Assembling The Most Challenging 18-Hole Course

[Matthew Essig]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1161931-assembling-the-most-impossible-18-hole-course-from-worlds-toughest-venues

I have seen many threads about creating the greatest 18-hole course with the 18 greatest golf holes.
But I have not seen a thread about creating the most challenging 18-hole course with the 18 most challenging holes.

I challenge you all to attempt to form the most difficult 18-hole course with the following rules:
-The hole you choose must correspond to the hole number of your imagined course (if you choose the 11th at Augusta, it must be the 11th on your imagined course).
-It must be the most challenging hole you believe fills the spot. I encourage you all not to be influenced by how world famous the hole is.
-The par of the hole used is the actual/common day par for the hole, not what the pros play the hole as.
-The maximum yardage from the tips is 7400.
-The holes can be from anywhere in the world.

"Bonus Points" are rewarded if your course is:
-International
-Par 70-72
-18 different courses are used
-If I love it.  

The website above is to help you all get started. The course would receive an extremely tiny "bonus point" for being international.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I am still working on mine)

[Scott Warren]

1 Prince's (Dunes) - Par 4
2 Royal Dornoch - Par 3
3 National Golf Links - Par 4
4 Royal St George's - Par 4
5 Barnbougle Lost Farm - Par 4
6 Hardelot (Les Pins) - Par 5
7 Barnbougle Dunes - Par 3
8 Kingston Heath - Par 4
9 Yale - Par 3
10 The European Club - Par 4
11 The Old Course - Par 3
12 Swinley Forest - Par 4
13 St Andrews Beach - Par 4
14 Fishers Island - Par 4
15 Pine Valley - Par 5
16 Royal Melbourne (West) - Par 3
17 Riviera - Par 5
18 Worplesdon - Par 4

Par 70, with each course used only once.
Architecturally outstanding.
Hard as nails, but not simply due to length (see: 2, 6, 7, 11).
International, with six countries represented.
Mixture of private, semi-private and public courses.
Links, parkland, heathland, sandbelt all represented.
Almost 50/50 inland and seaside.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Scott,

Nice list, but where is Winged Foot ?

[Tom_Doak]

Scott:

The 18th at The Valley Club is your hardest finishing hole ever?  I never would have guessed that one in a million years.

[Scott Warren]

Patrick,

I haven't played it.

Tom,

The 1st and 18th holes I really struggled to fill without using a course I had used elsewhere. I recalled needing to hit a 5i to the green and the putting surface being really slick.

I'll try to think of a better nomination.

EDIT - perhaps Worplesdon or Alwoodley.

[Niall C]

Scott

Good on you for giving it a go    I must admit, when I read Mathews initial post I immediately thought of the last 3 holes at Carnoustie. If you were struggling for a tough 18th then I think Carnousties would have done you nicely.

Also I like the fact you've used 5 par 3's. That's a good way of making a course tough in relation to par without being a slog.

Niall

[Matthew Essig]

Very well done, Scott.

[Scott Warren]

With some more reflection, Worplesdon definitely deserves that closing spot and was a definite oversight.

440 yards (400 metres) of this:

Blind drive:


Followed by a mid to long iron to this green, with the downslope left feeding pretty much all the way to the car park and the slope at the back sending your ball down to the clubhouse!

[David_Elvins]

Sorry to thread jack but I clicked on the link in the OP and if this isn't the worst photoshop of all time. 



As for a course, from the courses I have played I will go with:

1 The Ranch in San Jose
2 The Ranch in San Jose
3 The Ranch in San Jose
4 The ranch in San Jose
5 Bandon Dunes
6 The Ranch in San Jose/PGA WEST
7 The Ranch in San Jose
8 Barnbougle Dunes
9 Bayonet
10 The ranch in san Jose
11 Passatiempo
12 Pebble Beach
13 St Andrews Beach
14 The ranch in san Jose
15 Kingston Heath
16 The Ranch in San Jose
17 The Old Course
18 Pacific Dunes

[Mark Johnson]

I think you need one more rule...  maximum yardage, say 7400.

Otherwise, we will end up with a 8400 yard course with 10 500 yard par 4s.

[Matthew Essig]

I think you need one more rule...  maximum yardage, say 7400.

Otherwise, we will end up with a 8400 yard course with 10 500 yard par 4s.

Ok, I'll agree with that, but I already have the rule about the par has to be what the normal par is and not what the pros play. There aren't that many 500+ yards par 4's that are par 4's on a day-to-day basis.

[Michael George]

The hardest hole that I have ever played in #11 at Old MacDonald into the prevailing wind. 

Ugghh.

[Mark Johnson]

I think you need one more rule...  maximum yardage, say 7400.

Otherwise, we will end up with a 8400 yard course with 10 500 yard par 4s.

Ok, I'll agree with that, but I already have the rule about the par has to be what the normal par is and not what the pros play. There aren't that many 500+ yards par 4's that are par 4's on a day-to-day basis.

Fair point, but there are lots of holes where you have back tees that almost no one plays, but are still set up on a daily basis.

An Example-- the 12th hole at Hazeltine.    Long Slightly downhill par 4 to an elevated green that usually plays into the wind.

Members play it around 420.   The back tees are around 500.   Par 4 for everyone.