Human made Vertical Elements on Golf Courses - good ones? bad ones?

[Carl Rogers]

The windmill at the National seems to find near universal acclaim.  

The light house at Harbortown seems to be a part of the course's identity.

The halfway house quasi over-sized bird house at Pine Valley seems to add a comic light hearted touch to a difficult course that might be beating you up badly.

I am sure there are other examples.  

Do any of the GCA's here care to discuss some examples of your work that have been hurt or may be even helped?

Can they provide a point of reference in a larger dis-orienting landcape?

[Tom_Doak]

Carl:

One feature I love is the huge stand-alone flagpole on the 18th hole at National.  In fact, we liked it so much that we aimed our 18th hole at Sebonack right at it.

[Jaeger Kovich]

I definitely remember being told to aim at different parts of the town on the back nine of St. Andrews.

Also:

The GIANT flag at Bayonne, which you can see from just about everywhere on the course.

I've never been to Liberty National, but what about the Statue of Liberty?

[Jeffrey Prest]

Let's not forget the country that inspired practice ground ball-stackers the world over.

[Ulrich Mayring]

Wow, where is this pyramid? I know they are planning to build a course in Gizeh...

Ulrich

[Joe Hancock]

I agree that National is synonymous with "human made vertical element". Ask anyone who's played there.

 

[Mark Pearce]

The old Princes clubhouse (and its chimneys) on the 13th at Royal St Geroges.

The railway sheds (NLE) at TOC, now the hotel.

At my home club, which is built in and around Newcastle Racecourse, the racecourse barriers, as well as the hurdles, are in play on several holes.  Indeed I have seen a number of unplayable lies taken on our 4th when a ball has been driven into a hurdle.

[Brad Tufts]

I do like the incorporation of a few obstacles, if they are in character with the course.

The new-ish Butter Brook GC here in MA has a barn to hit over on the short par 4 13th (only from the back tees do you go over the barn though).  It's only a 150-yd carry or so, and the fairway is 75 yards wide on the other side...it's a cool visual.

[Mike_Young]

Jeffrey,
I think the same place...

[Rory Connaughton]

Smoke stacks across the bay when playing the inward nine at Royal Dublin
The tower at the Slieve Donard when playing 9 at RCD

[JC Jones]

The stacks down in the harbor of Marquette when standing on the first tee at Greywalls. 

Man, what an amazing place.  I think I was completely overwhelmed by Greywalls that day, the more I reflect the more I understand.

[Eric Smith]

(I'm guessing) Good One!

[Carl Rogers]

An example of a bad one might be a cell phone tower.  I am sure no body keeps any pics of those.

[Joe Hancock]

How about the view of Bok Tower from Mountain Lake?

Joe

[David_Tepper]

The statue of the Duke of Sutherland (locals call it "the Mannie"), that is on the hill above the town of Golspie, is used as an aiming point on #3 at Royal Dornoch and #10 at Golspie.

A number of the holes at Castle Stuart are lined up against the landmarks on the Moray Firth, including the Kessock Bridge, Fort George and the Chanery point lighthouse.   

[Mike Nuzzo]

I aim at the Transco tower when ever I can at Memorial Park...

[Tom_Doak]

An example of a bad one might be a cell phone tower.  I am sure no body keeps any pics of those.

I actually once lost out on a job because I couldn't come up with a perfect routing that avoided looking at a cell phone tower in one corner of the property.  The client was just obsessed by it!  But he never built the course, anyway.

There are tons of off-course objects that are used as focal points on good and great courses.  On the newer course at Stonewall, there was an old church just off one corner of the property, which we managed to get two holes aimed right at.  The client even gave them some money [at my suggestion] to re-paint the church so it would stand out more.

On-course objects are much more rare, but I have a whole list of them in the back of The Confidential Guide.  Some highlights:

the stone wall at North Berwick
the church which is in play on the 4th hole at West Cornwall, Eng.
the lighthouse at Pacific Grove, Turnberry, Old Head, and Royal Cromer  [we're supposed to build one for our island project in China]
the castle ruin at Pennard
the round tower on the 3rd at Tralee
the farm windmill on the 1st at Sand Hills (or did they take that down?  They debated it endlessly.  Dismal River has another which you could actually HIT with the second shot on a par five; I thought that was crazy.)

[Ally Mcintosh]

5th at Portmarnock - aim at the two famous chimneys on the Dublin skyline....

12th at Lahinch - aim at the old castle (positioned over the road on the Castle course)

New TPL course at Giza - aim at the Great Pyramid

[Bill_McBride]

An example of a bad one might be a cell phone tower.  I am sure no body keeps any pics of those.

I actually once lost out on a job because I couldn't come up with a perfect routing that avoided looking at a cell phone tower in one corner of the property.  The client was just obsessed by it!  But he never built the course, anyway.

There are tons of off-course objects that are used as focal points on good and great courses.  On the newer course at Stonewall, there was an old church just off one corner of the property, which we managed to get two holes aimed right at.  The client even gave them some money [at my suggestion] to re-paint the church so it would stand out more.

On-course objects are much more rare, but I have a whole list of them in the back of The Confidential Guide.  Some highlights:

the stone wall at North Berwick
the church which is in play on the 4th hole at West Cornwall, Eng.
the lighthouse at Pacific Grove, Turnberry, Old Head, and Royal Cromer  [we're supposed to build one for our island project in China]
the castle ruin at Pennard
the round tower on the 3rd at Tralee
the farm windmill on the 1st at Sand Hills (or did they take that down?  They debated it endlessly.  Dismal River has another which you could actually HIT with the second shot on a par five; I thought that was crazy.)

You definitely don't want to aim at the castle ruin at Pennard unless you know for sure you can hit a big high draw!

There's also the smaller fragment of a church opposite side of the fairway.  I wonder if there was once a village around that castle......

I like old golf hotels right next to golf courses, like the Marine hotels at Dornoch and North Berwick.

Is there just one stone wall at North Berwick?  You cross a stone wall on #3, #13 and #16.

I love it at St Andrews when the caddy says, "Aim it at the fourth steeple from the right............Or is it the fifth?"   

[Kalen Braley]

Definitly in the "good" category...its the TOC Road Hole!!

[Tom_Doak]

Oh, I forgot the worst one ...

the Ramsgate nuclear plant which is visible from Sandwich and Prince's

I actually saw a painting of Royal St. George's which INCLUDED the nuke plant.  That's a bit too realist for my tastes.  Couldn't the artist just have pretended he was there "before" ?

[Dan_Callahan]

I do like the incorporation of a few obstacles, if they are in character with the course.

The new-ish Butter Brook GC here in MA has a barn to hit over on the short par 4 13th (only from the back tees do you go over the barn though).  It's only a 150-yd carry or so, and the fairway is 75 yards wide on the other side...it's a cool visual.

Here's the barn:

[Bill_McBride]

Oh, I forgot the worst one ...

the Ramsgate nuclear plant which is visible from Sandwich and Prince's

I actually saw a painting of Royal St. George's which INCLUDED the nuke plant.  That's a bit too realist for my tastes.  Couldn't the artist just have pretended he was there "before" ?

Those towers are the aiming point on a few holes - #13 for sure.  I think someone said they will eventually be torn down - if they aren't historically protected!

[Mark Pearce]

Bill,

The aiming point on the 13th is the old Prince's clubhouse, not the nuclear power station, I think.

[Kalen Braley]

They look kind of neat in a Mad Max Post-Modern kind of way!!