Golfing in Timesland: The Dream 18 rankings explained

The Roanoke Times

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Golf writer Randy King was charged with the task of discovering the best 18 holes in Timesland. He was grateful for the help of Doug Doughty who once covered golf for The Roanoke Times. Their knowledge of the who's who in area golf is unmatched in the media, but their abilities to drive, chip and putt could use some work. So they enlisted the expertise of 15 golfers from Timesland to be sure our list was up to par.

List of Criteria

The 15 panelists were asked to select and rank what they considered to be the "best" 18 holes in the Roanoke Times coverage area, which includes all or parts of 20 counties.
What does best mean? Well, it doesn't necessarily mean the longest or the toughest holes.

Panelists: Miller Baber, David Brogan, Marilyn Bussey, Woody Deans, Keith Decker, Jerry English, Mike Flanary, Chris Gibson, Tim Hall, Jeff Lynch, Matt Mankin, Bobby Penn, Jason Perdue, Jack Tuttle, Wade Whitehead.

The holes were judged on the following:

Aesthetics

How does the hole look visually? Does it appeal to the senses, both in location and appearance?

Memorability

Is the hole so distinct in one element or another that it's guaranteed to be one that you will remember long after you play the course?

Difficulty

Would the hole be a great hole on any course? is the hole great because of where it falls in the course rotation? Does the hole reward a golfer for good shots? Does the hole make the golfer pay for bad shots?

Design

Does the hole have unique features that challenge the golfer? Does the hole offer risk-reward options that require the golfer to think twice about how he or she might want to play the hole?

Saturday, September 14, 2013