Hole 15 – 413 yards
If I were to declare one hole at Southern Hills as non-descript, it would be the fifteenth. But that would be unfair, it just comes up short because of the greatness that surrounds the hole. The terrain on the hole slopes dramatically from left to right off of the bunker in the corner of the dogleg. The lie is often below the players feet while the green requires a draw to really get back to any deep pin placements, another typical Maxwell reverse-dogleg.
On the approach, a tree protects the left side of the green for anyone that tries to cut the hole too much on that side. But most players can lay back and still have a short iron or wedge into the green. The area short of the green contains some excellent rolling terrain that makes any approach over the ground a tricky option at best. Also providing some reason for timid play are the multiple bunkers around the green.
An aerial approach is the best bet and the left side being preferred as the slope of the green off of the knob to the right is the most severe on the backside, with the exception of the 18th.
Photo courtesy of Keith Foster
Hole 16 – 507 yards
For the life of me, I will forever miss the logic behind making this hole a par four. Especially when, for the tournament this year, it will tip out at 507 yards. What’s wrong with having a par 71 course? Just move it back to the member tees at 565 and provide some drama on the hole instead of having the players feel like they can only play it one way. Aside from my distaste of altering par on holes by moving tees up or back, there is a very good reason to use the regular par five tees, as was done in the 1958 Open (but ignored since then). From those back tees the players will be hitting into the teeth of the heaving humps and bumps in the fairway and will have much more difficult shots into the green. From the forward tees, the players will likely be able to hit over the contouring and have a much more level lie while only being faced with the distance required to get there as a concern. If these guys are so good, let them show it off.
Enough with my rant, once the players have hit over the most interesting part of the hole they will be left with a 200 yard shot into a green that is fronted by a bunker and water short and left. Players will more than likely land their balls on the front right part of the green and take their chances of putting for par once they reach the green. The green has some defense, but it is mostly in the form of a steep slope from back to front.
If you make it a par five then you will let the grip it and rip it set go for the green and try for eagle instead of just playing it safe. You will also get those that can’t reach it laying up and having to play pitches into the tight pin positions on the left side of the green. Come on PGA, break the rules and let the players show us what they can do instead of just making it a test of endurance. The temperatures in Tulsa will do that for us.
Hole 17 – 358 yards
The short par fours on championship courses have been slowly dwindling from the scene. Hopefully that will be rectified one day and the seventeenth at Southern Hills is a great example of why this should be. Though the hole will play close to 360 yards from the tips during the championship, it will play like a true short par four due to the terrain movement and the fact that no one should have more than a wedge into this green. The terrain on the hole shifts from left to right towards a creek that should only be in play if a grave error is made by the players. The ideal play is along the left side. If the ball is bombed, the player may take a chance of going down the right side to reach the level part of the fairway just short of the green, but this would be a disadvantage on the second shot.
The original Maxwell green is still in place as the right side of the modern green. The left side of the green was added by Floyd Farley when he expanded this green complex into the wonderful putting surface we see today. With it raised above the surrounds it eliminates the advantage of the true bomber that finds a short pitch from the fairway below. But the wise player who relies less on brawn can have an ideal view of any pin from the left side. For those that cannot choose either way, they will be left with a hanging lie in the middle of the fairway.
The contouring of the green is the most complex on the course, with the original portion sloped towards the player and the Farley side of the green seeming to run away. Without question, pin positions on the left side will be much more difficult. The green itself is very narrow from front to back, but the length from right to left is something that is unique to Southern Hills. Wherever the player hits their approach from, leaving it short is not an option as several bunkers protect the front of the green.
Hole 18 – 465 yards
One of the most storied finishing holes in golf is at Southern Hills. Much like Maxwell’s ideal opening hole on the first, his model eighteenth would probably be best identified by this hole. Maxwell’s belief was in finishing on an uphill hole with the clubhouse in the background. He produced this on several of his courses, but none surpasses this beauty. At over 450 yards in length it is also a brutal test and is great compliment to the hole that immediately preceded it. From the tee, the player catches a glimpse of the green ahead, but loses sight of the fairway as it disappears down the hill to the stream below. The player is immediately left a choice, lay back off the tee and have a much longer approach or take the risk and play to the flat below and trust that their ball will not roll too far down the hill and into the water. Truthfully, the right side of the fairway should be safe and only the long balls on the left have anything to worry about. If the player lays back they will have about 200 yards into the green, uphill and more than likely into the wind while having a downhill lie, a shot I would not envy with the tournament on the line. The player who hits to the valley below will have an uphill shot of 150 yards with a level lie.
The large bunker on the left side is in play for those that hit it short up the hill.
The green above was reconstructed by Keith Foster to soften the front and back contours with the hope of making the green more accepting to approach shots, based on problems from the 2001 US Open. Knobs throughout the green make long putts difficult to get close and three putts will likely occur. As evidenced by the last hole of regulation play when both players in the final group three putted in the 2001 US Open, one missing out on a play-off (Stewart Cink) and another missing out on the championship outright (Retief Goosen).
Conclusion
Southern Hills is one of the top championship layouts in the United States. But it has come under some criticism in recent years. I have read several comments basically saying that the course is overrated and that if it were anywhere near other golfing towns like Philadelphia or New York it would tumble down the rankings. To me that type of comment is complete rubbish. Having seen other top courses in the country, I unequivocally feel that Southern Hills is among the top in the country and rightly deserves its ranking. But there are some valid criticisms that can be laid on the course. There are too many trees on the site. The arboreal guardians infringe on the play of too many holes. It would be wonderful to see what might happen if they were trimmed back and the original playing characteristics of holes like the second and third were re-established. A second criticism is in regards to the bunkering, as it has changed significantly over the years to what many call “moon craters” and away from the original concept of Maxwell. This seems to be a choice made by the club for competitive and maintenance purposes. The last criticism is in regards to the rough and how thick it is constantly maintained. I doubt that this was what Maxwell intended with the original design, but again this comes part and parcel with the burdens of being a “championship” test in this day and age.
Regardless of these criticisms, the facts remain about what lays on the site of Southern Hills. The course is a wonderful routing that maximizes the potential of all the natural geographic characteristics of the site. It has some wonderful green complexes. The course challenges the player to execute and have a complete game while providing a variety of one-shot, two-shot and three-shot holes on the course. These items, along with the deep championship and architectural history of the course make it one of the treasures of American parkland golf.