GREAT Courses with scary mandatory carries off the tee

[Ivan Lipko]

Hello, everyone!

Are there any really outstanding courses that have some or many scary mandatory carries off the tee? Seems like most of the great designs are fairly benign from tee to green (unless of course there is some serious rough) and are mostly tough on and around the greens. Is it true or just a misconception?

[Tim_Weiman]

Are you considering Pine Valley?

[Ed Brzezowski]

17and18 at Merion  East can be somewhat scary at times.

[Patrick_Mucci]

NGLA certainly has it's share of heroic carries off the tee.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Royal County Down certainly has many many forced carries, as do many links courses.

[Jason Topp]

Royal Porthcawl had a few that looked very intimidating.  I am not sure how long they were.

One day I played Sutton Bay from the back tees with a 10-15 mile per hour wind blowing North.  We started on 10 and I hit my first tee ball a bit low - and it slammed into a bunker short of the fairway.  I knew I was in for a long day.

[HarryBrinkerhoffDoyleIV_aka_Barry]

I wouldn't put it in the same "GREAT" category as some of the other courses listed within this thread, but The Ocean Course @ Kiawah Island has a number of forced carries that are a son of a gun, especially if the wind is blowing.  Playing the correct tee in relation to your game is paramount.  If you don't, you will end up losing numerous balls due to not being able to fly the forced carries.

[Jonathan Mallard]

Bethpage Black.

Even from the white tees, you need to carry it consistently 190 off the tees.

[Jordan Standefer]

Cypress Point has a couple knee-knocking tee shots on the back nine.

[Tyler Kearns]

Jordan,

Mackenzie left a lot of room to the left for those wishing to avoid the famed carry, a prudent play into the wind or when protecting a decent round.

TK

[mike_beene]

The one that really requires a solid strike is the fourth hole at Pine Needles over the pond. Not any real place to lay up and I believe it is 240ish to carry.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Off the back tees (7,450 yards), Portmarnock has a few carries that are impossible for anyone other than the longish hitter in to a halfway decent wind... But no-one plays those tees.

The second back set (6,950 yards) are played fairly frequently and there are a few decent carries there also. So last winter, the club extended the fairway back about 40 yards on both the 2nd and 8th holes over fronting ridges that were previously covered in longer grasses. Good decision.

[Thomas Dai]

This tee shot, especially coming pretty early in the round, makes you think a bit, particularly if you have any desires to reach the green in two, the more so if playing into a strong left-to-righter or headwind.







2nd hole at Portsalon. Great course? Certainly pretty damn good....and certainly a course not to be missed if you're in Donegal.

atb

[Matt Waidmann]

A couple that come to my mind are #6 at True Blue and #18 at Tobacco Road.  Kiawah Island was brought up already, but I'll second that for sure.  #2, #10, & #13 are all scary when the wind is blowing 30 mph, as it always seems to be when I play there.  Although its rough and not a bunker or water, #10 at Bethpage is a brutal carry from the tips or even the next set up when the wind is in your face.

[Paul Gray]

Great is a debatable point but I seem to recall that #10 at The Addington has a very long carry from the back but much reduced from the daily tees.

[jeffwarne]

NGLA certainly has it's share of heroic carries off the tee.

While that may be true if one takes a bold line
NGLA does not have many/any scary MANDATORY carries off the tee, save perhaps 3 which is merely over a bunker.
That is unless you're struggling to clear the road on 8 Pat . which is only scary for the driver of the car

[Rich Goodale]

Dornoch's way back tee turns a great hole into a very scary one.  It is only 360 yards (vs. 322 for the Medal tee), but instead of seeing the hole and feeling the chance for carrying the huge mound in the middle of the fairway and even to reach the Redanish green (with a favorable wind and hard ground), from the way back tee you see nothing and your carrying/landing area is miniscule, whether or not you are a bomber or a rabbit.

Dornoch defines what is a "great" course, but from the 360 yard tee on 15, it diminishes itself.

Rich

[Keith Grande]

Although its rough and not a bunker or water, #10 at Bethpage is a brutal carry from the tips or even the next set up when the wind is in your face.

Nick Price had the famous quote at the 2002 US Open at Bethpage. When failing to reach the fairway at the 10th hole, he commented that his fairway was 2 yards wide - the walking path from the tee!

[Tim Johnson]

 #1 at Machrihanish, tough shot especially as it is your first swing of the day.
Thomas, fully agree with your comments on Port Salon, not great but well worth the time to play if you are in the region.

[Jordan Standefer]

Mackenzie left a lot of room to the left for those wishing to avoid the famed carry, a prudent play into the wind or when protecting a decent round.

If I ever get the chance, I'm going the way Miss Hollins intended (at least with my first one). 

I can't imagine the tee shots at 15 and 17 are any walks in the park either.

[Ivan Lipko]

Before this thread I could only think of two universally acclaimed courses with some serious carries - Pine Valley and RCD. Never really thought of anything like NGLA and Cypress.

Thomas, is it the river or part of the sea on your photos? Looks really picturesque indeed.

[Howard Riefs]

I wouldn't put it in the same "GREAT" category as some of the other courses listed within this thread, but The Ocean Course @ Kiawah Island has a number of forced carries that are a son of a gun, especially if the wind is blowing.  Playing the correct tee in relation to your game is paramount.  If you don't, you will end up losing numerous balls due to not being able to fly the forced carries.

Love the back tees on #13.