Best Par 5 Openers? Sand Hills, Kingsley?

[Bart Bradley]

Last year I had the pleasure of playing the best two par 5 openers that I have seen:  Sand Hills and Kingsley Club.  Are there any better opening par 5s than these?  They both set the tone for the rest of the course, both are visually stunning and both have wonderful greens beautifully saddled between landforms.  Which do you prefer and why?

(Honorable mention for me:  Spyglass)

Okay, let's here it.  

Bart

[Bill_McBride]

Pasatiempo #1.   

[Josh Smith]

Greywalls..............it is gorgeous, feels just dangerous enough but is spacious, ultra natural........just downright awesome.  Thrilling start.

Josh

[Ed Oden]

Bart, I've seen none better than the first hole at Sand Hills (especially the second time around there).    I am also a big fan of the opener at Pine Needles.  Just a terrific hole in my opinion.  Ditto for Wade Hampton.

Ed

[Stan Dodd]

Spyglass should get some consideration.

[Bart Bradley]

Bart, I've seen none better than the first hole at Sand Hills (especially the second time around there).    I am also a big fan of the opener at Pine Needles.  Just a terrific hole in my opinion.  Ditto for Wade Hampton.

Ed

Ed:

I hadn't thought of Pine Needles...but I do like it...but nowhere in the class with Sand Hills or Kingsley (in my generally suspect opinion  ).

For those of you that have seen both Sand Hills and Kingsley...which one would you take?  I'd have to call it a push as they are both 10 out of 10 holes for me.

Bart

[Tom_Doak]

The two best nine-hole courses I've played (Whitinsville and Royal Worlington & Newmarket) both start with really good par-5 holes.  And you get to play them twice in eighteen holes.

The first at Riviera will get some votes, too.

I have built several par-5 openers, but none of them nearly as good as the first at Sand Hills.  If it weren't for Machrihanish, that might be the best opening hole in the world.

[Alex Miller]

Spyglass has a good one. I like Riv's myself. Olympic's is good too so I hear.

[Jon Heise]

Greywalls..............it is gorgeous, feels just dangerous enough but is spacious, ultra natural........just downright awesome.  Thrilling start.

Josh

Ding!  Winner.   

[George Freeman]

The two best nine-hole courses I've played (Whitinsville and Royal Worlington & Newmarket) both start with really good par-5 holes.  And you get to play them twice in eighteen holes.

The first at Riviera will get some votes, too.

I have built several par-5 openers, but none of them nearly as good as the first at Sand Hills.  If it weren't for Machrihanish, that might be the best opening hole in the world.

Tom,

What do you think of the 1st at the Kingsley Club?

[Duncan Betts]

couple of decent ones in Ireland...

[Mike Benham]

Last year I had the pleasure of playing the best two par 5 openers that I have seen:  

Define "Best" ...

1.  Walk in the park warm-up par ...
2.  Good chance at a birdie ...
3.  Work hard to avoid a double bogey ...
4.  Tough as nuts, narrow, requiring a 3 iron layup over water ...
5.  None of the above ...

[Anthony Gray]

  In general an opening par 5 can leed to a slow start. My home course has one and you can be on the tee forever while waiting for golfers in the fairway who are waiting for the green to clear.

  Anthony

[Ronald Montesano]

Beats hell out of an opening par three, which can back them up even longer.

[Mike Boehm]

Completely agree on Kingsley (never played Sand Hills.  Next best par 5 opener I've played is probably Tobacco Road.

[Tim_Weiman]

We rarely talk about the course anymore, but years ago - early 1980s - I used to enjoy the opening hole at Wild Dunes.

There really wasn't anything particularly demanding about either the tee shot or the second shot. Quite a bit of width to start the day. I liked that.

But there always seemed to be something tricky about the third shot with the green guarded by bunkers on the right and water long and left.

Par felt like a good score and got me excited to have a good round.

No drama like the opener at Spyglass, just a really good warm up. Perfect it seemed.

[Mike Jansen]

You know where my vote goes... it's gotta be Spyglass.  It has the dramatic and the difficulty.  Cypress Point has anamazing view, and hitting over the road is cool.  Riviera is great with the elevation changes, but you staring down at buildings and tennis courts... Laguna Seca gives you the same feeling with better views.  You can just hammer away and the ball is in the air forever.

[Chris Buie]

The first at Grandfather G&CC is a good one. 
The bunker that is about 50 yards short of the first green at Pine Needles may be the most strategic bunker in the Pinehurst area.  It is an unassuming bunker but it forces you to decide whether to lay up (leaving yourself a precarious pitch) or go for the green.  It is (usually) reachable in two but if you miss it you have a very difficult recovery.  Since there aren't that many birdie opportunities on Pine Needles it is a little difficult to pass up the chance to go for it.  All in all, an interesting hole.

[Martin Toal]

The first at Royal County Down is a nice inviting par-5 opener. Enough hazard to keep the attention, including the beach to the right and abundant gorse off the fairway, but a decent chance of a birdie or a par with good shots

http://www.royalcountydown.org/championship-links-hole1.aspx

[Jim Franklin]

Greywalls is fantastic. More people need to get to the UP to play it. Sand Hills and Kingsley are tough to beat though.

[Peter Zarlengo]

Here are some photos of the holes mentioned for those not lucky enough to have been there.

Sand Hills #1



Kingsley #1
Don't let the photo fool you, the tee shot is across the valley from where the photo is taken from to either short of, around, or beyond the nest of bunkers



And the approach...



Tom mentioned he's built some par 5 openers, two of which are on his courses down under.

St. Andrew's Beach #1
This hole is probably on some of the more dramatic parts of the property. Sorry, the only picture I have of it is from behind the green, but I think it shows the greensite off well and the saddle that you play into (or up to, depending on the placement of the approach)



Barnbougle #1

[Jim Tang]

I would agree w/ Sand Hills and Kingsley club.  Each give you a preview of what to expect.

As mentioned, Grey Walls has an awesome opener and the first at Royal County Down is special as you leave the clubhouse and head into the dunes.

I'll toss in Blackwolf Run River's par 5 first.  That is a pretty cool opener.

[Niall Hay]

Royal County Down.....

Indianwood in Michigan as well....

[Sean_A]

St Enodoc?





Ciao

[Phil Benedict]

I agree with Ed on Pine Needles.  Great opener.  Bunker in the landing area on lay up is terrific feature.