The greatest shots ever hit inspired by the architecture..

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Back to John Cullum's bad shots: Doug Sanders missed putt on the 18th at the Old Course?

[peter_p]

My approach to a front pin at Kingsley's first hole which used most of the sloping up to the second tier.

Jack's tee shot on 16 at Augusta, tied with Tiger's chip-in.

[Sean Leary]

How about Rocca's putt off the road to a foot on the Road Hole...

[Chris Kurzner]

How about Rocca's putt off the road to a foot on the Road Hole...

Curses.  Beat me to it by one post.

[Jeff Taylor]

For Jeremy,
I could not agree more. I still recall Norman's caddy setting the bag down in front of the ball and not moving it until Norman agreed to lay up. Then that magnificent 2 iron from Faldo. Great television. Great golf hole.

[John Kavanaugh]

How about Sergio's Tinkerbell tree shot at Medinah..

[Tommy_Naccarato]

How about Watson's attempt to play from the wall of the Road Hole?

[Doug Wright]

Nakajima/Duval/you name it flailing away in the Road Bunker.

Jack Nicklaus flailing away about 3-4 times in Hell during an Open many years ago. I thought Jack was superhuman until I witnessed that; then I realized he was human, but pretty damn good...

[Mike Hendren]

Jim Furyk's putt from the bunker at Hoylake.

David Tom's lay-up at AAC's 18th in the 2001 PGA.

Patton's 2nd at Augusta National Golf Club's 13th in the 1954 Masters.

[Philippe Binette]

Billy Casper, laying up on purpose at winged foot four times and scoring 3 each time... demolishing the concept of par

[John Kavanaugh]

So,  how many of the above shots would be diminished with modern equipment.  If Hogan had hit a five iron would it be any less of a shot..

[john_stiles]

How about Tiger Woods' tee shot at the flag on the 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course ?  It was the 1994 US Amateur.

The subsequent putt placed Tiger one up on Trip Kuehne.  It was unbelievable that the ball landed past the flagstick and stopped in the fringe, and was then holed.

[Sean Leary]

An unnamed GCA'er laying up on the 16th at Cypress Point...

[Tom Huckaby]

So,  how many of the above shots would be diminished with modern equipment.  If Hogan had hit a five iron would it be any less of a shot..

Nicklaus' for sure.  That would be a freakin 7iron or something these days.  Way less impressive.

[Bill Shamleffer]

RTJ's ace at Baltusrol

Mark,

When I initially read this post title, I too thought of Jones' ace of #4 at Baltusrol.  Perhaps that was instead "The Greatest Shot Hit By an Inspired Architect".

[John Kavanaugh]

So,  how many of the above shots would be diminished with modern equipment.  If Hogan had hit a five iron would it be any less of a shot..

Nicklaus' for sure.  That would be a freakin 7iron or something these days.  Way less impressive.

Come on Huck,  I thought he hit what was called a punch (stinger now) because of the wind.  It would have to be two or three iron still..

[Wayne_Kozun]

Hogan at Carnoustie defining "Hogan's Alley".

[RJ_Daley]

Bill and Mark, perhaps the most inspired shot by a perturbed archie who found himself defending his work to the committee, and proved that his design wasn't "unfair".

Along tha same line, Marion Hollins shot to #16 at CPC, thus convincing A. MacKenzie that the design was sound.  Although, that wasn't inspired by the existing architecture, it was a challenge that it could be built.

[Jim_Kennedy]

All of Tiger's field shots in the 2000 Open Championship. No sand between his toes.

[Paul_Turner]

Two from Faldo:

His holed bump and run through the Valley of Sin with Scott Hoch looking on (1990).

His low running 5 iron, fading into the wind, at Muirfield's 15th in 1992.  The green is designed for that shot and it set up his birdie when he was letting the tournament slip.

[Tom Huckaby]

So,  how many of the above shots would be diminished with modern equipment.  If Hogan had hit a five iron would it be any less of a shot..

Nicklaus' for sure.  That would be a freakin 7iron or something these days.  Way less impressive.

Come on Huck,  I thought he hit what was called a punch (stinger now) because of the wind.  It would have to be two or three iron still..

No way.  Watch the tape (as I have countless times).  There's no way that was a punch.  The wind was right to left far more than against.  It was a full-swing, full bore 1-iron.  And only Jack could have pulled it off, given how high and soft-landing he hit is low irons.

Nope.  No one punches that today.  They hit a high floating 6 or 7 iron, let it ride the wind in from the right (as Jack did pretty much), hope it lands soft.

Jack did all that win a 1-iron - impressive as hell.  Do the same today and hit the stick and of course it's still impressive - it's just far less so with a 6 or 7iron.

TH

[JESII]

Huck,

6 or 7 iron today matching Jack's 1 iron of 1970. Come on. Not a single player in the field is hitting less than 4 iron in identicle conditions. Not one.

[Tom Huckaby]

OK, OK - this is exaggeration.  You got me.  

So call it a 4iron.  The point remains.  It's less impressive today.

TH

[JESII]

And by greatest I mean bad and good...I'll go with the Mize chip on 11 (like I need to say where) where the slope of the green and the pond came into play..

The best back-to-backer that answers your bad and good criteria has to be Rocca on 18 at St. Andrews. Can anyone come up with a 1-2 combo of great - then - awful or awful - then - great to match that one. The equivalent might be if Nicklaus were to miss his 6 incher after the one iron.  

[John Kavanaugh]

Huck,

What was the length, conditions and competition that Nicklaus hit the shot..