Scary holes

[Patrick_Mucci]

ChrisB,

# 12 at ANGC is scary, and not just due to the wind.
You have a narrow angled green with water in front and a bunker behind it.  It takes a delicate, brave shot, then,
if the wind is blowing, the shot becomes scarier, but, if the wind is swirling, more doubt creeps into your mind.

Chipoat,

Having to hit a delicate pitch over the deep front bunkers to a narrow, firm and fast green, with a ten foot or so bunker behind the entire green is scary.  A blade, chilli dip or any other non-perfect shot will only bring more pain.

The best place to come in from, if you're long enough on your second shot is long and left of the green.  But, that's quite a poke or two.

[TEPaul]

Chip Oat mentions that Pat described the 3rd shot to NGLA's #7 green as scary and frightening!!

For those of you who think Pat's description is completely redundant, don't believe it for a second.

His description of #7 is just another one of Pat's amazingly detailed, cogent and descriptive architectural anlyases. The truth is the left side of the green is scary but the right side is downright frightening so there really is no redundancy to his description at all!

[Patrick_Mucci]

Shivas,

For years I watched the Crosby and thought that # 18 looked like an easy hole.

I was more than a little surprised when I played it and discovered it was much harder and scarier than it looked on TV.  Especially with 3/4 of the wind directions.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Another scary one is #9 at Merion. Maybe not for some of you, but for me it is a pure rush of adrenelin. (sp?)

I'm sure for most of you long knockers out there, you can hit high irons into it. For my length, I have to go into it with at least a 3 or 5 wood. You have to carry not one, but two, creeks that intersect into a lovely green that was once surrounded by the most magnificent bunkers known to man.

Now that I think of it, place Me4rion's 3rd in there also!

All of this however is pre "BBM*"

(*You'll have to email me and find out who or what "BBM" means.)( A clue is that BBM is before ABM)

[John_D._Bernhardt]

I find the first hole at several courses create different levels of scared. #1 at Cypress, Pebble, TOC and Muirfield have a way of reminding you that you are not in Kansas anymore. # 17 TOC, 1 Prestwick, 12 and 16 at Augusta, 17 at Seminole, 16 at Cypress, 9 Pebble rather than 8 to me is a much scarier shot, 2,6 at Carnouste, 1 at Bandon and of course 14 at Portrush the first par 3 at Royal County Down 4or 5? is just as much a knee knocker., 9 at Turnberry, any of 3 or 4 of the front nine par 4's at Machrahanish and the same on the back at Spyglass. #3 and 4 at Dornoch, 1 at Ballybunion, 11 at Troon.

[Dan Robson]

Another vote for the 4th at Rye. Also 4, 10 and 14 at Royal St George's.

[Paul_Turner]

Dan

You and I forgot perhaps the scariest of the lot, the 5th at Royal Worlington!

(Darwin: "to which the 11th at St Andrews is child's play")

[Dan Kelly]

Consecutive "scary" holes: 17 and 18 at Sand Hills.

As Mike Cirba said in re: Pine Valley, the scary part is knowing that you'll find the ball and have to hit it again (and possibly again and again and again) if you miss your tee shot in the wrong spot.

I personally thought No. 7 was the scariest hole at Pebble. It's so absurdly short -- and yet look at all the grief you can buy for yourself if you hit it sideways, either way.

[Dan Robson]

Paul,

This might be a result of my having played the hole so many times, but I don't find 5 at Worlington particularly scary. Most scary shots are such because the penalty for missing them is very severe. 5 at Worlington requires a great and/or fortunate shot to hit either of the back two levels of the green. Missing the green does not mean disaster however. Unless you are very wild off the tee I think that you have to be quite clumsy to make worse than a bogey.

[Dan Kelly]

Shivas --

You're misunderstanding me. (Maybe I'm not writing well today.)

Maybe this just marks me as weird, but No. 7 is scary not because it looks scary or is difficult (absent a big wind), but because it looks SO easy that it becomes scary.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Dan Kelly,

I used to know some women who fit that description  

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

Pat,
 

I agree with Dan, when the wind is blowing out to the Pacific, seven is frightening.

Shivas,
How about 13 at the River course?  That hole is so difficult that is cannot help be scary.

Five at Mid Ocean also gives the similar feeling to Pebble's 18th, and while there is lots of room to bail out right, it is tough to look your partner in the eye after that one.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ben,

When the wind is in your face, left to right or right to left it's pretty scary, at least it has been to me.