It's goofy.
Regardless of what you hit off the tee and how well you hit it you are completely guessing on the second shot in terms of both line and length, even if you decide to hold up the rest of the course by walking up the hill to see where the pin is. It's great fun if you are just playing a bounce game, but if you are playing any sort of serious golf it is not a serious golf hole, just goofy.
Rich
Rihc --
What does "goofy" mean -- generically speaking?
No offense, my good man -- but your disdain for the 1st at North Berwick makes you sound more than a little like a PGA TOUR (tm) professional!
Is that completely blind par-3 at NB (can't remember the number) a goofy hole?
Dan
Yo Dan
Goofy (n.)....19. Mickey Mouse's goofy Sidekick......
goofy (adj.)--....27. describing anything on a golf course which reminds you of Mickey Mouse's goofy sidekick. Not to be confused with "mickeymouse (adj.) which describes anything on a golf course which is so simplistic that it defies even the lightest form of sarcasm.".......
PGATP's (tm) probably love the 1st at NB, because they can send their caddies up the hill to check out the pin position, thus not only gathering important information, but also establishing their dominance over their servant at a very early point in the round.
I can't remember any completely blind par-3 at NB. Are you thinking of the Dell at Lahinch or are you confused about the semi-blindiness of that hole on NB near the end of the round that looks like an old fortress from the Crimean War whose name escapes me at the moment.....?
So why is the 1st at NB "goofy?"
1. No interesting options off the tee
2. 2nd shot completely blind to a highly slanted green with absolutely no idea as to what line or length is required, nor what sort of alternative shots might work and how under various circumstances.
3. You can hit what you think is a great shot and find your ball in 3-putt territory, or you can skull or fat your second shot and find yourself with a tap-in. Now this can happen on many a links golf hole, but on all the great ones you can actually see what the ball is doing and have a very satisfying "Captain Kirk" experience as you watch what it does and when and how it does it.
4. I say so.
As for Sean's idea of making the hole a par-3, that is even goofier (if possible, but you never know about oor Sean......). I personally would like to see the hole restored to its former glory when the tee was 200+ yards behind its current location, and with a bold drive and a crafty cleek Point Garry could be scaled heroicially. Regrettably I am too young to remember those days, but I'm sure that Melvyn can chime in with his recollections of how he played the hole with Ben Sayers at the turn of the last century.
As for Bob Huntley, well he is as always priceless, even when he agrees with me......
Rich