Narrow golf holes

[Wade Schueneman]

The strategic virtues offered by wide corridors of play has received very thorough treatment on this site.  I was wondering, however, if many of you enjoy the occasional narrow hole as a change of pace.  While they may not offer the same angles of play, there is something strategic for me about having to stare at my bag and determine which club I think I can actually get in the fairway.  I think a good example is the Klondyke at Lahinch.  The fairway is very narrow (and twists a bit) and the penalty for missing the fairway is substantial, so a player wanting to reach in two is going to have to hit a very straight driver.  Of course one can pull out the 4 iron and play it safe off of the tee.  However, that would leave a very long shot over the Klondyke hill (or a lay up around it).

Do any of you have favorite narrow holes? 

[Ally Mcintosh]

14th at The Island.... Probably the narrowest hole on the planet and one of the most frightening tee-shots because of it...

[Dan Herrmann]

#11 at Glen Mills in Philly gets so narrow as to be irritating.   #1 at Coatesville has a 5 yard wide landing are on the 2nd shot.

I think both holes are very poorly designed. 

[Ran Morrissett]

I second Ally - 14th at The Island would be my favorite. Ally, would you guess the fairway is maybe fourteen paces across? I haven't been there in fifteen year so memory is fuzzy but doesn't it run through a natural 'valley'/depression? Though the valley is both shallow and narrow, the hole fits/works well as it was routed so well and utilized that natural feature to perfection. A lot of narrow holes are artificially so (poor tree program, fairway lines that have been allowed to creep in over time, etc.) but not here. Also, what a great change of pace hole from the big, open monster one shotter before it.

Cheers,

[JC Jones]

Harbour Town has many good ones and is a great course that is largely the antithesis of what I like but I have a blast playing every time.  Among the most narrow, for me, would be the short par 4 13th where a premium tee shot to the right side of an already narrow fairway is a must to have any angle at the green.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I second Ally - 14th at The Island would be my favorite. Ally, would you guess the fairway is maybe fourteen paces across? I haven't been there in fifteen year so memory is fuzzy but doesn't it run through a natural 'valley'/depression? Though the valley is both shallow and narrow, the hole fits/works well as it was routed so well and utilized that natural feature to perfection. A lot of narrow holes are artificially so (poor tree program, fairway lines that have been allowed to creep in over time, etc.) but not here. Also, what a great change of pace hole from the big, open monster one shotter before it.

Cheers,

Ran,

Fourteen paces across sounds right, perhaps less in places

The hole uses its natural features very well as you indicate. Similar to the 3rd at Portmarnock, it plays between a low dune ridge to the left and a fall off to the right where the inlet of the bay is located. This feature is nominally a lateral water hazard, albeit usually dry. The hole plays straight and is short at 330 yards. The smart play is to hit the longest club that you feel comfortable with from a directional point of view. I have sometimes hit 7-iron from this tee downwind. On other occasions I have hit 1-iron and still been left with a mid-iron to the green.

It’s a hole that works extremely well between the Par-3 13th and wonderful Par-5 15th

[Melvyn Morrow]

Wade

Rather than narrow holes forcing concentration I feel it the lacking of natural instinct that has slowly been whittled away since the Second World War. I remember my father’s game very well, it was one of observation from the time he stepped on to a course. It was my father who taught me that the most important part of taking a shot was the walking to the ball before every shot to observe what was beyond (including movement of the grass whim, shrubs and/or trees). This builds up ones natural instinct and confidence to the point that as you approached the ball, the club and shot have already been selected. It was not until later years that I understood it also took away doubt caused by the stop and think process prior to considering club selection. As a golfer you know what needs to be done, if your preparation is in tune with your instinct (in this case considering the next shot as you approach the ball) then there is no need for laps in concentration, worst still a disruption of the shot.

I find that since WW2 the golfer has lost the habit to concentrating on his game, and most certainly his next shot until he arrives at the scene, then we see the ‘ Full Dressing The Ball Ceremony’ akin to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Howeve,r full concentration has gone, the whole process has to be started again but this time due to self-doubt the golfer decide he needs his distance aids to confirm the distance. Even though as an average golfer he has not got Hell's chance of achieving that accuracy with his current skills, but it slow down the game to nearly 6 hours a round..

Wade, we have allowed our game to become just too complicated, shave off all the crap, just use your eyes and senses, feel and LOOK at the course all around you and just play what you see. I am certain you will be the better man for it and you may find in time your game improving thanks to your relaxed state of body and mind

You are your own Master so why not in Golf. Let the natural flow of your mind work with that of your eyes  every time, cast doubt and rangefinder into the nearest bin and mark my words you will be the better man for it.

Melvyn

[Bill Hyde]

Melvyn, I would like permission to bestow your father's insightful quote upon my son. Great piece of advice!

As for narrow holes, look at any US Open setup...fairways 25 yards wide??? With 3"++ rough on either side, who needs trees?

[Ally Mcintosh]

It was my father who taught me that the most important part of taking a shot was the walking to the ball before every shot to observe what was beyond (including movement of the grass whim, shrubs and/or trees). This builds up ones natural instinct and confidence to the point that as you approached the ball, the club and shot have already been selected. It was not until later years that I understood it also took away doubt caused by the stop and think process prior to considering club selection.

Melvyn, I'm completely in tune with you here...

[Jeff_Brauer]

Melvyn,

With your permission, I will probably use the Japanese Tea Ceremony line on some occaision! A perfect description, and very Herbert Warren Wind like.

To answer the question, yeah, I think the occaisional really narrow hole is great.  It is a certain type of mental and swing test, not unlike forced carries or tight pin positions and shouldn't be avoided completely.

14 paces sounds pretty narrow. I recall the 12th at Kemper Lakes was their narrow hole, and from base of tree to base of tree, it was 23 paces.  Of course, those were large oaks and the canopy has as much to do with narrowness as the base.  Its probably easier and more predictable to clear narrow in pine country, where they grow tall and narrow.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Bill

I hope it helps, its why I walk and dislike distance aids.


Ally

AS Golf comes from within so there must be a Spirit - mine prefers ice


Jeff

Well some do take a heck of a long time to say Hi to their ball(s)

It’s there, I have chosen to play it so I have to take whatever it gives me, yet I have never beaten a course, it has on occasion let me win though.

Melvyn

[David Whitmer]

When I saw this topic, the first hole that came to mind for me was the 9th hole at Butler National. Haig Point also needs to be thrown in.

I don't mind a narrow hole here and there, but they can get old. There is nothing wrong in my opinion with asking a golfer to hit the ball straight, but when a golfer misses a fairway by a small margin and doesn't have a shot at the green it lessens the fun and excitement if that scenario is played out too many times. Recovery is an integral part of the fun for me (probably because I miss more fairways than I care to admit), and if I consistently have to punch out I grow weary. I know, I know...don't hit it there to begin with.

[Mark McKeever]

I agree about 11 at Glen Mills Dan.  The hole is so narrow, it really screws with your mind.  I aim out at the right side and hope it kicks the ball down to the fairway!

Mark

[Jason Topp]

I think all courses should have one of these to reward someone who can hit it in the fairway.  When the challenge is repeated on every hole is when the game becomes more of a chore than it should be.

The best example of this type of hole I can think of is 4 at TPC Sawgrass.  The narrowness of the fairway combined with the severity of the green makes the choice of club off the tee interesting.  Too aggressive and you increase your chance of being in the rough, which is very wiry and provides many awkward sidehill lies for a shot over water.  Too conservative and you bring water or an impossible chip into the equation merely because of the added distance of the approach.

[Ken Moum]

Do any of you have favorite narrow holes? 

In the inimitable words of Tommy Bolt, "let me think about that..."    


"No."


While I accept the logic that an occasional narrow hole is fine, the simple fact is that like most amateurs I am a terrible driver.  So I miss a lot of fairways.

I believe Bobby Jones once said that the most exciting shot in golf is the recovery shot, and I totally agree with that thinking. Conversely, I believe that the most boring shot in golf is the chip out.  

I find that the majority of truly narrow holes offer way too many chip outs, and not enough recovery shots.  Here in Topeka, our "A" club is Topeka CC, that Whitten and Cornish says was done by Bendelow and Perry Maxwell.  Back when Maxwell worked on the property, it was probably a pretty decent little course.

But, according to aerial photos, some time in 1940s, they got the bright idea to plant a bunch of trees on it.  And, as is usually the case, the planted them too close to the line of play. Now, 70 years later, the place is like playing in a lumberyard. And the sad thing is that the members think it's always been that way.

K

[Sven Nilsen]

The Klondike hole at Lahinch and the Narrows at Chambers Bay.  At least at Chambers you have the option of trying to bomb it past the narrowest part of the fairway by going for the green.  The fairway of the Klondike looks like its two yards wide from the tee, very intimidating.

[PCCraig]

Harbor Town sprang to mind right away. I suppose a narrow hole, narrowed by either trees, water, or sand, can be architecturely sound but in my opinion it can get old quickly.

[Terry Lavin]

#4 at the newly opened Chicago Highlands is an entirely artificial, but thoroughly enjoyable and unique-looking, narrow par 3 to a narrow and deep green.  One has the feeling of playing within a subway tunnel with no roof or a toboggan chute.  Great narrow golf hole.

[Jud_T]

How about #4 at Black Wolf Run River Course.  219 yard par 3 from the tips with water on the right and mounding on the left that's not really much of a bailout option.  The green is relatively narrow for this type hole.  If the wind is up it's a pretty scary shot.

[Yancey_Beamer]

#14 at the Island reminds one that a 5Wood is a risky choice. My favorite.

[Rob Bice]

The 13th at Desert Forest is high on my list, a fantastic 440 yard uphill par 4.  The fairway itself is very narrow and therefore intimidating especially for a hole that encourages driver to make par.  However, after playing the hole several times you find that the landing area is more generous as tee shots to the right tend to feed left into the fairway.

The hole is also very well placed in the overall routing.  Most players can blast driver on 11 - very generous landing area on a long par 5.  So your last play with driver is very different.  Driver then goes in the bag for a few more holes.

Par 3 - probably the 7th at SFGC.

[Richard Phinney]

I love narrow golf holes on links courses, though rarely on parkland courses.

The challenge of hitting a straight ball in a strong wind on a narrow hole with a fast fairway is one of the great (and common) challenges of seaside golf, one that requires strategic thinking in regards to club and shot selection, and mental toughness, and one that applies equally to golfers of just about all abilities.

And on a links course there are a number of risk reward issues to think about....the rough down the right side might not be that high at this particular time of the year, but the recovery angle to the green may be impossible. A rollicking fairway may slide uncontrollably to the left or the right at your favourite layup distance.   A particular patch of gorse may suck up golf balls.  Just because a fairway is narrow doesn't mean the rough is unplayable.The rather freakish Paul Lawrie Open aside, playing from the rough at Carnoustie, for example, is often an extremely interesting challenge - its not that hard to play from but the angles to the greens are always intriguing.  

Trees of course take away some of the strategic possibilities.

The width at St. Andrews (misleading of course because of the bunkers) is an accident of Tom Morris' greenskeeping, and makes for fantastic golf. But its not the only model for a links course, certainly not in Scotland or Ireland.

The par 4 17th (by Harry Colt) at Montrose is an excellent narrow straight hole.  The fairway proper may not be extraordinarily narrow, but there is out of bounds right, and gorse left down the entire fairway so the claustrophobic effect is there. A good (though not necessarily mamoth) drive is necessary so that you can play a high enough approach to a plateau green perched on slightly higher ground hugging the gorse on the left (uniquely at Montrose, a bounce up shot here is usually rejected).  Ideally, you may may want to keep your drive a little right on the drive so the gorse doesnt seem so threatening on the approach.  Yet you could argue that for someone who draws the ball it's better to be slightly on the left.   And of course in the back of everyone's mind is the fear of duplicating the one or two wayward teeshots you made on the first 16 holes - a hook OR slice here is dead.  

If it was the second hole, then playing it short off the tee and laying up to the foot of the green on the approach,  or playing just to right of the green (where there's a bit of space) would have merit,  though trying to get up and down from the below the plateau green is not easy.   But on the penultimate hole - in either stroke or match play - playing safe is often not palatable.  The result is a drive and an approach that preys on a golfer's insecurities, especially in the wind (i.e. 80% of the time). Thats narrowness for you.

 

[Jason Topp]

At least when I visited in the summer of 2004, the Klondyke did not seem narrow at all because of the way balls fed back into the fairway. 

[SL_Solow]

Not much of a fan.  I think par 3's are different because there is only a single shot involved and it is usually an iron so the standard deviation should be smaller.  Jud's example is an intersting one because the water on the right, while narrowing the hole, does not provide the claustrophobia that trees create.  Since eveyone is talking about narrow holes the like, lets go the other way.  How do we feel about 7 at Pasatiempo?

[Jim Adkisson]

"The Narrows" at Chambers Bay is a fun slim-fairwayed hole, but it does tempt you with the option of hitting the big stick with a large width at the green....hit a great drive and you are rewarded with (typically) a tough 2-putt...miss the drive and you are in a world of hurt in the tall-grassed hills...play it save with a 4-5 iron off the tee and have a wedge to the green...if you hit a good wedge you have a reasonable 2-putt or birdie.

Not lots of options, but enough to make it fun.