"Unsafe" tee shots

[Kevin_Reilly]

The back tee at Tilden Park's 14th hole is one that likely wouldn't be built today.  It is on a rise above the 18th green, and your aim point for the LZ (Pat Mucci-ism) is a diagonal to the right.  The fairway directly in front of you is the 18th, and folks on the 18th green below you and to the left are possibly in the line of fire for a bad shot.

In this photo, the red line is the necessary line of play, and the blue line is the "natural" line when you are up on the tee...that would put you in the middle of the 18th fairway.  (Note, the 13th green is the green above the cart path in the upper left side of the picture...it is separated from the 18th green just by the cart path..a candidate for "dangerous approach shots"!)



I can't recall a more "dangerous" tee anywhere else, though one at Half Moon Bay Ocean is an elevated tee box with two different fairways below (I can't recall the hole...it is in the middle of the back nine, I think).  Tilden's 16th tee is also a bit dangerous, since a pulled shot can end up on the 15th hole, or the more common block/slice can end up on the (blind off the tee) 12th green.

Any other examples of tees that could be called "dangerous"?

[John Moore II]

I have played a few courses where the tee plays directly over the preceeding green, but since, assuming you don't really drag ass getting to the tee or there is not some major log jam, there shouldn't be a group on the green its not that dangerous. But I have played other courses where there might be two or three other tee boxes in play for an offline shot.

This one you show is just a real oddity though. However, they could easily change that by cutting down some of those trees and moving the tee to the left in the picture, to the right from ground level looking down the hole. Move the tee 15 or so yards and cut those trees, you have a much safer hole and very little, if any, change in strategy.

And as far as unsafe goes, I could say Tobacco Road, with its 6 or 7 blind tee shots could classify as dangerous. You just can't see what is in the fairway below and in most cases can't see the green either, from the tee.

[Joe Bausch]

Gosh, there are more than a few dangerous tee shots out there!  

One of my pet peeves is when a course knows it has a dangerous situation, then thinks planting a few trees will solve it.  And I think it can actually make it worse.  At the little muni I play, there is a par 4 where a good drive is shown below, but a snap hook can bring a ball right at a nearby green maybe 125 yards away.   Some trees have been planted along the line, but they are not thick enough to block most of the shots.  But they do obscure the view of the green so the hooker doesn't yell 'fore' and out of the blue you can get conked.  I know, as last year someone buzzed a quacker off my thigh.  Just a glancing blow, but it was scary as all get out.

[Anthony Gray]

  The back tee at Pac Dunes hole 1 is above the 18th green and like your photo.

  F S Barr

[JC Jones]

Nev, Cenci, Freeman and I noticed that the all the way back tee on #2 at Kingsley is potentially in the line of fire of a slightly pulled tee shot from the Gold tees on #6.  We had to wait to tee off because Shivas was about ready to uncork a putter and we knew it could be coming right at us.

[Jamie Barber]

Last week I played Brancaster in the UK and the 17th tee shot is directly over the 16th green as per the situation described by John. The first time I've ever encountered that before, but there it's used because of the limited space. Picture below shows the hole and red line the tee shot direction. Limited space is evidenced by the nearby shore and the 2nd hole (tee on left) which crosses with 17th

Near me is a local course where a tee shots runs up the left of a main road (and I mean directly). You often see balls bouncing over the road after a sliced tee shot, and my father witnessed one landing directly in the back of a Land Rover (longest drive ever!)

[Kevin_Reilly]

This one you show is just a real oddity though. However, they could easily change that by cutting down some of those trees and moving the tee to the left in the picture, to the right from ground level looking down the hole. Move the tee 15 or so yards and cut those trees, you have a much safer hole and very little, if any, change in strategy.

Hard to do on this hole...a lot of Redwoods would need to be removed, and an access road is close to the tee.  I'm afraid that this tee will eventually be shut down.  The hole is pretty bland from the forward tees, though the fairway is canted to the left so the approach shot is not from a level lie.

[Sean_A]

These situations are only dangerous if folks aren't aware of what is happening around them and of course blindness makes it more difficult to be aware of your surroundings.  Even so, in all my years, I would say I have only come across a few truly dangerous situations if golfers are prudent.  Hitting over greens is a common occurrence in the UK and doesn't constitute a danger in and of itself.  The bigger hassle is it can slow down play waiting for greens/tees to clear.  I agree with Joe, planting trees only makes matters worse because it blinds players to danger.  Clubs are better off pointing out the situation on the card and/or placing a warning sign on the tee. 

Ciao

[Emil Weber]

Rustic Canyon's 2nd comes to mind. The fairway is shared with the 5th hole and green and a slice or push can easily end up on the 5th green.

[Matthew Rose]

I grew up playing Riverside muni in Janesville, WI and the tee shot on the 9th hole, particularly from the back tee, conceivably put players on three different holes at risk. A bad slice could affect players on 18 tee, a really bad one could land on 6 green, and a duck hook could possibly hit someone on 13 green or fairway. All of these areas are roughly in a zone 150 yards off the 9th tee and cover a 60 degree arc with the safe line of play in the middle. The 9th is a long, dogleg right par 4, set up with a "cape" type tee-shot over trees; any long hitter taking an aggressive line will hit directly over the 6th green and 18th tee.

[James Boon]

Golf courses in Derbyshire are often referred to as being mountain goat territory, due to them playing up and down the hills of the Peak District and its surroundings. However, this is the one that could be referred to as Hard Hat territory!

Matlock GC is a fun little layout, but when playing 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 16 you better have your wits about you! last time I played someone told me that the Health & safety Executive had visited to check this litle spot out for safety, but no word of them doing anything yet?

Just to the right of the 7th green is the 8th tee. The 8th then plays over a small ravine to a green on the far side, but if you pull your tee shot behind the trees in the 9th tee, which then pretty much plays over the 8th green. The 13th is a short par 5 and if you go for the green in two, its an approach over another little valley, but come up short and right and down in the valley, not visible from the fairway is the 14th tee. The 14th is then a short driveable par 4 and so if you have a go for it but slice one right, you will be flying sraight at the 8th and 15th tees, and the 7th green! The 16th then tees off overthe little valley again, and you've guessed it, over the head of the 14th tees! Hope the attached picture helps make this clearer?

And then of course theres Painswick..........

Cheers,

James

[Tyler Kearns]

The 2nd tee at Royal Melbourne East plays over the back edge of the 1st green. Given that the hole asks for a left-to-right tee shot, the situation is even more dangerous.

TK

[Chris Kane]

The 2nd tee at Royal Melbourne East plays over the back edge of the 1st green. Given that the hole asks for a left-to-right tee shot, the situation is even more dangerous.

Never noticed this as a safety issue before.  Is it really that dangerous when the tee is literally next to the green?  It has to be highly unlikely that anyone would be stupid enough to hit a tee shot when players on the green are in danger of being hit by an errant shot and aren't watching.

[Tyler Kearns]

Chris,

I'll concede that the proximity of tee to green and clear sightlines do help the situation, but as for stupid people....It's far from the worst example to be found, but it isn't a desirable situation. The straight line between tee & middle of fairway runs through the greenside bunker! It seems that the prudent decision to wait short of the green for players to hit has the potential to cause quite a backlog, especially since No. 1 is such a short drive & pitch hole, and the drive at No. 2 is so demanding.

I guess the hole hasn't been altered, so it is likely nobody has ever been hit.

TK

[Wade Whitehead]

At Ballyhack, the possibility that a player on a particular 17 tee could be hit by someone playing 12 is distinct.  It's a relative non-issue, however, due to great visibility, player familiarity, and incredibly light play.

WW

[Keith Buntrock]

I grew up playing Riverside muni in Janesville, WI and the tee shot on the 9th hole, particularly from the back tee, conceivably put players on three different holes at risk. A bad slice could affect players on 18 tee, a really bad one could land on 6 green, and a duck hook could possibly hit someone on 13 green or fairway. All of these areas are roughly in a zone 150 yards off the 9th tee and cover a 60 degree arc with the safe line of play in the middle. The 9th is a long, dogleg right par 4, set up with a "cape" type tee-shot over trees; any long hitter taking an aggressive line will hit directly over the 6th green and 18th tee.

During the Ray Fischer this year my buddy was on the 9th tee and a ball comes right through the tree limbs from the 14th tee. The ball settled at the back edge of the 9th tee. That ball belonged to Tony Romo.

[Chip Gaskins]

Several holes at Lahinch.

#10 at Royal County Down.

#6 at Sand Hills.

[Jim_Coleman]

#7 at Inniscrone.  You can kill somebody playing #3 by hitting the proper tee shot, cutting the dogleg.

[Joe Hancock]

I'm waiting for Steve Lang to chime in.....

Joe

[Nick Asbrock]

#1 at Fallbrook GC in Fallbrook California has a drive over a pretty busy street. Pretty bad combo for Saturday afternoon crowd......

how do you guys cut and paste courses off google maps?




   

   

[Nick Asbrock]

17th road hole at the old course st andrews looks pretty dangerous to me

[Steve Lang]

 
TOC #17 Road hole is nothing .. yes , ms sheila & I've played there.. she hit the lion on the replica rr shed wall while i took one up and over skirting the hotel's exposed flank.. almost birdied.. ahhh 1996..

much more threatened outgoing at TOC #1 from left, which may be the widest fairway in golf at like 130 yds, but caddie told members off, as outgoing had right of way.. if that's what you're referring to..  

OK Joe.. I guess its one of those defining moments that you, Chris and sheila will always remember, so amongst my better shots that day,  I guess I must embrace it..  

For some, i.e., those coming up the 9th at The Mines, they can be terroized by a large Texan from the 5th tee by a violent TX wrist flip hook, sending a drive 50 yards left.. or the cart roof richochet all the way left 100 yards from the tee.. maybe Mike needs some trees there to define things??  geee, after birdi first time, i was just trying to get beyond that dune edge on a second try!

[Tim Gavrich]

There's a Geoffrey Cornish-designed course in Simsbury called Tower Ridge CC where a snap-hook (righty) off the first tee will careen onto the fairly busy Nod Road...

(Nod Rd. is literally eight feet left of the cart path)

[James Bennett]

Most of the holes at TOC when playing a reverse routing.  The 'other' fairway seems to be a viable and safe alternative at times, but not if you are playing that other fairway!

The note on trees and blind shots earlier is very true - the most dangerous situations is where a near-proximity situation appears safe, because trees obstruct the view of both the player and the person about to be hit.

One other area that I was surprised at was the closeness of North Berwick West, tee shot on #14 (perfection) and the par 3 #4 green, just to the right of the #14 tee shot shot-point.  And, going left at that tee shot length is note really an option on #14.  Would I change anything - NO.

James B

[Kevin_Reilly]

There was a thread about shots adjacent to public roads previously, which is a bit different from this thread.  Here is the link to that one:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,33957.0/