I have no problem at all with long and forced carries, particulalarly off tee shots, provided the alternative(s) are both acceptable (doable) and make sense.
But the most important thing, in my opinion, is that there ARE alternatives and certainly reasonable ones. It seems to me that one of the most interesting aspects of high risk option design is that alternatives be as closely juxtaposed as possible recognizing that in many cases that doesn't present easy doing in design but if not perhaps something needs to follow (on the next shot) that additionally makes the lower risk tee shot alternative, closely juxtaposed, less appealing (perhaps second shot blindness vs real visibility for the high risk option!). While close juxtapositioning is in no way mandatory I find this style the most interesting (and probalby the hardest to design!).
And so, I'd like to offer some examples of golf holes that are famous that do not offer alternatives or reasonable ones, in my opinon, and also some holes from some architects that are roundly worshipped on here that don't either. (This is obviously to somewhat counter-act Pat Mucci's occassional accusations of the "most favored son" claim on here regarding certain architects).
And I'll offer some examples of holes that have relatively high risk forced carry options with wonderful alternatives.
Just a few with no real alternatives as I'm sure others will come up with other really good examples.
Merion's #18!!
Probably the mother of all high risk forced carries with no alternative! Why is that? One reason could be that in that day and age the idea of out and out shot testing was in vogue. But I really suspect Wilson et al would not have designed this hole the way they did if they basically didn't have to! Just think about it--this was probably not much more than a routing problem that had no solution. The green needed to be where it is (clubhouse) and the 17th green needed to be where it is therefore basically setting the 18th and the length of the hole which necessarily need to be it's length (locked in by the routing!).
Iniscronne's #18;
From the tips that no alternative high risk forced carry is too long for some conditions and many players. This problem interestingly can easily be corrected by bringing the tee forward and bringing the second shot bunkering really into play for long hitters off the tee.
Stonewall2's (North) #16;
This high risk forced carry from the tips with no alternative is really ridiculous to me. A rather unappealing lake (catch pond) is the entire reason for this. I know that doing anything about this would have been problematic but this one looks like something that could've been solved somehow.
There's apparently a hole of C&C's down at Cusgowilla that has this problem but I haven't seen it, only heard that one hole might have this problem;
Holes that have really terrific alternative options and some closely juxtaposed to the high risk ones particularly using the architectural fundamental---the well done diagonal;
PVGC's #6, #13, #16!!
Mid Ocean's #5!!!
HVGC's #18!!
NGLA's #2!, #16, #18!
Maidstone's #7!, #16, #17!
Lido's Channel hole (#4)!!! (definitely not closely juxtaposed and very unusual for it!).
Riviera's #10!!! (all kinds of things going on!)
Saucon Grace's #7
Kittansett's #5(?)
Rustic's #14!!
Applebrook's #14!
Thoughts and others??