I had a similar thought when playing Big Foot CC, Lake Geneva, WI, this fall.
The 5th hole, Grand Canyon, is a short par 4, 350/329/317, played from an elevated tee into a very narrow corridor flanked by a large hill on the right and thick trees on the left. There are no bunkers on the hole, and the green is somewhat severe with a large backstop. A miss long or to the right will create an incredibly difficult pitch. Pins on the left can be accessed by using the slope on the green.
The green is not the one visible on the right. It is just to the left and much shorter than that green. It appears that you could go straight down the right center, but it is not much more than 200 to the hill. On that line you would need to hit something 185ish which would leave over 160 in.
A variety of clubs could be used off the tee. The more risk taken off the tee will allow for a significantly easier second if the tee shot is executed properly.
Shot from the fairway about 150 out.
Right side of fairway about 50 out. The ball was my drive. It was hit down the left tree line and hooked about 20 yards to get to the far right side of the fairway near the green. You can also see the slope of the green to the left. Even without a bunker, the green complex is interesting and creates a number of possible leaves for missed greens.
Shot looking back from front of green. The tee would be nearly in line with the holes in the trees on the right of the picture.
I liked this hole, and found it required a lot of thinking and could be approached in a number of ways. It is also very penal. A miss can result in a penalty, lost ball on the hill, or an extremely difficult or nearly impossible recovery.
Could this be considered a strategic hole? Is it just penal? It would be a lot more difficult for the higher handicap player, and does not really allow for an alternate route.