Best play-off hole

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Play-off holes for important tournaments are usually chosen for the convenience of television coverage and spectator access.  Sometimes that even means playing the same hole over and over until a result is obtained.  If you were running such a tournament and had the opportunity to choose any single hole on the course to play over and over again until a winner is found by sudden death what would be your criteria for that choice, ignoring spectator and TV demands?

For example, you might select the 13th at Augusta because of its invitation to the good player try for the eagle or birdie, and the risk involved if the second shot is not quite perfect.  You might choose the 1st/3rd at Hoylake with the threat of OOB on both sides of the drive and the proximity of OOB to the green - who has the steadier nerve?  Would there be any merit in choosing a daunting par 3 such as 16th at Cypress Point or 5th at Pine Valley?  Would you choose a hole with an vast putting surface or, maybe, one with a minuscule putting surface.  Might a 350-yard par 4 be preferable to a long one - say 10th at Riviera vs 17th at TOC?  Or maybe the 11th at Merion, 14th at Dornoch, 5th at Mid Ocean....  

What are the qualities that make a hole outstanding in such a play-off situation?

[Phil McDade]

Mark:

A half-par hole with several options -- the 10th at the Belfry comes immediately to mind. An easy par 4, a very tough par 4 (along the lines of, say, Oakmont's 9th?), a reachable par 5, or a very hard and/or unpredictable par 3 -- Augusta's 12th? Something that makes the two (or three...) golfers think hard on the tee about their choices, and the potential for a decent variety of scores.

[Matthew Hunt]

Belfery#10

PB#18

ANGC#11, 12, 13, 15, 16

[Rick Shefchik]

I'll take Riviera #10, and I'd avoid Belfry #10. They are two sides of the same coin -- a driveable par 4, the difference being that I can't see anyone -- even Tiger -- taking the headcover off a metal wood in a playoff at Belfry #10. There's no recovering from a miss there, and pros don't want to hand the tournament to the other guy because of one bad swing or a bad bounce.

Riviera #10, is much more tempting. You're in trouble if you miss, but you're not dead.

[Phil McDade]

Rick:

I think I recall Sergio going for the green at the Belfry at the Ryder Cup and sort of (luckily...) threading it through the trees, coming up short of the green, and ending up birdieing the hole. Plus there is some bunkering there that can possibly catch a wayward shot.

Circumstances might dictate play there as well. If (theoretically) I'm some longshot up against Tiger on that hole, I might take a crack at it, figuring there is no way I can play him stroke-for-stroke in an extended playoff. And in match-play (which is a playoff, anyway) I might want to put pressure on my opponent by smacking it on/near the green (granted, a wet miss might lead to a quick concession...still, I think the hole forces what I'd like to see on a good playoff hole -- some degree of thought on the tee re. strategy.)

If you're first up on the tee at Riveria's 10th, do you play driver and go for the green?

[Rick Shefchik]

Phil,

My decision at Riviera would depend on a lot of factors, primarily how confident I am in my driver at that particular time, but also my sense of how my opponent is playing, who's got the momentum, what condition my short game is in, etc.

At the Belfry, I just can't see any circumstance that would make me go for it in a one-hole playoff.

It's a wonderful match-play hole, and particularly so as a 10th hole -- a great spot in the match for a team or player to try to get back into the match, or put the hammer down. I think it would be a boring playoff hole in a stroke-play situation, however. Nineteen times out of twenty, I'll bet you'd see both players hit five-iron, wedge.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I wonder if an architect designing a course which will see matchplay competition considers the 1st hole both as something to get the round under way and also as a very likely match-deciding hole as a 19th?

[Tom Dunne]

Mark, I had a conversation with Steve Smyers recently in which he told me that George Crump viewed the first hole at PV in very much the light you describe...the dangers around that green make it a terrific match play hole.

[Bill_McBride]

Has anyone ever hit driver/3 wood at #10 Belfrey other than in a fourball match?

[Matt_Cohn]

The trouble with a watery risk-reward hole is that the playoff could be over by the time players reach the green.

For that reason I'll choose 10 at Riviera, 18 at Kapalua (that one's done well in the past!) or other exciting non-watery holes.

[Jordan Wall]

18 at Kapalua, definitely

[Tony_Muldoon]

Has anyone ever hit driver/3 wood at #10 Belfrey other than in a fourball match?

Bill everybody plays Driver on no 10,  remember this fact when someone from over here tries to tell you we never allow Mulligans.

[Kevin Pallier]

What are the qualities that make a hole outstanding in such a play-off situation?

Risk v reward. One that ensures tests on the execution every shot (= increased pressure). The 17th at TOC would be a great play-off hole and 16 - 18 at Carnoustie also befits that challenge.

Personally I prefer, play-offs that encompass 4 hole aggregate scores - and AMEN corner at ANGC springs immediatelly to mind. NSW's 15-18 would also make a great 4 hole playoff routing.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Has anyone ever hit driver/3 wood at #10 Belfrey other than in a fourball match?

Bill
I seem to recollect that Paul Casey did in the final round of the English Open(?) last year.  At the time he had a two shot lead, missed the green and bogied the hole. His game never recovered and he eventually lost to Johan Edfors.

[Matthew Hunt]

I think the 10th at the Belfery would be a good 16th or 17th.