Memorable First Tees

[Ronald Montesano]

A Rytter...Name that hole!

Thanks...


RE: Stone Eagle~~>How do 17 and 1 get confused?

[Chris Kane]

Royal Aberdeen and Machrihanish are two of my favourites.

[Anders Rytter]

A Rytter...Name that hole!

Thanks...


RE: Stone Eagle~~>How do 17 and 1 get confused?

Hi Ronald,

1st hole on Ardglass GC, 10-15miles from RCD.



Just to bad that it's not enough of an advantage to hit seccond shot from the left, you are not forced to hit it close to the cliffs.

[Ronald Montesano]

Oh my goodness. Do the other 17 holes maintain the energy?

[Mac Plumart]

My favorite and most memorable first holes are:

The Old Course
Pinehurst #2
Yeaman's Hall

[Ben Kodadek]

The 1st at White Bear Yacht Club is pretty special. This is a fun opener that gives you an idea of how fun a day you will have.

Jack,

No doubt.  I love how the little putting green ties into the teeing ground under the flag.  It's a very cool start. 

[PCCraig]

The 1st at White Bear Yacht Club is pretty special. This is a fun opener that gives you an idea of how fun a day you will have.

Jack,

No doubt.  I love how the little putting green ties into the teeing ground under the flag.  It's a very cool start. 

+1

I agree...very neat.

[Jonathan Stewart]

Tobacco Road

A good example of what's ahead... Plenty of unorthodox holes and blind shots

[Pete Blaisdell]

One other " first tee " that deserves a mention is that of Atlantic City CC. The day the club hosted the USGA APL Committee for a round of golf, I was a bit surprised when we teed off from the PRACTCE PUTTING GREEN!! I had never experienced that before and I can report that no one hit an iron or even a hybrid. It's not good form to soil the altar cloth.

[Scott McWethy]

For me it would have to be the 1st tee at Cypress Point.  Yes, I know CP gets mentioned here so often but I've never been on a 1st tee like it.  First thing in the morning and the sun is just starting to break through the clouds.  The fairway just glistens with the sunlight hitting off the dew.  Plus the overall view is spectacular.  Looking down that first hole with the ocean off to the left is unlike anything else I have ever experienced.  Knowing that you are going to spend the next four hours on hallowed ground gets the hair standing up on the back of your neck.

Second for me would be Chicago Golf.  The course is just so perfectly fit into that piece of land that when you look out on the first hole, you can easily see a third of the golf holes.  Those green fairways against the brown fescues frame everything so nice.  What a fun place to play!

[Anders Rytter]

Oh my goodness. Do the other 17 holes maintain the energy?

Not all 17. some of the holes are "out of this world good", i especially loved (litteraly) the 4th, a couple really good holes just after the turn but also some weak ones.

[ChipOat]

I thought I might get through three pages of posts and have Machrihanish all to myself but Chris Kane beat me to it.

Hard to believe it wasn't on the first page, though.

I'll give the back tee at Merion during lunch time and post-round drinks time a high vote, too.

Elie is definitely cool, too.

TOC is ok although putting out on #18 is usually in front of a good-size gallery.

[Paul Jones]

Portstewart in N. Ireland and The Judge (RTJ Trail in Pratteville) comes to mind for me. 

[Tony Ristola]

Bel Air CC, LA, CA.

Similar to the first at Riviera, except hard against the clubhouse; and then the view to the city below.

[Brad Isaacs]

A memorable really questionable first hole..... Back Mesa in New Mexico!

[Sam Morrow]

I like Southern Hills, aim it at downtown and let it go.

San Antonio Country Club, it's a shortish downhill par 3, the box is basically on the patio outside the golf shop. There is a neat plaque on the wall about an officer from Ft. Sam Houston who was a member, Eisensomething. All you Euros can thank us now.

Austin Golf Club is a cool first tee, I just hope that the club is played again someday, by anyone.

Teeing off next to The Wall of Champions at Colonial is very cool.

[Jim Hoak]

It's been mentioned a couple of times, but one of my favorite sites in golf is the first tee of Merion--with your back to the patio and the sound of clinking glasses and muffled voices in the background.  The hole is not one of Merion's strongest, but the atmosphere and the anticipation is tremendous.

[Carl Johnson]

Portstewart in N. Ireland and The Judge (RTJ Trail in Pratteville) comes to mind for me. 

Agreed on Portstewart.  Also, the first at Ardglass, pictured several notches above.  The second at Ardglass is pretty neat, too.  After that the visuals taper off a little, but still a fine course.

[Joe Leenheer]

La Jolla CC

My friend is the Assistant there.  He has called off work once in his career for being sick.  It happened to be the day of their annual "Beat the Pro".  The "Pros" consist of the Head Pro, Phil Mickelson, and two other notable guests.  Phil stepped up on the first tee (Par 4, 305, and a bit uphill) and knocked it in for an ace in front of the entire field.  There is a plaque commemorating the day on the tee.

I like those kind of stories so for me it's a memorable first tee.

Note, he still has not called off sick since....

[Anders Rytter]

Portstewart in N. Ireland and The Judge (RTJ Trail in Pratteville) comes to mind for me. 

Agreed on Portstewart.  Also, the first at Ardglass, pictured several notches above.  The second at Ardglass is pretty neat, too.  After that the visuals taper off a little, but still a fine course.

Agree, 2nd on Ardglass looks very nice aswell, short par3. (first and seccond picture below) but fourth was my favorite (third picture)

[Mark Johnson]

My favorite -- princeville

[jim_lewis]

It may not be one of the great opening holes, but aside from TOC I know of no tee shot that raises the pucker factor like the first tee at Augusta National, especially the first time. IF you can handle that pressure, the first tee at Merion is no problem.

Jim Lewis

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I am not sure anything tops TOC. Cypress is pretty cool as well. Machrahanish, Prestwick, Shnny, NGLA and Sebonack are very special as well.

[Brett Hochstein]

Lot of good mentions so far.  I would throw in the mix Franklin Hills, Askernish, Castle Stuart, Brora, Pacific Dunes, Belvedere, High Pointe ( ) Treetops Smith, and San Francisco GC.  A couple might be stretches or be memorable only to me, but all have at least something cool about them.

[Ronald Montesano]

Revisit these three pages of comments and take down some statistics~all answers to the question that loomed but was never asked:

Why is the first tee memorable?

For some, the presence of a gallery (perhaps) for the first time in one's golfing existence;

For some, the presence of the almighty glory of creation and annihilation;

For some, a doorway to an immeasurable and unforgettable golfing experience;

For some, a portal to a historic event;

For some, a swallow by an abyss;

For some, a swinging gate to an architectural seminar;

"memorable" is many things to us.


By the way, did anyone figure out Melvyn (post 10, page 1) must have great eyes if photo number two is a close-up of the green