.

Something else you don't know is that I'm going out of my way to like Cobble and all I can get to is - it's OK. Not worth the drive, IMO. Now, why did I say I'm going out of my way to like it?? I do have personal ties to the course that leave me feeling more forgiving of it than I would be if those ties weren't there.

So, if I have a different view of what "golf is about" from you - oh well, guess I'll never know. You're so knowing, thanks! :p

[Clevelandfan]

Objective is relative and reviews of courses need to be taken with a grain of salt. Having said that I do believe the OP was trying to be objective, he did have to shell out his own hard earned cash to play the course and thus has no ties or affiliation with the course and sounds like he was trying to like the course but couldn't due to conditions. Most here are regular joes and have to fork out their own cash. Getting a review from someone who is comp'd and treated like royalty when they get to a course due to their readership must be taken with a grain of salt IMO.

[The Troll]

If RT and Albert wanna front me $250 each I'll take the gf for a romantic weekend at which time I'll play Cobble and provide the definitive word. :D

[akrus]

If RT and Albert wanna front me $250 each I'll take the gf for a romantic weekend at which time I'll play Cobble and provide the definitive word. :D

I'll give ya $10 to have a romantic weekend with yourself at Banty's...

:cookoo:

[cromagnon]

I'll give ya $10 to have a romantic weekend with yourself at Banty's...

:cookoo:

that might be the best post ever on TGN. Thank you.:)

[RobertThompson]

Objective is relative and reviews of courses need to be taken with a grain of salt. Having said that I do believe the OP was trying to be objective, he did have to shell out his own hard earned cash to play the course and thus has no ties or affiliation with the course and sounds like he was trying to like the course but couldn't due to conditions. Most here are regular joes and have to fork out their own cash. Getting a review from someone who is comp'd and treated like royalty when they get to a course due to their readership must be taken with a grain of salt IMO.

Treated like royalty? Hmm. I played the course during a media outing, and I think I might have gotten a free yellow hat I've never worn -- but if you read my writing, I think you'll see that matters little to my perspective. Cleveland, have you actually read any of my reviews?

That said, conditions are important to the vast majority of golfers. So if someone was disappointed by the conditions of the fairways, then they have every right to be. But to be critical of the design based on the conditions of the fairways doesn't strike me as honest or fair.

[3Putts459]

To me its a nice seniors type course.





With one simple sentence you've gone from making me think, to making me think you're a competitor. :cookoo:

[slightdraw]

RT- I couldn't agree with you more, its amazing how people on this site base their likes of courses on how they played them. I'm curiuos as to what Akrus and Wallbanger shot. I think its a great layout, no fillers, wide variety of holes, changes in elevation, wind is very much in play, the scenery is great. The builder of the course who runs it now has built more than his share of courses in this country, while many think his decision to gas the fairways and reseed was too much, he's just a perfectionist who wants the best for the player, trust me the place will be perfect again.

[akrus]

RT- I couldn't agree with you more, its amazing how people on this site base their likes of courses on how they played them. I'm curiuos as to what Akrus and Wallbanger shot. I think its a great layout, no fillers, wide variety of holes, changes in elevation, wind is very much in play, the scenery is great. The builder of the course who runs it now has built more than his share of courses in this country, while many think his decision to gas the fairways and reseed was too much, he's just a perfectionist who wants the best for the player, trust me the place will be perfect again.

My score doesn't affect my judgement of a course, but since you want to know, the first time I played it (along with two scratch golfers) I shot an 84 from the tips - which for someone with a 10.1 index at the time, is reasonable I think. It's not a hard course.

Why is it that some people just can't handle hearing that others don't seem to love a course as much as them. It's not like anything I've said has been an outright lie. I do trust Wallbanger's review as well - greatly because it's been confirmed by others that I know that have been up there this season.

[hannah]

Objective is relative and reviews of courses need to be taken with a grain of salt. Having said that I do believe the OP was trying to be objective, he did have to shell out his own hard earned cash to play the course and thus has no ties or affiliation with the course and sounds like he was trying to like the course but couldn't due to conditions. Most here are regular joes and have to fork out their own cash. Getting a review from someone who is comp'd and treated like royalty when they get to a course due to their readership must be taken with a grain of salt IMO.

:clap: I'd rather take a review from someone that has to pay than someone that is comped for their 18 holes. Good post!!.

[Section ThirtyOne]

My score doesn't affect my judgement of a course, but since you want to know, the first time I played it (along with two scratch golfers) I shot an 84 from the tips - which for someone with a 10.1 index at the time, is reasonable I think. It's not a hard course.
I can vouch for Albert here. We both played Islesmere in Montreal for the first time last year, posted lousy scores, yet thought it was one of the better tracks we came across over the course of the season.

Every course has people that come away underwhelmed, even though the majority of folks may rave about it. Rocky Crest in Muskoka is that way for me. I find it kind of boring, where other CL members think it's the best thing since sliced bread. :confused:

[Clevelandfan]

RT, I do read your columns and do respect your opinions re course design and layout. I also do respect your disclosure in evaluating new courses. I was a little put out on the back handed slap you gave the OP in this thread.

[JEBS]

All this rain is gettin you people cranky !!!

[The Troll]

I'll give ya $10 to have a romantic weekend with yourself at Banty's...



Banty's Roost....sounds like a cat house in Nevada.

[RobertThompson]

RT, I do read your columns and do respect your opinions re course design and layout. I also do respect your disclosure in evaluating new courses. I was a little put out on the back handed slap you gave the OP in this thread.

To the contrary -- he has every right to complain about the conditions. I think his take on the quality of the layout, however, was impacted by his take on the conditions.

[akrus]

Banty's Roost....sounds like a cat house in Nevada.

LOL!! If only you were that fortunate...

[wallbanger]

I think the title of the thread was too harsh, hence the confussion.

Views/T's/Greens/Service/Rooms all outstanding

I was 100% prepared for the conditions of the fairways and frankly they were better than I expected although certainly not carpetesque. Not once has any of my evaluation been about the fairways.

Another thing to note is that I am not a fan of links golf, much prefer old school tree lined courses

My biggest dissapointment was the complete lack of rough. Once off the fairway the rough was maybe 1cm high and then into fesque.

I shot 84, 84 from the blue and im a 10 index or so. The greens which are very nice and big kept me from being a whole lot lower. Everythying breaks to Georgian bay more than you think. Also the greens are into the grain away from the bay and with it towards the bay. Very very important as most puts that are away from the bay are uphill and slower than you think and vice versa towards the bay.

Another important point is that I think playing 2 days in a row really tells you something about a course. To me they really need to do something with the rough it reminds me of florida courses not Ontario.

If they want the hardcore golfer who enjoys a tough penal course where you have to concentrate at all times or watch out to return, they need to set up the course harder starting by growing the rough. I just dont think thats the market they are targeting.



Another note on slow play - My Buddy
My buddy is the slowesy individual alive. took us 4.5 in a cart twoesome it was outrageous I was all over him. I usually play friday am first of the tee in a twosome and takes me 3 hrs. Then played yesterday in a 4 some and took 5.5, my bro and cousin said wont play with him again. Has nothing to do with his game which is brutal, he just moves so slow. A typical shot
he will get out of the mandatory cart, walk over to his ball and look at it, back to the cart where a 1 minute decision on what club to pull ensues, then back to the ball, a 17 tap sergio pre shot routine then boom, or maybe not. Then the best of all is the 30 second hands on the hips look of utter disbelief as his ball travels the distance of how far i can squeeze a watermelon seed between my fingers. The imagine going through this 5 times a hole at super slomo - PAINFULL

Now lets move on to another track review

[geekboy]

Akrus -- golf was not meant to be fair. You've played too many over-graded, entirely unnatural courses. Most of the greats -- from Highlands Links in Nova Scotia, to the Old Course in St. Andrews -- have lumpy fairways, as that's how the land was. You learn to adapt because that's what golf is about. You sound a bit too much like Scott Hoch or Kenny Perry for my liking. :)


It continually amazes me that - in our current state of literally teetering on the brink of global environmental disaster - people still cling to the idea that anything but a green berber carpet for a fairway is somehow sub-standard. I find myself wondering if this sort of mental inertia will stop the industry from accepting and moving to more natural course solutions - ones that are more in harmony with the natural surroundings AND that dont require tonnes of chemicals to maintain them.

I know that this has nothing at all to do with the topic, but the ESTEEMED (heh) Mr. Thompson's comment could have been aimed at my father ... if it isn't one step from an artificial surface he thinks the course is a dump, and I wonder if the old man is representative of enough of the golf consumer base to short circuit any attempts to make golf courses more environmentally responsible.

Just musing ...

[RobertThompson]

Tough and penal?
That's a nice concept -- but who is it aimed at? Did you play the course from the tips? That would surely add difficulty, especially since there's a 480 yard par-4 on the front.

The problem with the concept of having penal rough is that most players aren't single digits, and rounds would end up being 5.5. hours. That means fewer players, few dollars, bigger green fees.... shall I go on?

I, for one, would rather have less rough -- blue grass rough at 2 inches at most....


I think the title of the thread was too harsh, hence the confussion.

Views/T's/Greens/Service/Rooms all outstanding

I was 100% prepared for the conditions of the fairways and frankly they were better than I expected although certainly not carpetesque. Not once has any of my evaluation been about the fairways.

Another thing to note is that I am not a fan of links golf, much prefer old school tree lined courses

My biggest dissapointment was the complete lack of rough. Once off the fairway the rough was maybe 1cm high and then into fesque.

I shot 84, 84 from the blue and im a 10 index or so. The greens which are very nice and big kept me from being a whole lot lower. Everythying breaks to Georgian bay more than you think. Also the greens are into the grain away from the bay and with it towards the bay. Very very important as most puts that are away from the bay are uphill and slower than you think and vice versa towards the bay.

Another important point is that I think playing 2 days in a row really tells you something about a course. To me they really need to do something with the rough it reminds me of florida courses not Ontario.

If they want the hardcore golfer who enjoys a tough penal course where you have to concentrate at all times or watch out to return, they need to set up the course harder starting by growing the rough. I just dont think thats the market they are targeting.



Another note on slow play - My Buddy
My buddy is the slowesy individual alive. took us 4.5 in a cart twoesome it was outrageous I was all over him. I usually play friday am first of the tee in a twosome and takes me 3 hrs. Then played yesterday in a 4 some and took 5.5, my bro and cousin said wont play with him again. Has nothing to do with his game which is brutal, he just moves so slow. A typical shot
he will get out of the mandatory cart, walk over to his ball and look at it, back to the cart where a 1 minute decision on what club to pull ensues, then back to the ball, a 17 tap sergio pre shot routine then boom, or maybe not. Then the best of all is the 30 second hands on the hips look of utter disbelief as his ball travels the distance of how far i can squeeze a watermelon seed between my fingers. The imagine going through this 5 times a hole at super slomo - PAINFULL

Now lets move on to another track review

[Big Shooter]

Me & Mr. T have had our differences of opinion over the years (Furry Creek comes to mind), but, I agree with his assessment of Cobble Beach...easily among Carrick's best!! :)

[wallbanger]

not asking for us open rough just some

played woodington on the way home, usually play westview,st andrews and other mid to upper public courses and no complaints on the rough at any of them, and all are tougher to me than Cobble

Just my thoughts

[northernpro]

100% objective? Hardly. All you have commented on is the course conditions -- which aren't great at the moment, but that is widely known. I think management at the course made a serious error in trying to deal with their rye grass infestation, and I surely would have complained to management there if they said the course was 100% and charged you accordingly, while you received something else.

That said, I think the layout is terrific. Akrus -- golf was not meant to be fair. You've played too many over-graded, entirely unnatural courses. Most of the greats -- from Highlands Links in Nova Scotia, to the Old Course in St. Andrews -- have lumpy fairways, as that's how the land was. You learn to adapt because that's what golf is about. You sound a bit too much like Scott Hoch or Kenny Perry for my liking. :)

I think the first and second holes are warmups, and I'm not crazy about the 16th, but beyond that, I think there is plenty of challenge and variation in holes at Cobble Beach. To say otherwise would suggest one didn't pay much attention. Fine to say you didn't care for it -- but a "senior's layout?" That's just ridiculous. Given the fairway contours, as well as several tricky greens, I'd say it is anything but a simple course. As for "rough," what were you hoping for? Day one at the U.S. Open at Bethpage?hey Robert...do you have shares in the facility....LOL

[slightdraw]

Devils Paintbrush doesn't have any rough and its a pretty good track, I like the no rough because its different and you can still try and hit shots you normally wouldn't try. Fescue greens don't have grain, its an upright growing turf that was used because of its drought tolerance. Bentgrass is grainy.