Intentionally Playing From a Different Hole's Fairway

[Jonathan Stewart]

Watching the match play I noticed a few of the players on the par 5 8th would play down the 2nd fairway on purpose. This made the hole play about 40 yards shorter from 563 yards to 523 yards.

This brought up a series of questions:

1. Are there any other examples, either in professional tournaments or on well know courses, of playing from another hole because it is shorter or takes danger out of play?

2. When designing a course does the architect take special measures to ensure that playing from another hole does not become common practice?

3. I assume that inside the course out of bounds is the most common practice to prevent this from happening, but have courses taken other measures such as planting trees or building mounds to take away a line of play from another hole?

[Carson Pilcher]

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news03/hinkle.html

Sometimes, at my home club (Settindown Creek), I will play my second shot/ lay up into the 10th fairway while playing the 1st hole.  It depends on the wind and pin position.  If the pin is back left and the wind into, it is a more strategic attack from the 10th fairway.  Most people do not go that route, but I do believe I talked Mac into going that direction once.

[Blake Conant]

9th at Augusta National.  1938 they reshaped the green and rearranged the bunkers to discourage players from playing up the 1st fairway.  

[Jeffrey Conners]

In the first round of the 1979 US Open at Inverness, Lon Hinkle played the par-5 eighth hole by driving down the 17th fairway.  He made birdie.  The USGA brought a tree in and planted it next to the eighth tee before the start of the second round.

[Mark Pearce]

On the Craighead course at Crail long hitters drive down the 14th fairway to give a chance of getting up on the par 5 15th in 2.  It leaves a blind second but either the second or third is blind from the regular fiarway but also a substantial carry over deep cack.

[Tom_Doak]

This is one reason I don't build as many dogleg holes as some other architects do.  If you design a dogleg hole with a green that sets up for a player who stays to the inside of the dogleg, you have to be sure there is not another fairway anywhere close on that side, or the short-cut will provide an easier angle as well as a shorter distance.  I've built two holes where this happens on occasion, and I don't want to build any more.

[Sean_A]

In a bid to stop equating how the game is played based on pros, I will mention two examples from my experience.  Both are quite straight holes.

The first absolute no-brainer to play up the wrong fairway is Portrush Valley's 10th from the medal tees.  The 9th fairway is in full view, played straight on and offers a better angle of approach which isn't blind.  I don't know what Colt was thinking for #10, but I do wonder if the hole was altered.  Below is a look at the approach tom 10 green from 9 fairway.


I recall also playing up Ashburnham's 17th fairway when playing the 2nd.  I reckon the angle of approach is better and I can avoid having to deal with OOB up the right of #2.


Ciao

[Tyler Kearns]

Tom makes some good points regarding doglegged holes, and I'm sure we have all seen a few holes compromised in this manner.  Further, such a scenario has safety and slow play ramifications.  Of course, some golf courses choose to implement internal out-of-bounds to resolve these potential problems, and quite frankly, I think this is a terrible idea.

I routinely play down a parallel fairway at my home course owing to out-of-bounds and water hazard on the right side of the hole.  I wouldn't call the third shot angle I choose to play into the par 5 optimal as my approach is blind and over a bunker, but I think it produces less 7's or higher.

TK

[Tim_Cronin]

In the first round of the 1979 US Open at Inverness, Lon Hinkle played the par-5 eighth hole by driving down the 17th fairway.  He made birdie.  The USGA brought a tree in and planted it next to the eighth tee before the start of the second round.

Hinkle and a handful of others did it again the following day. Some made birdie. The tree, a scrawny spruce bought by Inverness and billed to the USGA, cost $120.

[John McCarthy]

When the Western Open was played at Butler National the tenth hole fairway was internal OB when teeing off the 18th.  They had two trees in the middle of the 18th fairway (still have one).  The tee shot featured OB left (not really in play for professionals) and tree lined water right.  Hole is a dogleg right with a carry over water to the green from the 18th fairway.  From the tee if you turned 45 degrees right (and got the ball up quick) it takes all the water (mostly) out of play.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Members often deliberately play adjacent fairways on TOC.

Conwy 9th is a 540-yard dog-leg par five which is greatly shortened by driving down the 8th fairway. Unfortunately for members' golf an internal OOB is imposed.

[Jonathan Stewart]

Tom,

In regards to the two holes you designed, did you realize in the design process that playing from the adjacent hole may be an issue?

Were there any issues such as land restraints or finances preventing you from changing your design in these cases?

Did the features of the land prevent you from changing your routing? For instance the features of the hole in question were too prominent or you needed to get from point A to point B and this was the only option.

[David Whitmer]

The 11th hole at my home club runs parallel to a street, which is OB. The hole is dead-straight. The 10th hole runs parallel to the left of the 11th hole. While there is a narrow strip of trees between the 11th and 10th holes, big hitters like myself can go up and over them, landing safely in the 10th fairway. From there it's about 150 yards up and over trees to the 11th green.

If my driving is not "on" that day, I'll aim at the trees to the left, trying to fade the ball back into the 11th fairway. If I double-cross one or hit it straight, I'll end up in the 10th fairway. One of my goals each year is to never hit one OB on 11. You ever hit a car from a golf course? Not fun.

By the way...I certainly make sure no one is coming up 10 before I tee off. If a group is there, I'll hit a 3-wood and aim down the 11th.

[Thomas Dai]

Just about any hole on TOC fits the bill when it comes to intentionally hitting onto other fairways.

Reference David's comment regarding fairways adjacent to roads, I know someone who teed off and landed a ball on an oncoming car. Guess what kinda car it was , yup, a Golf!

All the best

[Dave McCollum]

The Old Course, #14, playing into a strong headwind seems unplayable.  I walked out there on a Sunday and literally could not figure out a plan for playing the hole.  The wind reversed the next day and was no problem.  Some months later I read Mackenzie’s Scotland’s Gift.  He said the preferred strategy for that circumstance was to drive into the 5th fairway, play the second shot up the 5th, then approach the green from there.  It was one of the reasons why the custom of granting the right-of-way to homeward bound golfers was established.

[Jim Sherma]

Hershey Links 5th hole. Course overhead lifted from Joe B's write up below:



When we had the NCAA Div 2 tournament I heard that players were playing out to the much wider 6th fairway during practice rounds. Before the tournament started a van/truck was parked next to the tee to prevent this from happening. I've eyed it up but since there is no good pathway to get there I have not played out that way myself.

[Jason Thurman]

The first hole at The Bull at Boone's Trace in Richmond, KY is a par 5 that doglegs right. The fairway is routed over a tough cross-slope, so any ball in the fairway results in a lie well below the golfer's feet.



Even in the photo above, you can kind of make out the second fairway intruding from the right. It's no longer to just hit out to this adjacent fairway, and the result is a level lie. If going for the hole in two, I always preferred this level lie as opposed to the balancing act that came with hitting the correct fairway.

On this particular course, this routing flaw seemed like the result of property restrictions. It's part of a housing development and the area with holes 1 and 2 is separated from the rest of the course. It's bordered by a road to the south and lots to the north, and situated at the base of two hills. The narrow corridor and its terrain pretty much forced the designer to route two holes with one flat and one severely sloped fairway, and the contours forced the tees and greens to be situated at their current angles. It would've taken some pretty significant shaping or routing creativity to avoid a situation where playing down the wrong corridor could be ideal.

[Rich Goodale]

Bad architecture and potentially a club killer if some bozo happens to hit some other bozo on the wrong side of the head....

[jonathan_becker]

Supposedly guys blast it down the 14th fw off the 12th tee at Seminole to eliminate the property boundary down the left side.  Plus, there's a clear look down the length of the green from over there.

[PCCraig]

I generally hit my tee shot on the 18th at Shoreacres down the parallel 9th fairway. I just think it's a less awkward angle than trying to hit the 18th fairway and messing with the fairway cross bunker. If I go left down #9 it's a shorter distance to carry a fairway bunker and it gives me (someone who hits it right-to-left) a better angle to go for the green in two.

[Sven Nilsen]

8th hole at The Dunes Club.  Long hitters play from the tee to the front edge of the 5th fairway to give themselves a better shot at getting on in two. 

A connection here to Kavanaugh's tree thread, as the 8th used to have a devilish branch that extended into the line of play if you were playing the hole conventionally.

Sven 

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jonathan,

That's true, especially with certain winds, but the shot is not without risk in terms of blocking trees and wetter rough (plugs)

The more likely play was down # 4 from # 3 until the club prohibited same.

At Pine Tree, playing down # 9 from # 1 was common until the club prohibited same.

In many cases this tactic has been made possible by one element..............increased distance

[Howard Riefs]

8th hole at The Dunes Club.  Long hitters play from the tee to the front edge of the 5th fairway to give themselves a better shot at getting on in two. 

A connection here to Kavanaugh's tree thread, as the 8th used to have a devilish branch that extended into the line of play if you were playing the hole conventionally.

Sven 

Did they cut back that "Mutombo" tree on #8 that swatted away shots that hugged the left side of the fairway?

Steitz describes the alternate usage of #5 fairway in his Dunes Club photo tour:

Hole #8 - Par 5
Back - 513; Middle and Front - 507

The eighth hole plays from an elevated tee box to a generous fairway, about 60 yards wide at its widest point, though it narrows as one reaches the scrub area that bisects the landing area from the lay up area about 265 yards from the tee.  While the fairway itself is wide, the hole doglegs to the left from this point in, and trees set close to the left edge of the layup area effectively narrow the tee shot landing area to about 30-35 yards up the right hand side.

A good drive should leave a layup of just under 200 yards, and the shot should definitely be played up the right hand side for the best angle to the green.  A large tree hugs the left side of the fairway on the approach, and the overhang is just high enough to catch shots played with a short iron.  In our second round, I was forced to hit a five iron to the green from about 135 yards out to keep it below the overhanging branches, and unfortunately drilled it into the back bunker.  Had I been on the right side of the fairway, the shot would have been clear.

The green is elevated from the fairway, but sits just below the crest of the hill that fronts the entry.  None of the surface of the green is visible from the approach area.  The green itself is small and oval shaped, about 20 yards wide and 15 yards deep.  It's protected by sand left, right and behind.  The approach corridor is also protected by bunkers left and right, so a shot hit short to either side presents a tough recovery. 

As was discussed in a different thread, there may be an alternate line of play here if one decides to take aim at the fifth fairway, which runs parallel to the left of the eighth fairway.  Doing so cuts off the dogleg a shot early and leaves a straightforward approach to the green.  However, that approach would be played over the fifth tee area, and the player will still have to contend with the hill and a narrow opening through the trees, with very little margin for error.  A long hitter who can bust it 290 off the tee will be left with about 225-230 to the green from this angle.  I'm unaware of any local rules against this play, but nobody in my group attempted it.

View from the tee. The alternate route up the fifth fairway would be to the left.


Another shot of the alternate route.  The green sits behind the small forest of trees on the right edge of the photograph.


View of the layup shot.


A look back at the tee from the same spot.


A view of the green from about 100 yards or so out.


Closer view of the green.

[Rick Shefchik]

Supposedly guys blast it down the 14th fw off the 12th tee at Seminole to eliminate the property boundary down the left side.  Plus, there's a clear look down the length of the green from over there.

This is where a well-placed tree can actually help a golf course. Imagine a wide pine or hardwood (a palm wouldn't do it) just in front of and to the right of this tee. It wouldn't hinder a draw down the 12th fairway, but you couldn't draw it or even hit it straight down the 14th fairway. Faders could still get over there, but it would be a more visually intimidating shot -- and probably not worth the added risk.

[Steve Lapper]

Frequently, and with the prevailing wind down, I'll play down the 1st's fairway at Somerset Hills to gain considerable yardage and have a shot at the 9th's green. This strategy, while banned during MGA events (with a declaration of in-course out-of-bounds), shortens the hole by roughly 100-140yds, bypass's the 9th's otherwise wonderful Sahara complex, reintroduces a now strategic bunker that doesn't really play from most conventional approaches, and reduces the opening of the green to an extremely oblique angle. The reward is adequately offset by the risk, but was it designed this way?

 I've always been fascinated with this question. Did Tilly intend this or was it a result of a few-too-many nips? Maybe Phil Young or Tom Doak have an opinion?