Architecture one hole that brings golfers back?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Woke up last night thinking about the discussions on how much average golfers know, think, or care about golf architecture.  While I got to thinking that most will appreciate the overall look or feel of a course, they don't think too much about architecture, at least not enough to "bring em back."

Then I got to thinking, are there any individual holes that might bring golfers back to challenge again and again?

The obvious one to me would be Cypress Point 16, or a driving option hole like Riv no.10.

What other single holes have influenced you or others you know to go back and play the course, just to get another crack at that one?

[Ted Kramer]

17th at Sawgrass.

-Ted

[Tommy Williamsen]

floating green at Coeur D'Alene

[Philip Spogard]

6th at Kingsbarns

[Chip Gaskins]

The Road Hole at St. Andrews

[Ted Kramer]

#18 at Leatherstocking.
#16 at Lido.

-Ted

[Bill Brightly]

Biarritz at Yale
Redan at North Berwick
16 at CP
8 at Pebble Beach
10 at Pine Valley
17 at Baltustrol
5 West at Ridgewood
15 at Saucon Valley Old
All of National 

[John Foley]

#15 @ World Woods Pine Barrens

#17 @ Yale

#4 @ Buck Hill Falls

[hhuffines]

Two at Pacific Dunes --- #11 and #13.  I'd love a few more chances
at those!

[Wyatt Halliday]

Ballyneal 7 & 12

Bandon Trails 14

[archie_struthers]

 


 Actually I can think of a bunch in Ireland....but in the states I'm wanting to play the second shot to 10 at Sand Hills again !  Just loved the pitch and roll

[Kalen Braley]

I could see the 8th and 9th at CPC fitting into this category.  One can easily play those in 3, 3 or 7, 7 or any combination in between.  Options-a-plenty with huge rewards to go along with huge risks.

[Matt Bosela]

Great topic.

- 10th at Riviera
When I played, the pin was front left and I was frothing at the mouth.  "Driver is the play, right?", I asked my caddy.

His response?

"Driver is NEVER the right play here"

So I lay back with a 4-iron and still made bogey.  I want another shot at that hole with a driver in my hands!

- 17th at Oakmont
Another short four with options.  This time, the caddy seemed really gung ho about going for it, handing me the driver with excitement and saying to just give it a go.

I hit my one poor drive of the day into one of the left fairway bunkers 70 yards from the green, took three shots to get out, only to hit it into Big Mouth.  I then open my face of my lob wedge, take a full swing and almost hit it onto the 18th tee.  From there, in ankle-high rough, I leave my pitch shot on the lip of the hole for a tap-in triple bogey.

If I get the chance to play there again, I'm not sure whether I'd play it differently but I definitely want another shot at making a better score on 17.

[Jed Peters]

For the masses, 18 at Pebble Beach fits the bill.

[Jason Topp]

For me - tee shot on 16 at Sand Hills.

[Tony_Chapman]

Man, a bunch of fun ones here for me:

-- the 2nd at Firethorn
-- the 14th at Sand Hills (one of the great par-5 greens in golf)
-- the 1st at Sand Hills (nothing says "lets play golf" like that one)
-- the 7th at Sand Hills
-- the 11th and 16th at Pasatiempo
-- the "ocean" holes at Pebble Beach (4-10, 17 and 18)

and, my two favorites

-- the 15th at Wild Horse
-- the 13th at Tobacco Road

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Jeff once you remove the ocean holes, I think the holes that bring golfers back and are the most memorable are the short par 4's and occasionally a special par 3.  It seems to me that even courses with brawny 4's for personality like Olympic Lake etc, it is the short 4's make the course so memorable. #7 at Olympic Lake and 18 are great examples. Anyone will argue that 2,4,5 and 6 make the course and set the tone for the challenge but 7 and 18 stay in the average golfers mind forever. 4 at Spyglass is the same on a course which as all about strong 4's.

[Dan Kelly]

Jeff --

Semi-echoing Tiger B.  --

The holes I yearn to play again and again are par-3s (usually, but not always, on the long side; e.g., No. 9 at Sutton Bay; Nos. 3 and 17 at Sand Hills -- which was long when I played it), interesting short par-4s (including two of your own holes -- The Quarry No. 9 and The Quarry No. 13) and the occasional mammoth par-5. I'm not long enough to reach almost any par-5 from anywhere near the tips, so they're all three-shotters to me. The ones that stand out, therefore, are the holes that *require* three excellent full shots -- e.g., Sutton Bay No. 8.

Obviously there are great long par-4s, but they're rarely the holes I'm itching to play again. If I actually hit a long drive and a fine second and end up on the green, I always have a bit of that "even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while" feeling. I enjoy the truffle, true, but always feel as though I've cheated the architect!

Dan

[John Moore II]

I would ask how much of 'what brings them back' is really true architecture and how much of it is visual stuff that makes people go 'WOW?' In the case of CPC 16, Pebble 7, 8, 18, some at Pac Dunes, and others, what brings the people back is not so much the skill of the architects, though it did take skill to make great holes there, but the views those holes present. Inland holes need great architecture to have the WOW factor, but the water holes do not. WOW holes bring people back, whether they are the architecturally best on the course or not.

[Jim Franklin]

#5 at The Old White Course

[JESII]

8 and 14 at Royal New Kent.

[George Pazin]

Woke up last night thinking about the discussions on how much average golfers know, think, or care about golf architecture.  While I got to thinking that most will appreciate the overall look or feel of a course, they don't think too much about architecture, at least not enough to "bring em back."

Then I got to thinking, are there any individual holes that might bring golfers back to challenge again and again?

The obvious one to me would be Cypress Point 16, or a driving option hole like Riv no.10.

What other single holes have influenced you or others you know to go back and play the course, just to get another crack at that one?

Jeez, I'm surprised so many can narrow it down - I feel this way on almost every tee of my home muni.

I'd have an easier time mentioning holes that wouldn't bring me back, but I don't want to turn this thread into another Wolf Creek thread...

[Dan Kelly]

I'd have an easier time mentioning holes that wouldn't bring me back, but I don't want to turn this thread into another Wolf Creek thread...

If I didn't know better, I'd think that was a pithy attempt at humor.

[Steve Hyden]

The Cape Hole at Mid-Ocean.  When I played it a number of years ago, I hit my tee shot so far right I had no hope of getting home.

Also, no. 18 at Leatherstocking, which I've never parred but I get another shot at it next week.

As for Yale no. 18, I birdied the hole the last time I played it, so the next time I play Yale I'll probably walk in after 17.

[Mark Arata]

9 and 10 at Yale..... (1-8 and 11-18 arent bad either)