Calling Tom Doak!
This question is prompted by the current thread: "C&C's worst holes."
Tom Doak's list, which has only three entries, includes the 14th at Bandon Trails. It's not that I disagree with Tom's assessment - the first time I played it, that damned hole ruined a pretty good scorecard. (The second time, in a round that was at best indifferent, I birdied it!)
I am interested in knowing Tom's regard for the 17th at Crystal Downs, a course we all know he, and most connoisseurs for that matter, hold in very high regard. The two holes are close to mirror images of each other: both are short par-4s with tee shots downhill to severely canted landing areas. The fairway on the 14th at BT is sloped left to right where at CD, it's right to left. The short pitch shots to both difficult greens are uphill. There are differences. The degree to which the golfer is screwed if the green is missed on their approach are not the same - the 14th at BT being way more penal. The fairway is wider at Bandon Trails, where I’m not sure there even is a fairway on CD’s 17th! On each hole there’s the option of using a driver to either knock it on or get as close as possible- a very dangerous play! Both holes raise the players pulse rates prior to pulling the club back, which I think is generally a good thing, and this is because on each hole there is severe a penalty if you don’t find the fairway.
Each hole is a potential round wrecker, and, by the way, the 17th at Crystal Downs proved just that. I ruined what was for me a brilliantly played round, so there's no love lost! Full disclosure: I've only played it once, but I was so flummoxed, I have no idea how to solve it when or if the next opportunity occurs.