The Best 18 Holes I've Actually Played (Back 9)

[Eric Franzen]

Here's the back nine:

11.  Ballybunion GC – Old – 440 yards par 4, along the Atlantic, one of the world’s great par 4’s
Honorable Mention: Cypress Point, Falsterbo GC, Lehigh CC, L.A.C.C. (North) Pasatiempo, Ojai Valley, Shinnecock Hills, St. Andrews (Old)

So what's your impression of Falsterbo?
My personal number one here in Sweden...

How many stars on your personal "Places to play" scale?  

[Sean Leary]

Where is the front nine?

[George Pazin]

Where is the front nine?

Mullen.

[Tom Huckaby]

Eric:

I loved Falsterbo - obviously it stuck in my memory.  It was the only course I played in Sweden... It was mentioned in the World Atlas of Golf, so I arranged to play it.  Loved it.  I can't recall much about it now in detail, other than some very cool rumpled links holes.  I played it in 1998 I think.  And hell yes it gets five stars by me.

Sean - do you REALLY want to know?  Do I really want to set myself up for further scrutiny?

OK, what the hell.  I knew I had saved this somewhere, I knew someone would ask, so here it is, also from 2001, not updated since then I don't think.

Front nine:

1.  Spyglass Hill GC:  550 yard par 5, sweeping down toward ocean, green sits as an “island” surrounded by sand.
Honorable mention:  Ballybunion Old, Lahinch, National Golf Links of America, Pacific Dunes, Prestwick (Old), Shinnecock, St. Andrews (Old)

2. National Golf Links of America:  “Sahara” – 330 yard par 4 filled with strategy.
Honorable mention:  Applebrook GC, Ballybunion (Old), Chicago GC, Cypress Point, , Lehigh CC, Olympic Club (Lake), Pacific Dunes, Pasatiempo, Riviera, Royal Dornoch, San Francisco GC, Spyglass Hill,

3. National Golf Links of America:  “Alps” – 426 yards, a contender for the single best hole on this earth.
Honorable Mention:  Cruden Bay, Gullane #1, Olympic Club (Lake), Pebble Beach, Prestwick (Old), Royal Portrush, Spyglass Hill, Yale University GC

4.  National Golf Links of America:  THE Redan – 185 yards, perfection, perhaps the best par 3 on the planet.
Honorable Mention:  Bandon Dunes, Cruden Bay, Lahinch, Lehigh CC, Pacific Dunes, Pebble Beach, Riviera, Royal County Down, Royal Dornoch, Spyglass Hill, Yale University GC

5. Walton Heath (Old) – 395 yards, par 4 – perfect example of heathland golf.
Honorable Mention:  Bandon Dunes, Cabo del Sol, Cabo Real, Cypress Point, Nairn, Palmilla (Mountain Nine), Pebble Beach, Sunbrook GC (St. George, Utah – The Pointe Nine)

6.  Green Spring GC (St. George, Utah) – 449 yards, par 4, tee shot straddles a ridge with gaping canyon right, ob left, then 2nd must clear the same canyon going to the right.
Honorable Mention: Carnoustie, Cypress Point, Pacific Dunes, Pebble Beach, Royal Dornoch, Shinnecock Hills

7.  Pebble Beach GL – 107 yards, tiny green perched atop the Pacific.
Honorable Mention:  Ballybunion (Old), Cypress Point, North Berwick (West), Olympic Club (Lake), San Francisco GC

8.  Pebble Beach GL – 433 yards, 2nd shot over ocean chasm, incredible.
Honorable Mention:  Cruden Bay, National Golf Links of America, Royal Troon, Valley Club of Montecito

9.  Royal County Down GC – 425 yard par 4, over the dunes and into a valley, incredible view, incredible green site.
Honorable Mention:  Cypress Point, Monterey Peninsula (Dunes), Muirfield, North Berwick (West), Palmilla (Ocean Nine), PGA West (Stadium), Pebble Beach, San Francisco GC, Turnberry (Ailsa), Yale University GC

TH

ps to George - great call - I do have a lot of updating to do, beginning with adding several holes from Sand Hills... Wild Horse... Rustic Canyon... jeez there are a lot of courses I played for the first time since I compiled this list back in 2001.

[Eric Franzen]

And hell yes it gets five stars by me.

Five stars for Falsterbo and Pebble Beach 8th on the front nine... Tom Huckaby - a great man in my book!

[Tom Huckaby]

Well Eric, I am happy to please SOMEONE.  Just wait, if more people see this I am sure to be taken to task far more than supported.

BTW, people were VERY nice to me at Falsterbo, and in fact throughout Sweden.  I had a great time there.... Swedes ought to be honorary Irish - and although you might have just been insulted, to me there is no higher compliment.

 

[archie_struthers]

 

Absolutely too hard is no good! Thus you have to shake up the mix to include #13 at Pine Valley.

[Glenn Spencer]

4-4-8 is what I was thinking about when I say bland. Those were good examples that Garland came up with, just hard for me to accept as evidence of it's greatness considering the amount of tournaments that have been played there.

[Tom Huckaby]

Absolutely too hard is no good! Thus you have to shake up the mix to include #13 at Pine Valley.

Oh would that I could make such addition.  Remember this is best 18 I've actually played.

 

But yes, in general I prefer fun over hard... so it's odd how this comes out in the cumulative - I did end up picking a lot of very tough golf holes.

TH

[Tom Huckaby]

4-4-8 is what I was thinking about when I say bland. Those were good examples that Garland came up with, just hard for me to accept as evidence of it's greatness considering the amount of tournaments that have been played there.

I can understand that.

I just never have played it that way and I can't foresee a reason for doing so.

And of course it can be played for a cautious par, which is a weakness in a championship sense.  But it also invites a glorious eagle... so to me that balances out.  Then one factors in that how pros play it carries little weight for me anyway... and it retains it's position at the top.

 

[Glenn Spencer]

Tom,
 
Well said, is this hole then, one of the few in America that has gotten better with all of this new equipment? I almost NEVER remember going for this green in 2 in the 90's. I would love to see the eagle stats from 92 or 2000.

[Tom Huckaby]

Glenn - that's been postulated before in here.  It is a pretty logical argument to make that PB#18 is indeed a better hole with modern equipment.  And it has to be one of very few for which that can be said.

I still think very few eagles get made... but very few is still more than NONE.  You know what would be interesting would be stats showing how many went for the green in 1992, 2000, 2006... and how they fared.

TH

[Glenn Spencer]

Tom,

I can't say for sure, but I remember it as 92-noone or 2,3. 2000 in the 8-10 range and 06, it seemed like one in every other group.

[Scott_Burroughs]

15.  Cypress Point Club – 139 yards par 3, incredibly beautiful pitch over the ocean to one of the world’s finest green sites.
Honorable Mention:  North Berwick (West), Cypress Point, Turnberry (Ailsa), Royal Birkdale, World Woods (Pine Barrens)

Huck,

I love how Cypress is runner-up to itself!    Was it runner-up on the day when a certain unflattering wind-inflated windbreaker pic was snapped?  

[Glenn Spencer]

That is impressive, 2 15th holes from the same course on a list. I see why it is No.1

[Tom Huckaby]

Scott - good catch - I am nothing if not imperfect.

And said picture is extremely flattering when one considers the reality.

 

[Mike_Cirba]

Huck,

I love how Cypress is runner-up to itself!    Was it runner-up on the day when a certain unflattering wind-inflated windbreaker pic was snapped?  

Unflattering?

My lord, that picture made the Huckster look like a doppelganger for the late John Holmes!  

The windbreaker was not the only thing that was "wind-inflated", or else Huck was simply a whole lot more excited to be there than we knew at the time.  

We should all be so lucky.  

[Tom Huckaby]

Mike, for shame - that's just my every day, all the time appearance.

Here's the photo in question, for those wondering what the hell we are talking about:

[Marty Bonnar]

Is Huckaby in that picture?
I only have eyes for the fence. Ah, the FENCE.....

FBD.

[Tom Huckaby]

Humble apologies for blocking the view, Martin.