Is this the world's worst golf hole?

[Michael Mimran]

This definitely has my vote.  15th at Somers Pointe Golf Club, Somers NY.  



A "U" shaped par 5 where you must hit 3, 5 irons.  To top it off the hole if flanked by condos.  YUCK!!!!

[Sam Morrow]

Back a few years when I was just learning the game, I used to play at Lake Park Executive, a nine-holer in Lewisville, TX.  An unusual course to be sure, with bent greens and 8 par-3 holes and 1 par-4 hole.  I can't say there are any bad holes here, just bad locations for holes.  For example, I was playing with another beginning golfer, and we're on #2, a very short par-3 hole.  It is the green on the top of the screenshot near the word "Hole".  We had only a dim idea of how far our clubs flew, so my friend takes out his pitching wedge, makes a mighty swing and the ball easily clears the road and bounces into the parking lot on the other side of the street.  Oops!

Next hole, #3, runs south along N Mill St.  I'm on the tee with probably a 7-iron.  I'm taking my usual huge overswing when some dork in a pick-up truck driving down the road yells "FORE!".  I hooked my tee shot into traffic.  Oops!

The other interesting "feature" is hole #5, which runs along the south side of the Army Corps of Engineers building.  This was at one time a short par-4, probably 280 yards or so.  Naturally, nearly everyone is trying to drive the green.  Well, some lady playing hole #6, along the railroad track, got hit by a slice and the hole was subsequently converted to a par-3.

Is this the course fairly close to The Tribute and Old American?

[JNC Lyon]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hunters+Ridge+Bonita+Springs&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.219929,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hunters+Ridge+Dr,+Bonita+Springs,+Lee,+Florida+34135&ll=26.322326,-81.740148&spn=0.002433,0.004823&t=h&z=18

17 at Hunters Ridge in Bonita Springs, Florida.  The hole is about 300 yards, 150 out, 150 to the left. The whole course is pretty horrendous as you can see from the rest of the photo, with 17 of 18 holes including water. 18 is an island green.

[Garland Bayley]

I think this one has to be in the running.

[Bill_McBride]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hunters+Ridge+Bonita+Springs&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.219929,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hunters+Ridge+Dr,+Bonita+Springs,+Lee,+Florida+34135&ll=26.322326,-81.740148&spn=0.002433,0.004823&t=h&z=18

17 at Hunters Ridge in Bonita Springs, Florida.  The hole is about 300 yards, 150 out, 150 to the left. The whole course is pretty horrendous as you can see from the rest of the photo, with 17 of 18 holes including water. 18 is an island green.

A case could be made for that being the world's worst golf course, let alone golf hole!  

[Nick Campanelli]

The third hole at Airways Golf Course in Suffield, CT is my personal standard of “worst hole” against which I compare all others.   The conditioning of the course is evident in this picture.  The hole is a 90° dogleg right with no chance to cut the corner (mature trees line the entire hole).  Out of bounds runs along the entire left side of the hole.  The tee shot is severely uphill, and the approach plays to a green with a ridiculous falloff right.  As you can see in the picture below, a direct line approach from the center of the fairway is not possible.  There is a bell at the landing area you are supposed to ring after you play your approach.  Only play is a 5-iron off the tee, with a longer play into the green.  I played this course twice when I was younger.  The red line below is the path I took from the 2nd green to the 4th tee when I skipped the hole the second time around.  

[Andy Mitchell]

After taking a look, I would agree that the third at Airways GC is most definately one of the worst I have seen.  Another one to be considered is the Par 5 5th hole at Holly Tree Country Club in Simpsonville, SC.  250 straight away, then a 90 degree turn to the right about 225 downhill over a lake.  There is a creek and ravine behind the green.  If you want to layup you have to hit Sandwedge about 85 yards to a rock hard landing area about 20 yards wide.  All this with OB on the right.  I'm not quite sure what George Cobb was thinking on this one. 

[Jay Cox]

Some of these are amazingly bad holes.  But at least none of them has a twenty-foot-high mesh fence that is an integral playing feature of the hole.

The description of the 210-yard par 3 14th at the Juniper Hill Lakeside course in Northboro, Mass., quoted from the course's promotional site:

"THE TOUGHEST HOLE ON THE COURSE is nearly surrounded by wetlands. The fence (an obstruction) behind the green is a target for those that can't hit the small landing area around the green."



It's hard to see in the photo, but the fence is over the back right corner of the green.  The green is directly surrounded by marsh front right, front left, and long left.    The fence about forty feet long -- so not a particularly large target to hit about 230 yards away from the tee -- and is in a narrow strip of hard pine needles between the green and more marsh -- so if you miss it left or right, the ball is long gone.  There also are a few trees there, and if you do manage to hit the fence there's a decent chance you'll end up behind one. 

But it really is true that the only reason the fence was put there is so that players can aim at it!  Not for safety (there is nothing behind it except).  Not for any environmental reason.  Not because of a lawsuit. 

They put it in about 10 or 15 years ago, in response to complaints that the hole was too hard.  Which it was.  But now it's only very slightly easier, and also is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen on a golf course.

[Jason Walker]

Jay-
I believe there was a thread a few weeks back in response to Whitten's article about the lack creative new trends in GCA.  The hole you reference is an excellent example of out-of-the-box creativity that will bring golf to the masses--the hybridization of billiards and golf.  Brilliant!

[Bruce Katona]

Mike: You brought up earlier my favorite of awful golf holes - #4@ Country Club of the Poconos, the annual winner of couses that should never have been built.  7 iron off the tee to a 5 wood/hybrid approcach to the green, due to sensitive wetlands..

This course should be on the annual list of site visits for all budding golfcourse architects as a study in "what not to do".

[Mike Cirba]

Bruce,

One might imagine given 12 miles from first tee to eighteenth green that Jim Fazio might have been able to find a good golf hole or two but that would be a mistaken assumption.

[Tom Yost]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hunters+Ridge+Bonita+Springs&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.219929,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hunters+Ridge+Dr,+Bonita+Springs,+Lee,+Florida+34135&ll=26.322326,-81.740148&spn=0.002433,0.004823&t=h&z=18

17 at Hunters Ridge in Bonita Springs, Florida.  The hole is about 300 yards, 150 out, 150 to the left. The whole course is pretty horrendous as you can see from the rest of the photo, with 17 of 18 holes including water. 18 is an island green.

A case could be made for that being the world's worst golf course, let alone golf hole!  

Zooming out from that google image, one can see dozens upon dozens of neighboring candidates! 

[Joe Grasty]

Back a few years when I was just learning the game, I used to play at Lake Park Executive, a nine-holer in Lewisville, TX.  An unusual course to be sure, with bent greens and 8 par-3 holes and 1 par-4 hole.  I can't say there are any bad holes here, just bad locations for holes.  For example, I was playing with another beginning golfer, and we're on #2, a very short par-3 hole.  It is the green on the top of the screenshot near the word "Hole".  We had only a dim idea of how far our clubs flew, so my friend takes out his pitching wedge, makes a mighty swing and the ball easily clears the road and bounces into the parking lot on the other side of the street.  Oops!

Next hole, #3, runs south along N Mill St.  I'm on the tee with probably a 7-iron.  I'm taking my usual huge overswing when some dork in a pick-up truck driving down the road yells "FORE!".  I hooked my tee shot into traffic.  Oops!

The other interesting "feature" is hole #5, which runs along the south side of the Army Corps of Engineers building.  This was at one time a short par-4, probably 280 yards or so.  Naturally, nearly everyone is trying to drive the green.  Well, some lady playing hole #6, along the railroad track, got hit by a slice and the hole was subsequently converted to a par-3.

Is this the course fairly close to The Tribute and Old American?

Yes, Lake Park is on the west side of Lake Lewisville, and the Tribute on the east side of the lake.

[Mac Plumart]

Bump.

Too funny to let slip into oblivion.

[Mark Saltzman]

I think this one has to be in the running.

Garland, what is so offensive about this hole that could possibly qualify it as the 'world's worst'?

[Sam Morrow]

I need to know more about that hole before I would say it's so bad, it looks like it might have some potential.

[Garland Bayley]

I think this one has to be in the running.

Garland, what is so offensive about this hole that could possibly qualify it as the 'world's worst'?

Artificiality. It is butt-ugly IMO.

[Mac Plumart]

I think that photo is Ballyhack, right?

I haven't played it, just seen some photos.  But every single time, the first that strikes me regarding photos of Ballyhack is the mowing patterns.  I think they need to mow right up to the bunker and not leave a ring of rough around the bunkers.  And in this photo, the center line has that finger of rough jutting out.  I don't get that.  I would think it would be more enticing to a golfer to mow out all that grass in the middle and lure them to bomb it up the middle.  Make the turf fast and firm and could it become a real issue of rolling into those centerline bunkers?  If that would be the case, wouldn't the optional routes of right or left become interesting options rather than an either or play?

Like I said, I haven't played it.  Maybe I am way off especially on distances.  But I really do think the grass around the bunkers needs to be mowed.

[Wade Whitehead]

Mac:

I don't know where the photo was taken but it isn't Ballyhack.

I understand your critique of the maintenance practices but only in the context of the photograph you reference.  If you're talking about Ballyhack's bunkers I recommend a visit so you can round out your opinion of the Superintendent's maintenance standard.  Please let me know when you'd like to make a trip.

WW

[Mark Saltzman]

Mac, the picture is of the second hole at Bond Head (North) near Toronto.  I played the course once and swore never to go back.  Five years later I went back for one more round thinking I may have been too quick to judge.  Once again, I swore I will never go back.  

The hole pictured is awful, though I don't think you can know it from the pictures.

It is 240 yards to to carry the hazard at the nearest point.  250+ over the first bunker on the right.  For all but a handful of golfers that makes the left side and any possibility of strategy, irrelevant.  

If you come to Toronto (and please do!), we'll play somewhere else.

http://www.theclubatbondhead.com/thecourse.html#

[Mac Plumart]

Oops...

wrong course. 

My bad!! 

 

Wade...I might just be taking you up on that offer.

[Anthony Gray]

I think this one has to be in the running.

Garland, what is so offensive about this hole that could possibly qualify it as the 'world's worst'?

Artificiality. It is butt-ugly IMO.

  Where do you lay up ?

[Mac Plumart]

Gotta add this one...not quite up to some of the ones posted earlier...but still worthy to note...

Tee shot...




Approach...




 

[Garland Bayley]

I think this one has to be in the running.

Garland, what is so offensive about this hole that could possibly qualify it as the 'world's worst'?

Artificiality. It is butt-ugly IMO.

  Where do you lay up ?

Just cause I say they're butt ugly doesn't mean you have to "lay up" with them Anthony.

[MikeJones]

There are no bad golf holes...... just unimaginative golfers