Playing the course in the correct order

[Mark Chaplin]

Starting on the 5th at Pine Valley wouldn’t be the softest of starts, nor the 10th!

[Tommy Williamsen]

I really don’t care where I start. If the course is busy I’ll go to an open hole. Sometimes like today I’ll play a little loop if I am going to catch someone. I’d rather hit a shot than watch someone in front of me hit one.

[Tom_Doak]

Starting on the 5th at Pine Valley wouldn’t be the softest of starts, nor the 10th!

They actually do start groups at the 10th sometimes, when they have a bunch of groups trying to get in 36 holes/day.

[Wade Whitehead]

The better the golf course, the more difference it makes.

In the best cases, an architect creates a symphony of sorts.  There's drama in the intended routing.  Anticipation plays a really important role in the experience.

Imagine playing the back nine at Pebble first.

When there's been no attention to crescendo, it doesn't matter.  That's probably true at most golf courses that most people play.

WW

[mike_beene]

The back nine at Pebble first would be like playing Spyglass in its original sequencing. Like a crowded buffet or prison meal: you better eat the chicken pieces you really want before someone takes them. Then the good stuff is all gone and you trudge through the filling but unspectacular carbohydrates.

[JESII]

Sorry, is this the Pebble Beach in CA?


#’s 2 through 9 at the one in Monterrey are so far superior to 12 - 18 that I figured you’re talking about a different course...

[Jeff_Brauer]

As mentioned, I think it depends on the course, and given the number of shotgun starts in modern golf, you just have to accept it.  I think it also depends on how much you want to play a course.  While PB plays better starting at no. 1, I can imagine not really caring if I had never played Pebble. 


The right answer is "its a grey area."  Admit its hard to start on the no. 1 handicap hole (unless playing Bob O Link near Chicago, which has (had?) the first hole at No. 1.


As to the design aspects, yes, we consider rhythm and all that, but in reality, we find the best holes first, maybe tweak those if we can in considering rhythm.  If we have found 18 good holes, it shouldn't be terrible to play out of order.  And, overall rhythm is hard to consider for most.  The biggest factor is probably putting the harder nine as the back nine, and perhaps even more in particular, the harder opening hole as 10 rather than 1. 


At my recently opened Tempest, that was the issue.  The pro shop has a great view of hole 10, which is pretty hard, whereas on the far side of the clubhouse, we designed holes 1-4 as that traditional gentle handshake.  Also, holes 11 and 12 are quite hard, making for a really slow start.  If it wasn't for that, I imagine some future pro would consider turning the nines around (as they so often do) just for visual control from his desk/counter.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Starting on the 5th at Pine Valley wouldn’t be the softest of starts, nor the 10th!

They actually do start groups at the 10th sometimes, when they have a bunch of groups trying to get in 36 holes/day.

I've started on ten twice. I didn't care. I know there is a flow to many courses but at PV I'd rather play 2,4,5,7,later in the round anyway.

[JJShanley]

At my recently opened Tempest, that was the issue.  The pro shop has a great view of hole 10, which is pretty hard, whereas on the far side of the clubhouse, we designed holes 1-4 as that traditional gentle handshake.  Also, holes 11 and 12 are quite hard, making for a really slow start.  If it wasn't for that, I imagine some future pro would consider turning the nines around (as they so often do) just for visual control from his desk/counter.

Duke University did exactly that, from what I understand.  "1" is a long par-4 sweeping dogleg left downhill, with an elevated green.  "10" is a gentle handshake.

[Dave McCollum]

At home I'll start on just about any open hole.  However, the one time I played Huntsman Springs it was a shotgun start and would rather have played holes in order.  I still remember the holes fairly well, but have no idea what the numbers are.  Makes it difficult to discuss the course with someone.  That particular course uses a lot visual deception by making the holes look a lot more intimidating than they actually play, so playing the holes in order is probably important.  There is also water on about 16 of the 18 holes, which sounds awful, yet the course is really quite fun.  When you hit one out into the native ground, you quickly realize the original site was a boggy mountain meadow or an absolutely zero site.  This makes the totally manufactured course all the more remarkable.