Personal Favorite: 18th at Merion East (Hugh Wilson)
At the end of a very long rolling par 4 is a pretty large green (6600 sf) which is crowned along the line of play. The front half of the green, beyond a steep upslope kept firm and fast, slopes back to front while the rear half of the green slopes front to back, the speed of the putts enhanced by the grain running front to back towards the 11th green on the other side of Ardmore Avenue. Recovery shots out of the thick rough beyond the green are particularly tough, especially knowing that a shot that is too long or too hot will easily run off the green and down the slope fronting the green. There is a nice shoulder on the right beyond a deep flanking bunker offering a tough Sunday pin position. There are a lot of subtle interplays of slope on the green making reading and executing putts very demanding. To the left of the green are two large and deep bunkers. Even though the flanking bunkers are particularly menacing, the opening is large enough to account for the typical approach distances.
The 3rd at both Merion East and Merion West, 1st at Rolling Green, 8th at Gulph Mills, 2nd and Left 9th at Pine Valley and the 18th at Lancaster CC (as Jim Nagle pointed out) also merit discussions.
Most Available Pin Positions: 12th at Shinnecock Hills (William Flynn)
With the ongoing green expansion program at Shinnecock Hills, the variety of pin positions is being recovered. Many of these pins are tucked behind bunkers or near falloffs making bold approaches to pins in these areas a high risk/reward proposition. Many greens at SHGC will provide greater strategic positioning all the way back to the tee. The 13th isn't one of the greens that has benefited the most with pin positions near features like bunkers or falloffs. However the green was substantially increased in size. A low, broad-based mound that was on the left edge of the green is now fully incorporated into the green resulting in some fascinating pin positions and some demanding putts depending upon pin and ball position. All in all, the green probably got expanded by some 40%. Given the subtle interplays of slope and little internal contouring, nearly the entire green is pinnable.
Best pin position for the money: front pin at the 15th at Merion (Wilson, revised by Flynn between 1930 and 1934)
For a short dogleg right par 4 going uphill, this green is a great example of how a short hole and relatively short course can still be a test of golf for all classes of players including the best in the world. The green slopes back to front, particularly the front 1/4 of the green. A very large and deep bunker flanks the right side along a diagonal that follows the diagonal of the green. While it appears somewhat perpendicular to the line of play, a pin on the far right side of the green requires one more club than right center. There are two bunkers on the left of the green. There are not a lot of pin positions on this green but they are all great. The toughest of all is a pin tucked between the flanking bunkers and on the steepest section of a green on the golf course demands a precise approach kept below the hole. Even though this is typically a short shot, it is a very difficult one. Approaches that finish above the pin can lead to some very high scores. This demand puts a lot of pressure on the tee shot. One wants to hit a long drive so as to have the shortest shot into this pin position. And what a drive. The fairway is offset to the line of play with OB just beyond the left fairway margin. Along with bunkers and rough mounds down the right side, it is a great example of a bite off as much as you dare to with OB threatening shots through the fairway. All and all a great hole no matter where the pin is, but a front pin is a thrilling. conclusion to this hole.
Best Stimp-independent surface: 2nd at Pine Valley (Crump)
Perhaps only because this green is about the most challenging in the world no matter what the green speed is. Of course it gets more difficult as green speed increases, but it is still one of the hardest and best greens no matter how slow it was maintained.
Just plain sitting pretty: 11th at Shinnecock Hills and 3rd at Merion East
These are two of the world's great greens. The 11th demonstrates how a designer can use a ridge to place a green, particularly a short par 3, with trouble all around. The 160 yard hole plays almost as hard today as it did 75 years ago despite far better equipment and athletes.
The 3rd at Merion East is one of the great greens in golf. It is 48 yards long, though it doesn't appear that way from the tee. Walking up to the green is always exciting to see where your shot winds up in relation to the pin, which isn't easy to determine even from the 2nd green. It has some all-world slope integrations and some putts that break the opposite of what many would think (putts from middle left to front left break to the right).
As a bonus, tell us who in your opinion builds/built the best greens?
Maxwell, Wilson, Fownes, Flynn, Colt