Most difficult opening shot in golf

[Steve Salmen]

I don't think I've ever had a more difficult opening shot than the first at Muirfield.  It is quite incredible how the top of the flag is straight in front of you, however the fairway is angled slightly to the left and mildly uphill.  Halfway to the hole, the fairway bends back to the right and has a gentle downhill slope to the green.

The hole is 445 yards and measures just 19 yards wide at the kink in the fairway (i paced it myself).  There is knee high rough 5 paces off the fairway on both sides, and a killer of a bunker on the left, about 200 yds from the green.

The hole usually plays into the wind.  I have often thought of taking an iron and playing it as a 3 shotter, however, my fear was that I couldn't safely get to the green in 3.

I was at the Sunday practice round of the 2002 Open.  Not one professional, including Tiger, in the ten or so I saw hit the fairway.  Many played 2 and 3 balls also.

I've only played 25 or so courses in the Top 100 so I'd love to hear heart pounding first tee experiences.

[cary lichtenstein]

Oakmont

[Jeff_Mingay]

Steve,

You've brought back childhood memories.

My dad used to take my brother and I down to Hilton Head Is. when we were kids. Harbour Town was a treat, but we more often played the old Sea Marsh course before Pete Dye and Tim Liddy remodeled it, recently.

The first tee shot required a "pretty long" forced carry over a water hazard. My younger bro., who has always been a much better golfer than I, would bare down and smack one over the water. I don't think I ever made it over this hazard off the first tee, and it was the worst start to any round of golf I ever played as a kid!

I'll never forget this as the "most difficult opening tee shot in golf"... and, most important, this memory sticks with me in our design work.

[Ronald Montesano]

http://www.devilspulpit.com/thehomepage.html

First hole at one of these two north-of-Toronto courses built by the Trivial Pursuit guys.  My two dream courses.

[Matt Day]

I haven't this shot but the 1st at Cypress Point looked a bit tricky.

You're nervous, teeing off at one of the great golfing experiences in front of that beautiful clubhouse and you're confronted by a hedge in front of the tee, a cypress tree (?) on the left hand side of the tee, and a slight glimpse of the fairway.

Should in theory be easy to clear the hedge but I'd be worried about hitting thin into the hedge or pulling it left into the tree  

[jim_lewis]

ANGC and TOC the first time you play them. I've never been so nervous on any tee.

[Bob_Huntley]

I don't think I've ever had a more difficult opening shot than the first at Muirfield.  It is quite incredible how the top of the flag is straight in front of you, however the fairway is angled slightly to the left and mildly uphill.  Halfway to the hole, the fairway bends back to the right and has a gentle downhill slope to the green.

The hole is 445 yards and measures just 19 yards wide at the kink in the fairway (i paced it myself).  There is knee high rough 5 paces off the fairway on both sides, and a killer of a bunker on the left, about 200 yds from the green.

The hole usually plays into the wind.  I have often thought of taking an iron and playing it as a 3 shotter, however, my fear was that I couldn't safely get to the green in 3.

I was at the Sunday practice round of the 2002 Open.  Not one professional, including Tiger, in the ten or so I saw hit the fairway.  Many played 2 and 3 balls also.

I've only played 25 or so courses in the Top 100 so I'd love to hear heart pounding first tee experiences.

Steve,

Go to Search, I am sure we have had this question before.

Bob

[Matt Day]

ANGC and TOC the first time you play them. I've never been so nervous on any tee.

in regards to TOC is it the experience of playing their, the fact the fairways so wide or a combination of both? Does Baker-Finch come to mind in the downswing

If the planets align could be going there next year, otherwise its a wait till 2012 when the London Olympics are on

[Ronald Montesano]

ANGC and TOC the first time you play them. I've never been so nervous on any tee.

Hold on...are we talking about circumstance or hole quality?  The tee shot at St. Andrews Old is nothing without the circumstance and I imagine that Augusta is not far behind.  Line your local muni with fans and the shot becomes instantly more challenging.  If we're discussing circumstance, then this thread degenerates from its original intent into a pithy psychological subplot.

[Ronald Montesano]

And let's remember, concerning the psychology of the first tee ball:  all pressure can be alleviated by simply hitting the ever-lovin' piss out of it!

[Jeff_Mingay]

I haven't this shot but the 1st at Cypress Point looked a bit tricky.

You're nervous, teeing off at one of the great golfing experiences in front of that beautiful clubhouse and you're confronted by a hedge in front of the tee, a cypress tree (?) on the left hand side of the tee, and a slight glimpse of the fairway.

Should in theory be easy to clear the hedge but I'd be worried about hitting thin into the hedge or pulling it left into the tree  

Matt,

This is one of the most unfortunate things at Cypress Point these days, isn't it. One of the prettiest, and simplest tee shots in golf, really... but, as you point out, the hedge complicates things!

My advice is to play the hole like Moe Norman could... say, 8-iron off the tee, 3-wood to the green 

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't this shot but the 1st at Cypress Point looked a bit tricky.

You're nervous, teeing off at one of the great golfing experiences in front of that beautiful clubhouse and you're confronted by a hedge in front of the tee, a cypress tree (?) on the left hand side of the tee, and a slight glimpse of the fairway.

Should in theory be easy to clear the hedge but I'd be worried about hitting thin into the hedge or pulling it left into the tree  

Matt,

This is one of the most unfortunate things at Cypress Point these days, isn't it. One of the prettiest, and simplest tee shots in golf, really... but, as you point out, the hedge complicates things!

My advice is to play the hole like Moe Norman could... say, 8-iron off the tee, 3-wood to the green 

What hedge?

[Chris Cupit]

With all due respect to TOC it's a pretty easy first shot.  I know the circumstances can add some pressure but the fairway is 80, 90 yards wide??  Now the second shot......

Augusta National is absolutely terrifying.  Equal in the nerve factor to TOC but a MUCH tighter drive and all you see is that huge fairway bunker.

My top five:
1.  Augusta Naional--I'm from GA and was shaking just warming up
2.  Muirfield--never came close to that damn fairway--2 practice rounds and 2 tournament rounds--best score was 5
3.  Royal Liverpool  (old #1 with cops hard right all the way down the hole).  
4.  Winged Foot West--the tree cutting helped but I still wear out those left trees.  I am a little farther up in the trees now
5.  Pine Valley only because your first time it's kinda hard to know where to go and all you've heard about is the scrub--pretty wide actually
  

[Brad Tufts]

Prestwick #1... and that's with a 3-iron!

[Tim Bert]

For me any first tee shot with a carry of more than 150 or so yards (or at least the appearance of 150 or so yards) complicates things quite a bit.  

I like to get a few official drives in before I'm asked to make even a modest carry for mostly confidence reasons.  For this reason, the 1st at Sand Hills weighed on me a bit - more so in the morning than in the afternoon.

Yale is another that comes to mind that starts with a carry that shouldn't be an issue, but can create problems.

[Matt Day]

I haven't this shot but the 1st at Cypress Point looked a bit tricky.

You're nervous, teeing off at one of the great golfing experiences in front of that beautiful clubhouse and you're confronted by a hedge in front of the tee, a cypress tree (?) on the left hand side of the tee, and a slight glimpse of the fairway.

Should in theory be easy to clear the hedge but I'd be worried about hitting thin into the hedge or pulling it left into the tree  

This one


Matt,

This is one of the most unfortunate things at Cypress Point these days, isn't it. One of the prettiest, and simplest tee shots in golf, really... but, as you point out, the hedge complicates things!

My advice is to play the hole like Moe Norman could... say, 8-iron off the tee, 3-wood to the green 

What hedge?

This one

[C. Squier]

Riviera - elevated tee, crowd around the bag drop and the nastiest rough you've never played awaits. 

[Deucie Bies]

I agree with Oakmont

[Jeff_Mingay]

Amazing. If you look at historical photos of the 1st tee at Cypress Point, in Shackelford's book for example, it's a seaside tee shot. You can see the ocean and feel like you're playing into the dunes.

Unfortunately, trees have grown up left, the hedge has been planted out of necessity, to protect increasing traffic on 17 Mile Drive, and... voila! Different hole.

[Matt Day]

Amazing. If you look at historical photos of the 1st tee at Cypress Point, in Shackelford's book for example, it's a seaside tee shot. You can see the ocean and feel like you're playing into the dunes.

Unfortunately, trees have grown up left, the hedge has been planted out of necessity, to protect increasing traffic on 17 Mile Drive, and... voila! Different hole.

Jeff
I didn't even think of the view possible from the tee, but your right. Once you cross the road the view opens up and its sensational.

Surely the members could all chip in to put that bit of the road in a tunnel 

[Steve Salmen]

I have not played CPC and only hope to have the first tee butterflies there.  I google mapped it out and this hole would be hell for me.  I play a draw.

First at Oakmont looks absolutely brutal.  I'm sure they keep the rough at US Open rough length year round, so there is no good anywhere but the fairway.

[Mike_Cirba]

I quite like the hedge on the first at Cypress Point.

It says to me, "hit your ball into some vast unknown...we're not ready to show you everything yet...hold your horses...great things come to those who wait".

It's a little like hitting into a blind void, hoping Heaven really does wait on the other side, and then finding that what you believed all that time was really true after all.

[David Stamm]

I have not played CPC and only hope to have the first tee butterflies there.  I google mapped it out and this hole would be hell for me.  I play a draw.

 

The first at CPC is tough if you try to carry the tree to the right and don't pull it off. But yes, if you play a draw, it's not the most comfortable tee shot.



Pebble with all the bussle around the first tee doesn't exactly calm the nerves. Torrey South is quite tough. Engineers is as well, that green is awesome!

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't this shot but the 1st at Cypress Point looked a bit tricky.

You're nervous, teeing off at one of the great golfing experiences in front of that beautiful clubhouse and you're confronted by a hedge in front of the tee, a cypress tree (?) on the left hand side of the tee, and a slight glimpse of the fairway.

Should in theory be easy to clear the hedge but I'd be worried about hitting thin into the hedge or pulling it left into the tree  

This one


Matt,

This is one of the most unfortunate things at Cypress Point these days, isn't it. One of the prettiest, and simplest tee shots in golf, really... but, as you point out, the hedge complicates things!

My advice is to play the hole like Moe Norman could... say, 8-iron off the tee, 3-wood to the green 

What hedge?

This one

I was kidding, but "what hedge?" is the right mental approach!

[Mike Benham]

Amazing. If you look at historical photos of the 1st tee at Cypress Point, in Shackelford's book for example, it's a seaside tee shot. You can see the ocean and feel like you're playing into the dunes.

Unfortunately, trees have grown up left, the hedge has been planted out of necessity, to protect increasing traffic on 17 Mile Drive, and... voila! Different hole.