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Total Course Score™

About

About this site:

There are a lot of golf review sites out there. I started this one for me, to act as a quasi journal of my play. It has grown to include reviews of the courses that I play. I do NOT claim (professional or otherwise) objectivity and I am not affiliated with any golf companies, courses, or personnel and I do not receive money for any of the information provided on this website. In my professional life I am a researcher and statistician so I do claim some ability to “evaluate” novel conditions and data (whether social or golf play related).

I have found people often report that they didn’t like a course that I loved, and vice versa. I have also come to realize that a person’s scorecard for the round impacts these so-called “ratings.”

So with that in mind: Welcome to my golf / review site. If you find it helpful, great. If not, I claim no authority to evaluate golf according to parameters that are in any way official. I am a golfaholic that likes to take pictures of his play and rate how things went.

About Me:

My role-sets include the following:

  • Husband/Partner
  • Father
  • Son
  • Friend
  • Academic
  • Golfer
  • Fanboy

Most “official” golf course reviews weigh the layout and conditions as paramount, with a bias for difficulty (how well people can/ought to play a course–read Pros for big “official” lists) even a certain architect. Despite the tendencies of the “official” ratings old Lefty Phil Mickelson has said, “A great golf course is…challenging for the good player but playable for the average player.” I completely agree!

The point is, lists are inherently subjective, and obviously bias is present even when subjective reviews are aggregated. This should not be news to anyone who has played a round and thought, “Why isn’t this course ranked higher?” or “Why is this course ranked so highly?!”

So, why bother reading my reviews? Good question! The bigger question: why read any course reviews?! With respect to my reviews I can say this: I love all types of golf: links, parkland, mountain, dunes, et cetera. Further, I appreciate good golf from any of these designs, but to me golf is not just about the design. So, I try to bring a more holistic “review” to the courses I play, from the “everyman golfer” point of view.

According to my perception golf is an experience, and to me four things stand out as important to my enjoyment of a round. All four bear equal weight on the TCS™, an increase in one category or loss in another can move a course up and down, even above or below what you might consider when just thinking about the play.

Rounds by Month

Rounds by Location

RobLinx Cloud

9-holes Alabama Arthur Hills Bert Bill Diddle California Chase Colorado Dad Doug Gary Panks Gene Bates Georgia Indiana Isaac Jack Nicklaus Jeshua Jess Jim Engh Johnny Johnny Miller John P Josh Julare L.C. Michigan Mike Minnesota Mississippi Nevada New Mexico Orley Pete Dye Rees Jones Robert Trent Jones Sr. Russ Shon Solo Tadd Tim Liddy Tom Fazio Unknown Utah William Bell William Neff

Most Recent Rounds

  • The Ridge Golf Club — Salt Lake City, UT
  • Eagle Mountain Golf Course — Brigham City, UT
  • FarmLinks Golf Course — Sylacauga, AL
  • RTJ Oxmoor Ridge Course — Birmingham, AL
  • RTJ Oxmoor Valley Course — Birmingham, AL

Here is a rubric for how I would interpret the TCS™

10 – Simply amazing, go play this a.s.a.p.! Are you on your way?!
9 – One of the best, just not spot on "perfect" in every way. Play It!
8 – One of the best courses in the area; well worth the trip to play.
7 – Worth a round if you are within a reasonable distance. Good conditions and interesting layout.
6 – An above average course that is worth your time if you're close by. Should provide a nice round.
5 – An average course. Decent layout, decent conditions, and the value hits the sweet spot. The one to play after work for a quick round. However, it lacks an overall wow factor.
4 – Below average, but moderately interesting in places.
3 – A poor course. Conditions are pretty bad but the cost of a round usually outweighs the conditions. Play with your friends who are too cheap to pay for a better round of golf.
2 – Bad, but playable. Play it when you need some practice before spending $$$ on a "better" course.
1 – A very bad course, but often has a deal you can't pass up (e.g., I have played a few like this; got 18 and a cart for only $5, yeah, I'd play about anything for that too).
0 – The only way I'd "play" this course if it was in my backyard and it was free. I mean who turns down a free "driving range" which is all that this "course" is good for, not for golf but to hit balls at and forget about.
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