The All-Uphill 18

[JNC Lyon]

My golf the last few weeks has me thinking about great uphill holes.  They make for some of the best architecture--and they are tough without being tricked up or overly long (with a few exceptions).  So, here is my eclectic 18 uphill holes:


1)   Jeffersonville-4 (Ross chain bunkering—firm handshake)
2)   St. George’s-4 (use of steep slopes for bunkering and strategy--I could have picked four of five from this course, which makes me want to go back to Toronto again!)
3)   Country Club of Rochester-4 (making a short par four tough)
4)   Swinley Forest-3 (shelf greens!--another course with a bunch of great uphill holes)
5)   Dismal River-3 (horizon green, centerline bunker)
6)   Mountain Ridge-5 (when short par fives are tough)
7)   Yeamans Hall-4 (the bruising long par four)
8.   Ballyneal-5 (all bunkers are there in front of you—steep green)
9)   French Creek-4 (lay out the strategy, punchbowl green)
10)   Leatherstocking-4 (making the holes play longer on a small site)
11)   Merion (West)-4 (Flynn at his best)
12)   Lederach-5 (driver-three-wood-three-wood)
13)   Oak Hill (West)-4 (Ross on rolling land)
14)   Rolling Green-3 (a classic Flynn par three)
15)   Garden City-4 (obscured view for the second shot)
16)   Schuylkill-3 (an uphill short par three)
17)   Teugega (classic Ross routing, down then up more to a wild green)
18)   The Country Club-4 (a great test for the finish)

What's your list?  Also, I noticed most of my favorite uphillers are from U.S. courses.  Strange.

[Kyle Harris]

My golf the last few weeks has me thinking about great uphill holes.  They make for some of the best architecture--and they are tough without being tricked up or overly long (with a few exceptions).  So, here is my eclectic 18 uphill holes:


1)   Jeffersonville-4 (Ross chain bunkering—firm handshake)
2)   St. George’s-4 (use of steep slopes for bunkering and strategy--I could have picked four of five from this course, which makes me want to go back to Toronto again!)
3)   Country Club of Rochester-4 (making a short par four tough)
4)   Swinley Forest-3 (shelf greens!--another course with a bunch of great uphill holes)
5)   Dismal River-3 (horizon green, centerline bunker)
6)   Mountain Ridge-5 (when short par fives are tough)
7)   Yeamans Hall-4 (the bruising long par four)
8.   Ballyneal-5 (all bunkers are there in front of you—steep green)
9)   French Creek-4 (lay out the strategy, punchbowl green)
10)   Leatherstocking-4 (making the holes play longer on a small site)
11)   Merion (West)-4 (Flynn at his best)
12)   Lederach-5 (driver-three-wood-three-wood)
13)   Oak Hill (West)-4 (Ross on rolling land)
14)   Rolling Green-3 (a classic Flynn par three)
15)   Garden City-4 (obscured view for the second shot)
16)   Schuylkill-3 (Ross in his later years)
17)   Teugega-4 (down, then UP makes it tough down the stretch)
18)   The Country Club-4 (a great test for the finish)

What's your list?  Also, I noticed most of my favorite uphillers are from U.S. courses.  Strange.

Schuylkill's 16th is more accurately attributed to Willie Park, Jr. Perhaps Park's only template hole.

[JNC Lyon]

Interesting Kyle.  Ross built four uphill par threes at Mark Twain, one of his later courses, in 1937.  A couple of them have a similar feel to Schuylkill's 16th.  Either way, that's a great par three.

[Chris DeNigris]

Kingsley 1 (par 5) is one of my favorite uphillers.

Dornoch 16 isn't too shabby for a non-US entry

BPB 4

[Kyle Harris]

Interesting Kyle.  Ross built four uphill par threes at Mark Twain, one of his later courses, in 1937.  A couple of them have a similar feel to Schuylkill's 16th.  Either way, that's a great par three.

The original 9-hole course at Schuylkill included the 16th. The Willie Park designed second at Glen Ridge is a very similar hole.

Great Par 3, for sure, though.

[Scott Weersing]

Here are some of my favorites:

#11 (par 4) at Rustic Canyon
#12 (par 3) at Bandon Trails
#7 (par 4) at Old Macdonald
#15 (par 5) at Old Macdonald

The problem with most uphill holes is that they are straight and have boring greens.

Here is one that I am considering as the worst uphill holes: #14 at Pebble Beach.

[Ronald Montesano]

Taconic # 16...460 yard par four and ARRIBA!

Tee Shot


Approach

[JNC Lyon]

Scott,

I find the opposite to be true about the greens on uphill holes--especially among the Golden Age courses, uphill holes ended in very steep hillside greens, which are always effective.  Moreover, uphill holes are very easy to bunker--they provide natural slopes in which to cut hazards, and they put the strategy and options right in front of the player.  I'm guessing that is one reason why Flynn and Ross created several top-notch uphill holes.

Gang, I'd love to see eclectic 18s (especially from you Kyle, even though you are in pancake-flat Florida now).

Chris D,

16 at Dornoch is a neat par four, where driving along the quarry to the left gives the best angle into the green.  However, many people don't like the hole for some reason.  There was a thread on here awhile back about Dornoch, "a great 16-hole course" (7 and 16 were the two oddballs).

[Mark Bourgeois]

I would like to see if anyone can do a best-18 just for Ross. He did them very well and I associate the quality straight & uphill par 4 with him more than anyone else.

In truth I suspect he used them as the least offensive solution to the problem of routing a course on hilly property, of which he certainly had plenty in NC.

[Ronald Montesano]

#18 at Country Club of Buffalo is a good, uphill Ross. #7, too, as long as it plays as a par four.

[Sven Nilsen]

Ballyneal 5?  Do you mean 4 or 6?  To me the best uphill hole on that course is 8, and 11 isn't too shabby either.

Others:

Skokie - 8 and 18
Yale - 10
Beverly - 7(?)
St. Andrews Beach - 2 and 10
Barnbougle Dunes - 4, 6 and 10
RMW - 5
Kingsley - 10 and 15
Greywalls - 5
Warren Course - 16
Lahinch - 4
Ballybunion - various
Pac Dunes - 6

[JNC Lyon]

Sven,

I listed the 8th at Ballyneal--the five just denotes the par.  8 is a phenomenal uphill par five, maybe the best hole on my list.

[Bill_McBride]

Kingsley 1 (par 5) is one of my favorite uphillers.

Dornoch 16 isn't too shabby for a non-US entry

BPB 4

Kingsley #1 is uphill twice!

[Ben Sims]

Friars Head #14 (top 2 of holes I've ever played)
Crystal Downs #8 (best par 5 other than FH #14 I've seen)
Pine Valley #2 (wide fairway, great green--hope they don't mess with it too much)
Riviera #9 (underrated due to the hole that follows)
Palmetto #15 (one of the most strategic holes on the golf course, I think)
Stone Eagle #2 (best hole on hat golf course IMO, really cool options for recovery, cool green hump in front right)
Oakmont #3 (green green site)

Lots more to choose from.  It wasn't until I really analyzed my preferences that I thought about how much more I enjoy uphill holes vs. downhill holes.  It struck me as odd.

[JC Jones]

Friars Head #14 (top 2 of holes I've ever played)
Crystal Downs #8 (best par 5 other than FH #14 I've seen)
Pine Valley #2 (wide fairway, great green--hope they don't mess with it too much)
Riviera #9 (underrated due to the hole that follows)
Palmetto #15 (one of the most strategic holes on the golf course, I think)
Stone Eagle #2 (best hole on hat golf course IMO, really cool options for recovery, cool green hump in front right)
Oakmont #3 (green green site)

Lots more to choose from.  It wasn't until I really analyzed my preferences that I thought about how much more I enjoy uphill holes vs. downhill holes.  It struck me as odd.

Finally a man with good sense.  I was surprised to see it go this many posts without Crystal Downs #8.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

I'd also include:

Crystal Downs #9
Carolina Golf Club #3
Augusta Country Club #16 (Punchbowl, baby!)
Merion #12, #16
Belvedere #7, #11, #16
Kingsley Club #13
Old Town #3, #7

That's all I've got for now.

[Tom_Doak]

What counts as "uphill" in you guys' minds?  A couple on JNC's list do not strike me as being significantly uphill, and I am pretty sure that the tee of the 16th at Merion is as high as the green.

Nevertheless, it's a good list to try and put together, because so many architects struggle with the concept of uphill holes.  I wish I had more time to put a list together.  Stone Eagle had five sharply uphill holes to try and vary -- #2, 5, 10, 14 and 17 -- and I'd agree with Ben that #2 turned out to be the best of those.  Rock Creek had the run of holes from #2 to #6; I am particularly fond of the 4th and 5th there.

I think the reason you may be inclined to like them better is that an uphill hole offers plenty of opportunity for visible bunkering.

[Sven Nilsen]

Sven,

I listed the 8th at Ballyneal--the five just denotes the par.  8 is a phenomenal uphill par five, maybe the best hole on my list.

JNC-

My bad, completely read that wrong. 

Add one more to my list, 15 at Shepherd's Crook.  Par 4 pinched at the landing area by bunkers right and left with a beautiful skyline green that falls off in every direction.

Tom-

What is the par 3 at High Pointe that has the skyline green, 4 or 5?

[JC Jones]

Tom-

What is the par 3 at High Pointe that has the skyline green, 4 or 5?

It is #4 and it is called "Redan"

[Tim Martin]

# 9 Westchester CC West
# 2 Bethpage Black
# 12 Yale
# 4 Shenecossett
# 2 Merion East
# 3 Fishers Island
# 17 Wampanoag
# 7 The Orchards
#8 Merion West

Par 36 with plenty of variety in no particular order

[Ben Sims]

I think the reason you may be inclined to like them better is that an uphill hole offers plenty of opportunity for visible bunkering.

A couple things on this sentence Tom.

1)  We're not that shallow are we?   

2)  Wouldn't a downhill hole provide a better sight line to bunkering and not an uphill hole?  In fact, I can think of three or four uphill holes off the top of my head where you almost can't see the fairway bunkering from the tee.  Palmetto #13 (I think you called it a goat hill) comes to mind.

I do understand where you're coming from if the tee is elevated to an uphill sloping fairway.  Meaning that you hit down to the fairway then the rest of the hole is uphill.  But on a hole that goes only from low to high, how can bunkering be more visible? 

[Peter Pallotta]

What's the hole at Crystal Downs, the Par 3, that looks like it plays downhill but actually plays uphill, Mackenzie having used the land perfectly to create the deception?  That's a really good one.  Nice when there is something special/useful about an uphill hole.

Peter

[Will MacEwen]

I like 16 at Bandon Trails but I know some people think it is a brute.

Is 18 at Pac Dunes uphill or is that only in my mind?

[Patrick_Mucci]

# 18 at Mountain Ridge is an all world uphill par 4.

# 18 at NGLA is an all world uphill par 5

# 8 at NGLA is a great and # 2 isn't bad either.

Montclair has an abundance of good uphill holes.

Plainfield has a few.

Riviera # 18 is pretty good.

A number of holes at Bethpage Black are pretty strong.

[Terry Lavin]

In my town, Chitown:

5 at Beverly a demanding and scenic 410 yard par 4 with a menacing fairway bunker and a great plateau green.

8 at Skokie is similar to the above Beverly hole but 40 yards longer.

17 at Flossmoor a monster 470 par 4 with a creek in play for a big hitter and a semi blind skyline green.

4 at Medinah #3 a prototypical muscular uphill parkland par 4.

11 at Flossmoor a Spion Kop par 3.

Elsewhere, 18 at Riviera is world class.

[Jud_T]

Tamarack #6 Alps- 412 yd. uphill par 4.  Tee shot needs to be left center followed by blind shot to large subtle green.