Specifically, a good course needs some rolling hills, an area for a fairway, at least a pond or two, trees, some area for a rough and some sand traps. However, some so-called golfers do not think golf courses should have sand traps, but they are in the minority and wrong. Sand traps improve both the course providing an extra challenge as well as the skills of those who play on the course.

A good golf course should be designed so that each hole is unique. It would be a boring course if every hole was straight and 420 yards. It would be more like a driving range, actually. A good golf course has holes that are off to the right and the left with enough obstacles preventing the flag from being seen from the tee box.

Good golf courses have elevated tee boxes so the golfer can get more elevation on their drives. However, the elevation will depend on the golfer's skills once it hits the fairway.

Those who work to maintain a golf course also play an important role in making a golf course a good one. Some courses bring in professionals to keep fairways even and smoother, the roughs as they should be and the greens cropped to perfection. To the golfer, this maintenance makes a big difference in terms of the quality of the green.

While we are on the subject of green, another factor is the grass green used. The higher quality golf courses use bent grass greens. The benefit is that it prevents the ball from rolling off the green after it hits. On the contrary, the Bermuda grass is a good green but cannot slow the ball once it hits. The ground beneath the bent grass greens tends to be softer than that of the Bermuda grass, resulting in the bent grass green having more divots throughout.

The attitude of the clubhouse personnel and maintenance also plays a role in whether are course is good, at least from the perspective of the golfers who play it. If the personnel have poor attitudes, the golfers will find it more difficult to focus on their game since they think back to how they were, or thought they were, mistreated. Likewise, a pleasant staff will make a golfer's experience at the course enjoyable and relaxing.

Well maintained golf cart paths are also important. A rough path will ultimately force the golfers drive on the fairways and, though this is not the worst problem golfer can face, it can indeed be an extra headache they do not need while playing golf.

A rough terrain can lead to a poor golf course. On some courses, you will find rocks everywhere. This has a negative effect on the balls once they hit the green and can also damage golfers' clubs, and a damaged club is certainly not going to give a golf course high marks in any golfer's books!