Hall of Shame- Hide and Seek Golf

[ian]

In went looking for an addition to  Paul Turners funny contribution on cart paths, and came by this photo. As you can see by the photo, this could be the worst planting of all time. The Hedge, trimmed recently back to 20 feet, and the "newly created "ladies window" is such a prominant feature at the club, that the club has an oil painting of its most famous feature. This is on a beautiful Willie Park Jr. course that suffers through many instances of tree crowding.



This is my best approximation of the wonderful uphill 360 yard par 4. The green is really perched up and falls away on three sides. I'm sure Willie didn't see this when laying out the hole. The image has the paths removed since they also can be relocated around back and left of the tee.



Has anyone seen anything else like?

[Scott_Burroughs]

Ian,

What course is this?


The only thing like it off the top of my head is #15 at Pebble.  The brush and tree below left force a narrow chute-like blind tee-shot (over an entrance road as well) to the unseen fairway.

From the left side of the fairway on #18 at Palmer/Seay's Musgrove Mill in Clinton, SC, you can't see the green because the pond weeds on the left have grown so high, you can't see the green, making it blind.  The club trims them back from time to time.

[Rich Goodale (Guest)]

Reminds me a bit of the 1st at Cypress Point.

[Dan Kelly]

As a notoriously low-ball hitter --

I'd be so worried about the hedge, I'd probably fat one up into the water!

Of course, I suppose I could hit a knock-down driver through the ladies' window....

[JakaB]

Why is this hedge any worse than a hill...the hole reminds me of the 13th at Beverly....I think its only a psycohazard with its elevation not much higher than the tee and gives a boring hole some fun character.

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

I don't think the hole is boring, but Ian, I wonder if the trees were so heavily grown in on the sides?  Can you hide those?

[Doug Siebert]

The thing that makes this really awful is that given now narrow that fairway is between the thick trees on both sides you'd at least want to see where you are aiming at.  If you don't hit the fairway you won't be able to see where your ball went so a lost ball is quite likely.

I can't imagine having a tall hedge across the fairway working anywhere.  It isn't remotely the same thing as if a hill was there.  I've played some ugly looking holes before, but I'm thinking hard and can't come up with something I find more ugly or more unfair than that one.  I'll take the holes in the "cart path hall of shame" thread any day over this architectural abuse.

[ChipOat]

A Stupid Hedge!!!

[A_Clay_Man]

Slap me and call me susan, but I like both holes. The first,( I don't see a road just a path) I can see the fairway and green what more do you want? The second is really growing on me especially up by the green. It sits up like a Ross and those bunkers have the good Doctor's look about them.

These holes look both simple and daunting and doesn't that leave it up to my inner thoughts and swing for the day?

Susan

[Scott_Burroughs]

Adam,

I assume you know that they're the same hole, just the 2nd one is a doctored version of the first, with Ian's rendering of what the green complex looks like behind the hedges.