Dream 18

[Matt Kardash]

This may have been discussed, i don't remember.

It seems some of the top designers were asked to sequence a "dream 18" hole course using the "18 best holes in the world" as selected by golf magazine.

Who's routing do you think is the best? What are the chances that all these guys even saw all the holes?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golfonline/travel/features/dreamcourses_1200.html

[Chris_Clouser]

I think it shows how Dye thinks differently as he was the only one that didn't have the nines finishing with #11 from Ballybunion and #18 Pebble, except for maybe one other one.  From the description on each it sounds like they wanted the ocean side holes to culminate the end of each loop.  He also concluded the round with his infamous 5, 3, tough 4 finish.  

I don't understand the Fazio routing at all.  

I guess I didn't realize it previously but the shortest par 4 is 428 yards in the Merion hole.  Why wouldn't a hole like the 10th at Riviera be a great hole for such an exercise?  The thing that gets lost in this is the place that a particular hole has in the routing of a course.  The 17th at Sawgrass is a prime example of the psychological effect of a hole.  You beging thinking about that hole from about hole 11 on.  Noting the wind and conditions of the course to decide before you get there what club to hit.  That gets lost along with the rhythm of a course as these holes just kind of don't mesh.  

In reality the whole exercise is quite pointless unless you are someone developing a Tour 18 course or something.

[Tom Doak]

That was one of the most disappointing articles of all time.

I was really looking forward to seeing which holes those guys picked as the best 18 in the world -- preferably restricted to holes on other people's courses, although if not, it would still have been interesting to see which architect thought most highly of his own work.

But the magazine just gave them all the same holes to work with!  Who cares what order they come in?  After all, unless he's moving heaven and earth, an architect doesn't get to pick where the most dramatic parts of the property are located.  If the Road is 400 yards from the clubhouse, then it's going to be on the first hole or the 17th.

[Matt Kardash]

Tom,
I hear your pain, when I stumbled onto this I thought the architects were gonna pick their favorite holes. It's still interesting to see their different mindsets. The one's that put TPC on the front nine are on crack in my opinion.