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Cristian

  • Karma: +0/-0
Photo from a post by Sean Eidson:




Borrowed from Kyle Krahenbuhl's pictorial thread on Pine Dunes.





If I read and understood Tom D's Anatomy well, than this is not penal or strategic but heroic design; Penal would be a hole without the fairway on the right, strategic would be a hole where the tree's in the middle are not there and the sandy scrub area would be a diagonal hazard, where every player can decide, within a broad bracket, how much carry to take on, and how much risk to take. As an opposite to do or don't.

Advantage of such a style is that the hole works for players of different ability and length of the tee.

I wonder whether a golf course should have this kind of strategy prevailing on every hole, and if not what would we prefer as the ideal mix between heroic, penal and strategic? How about 3h 2p 13s? Or is it dependant on the course? Open, wooded, parkland, links, championship, ....? Or should a course stick to one style?

How do archies make these decisions? What are your preferences?


Carl Rogers

Re: Strategic, Heroic and Penal holes on one course, the ideal mix.
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2009, 07:21:48 AM »
Doesn't the triumvirate of holes of 11, 12 & 13 at ANGC represent just about the ideal mix?

Patrick_Mucci

Re: Strategic, Heroic and Penal holes on one course, the ideal mix.
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2009, 08:46:51 AM »
Cristian,

Pine Valley would seem to offer the mix you listed.

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Strategic, Heroic and Penal holes on one course, the ideal mix.
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2009, 09:32:01 AM »
The beauty of it is, there in no "ideal" formula, even though your 13-2-3 formula seems about right to me on most sites.  Obvioulsy, if a site allows it, you put in a few more heroic holes and given that there is a choice, the course is none the worse for wear!

But, generally I think most gca's would agree that the angle hazard as described would be both more strategic and more in play for all levels of player than the either-or scenario and thus, a better overall concept. (as is angled fw)

The other thing to consider is that each shot, and not just holes, can be penal, heroic, or strategic.  Good design considers the relationship of the shot.  In most cases, the fw is average width with a preferred side, the classic strategy.  But, on some long par 4 holes, for example, I put in a narrow, bunkered fw, but make the approach shot a little easier to reward the player who negotiates the narrow fw on the tee shot.  And, to just keep the hole from being too darn tough.  Similarly, if the fw is hazardless, the green might be a little harder to attain or to putt.

So, do we "classify" those holes as penal or strategic because one shot or the other is penal?  The design of the fw or green probably introduces strategy (bomb it on the wide fw or lay back on the pinched one)  Now, if the fw was pinched and the green well bunkered, then there would be no doubt that it would be a penal hole..
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach