Architects' favorite holes they've designed

[Scott Szabo]

I'm sure it may be hard to define, but I wonder if any of the golf course architects on this site could state their favorite par 3, 4 and 5 holes that they've designed.  Also, what makes them their favorites?

I think it would be interesting to all of us to hear which holes they select and why.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Scott,

I'll give that some thought, but the problem is that even if I wanted to answer in a public forum (potentially risking upset clients) I know that my list of favorites tends to be skewed to recent designs.  I go through phases - Love my new stuff for five years, hate it for five years, as I move on to new things, and then accept it for what it was/is/does after that.

At the moment, the holes that spring to mind are

par 3-The 129 4th at Tangle Ridge, side to side double deck green, frontal donut bunker on the right, into the wind.  It presents a nice dilemma when the pin is right, inventing a shot to get below the wind, etc. I hardly ever play it well, and its such a short hole.

short par 4 - the group of them at the Quarry, 9,9,10,13 which use the unique land forms.

long par 4 - 11 at Ridgeview Ranch 485 into the wind - I got phone calls from golfers telling me it was too hard. It also has an attractive bunker pattern.

Ask tomorrow and the answers may change!

Par 5 - 1st at Fortune Bay - double fw in both landing areas for multiple options.  Golfers love it, but the super says he must start a day early to get it mowed before golfers start!

[Scott Szabo]

Scott,

I'll give that some thought, but the problem is that even if I wanted to answer in a public forum (potentially risking upset clients)

Jeff,

Never thought this kind of question could pose some difficulty - live and learn, I guess.  Thought it would make for an interesting thread.  Thanks for stepping out and giving some of your favorites...

Scott

[ed_getka]

Scott,
  If you don't already have it, I would highly recommend Paul Daley's "Favorite Holes.." book. A large, diverse group of architects weighed in, and the appendix at the back of the book had some other interesting material.

[Scott Szabo]

Ed,

I don't have that book.  Thanks for the reference - I would think as an architect one would have "special" holes that they have created - and I think it would be interesting to hear about them.  

Scott

[ed_getka]

Scott,
   The architects don't go into their own holes, but seeing what their choices of holes are gives you a feel for how they approach design.

[Tom_Doak]

I have been trying to work on an eclectic of favorite holes from our courses for our web site, but with some difficulty.  When I asked my associates for input, many of their choices were different than my own.  I think it is a much more personal thing than people outside the business would realize.

I always say I've got two kinds of favorite holes ... the first are the obvious ones which other people would pick, like, say, the 13th at Pacific Dunes.  But most of that hole was already there the day I first saw it.

Then there are the other kind of favorite holes, where you really had no idea how it was going to work out at the start of the project, and you wound up building something you really like.  One example of that, for me, would be the 8th at Pacific Dunes, which was just an impenetrable thicket of a green site to start with.  But when I pick a hole like that, people think I'm crazy, with some of the other spectacular natural holes on the same course.

[Stuart Smith]

Tom, my question are there any 8's at Pacific Dunes that once discovered would make the wow list? I visited Holston Hills today, great job on the bunkers. One of the truest depictions of Ross architecture.    

[Tom_Doak]

Stuart:

I guess the 11th hole at Pacific Dunes would fit that category.  On my first routing, the tenth and eleventh holes were both included, and Mr. Keiser loved the tenth but wasn't really wowed by #11.  (I still have that memo.)  The reason is that the natural green site of today wasn't there, the green was just set into the bank of the dune ... we lowered it about five feet to get it to what you play today (and, incidentally, we used all that fill to raise up the green site on #10).  That, combined with a spectacular setting, makes it a great hole in most people's eyes.