[Mike Hendren]

A welcome call from a GCA icon yesterday got me to thinking:  What is my favorite drive on a MODERN American golf course?

3.  8th hole at Vanderbilt Legends Club Ironhorse Course:  You need to bust one uphill to reach a flat lie in the fairway and the best angle to the green requires flirting with a deep right side bunker.  Best of all, the exact line is marked by a thin white steeple that peaks out of a tree-filled hill in the distance.  Unbelievable in the fall.

2.  16th at Sand Hills.  Fly spectacular blowouts and try to catch a turbo-boost rollercoaster of a faiway at a pretty sharp angle.  I didn't think Shivas' ball would ever come down a few years back.

1.  The 9th at Pacific Dunes (to the lower green in particular).  I know I've been a little tough on PD, but to find this hole in the routing is a real credit to Tom Doak.  I hit a low fade so it's quite thrilling to see my ball (occasionally) clear the dune and disappear into the fairway, knowing that if it's well hit it will bound down the hill to leave a simple pitch in.  

Your top 3?

[Geoffrey Childs]

Mike - this has been an interesting thought process.

1- I totally agree with you about teh drive on #16 at Sand Hills.  Where else in the universe can your optimal choice of line change by as much as 200 yards depending on the tee played and the wind direction and strength?  It's simply an out of this world experience.


2- #14 at Friars Head.  Again depending on the tee and direction of the wind you can blow it over the dune on the right with a chance to go at the green in 2 or choose a safer left line (for me from the back tee) that hits the face of the hill and makes difficult 2nd shot and true 3 shot par 5.  Great stuff!

3- The difficult par 4 4th hole at The Ocean Course.  ITs just an intimidating but fair drive that tests your ability to get up there and swing freely.

I'm curious what others pick as their favorites.

[Tom Huckaby]

Hell of an interesting question.  Just off the top of my head...

1.  16 Cypress, into a strong wind.  Hell yes that's a drive... and disdaining the Isthmus and making it over remains one of the greatest thrills in golf.

2. 8 Sand Hills, from middle tee (or for you bombers, back tee).  Hitting one up the left side there, hoping for the proper kick, getting it around the hell bunker in front of the green... that's a darn thrilling shot also.

3.  #10 Pasatiempo - heroic over barranca, strategic re which line to choose... and getting it out over the hill and catching the turbo-boost forward is also one heck of a thrill.

TH

ps - I obviously didn't focus on the "modern" part - oh well, like I say, it was just off the top of my head.

[John Kavanaugh]

240 yd par 3 15th...1. Cut driver coming in left to right. 2. Wind riding five wood from right to left. 3. Monster four iron taking turbo shelf to green taking the puchbowl from either direction.

[Brian_Sleeman]

#1 at Greywalls: a panoramic view of Lake Superior takes most of your attention, but the real enticement is right beneath you: the tee shot always results in some great hangtime, but the fun begins on the ground - keep an eye on the caroms and bounces or you might not see it again.  Blast it up the left side and watch it run into a favorable position for the second shot, or miss it a bit right and watch it carom and roll further into trouble.  The tee shot at #14 may be more fun for me but the setting at #1 is always a great start to a round.

#17 at Kapalua Plantation: bomb it down the right side and hope for a little turbo boost upon returning to earth, followed by a long rollout for a shorter approach.  I think this is the highest point on the golf course, offering up an amazingly wide panorama of the Pacific and Molokai.  #18 isn't bad either.

#3 at Kingsley Club: the real difficulty is the approach, but putting your drive in the right spot is no bargain either.  The bunkers down the right side invite you to challenge them for a shorter second shot, though the smarter route is to balance it along the ridge on the left for the best angle into the green.  I haven't gotten this one right very often, but it's still one of my favorite challenges whenever I play there.

[Ally Mcintosh]

the drive up to augusta national golf club?

[Jeff Doerr]

#6 at Desert Canyon in Washington. I think it is almost 700 yards and waaay downhill. From the tee it unfolds before you and the green is a speck in the distance that looks to be perched right on the edge of the Columbia River canyon.

#9 at Pacific Dunes - agreed with Michael!

#14 at Rustic Canyon - great tee shot over the shallow canyon. Cut off whatever you want or think you can to get a closer approach. The wind can make a big difference!

[Dan_Callahan]

The drive on 18 at Snowmass Golf Club. Ball stays in the air for at least 5 minutes.

The 8th at Crumpin Fox . . . like the 17th at Sawgrass, one of those holes that you think about while playing the previous holes.

The 17th at Red Tail, guessing how much of the waste area you can bite off.

Number 9 at RNK. Perhaps it was just the way it looked the first time I played it, but a very simple, elegant stretches out in front of you.

18 at Tobacco Road. The 1st hole gets lots of hype, but the tee shot on 18 is the pinnacle of intimidation . . . take away the waste area the size of Texas and it might be the easiest tee shot on the course.

[john_stiles]

On a MODERN,  one of my favorites is  #1 at Cuscowilla, a par 4.

You know that you need to challenge the bunker and the junk left, and hug that line for the best angle to the green.  The fairway is very wide to the right, but the approach angle becomes much tougher from the right side of the fairway.

#1 at Tot Hill Farm is also a teaser.  You need to challenge the hazards on the left, and hit down the left side of the fairway so you can see the green.  The easier tee shot to the right side of fairway leaves you with a blind approach.

[KBanks]

Two from Cuscowilla come immediately to mind.

Hole #1, where the orientation of the uphill, skyline green favors an approach from the left portion of the fairway. However, the more aggressive line you take in that direction off the tee, the more the bunkers sited on the left come into play. There are few more arresting opening drives. Plenty of room to bail right, but the approach becomes exponentially more difficult.

Hole #18, which is frank in its demand for a right to left tee shot. The proper curve on the tee shot is rewarded with a turbo boost effect when the ball runs out on the fairway, which is really pronounced when the fairway is firm.

Ken

[Mike Benham]

I quote Richard Farnsworth Goodale "#1 (at Spyglass) is a virtually unequalled transition/opening hole, transporting you from anticipation to mystery to spectaclular challenge.  If there is a better #1 in the world, I haven't played it"

[Tom Huckaby]

I quote Richard Farnsworth Goodale "#1 (at Spyglass) is a virtually unequalled transition/opening hole, transporting you from anticipation to mystery to spectaclular challenge.  If there is a better #1 in the world, I haven't played it"

I too think that's a fantastic golf hole, and the tee shot is a very fun one indeed, worthy of inclusion in this thread.

I also used to think it's the best #1 hole on this planet.

But then I played Sand Hills.

 

[Gary Slatter]

I quote Richard Farnsworth Goodale "#1 (at Spyglass) is a virtually unequalled transition/opening hole, transporting you from anticipation to mystery to spectaclular challenge.  If there is a better #1 in the world, I haven't played it"

Have to agree that is a great opening t-shot followed by one of the best first holes anywhere.
Devil's Pulpit in Toronto has a very expensive 1st hole that was changed many times prior to opening, at one time making it Canada's "most expensive" hole.  It's a par 5, on opening day I was playing with a 27 handicap course super Ray Richards and he almost shanked his driver, hit a wedge to a foot for eagle. I figure they wasted their money on it.

[Daryl David]

Number 4 at Stone Eagle.  Elevated tee, downhill par 4.  Appears to be a huge landing area. However if the ball is even close to center or even right center, the ball will track left all the way to the bottom where a canyon and some water await that are not visible from the tee.  Thrilling to wonder "did I take a high enough line?"

[KBanks]

Rich's opinion of Spyglass having the greatest opener in the world is a powerful endorsement, inasmuch he has seen Battery at Machrihanish.

Ken

[Tom Huckaby]

Ken - agreed it's a powerful statement.  But I've seen* both also... and I still say Sand Hills is the best.

TH

* Machrihanish sadly in pictures only.  I brace for a Muccian assault.  

[Tim Pitner]

Ballyneal No. 1, especially if you like Machrihanish's opener.  

[John Kirk]

Let's add a couple, including a controversial choice:

1.  #14 at Sand Hills is another fine driving hole there.  A long drive down the left side puts you in great shape for birdie or even eagle.

2.  #18 at Ballyneal.  Mostly I think it's pretty, but the little greenside bunkers make a left side drive better for left hand pins, and right side for right pins.  The left side gives a little extra boost.

3.  #9 at Kinloch.  Where else can you have a difficult par 5 with a diagonal (left to right) tee shot over a small creek, or if you're feeling sporty, attempt a power fade around the trees to a second fairway, yielding a 50 yard advantage and a chance at reaching the green in two?  Kinloch's most controversial and most difficult hole has a bigger set of driving options than any hole I am aware of.  It's not really my favorite driving hole on the course, but it's certainly has the most options.

[Mike Hendren]

2.  #18 at Ballyneal.  Mostly I think it's pretty, but the little greenside bunkers make a left side drive better for left hand pins, and right side for right pins.  The left side gives a little extra boost.

John, good call. The comfort and safety of the right side of that fairway is so seductive and tempting by default.  I like the low profile of the right hand side though I heard Ron Whitten felt something was needed over there.

Mike

[Dan Herrmann]

Homer alert:
French Creek #2.  Downhill tee shot to a dogleg right.  No trees anywhere.  Natural bunkers inside the dogleg.  A thrilling tee shot.

Others:
Pacific Dunes #1.  The sense of place is fantastic, and it's a great tee shot.  I'd love to see the tee where you hit over the pro shop.

Just to be controversial:
Pacific Trails #14.  

[PThomas]

I think it's the 9th at the Raven at Three Peaks in Colorado...you are hitting towards the mountains from way high up and the ball seems to hang in the air against that background forever..

[Jordan Wall]

#6 Kapalua is one of my favorites, especially if you hit a good one.

You can drive the green, or end up 50 yards short in the rough on a way downhill lie..or, you could lay up and hit a 200 yard 9-iron...or challenege the bunker without going for the green resulting in a good angle and a somewhat easy shot..either way the player chooses, its a great tee shot.

[Tim Bert]

I'm going to take the following three:

Pacific Dunes #2 - There's a carry to the fairway to keep you honest, but it isn't extremely demanding.  The bunkering on the left can destroy your score, and the bunker in the middle of the fairway is right where I want to hit my tee shot.  The yardage suggests that shouldn't be a problem, but when I've played (June both trips) the wind makes the carry more difficult than one would think.  I usually attempt to steer right of it, but the tee shot is no gimmee on that hole.



Ballyneal #7 - How much do you want to go for?  Can you even see where you want to land the ball from the tee?  What are you trying to accomplish with your approach?  Where is the pin?  The tee shot is second only to the green complex on this hole!



Green Mountain National #2 - But only in these conditions.  Pretty cool to watch the ball not only disappear over the cliff, but also completely disappear in the fog!



Not quite as much fun when you can see where you are going.  Woods if you are too far left; water if you are too far right.
 

[Wayne_Kozun]

What about the 18th at Pebble?  Or how about #2 at Merion?

[Tim Bert]

What about the 18th at Pebble?  Or how about #2 at Merion?

I was thinking Banff or Pinehurst, but then I caught myself.  The key to the question posed in this thread is modern.

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