I have a confession to make…
I don’t actually enjoy playing links golf in the wind. Call me a savage if you want, but I like golf courses with lots of water and no wind 
How about you?
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OK, I’m the opposite. I enjoy the challenge of wind, but I prefer little to no water. I like “terrain”, I play on a pretty hilly course. I’m not crazy about many of the very flat courses I’ve played in Florida. I’ve enjoyed every chance I’ve had to play links courses in Scotland and Ireland. I like the imagination you need to play for the bounce and roll of the ball. Conversely, I like trees, maybe not fully tree-lined courses but courses with enough strategic trees to influence how and where you can fly the ball. I get to play in Palm Springs every January, and while I love playing that time of year without 5 layers of clothing, I’m not crazy about all the brown, as compared to green. I can see a bunch of contradictions in those few sentences, so I’ll stop now.
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Please no water. My balls are drawn by some mysterious force towards any water
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mountain & parkland courses are the typical around here. I must like them if I’m out 3-4 rounds a month
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I’ll play (almost) anywhere any time and do enjoy variety. Wind hurts my game as I tend to launch the ball pretty high, but I can still enjoy it. For me, what’s going to make a golf course really special is the surrounding environment, so nice views make things memorable. The (almost) from above is that I hate subdivision golf courses. Besides just the thought of hitting someone’s house, it really just destroys my sense of being away from the world when a shirtless dude watering his back yard is watching me tee off.
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Give me any course in good condition (specifically greens that roll over an 8 and aren’t bumpy) and I’m happy
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I like courses where the holes are memorable and varied and require thought, strategy, and different types of shots (after I play a new course I go back through the round and see if I can remember every hole. I usually forget one around 6-8 and 14-16). Four different par 3s, a shorty with a shallow green that requires great distance control and a beast without much trouble but requires you to hit a long iron well. Long par 4s with wide fairways that require driver, as well as risk/reward short par 4s. Not flat and boring, but not gimmicky. Good condition. Pure greens, interesting, subtle undulations (not giant humps, but not just sloped back to front).
Having said that, I love any old goat field where I can be outside with friends and watch the ball fly!
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Honestly, I’m open to the style or function of course - I am often more set off if there’s uneven and bare tee boxes, or frequent tricked-out holes that put a first-timer at major disadvantage. Other than those two quirks, I’m not too picky!
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A few months ago, I would have said traditional links style which let Mother Nature and Father Greenskeeper be the ultimate judge of those who choose to enter the fray but now, like marmite vs vegemite, the Australian links style is an evolution that cannot be ignored. Hard fast fairways, blustery winds, and fast big undulating greens are both fair and discriminating. I’ve hit both my best and worst shots,but regardless have had an epic story to tell.
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I like courses that don’t have a lot of hidden hazards where its laid out right in front of you. A local course has almost every driving hole is a blind shot over a hill. An A.P. course too! I like flatter old style tree lined courses with close together tees and greens. Cause I like to walk.
Long and open. Fits my game the best. I tend to play well on links courses where being offline means whacking it out thick rough rather than hitting sideways from the trees or dropping beside the pond.
Shorter, target-style golf courses fit my game best. The ability to bomb and gouge left my old body at least 10 years ago.
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Honestly? I like golf courses that are fair but challenging…
my least favorite thing on a golf course is a gimmicky hole that “forces” certain shots. There is another club in Louisville that has a 400 yard par 4 with water from like 220-300.So you have a 190+ iron shot in unless you can carry the ball 300 yards consistently. It’s not a particularly fun or inventive hole, it’s just a long par 3 that requires a little more setup.
Golf Course design is hard, and is usually limited by terrain… so overall I like courses that have more good holes than bad holes… If I’m playing on a windy course, I like it to be shorter and have more open areas and less water… If i’m playing on a course with no wind, I want it to be longer, tighter and have more hazards.
Basically, I like golf courses that are designed with their terrain in mind. A links style course in a place with no wind doesn’t make any sense…
I’ve had the good fortune to play some nice courses across the country, and they consistently used the local environment to compliment the course instead of fighting against it.
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I’m happy when I’m on any golf course, but any course with some scenery, change in topography, and trees are probably the highest on my list.