[Matt Bosela]

Thornhill G&CC, a very strong Stanley Thompson design in the Greater Toronto area, has a power line running directly in front of the elevated 18th tee.

You can clearly see the power line near the top of the picture shown below.  The problem is that the hole is a mid-length par four and many players layup in front of the creek that cuts across the fairway with an iron or a fairway metal, causing a higher ball flight and making it tougher to avoid the wire.  I actually hit the thing in a practice round for the Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship held there last year, teeing off with a four iron,  and it led to me hitting a different club off the tee during the event itself.

[Wade Whitehead]

Countryside Golf Course in Roanoke, VA has lines running across the green on the par three third.  They cross from left to right over the green at just past center.  They're only about fifteen feet up.  A well struck tee shot on the already-difficult hole can, and does occasionally, hit them on the way down.

Incidentally, the 5th, 7th, 13th, and 17th holes on the same golf course have gigantic airport light/beacon towers in bounds and in play.

WW

[Sam Morrow]

You have a couple in the area, Glen Garden and one of the holes near the lake at G.P.'s Prairie Lakes.  I've hit the wires on the former.  On the latter, it is unlikely, but it is possible and plays on your mind.

Lou,

Which hole at Praire Lakes has the lines, I can't remember.

A few courses down here in Houston have them, most notably Jersey Meadows, the towers are very much in play.

[Sam Morrow]

Along with a boring layout, La Costa has many holes with power lines in play (hole 2 and 5 on north if I remember correctly). I can remember numerous pros having to re-tee after hitting the lines when they used to play the tournament of champions there about 10 years ago.

On #2 I remember Billy Andrade hitting them twice in a row going for the green in 2.

[Tom Roewer]

East Lake Woodlands C.C. in Oldsmar Florida has transmission lines across the 18th fairway on its South Course about i50 yds from the green on this par 5.  Also these same lines parallel the 1st hole on its North Course.  Those lines can sure shred a golf ball!!

[Jason Topp]

Mendakota (MN) - Jeff Shelman's course - has power lines straight across several holes.

Waveland (IA) - has them crossing one par five

[Chuck Brown]

It's not you GET to reload, you HAVE to reload.  Not sure if this is a USGA-approved local rule.. but it does make sense.. takes all guesswork out of it.  Though I do kinda like the way they play at Chick Evans!

 

It's interesting at Santa Teresa #9... it all turns on SOUND... hitting a wire makes a distinctive PING.. reload.  Hitting the tower makes the aforementioned DONG... play it as it lies.  We've had interesting times explaining this to match play opponents.

That is the rule that I remember as controlling play at Radrick Farms GC (the University of Michigan Faculty/Alumni course, that was one of Pete Dye's very earliest designs, and then renovated also by Pete.  There was a utility line that crossed in front of the 6th green and I remember hitting it once.  I haven't played there in several years (I really didn't like it much, although Pete improved it a bit, to his credit) and I think the buried or removed the line...

[archie_struthers]

Stone Harbor at the South Jersey Shore has some running down the third and fifth holes .....you get used to them and they aren't totally distraction

[Phil McDade]

Phil -

I played Lake Wisconsin 6 times for HS and Jr events years ago and think I hit them 5 times.  Twice the ball ended up okay, but I was forced to rehit and put the second in some trouble.  Needless to say, I am not a fan of that hole.

I  have played Riverside many times and have not noticed the lines when playing, but looking at your picture reminds me they are there and that you have to go around the tower after the 3rd green to get to the tee.  Kind of interesting what your eyes pick up.

Will:

I like that hole at Lake W., just not the darn power line. Really affects your thinking on how to play the hole, unfortunately.

I had forgotten about the power lines at Riverside until I revisited the course recently. That photo is from about 10 yards in front of the tips at 4; anyone with a high-ball flight off the tee (like most high schools I saw that day) could easily hit those wires. Not as much of a risk from the white tees.

[Dub_ONeill]

Rattlesnake Ridge Golf Club just north and east of Columbus has power lines that impact two holes.  I believe they are 15 and 16.  On fifteen you tee off almost directly underneath the lines and the towers then run along the right side of the hole fairly far from the line of play.  The towers are in play, but the lines are not.  The most disconcerting part of their presence is the buzzing, snapping and popping that can be heard above your head as you tee off.  On the next hole the lines run across the line of play about 100 yards or so from the tee and can be struck by a ball going down the line of play though I have not seen it happen.  As with many things in life these are very jarring when first encountered, but conciousness of them seems to fade over time with more play.

[Ray Cross]

Jeff,
It seems there are a lot of courses worldwide with power lines in play as evidence by the response already recieved.
I'll add one more; Chester Valley GC in Malvern, PA which is outside Philadelphia. This line runs along the right side of 8 and 18 at various lengths from the fairway, mostly over rough or tall fescue. (both par fours)
Any shot hitting these wires must be terriblyl off line and usually made on the second shot from the right rough and then farther right!
The power line appears to be in play on the first hole (sight dogleg left) but is more of an optical illusion.

Hope this helps.

Ray

[Joe Perches]

The Harding course at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, holes 1 and 3.

I still remember playing in the LA Juniors when I was 12, hitting
the power line on #1 and not knowing the correct rule.  Oh well.

Local rule:

Ball hitting power lines crossing No.1 and 3 fairways, replay, no penalty.

[Carl Johnson]

Jeff: Haven't read the other posts, so this may repeat the power lines.  Today I played the Country Club of Asheville [NC] for the first time.  When I finished I noticed card said: "A ball striking the power lines on No. 2 must be replayed without penalty."  As I'd played the hole, I had not noticed the power lines.  When I finished I asked the pro about the power lines.  He said, with surprise, "You didn't notice them?  They crossed the fairway about 180 yards from the green."  No. 2 is a rolling, but maybe a little downhill, par 5 playing 479 from the back and 440 from the tees we played.  The Country Club of Asheville is a Donald Ross course built in the 1920's.  In the 1970's it was a public course called the Beaver Lake Golf Course.  I do not know what it was when Ross designed it, or whether the power lines were in play then.  In any case, after the 1970's the Country Club of Asheville sold its course at that time, also a Ross course, to the Grove Park Inn, and bought the Beaver Lake Course, which, as a result, is today the Country Club of Asheville course I played today.  (Got that?)  The formerly Beaver Lake course [now Country Club of Asheville] is near but not on Beaver Lake in Asheville.  When I pointed that out, one of my guests at the course today said he really likes beavers.  Hope this is of some help.  Let me know if you want me to look into these particular power lines further.

[J Sadowsky]

The 14th, a short par 5, on Enterprise GC in Mitchelville, MD, has power lines criss-crossing the area fronting the green.  They're very much in play on an approach to the green - one knocked what was going to be a green in regulation into a bunker for me.

[Tom Yost]

I recall a par 3 at the Karsten Course at Arizona State with in play power lines.

I remember because my playing partner skied his teeshot and hit them.

That must have been a really bad shot.  I've played Karsten many times, and while the lines are an eyesore, they really don't come into play very much at all. . .

Indeed the power lines at Karsten cross 4 holes, but I've only noticed them in play on the tee shot of #17.  Local rule states a ball hitting the wires must be replayed.

Another set of overhead power lines that come into play is on the tee shot at #11, Ken McDonald municipal GC also in Tempe AZ.  I believe the local rule here is similar.

[Sean Leary]

I never thought that I would ever mention Woburn Country Club in MA on this site but I just did as they have them on the 4th hole....

[James Boon]

The first green at Hollinwell (Notts) has some electricty cables running above it.


I had never realised they were there until they cut the trees down around the back of the green and then they became more obvious visually. The trees in the area were cut back as the power company wanted to maintain easy access to the cables, but in cutting down those trees it opened up an area which a new back tee on the second hole has been built.

Last time I played, the member I was playing with told a story of hitting the cables with his approach shot, however it was winter and there was ice on the cables which came raining down all over the green.

Cheers,

James

[Doug Wright]

Jeff, the par 5 13th at Englewood (CO) Golf Course (now known as Broken Tee GC) has power lines in play off the tee. They also may impact another hole there but can't recall for sure. 

[Mike Bowline]

The 17th at Heritage Hills in McCook, Nebraska has power lines crossing the fairway at about 100 yards from the green on the par-five.  I've hit them a time or two when going for the green in two.

Scott, it seems to me I remember the power lines also come into play on another hole, but I cannot remember which one. #15 or #18 maybe? I came ckose to hitting the power lines three days ago on #17.

[Mike Bowline]

Jeff, Riverbend Country Club in Sugar Land TX, (recently renovated by Jeffrey Blume) has a massive set of high voltage overhead lines running smack through the middle of the course. It appears that the routing was re-worked after (or during) the installation of the lines about 20-30 years ago.

The lines are now above the back 1/3 of a few greens and most likely out of play for all but the long approach or flopshot recovery from the long approach. The lines also run directly overhead some of the back tees.

But all in all, they did a decent job of rerouting the course around the lines. However, there are many approach shots with massive power lines in direct view directly behind the green you are hitting to. Disconcerting? Yes. Actually in play? Not really.

[Matthew Runde]

Last weekend, my father and I played Twin Brooks, a par-3 course, here in St. Pete.  The 90-yard 12th has a small creek crossing in front of the green, and power lines running about 30 or 40 feet above the creek.  My father's shot hit one of the lines and fell into the creek.  We were very surprised.  It was a fluke, and not a happy one.  I think the worst part was that it took the fun out of seeing where his shot would have landed.  Fortunately, we were relaxed and sun-baked, so we still had a blast.

[Stewart Abramson]

Elmwood Country Club, a Tiillinghast course in Westchester County, NY has power lines that cross a couple of holes. My recollection of the local rule is that if you hit the lines you may either play your ball as it lies or replay it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=41.037259,-73.820084&spn=0.002642,0.004801&t=h&z=18

[Matt Harrison]

If you still need more courses with power lines in play, I have one more!  Berrien Hills in Benton Harbor, MI, has a good par 5 (#17) running along the St. Joseph river.  Power lines can impact a 3rd shot for a layup down the left side.  Shots that hit the power lines were always replayed.

[Greg Beaulieu]

I will add another one: the 17th hole at Avon Valley in Falmouth, Nova Scotia, just outside Windsor, has high-tension wires crossing the fairway (actually, so does #13, but I find #17 to be more of an issue with play). I have actually hit the wires on 17 and it is quite a disturbing sound. By rule you must replay the shot. 

[Jeff Shelman]

As Jason mentioned above, we have power lines that cross several holes at Mendakota CC in Mendota Heights, MN.

The lines cross six holes, though with where they are located, they probably only come into play on four of those holes.

If you hit them, you must replay.

It is one of those deals where you might not a wire for a month and then hit two in a row or something.

Not ideal, but not horrible either.

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