I guess the second shot can be considered awkward but so can any shot from an uneven stance.
Precisely my point!
...St. Andrews not only presents awkward lies and stances, but some awkward strategies, too ... fairways that narrow to nothing just where you would normally drive it, bunkers where you sometimes can't get a stance, etc.
I wonder if Tom or others might expand on this.
George
I will give you two great examples.
The 17th at Pennard. A blind drive up and over a crest to a fairway running hard right and pinching tight at the driving zone for many and certain perdition if one goes too far right. The perdition aspect is very harsh because one can actually land the ball in the middle of the fairway and still lose it right. To top it off, the further one tries to cheat left, the more difficult the second is because after the fairway abruptly turns right it is a very narrow target to hit from a perpindicular angle. I used to dislike this hole, but now I admire just because its awkward and sets up differently from the previous holes which are really about wide open hitting with better angles to be achieved. This is one of the most awkward holes I know of and on a course full of awkward situations with wonky lies.
The 10th at St Enodoc. I used to admire the hole only because it is awkward, but now I think it is a great hole. Off a high tee there is a large mound right where one wants to drive it. A player can shape his tee shot to the VERY narrow part of the fairway sliding left around the mound, but there is a creek running the length of the hole over there and the fairway runs hard toward it. Any drive left directly behind the mound has no chance to reach this par 4 which is invariably what most do in laying up. For those who have gone slightly left there are three options. 1) Lay up and trust the up n down skills. 2) Take aim at the left edge of the church and hit a gawd almighty hook as the terrain feeds to the green, but it doesn't really like the ball could ever move that far left and many fear oob in the church yard. 3) Go over the top of the trees and down the creek line. This is a wonderful hole among a handful of great holes, but I probably prefer this one most of all because so many think it should rightfully be a par 5. I spose they think this because the decision-making required on the tee and for the second is similar to what a good reachable par 5 requires only here most are fighting to earn two points with a shot.
Nearly all great courses need some awkwardness and controversy. It would be interesting to see a list of great courses without awkwardness or controversy. It would indeed be a special list.
Ciao