Unusual Routings

[Padraig Dooley]

Is it a sign that the architect used the land to the best of his ability if the course has an unusual routing?

If we take Cypress Point as an example back to back 3's and 5's, 9th doesn't return to the clubhouse. The Valley Club as well starts with two 5's and ninth doesn't return.

What is the most unusual routing you have come across?

I played a course in Norway recently, called Larvik, that had 6 3's, 4's and 5's but only once did two holes have consecutive pars.

[Jeff_Brauer]

"Is it a sign that the architect used the land to the best of his ability"

His ability or its ability?  Subtle difference and either could be the case.  

In the case of CP and a master gca I suspect its the latter, but in many cases an unusual routing is just a sign of a poor job of design.  I'm not talking about an unusual combination of holes, I am talking about some truly goofy holes.... that are also in an odd sequence.

While the "Conventional Wisdom" on this site would tell you odd sequencing is the mark of a great gca, and it might be in some cases, IMHO, in most cases it's not.

[Tom_Doak]

I agree with Jeff.

More than half the time I've seen a set of back-to-back par 3 holes, it wasn't a bit of routing genius at all ... just an ugly tight corner of the property that the architect couldn't figure another way out of.  [Actually, that is nearly always the reason, but if you are surrounded on two sides by ocean and the other two by 17 Mile Drive, THEN it's genius!]

I have even seen routings on occasion where I was convinced the architect came up with a weird combination of holes solely to be different -- where I couldn't see anything in the land that made him go for the extra par-5 and par-3 instead of two par-4's.  But, of course, some architects believe that a course should have five par-3's or five par-5's or par 70 or something different than standard, and that's their call.  It just doesn't automatically make them a genius.

P.S.  There are a lot of properties where it's impossible to return to the clubhouse at the ninth hole, because of the shape of the parcel.  Most of the UK links which go out and back are examples, but so is The Valley Club.  Ten of the eighteen holes are across a road and that road isn't proximate to the clubhouse.

[Glenn Spencer]

Lancaster Country Club- outside Columbus, Ohio. Donald Ross

16-par 5- blind landing area
17-par 5-blind second shot
18-235 yard par 3

[Tom_Doak]

Glenn:

I would love to know for sure if that was the original sequence of holes and the original clubhouse location!

[Phil McDade]

It's been mentioned here before, and Ran highlights it in his course profile, but the links course at Lawsonia has holes 9-14 that go 5-3-5-3-5-3. Several of the holes -- like the par 3 10th and the par 5 13th -- are among the best at Lawsonia.

Langford routed the two nines to start and return to the clubhouse, but the two nines are located on two distinct and separate portions of the Lawsonia property. In particular with the roller-coaster par 5 13th, Langford could have routed a more conventional hole. Instead, he routed a par 5 over some of the course's most rambunctious terrain, so much so that the 3rd shot (for most players) is played steeply uphill and nearly completely blind.

One of the highlights of Langford's routing at Lawsonia is that there are no apparent transition holes -- holes designed simply to get from one good hole to another, or from one interesting part of the course terrain to another. True, some of the holes flow over less-compelling portions of the property (12 and 17 come to mind, as does 8 on the front nine), but as Ran points out in his profile, Langford made even those holes fascinating through pushed-up greens, green contours, wonderful bunkering, and semi-blind lines of attack.

[Tom Roewer]

Lancaster Country Club- outside Columbus, Ohio. Donald Ross

16-par 5- blind landing area
17-par 5-blind second shot
18-235 yard par 3

Tom D.  The clubhouse location was immediately next to the #1 tee.  It was originally a 9 hole layout so that would have been ross's routing.  Go to www.lancastercc.com and it will take you from the original design, to Ross, to Kidwell and the second 9, and to Forse and redo.  I played it in High School as well as junior matches and always enjoyed it.  Was a little nervous every time as it was next to the Boy's Insustrial School and I remember touring the grounds with parents previously just "in case" my behavior went bad.

[Padraig Dooley]

What are the hallmarks of a great routing?

Could I suggest Pebble Beach is not a great routing, with the opening holes playing into the rising sun and the finishing holes into the setting sun.

[D_Malley]

my question about routings is why do we not see the criss cross type of routings that was so often the case in some of the great old course layouts.  by this i mean when walking from green to the next tee you have to cross another hole.  doesn't this allow for a course to use alot less acerage, and also take advantage of playing the natural slopes in different directions.  

these types of routings seem to never used by todays modern architects.

why?

[D_Malley]

i realize the obvious issue of danger, but it seems to work fine on many courses. merion

[Bill_McBride]

my question about routings is why do we not see the criss cross type of routings that was so often the case in some of the great old course layouts.  by this i mean when walking from green to the next tee you have to cross another hole.  doesn't this allow for a course to use alot less acerage, and also take advantage of playing the natural slopes in different directions.  

these types of routings seem to never used by todays modern architects.

why?

One of the things I love most about Cypress Point is climbing up above the 6th green and playing the tee shot on #7 directly across the 6th green below!

[Bill_Yates]

When we discuss criss cross routings in modern design we need to include Greg Norman's Doonbeg Golf Links.  Set hard by the sea, what you you think of this particular criss cross routing?  Is it genius or a player's nightmare in figuring out where to go next?  

See http://www.doonbeggolfclub.com/course/links-holebyhole.html for the routing.

[TEPaul]

"i realize the obvious issue of danger, but it seems to work fine on many courses. merion"

Racetrack George:

If you think about it Merion's front nine is going to have to crossover somewhere. Believe it or not the original front nine sequence at Merion was 1,2,6,7,4,5,3,8,9.

[Kevin Pallier]

What is the most unusual routing you have come across?

The Fig. 8 routing at Cruden Bay was unusual as was the outer clockwise / inner anti-clockwise routing at Muirfield in the sense that I can't recall playing a course off the top of my head that has done the same

[JMorgan]

Lancaster Country Club- outside Columbus, Ohio. Donald Ross

16-par 5- blind landing area
17-par 5-blind second shot
18-235 yard par 3

Tom D.  The clubhouse location was immediately next to the #1 tee.  It was originally a 9 hole layout so that would have been ross's routing.  Go to www.lancastercc.com and it will take you from the original design, to Ross, to Kidwell and the second 9, and to Forse and redo.  I played it in High School as well as junior matches and always enjoyed it.  Was a little nervous every time as it was next to the Boy's Insustrial School and I remember touring the grounds with parents previously just "in case" my behavior went bad.

Tom R, this is actually the link to Flynn's course in Lancaster, PA, which I haven't played in many years but I'm glad you reminded me, as it fits in with one of the water feature topics... a good use of a burn, PA style.

[Tom Roewer]

James:  Sorry about that.  Had a minot brain f***, but Ross did design the original nine and jack kidwell the second.

[Forrest Richardson]

As for par order, I have never seen anything which approaches the oddity at Bishop Auckland:

Out: 4, 5, 5, 5, 3, 4, 3, 3, 5 = 37
Back: 3, 5, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 = 35

Doonbeg, which Ol' Man Yates cites, is quite odd, but I enjoyed it and think it works nicely.

To answer the question, I think a designer's brilliance comes out whenever the routing fits the terrain and makes for good golf. While it matters how the par and length unfolds, those are only two of the aspects which make up a fun and interesting design. It is the flow of the notes that make for good golf music...pace, rhythm and the element of surprise.

[Bill Shamleffer]

The old Forest Park 18 in St. Louis (before the redesign in the last few years) had the following routing:
4, 3, 3, 5, 5, 3, 4, 4, 5,
3, 5, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 4.

Although the 2nd was sometimes played as a short par 4 of about 270 yards.

[Tom_Doak]

Forrest:

Is the Bishop Auckland course any good?

Probably not as good as Inwood.  I'll save Brad Klein the trouble and post the card below:

4,4,5   5,5,3   3,4,4
3,4,5   4,3,5   4,4,4

The really interesting thing about that routing is that it didn't come about due to the topography -- Inwood is one of the flattest courses in New York state, maybe 15-20 feet of topography from highest point to lowest.

[Forrest Richardson]

"The Bishop", as it is called, is — yes — "good". Not great, outstanding or worth too much trouble getting to. It has some overgrown trees and is typical of parkland courses in the North of England. There are a few good holes, especilly the par-3s. I recall it having loads of drainage problems. But, it was entertaining.