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Tom Doak's Worst Holes - Barbeque the "Sacred Cow"
Doug Wright:
I've played 4 1/2 Doak courses thus far. Here are my holes that don't measure up in my not so learned opinion:
High Pointe: I'm not crazy about the first par 3 (#6), seemed very straightforward compared to everything else Tom's done. And then there's #18. In the immortal words of Dan Aykroyd as high-bred but low-brow critic Leonard Pinth-Garnell on Saturday Night Live, "Exquisitely bad..."
Pacific Dunes: None
Apache Stronghold: I don't think #7 and #8 measure up to the rest of the course, perhaps due to the lack of bunkering around the greens, which are subtle but not that exciting. I really like #10, which I think is a very strategic hole.
Ballyneal: I've commented before that #9 does not seem to fit with the rest of the course but I'd need to play it a few more times before saying much more (eg there may be some strategy in tee ball placement for visibility a la Riverdale Dunes #6?).
Riverdale Dunes (+/- 1/2 Doak): Of what I know or suspect Tom did, I'm pretty impressed. I do not think Tom had anything to do with #18, at least I hope not...
Tom Huckaby:
AHA!
Great review, Doug. And I guess this does make 3 Doak courses for me because I have played Riverdale Dunes. But man it's been 15 years or so... Doug, just pick one for me. 18 if you say so.
;D
Cory Lewis:
Ok, I'll take a stab at this, I've played six Doak courses, and worked at one for two years, I absolutely loved Pac Dunes and both courses at Stonewall, and I can't really remember much about Heathland and Riverfront because I played them so long ago, so I will focus on Beechtree.
If there was one hole at Beechtree that I heard the most complaining about while I was there, it was the 8th hole. Long uphill par 5. The positioning of the bunkers both in front of and behind the road made it a very awkward layup for the average player and caused numerous problems with trying to pitch out of the bunkers because of there severity. If one tries to layup right of the bunkers, the fairway is slanted so that most balls run into the rough. Ok there I have said something non positive about a golf course that I love. I hope nothing bad happens to me now.
Doug Wright:
--- Quote from: Tom Huckaby on July 14, 2006, 05:58:45 PM ---AHA!
Great review, Doug. And I guess this does make 3 Doak courses for me because I have played Riverdale Dunes. But man it's been 15 years or so... Doug, just pick one for me. 18 if you say so.
;D
--- End quote ---
TH,
There are a few holes to pick from besides 18 (the worst offender being 15) but I suspect Tom would tell us he had nothing to do with said holes either... ;)
Tom Huckaby:
Doug - ok, that's cool. I do remember the course conceptually but individual holes are not coming back to me very well... isn't there a quite out of place par 4 around water with railroad ties on it on the back nine? Decent golf hole it it were in Palm Desert or Florida or something... but on that cool linksy course it was a shock to the system. Is that 15? Or maybe I'm dreaming?
TH
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