[corey miller]

Perhaps a relic of the past in that many modern architects avoid blindness and the "necessity" of an aiming pole but with a few "old" courses putting in "new" poles in an effort to look "old" I was wondering the boards thoughts.


I am not a giant fan and don't like the idea of giving a player something to aim at especially when that something is unnatural.  That said if it somehow reduced dawdling (not convinced it does) I would readily accept the pole. 


With all those concerns stated....is it fair to say that a pole should only exist on a hole where every player would benefit from the pole?  That is a punchbowl type hole or over the crest of a hill? 


What of classic designs where the poles are only needed by the weaker player?  When should they be removed based on improved distance/technology?


An example would be a par 4  I am familiar with  that has a hill ~280 yards from tee that in old times nobody would carry but now a fair percentage of golfers carry and don't receive as much benefit from "seeing the green" on the approach?  Is there a time that these poles should be removed? 


I say yes but have not received much traction with my argument? Are there other examples of this phenomenon?

[Ally Mcintosh]

I’ve built a number of blind holes.


Where the landform gives an indication of where to aim, then don’t put in an aiming pole.


If there is any doubt on direction (or if the landforms give you a bum steer), then a pole / stone / something helps: There is nothing more frustrating than hitting what you think is a perfect shot over the crest of a hill to find it has disappeared in to the gunk.

[jeffwarne]

Love aiming poles
They often require an interpretation and adjustment when different tees are used from different angles.


I particularly enjoy the whining when a "perfect"(usually a hard hooking ball that is hardly "perfect") shot is never found....aka easy money

[John Kavanaugh]

I hate em. Takes away the advantage of paying dues.

[Willie_Dow]

Was there not a par three at Prestwick that had an aiming pole ? 

[Carl Rogers]

9th hole at the Cascades has an aiming bullseye up high in a tree.  The hole needs it as a resort course, the Cascades gets infrequent repeat play.

[Pete_Pittock]

Was there not a par three at Prestwick that had an aiming pole ?

The 5th at Prestwick (Himalayas) had a rock (not a pole) near the top of the ridge. Unfortunately, I found it was not always accurately placed.

[MCirba]

With due respect to John K., I love them.


Love some blind spots/shots in the mix and coming to appreciate the hand of man not  necessarily  evident in/on the golf course features but providing evidence of civilization around it.

[Ken Moum]

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't see how those "aiming poles" help us bad golfers and not good ones.


Hell, I/we don't know where our balls are going. An aiming pole isn't going to help.

[Tal Oz]

I suppose for a long hitter both #2 and #4 at Sleepy Hollow the aiming pole would be useless. However for the rest of us mere mortals they help. Put me in the camp that enjoys an aiming pole or two in a round.

[David_Tepper]

Hell, I/we don't know where our balls are going. An aiming pole isn't going to help.

Ken M. -

Can you imagine trying to play Brora the first few times without having those aiming poles? I sure can't. In fact, I still rely on them even after I have played the course 15-20 times.

DT

[Ken Moum]

Hell, I/we don't know where our balls are going. An aiming pole isn't going to help.

Ken M. -

Can you imagine trying to play Brora the first few times without having those aiming poles? I sure can't. In fact, I still rely on them even after I have played the course 15-20 times.

DT

True enough. But I like the ones in the rough best. Makes it easier to find my ball.

[Pete_Pittock]

Can you imagine trying to play Brora the first few times without having those aiming poles? I sure can't. In fact, I still rely on them even after I have played the course 15-20 times.

DT

True enough. But I like the ones in the rough best. Makes it easier to find my ball.


Strangely enough, I also saw those the first time at Prestwick on the right side of #10

[Duncan Cheslett]

I can't think of many courses that I have played in the north of England that don't have aiming poles on multiple holes. I kind of assumed that they were as a ubiquitous feature of a golf course as bunkers and flags!


They are generally either a striped "barber's pole" in the fairway for the tee shot or a "target" behind the green for a blind approach. I can think of many holes that have both - two of them at Cavendish.


Surely aiming poles are simply a function of heavily undulating land.

[Thomas Dai]

According to this profile there's a rather appropriate white aiming marker on the 18th hole of this course - click and scroll down - http://golfclubatlas.com/white-bear-yacht-club-pg-ii/
atb


...... for those who can’t be bothered to open the link it’s White Bear Yacht Club and on the 18th hole the aiming stone is ..... a small white bear.

[Sean_A]

Most aiming poles I experience make complete sense. At Burnham we have a hole with two aiming poles!

I think of aiming poles and bells as signs of quality links. Extra points for the hole number indicated on the pole because I immediately assume that it is a dangerous situation which requires me to pay extra attention.

Happy Hockey

[Jeff Schley]

Aiming poles are half the equation, but in many cases a bell or similar device is needed to signal you are away from the landing area/green for the next group to hit away.
I recall a course in Southern California I played that used a mirror on a pole to look down over the hill.  Can't recall which course it was.

[archie_struthers]

 


Ken M makes a fabulous point ! lol

[James Bennett]

a variation on a theme - Royal Adelaide #3 is a short par 4 played to a green set over a dune and a berm.The green and pin can't be seen from the tee despite being a straight away hole of 280 yards.
The pin has been replaced with a taller pin - unnecessary for the second shot, but tells you at the tee where the pin is cut today (for the local member) and where the hole goes (for the visitor).
In my opinion, it is a much more engaging hole with the tall pin, despite my general dislike for different size pins normally.
James B

[David_Tepper]

"I recall a course in Southern California I played that used a mirror on a pole to look down over the hill."

Jeff S. -

The very hilly Presidio GC in San Francisco used to have a mirror on a pole of two of its holes where the tee shots were blind. That was the only way you could tell if the group in front of you had moved on towards the green.
 
DT

[John Mayhugh]

I think of aiming poles and bells as signs of quality links. Extra points for the hole number indicated on the pole because I immediately assume that it is a dangerous situation which requires me to pay extra attention.

For me, the best courses are the ones that use the land most effectively. If the land is interesting and no blind holes result, I feel like adventure may have been sacrificed in the interest of fairness. The best routing won't necessarily have the individually best 18 holes, but in my experience blindness either is the result of something special/memorable on another hole, or the blind hole itself provides the payoff. 

[JJShanley]

Braid Hills had a wooden 7 behind the 7th green to direct you there rather than the 14th green which is maybe 70 yards right. That broke at some point so they now have a tube bent into a 7 behind the green.

[Ian Galbraith]

In the age of course guides, laser rangefinders, green books, and GPS course maps, to rail against a pole indicating the general direction of play on a blind hole seems to lack some perpective. 

 

[Bernie Bell]

A few aiming poles/stones and bells are plus marks in my book, along with old stone walls and ruins in play.  I don't like aiming poles on holes that are not blind, which for some reason are sometimes found on US resort courses.  My home course has mirrors for blind tee shots on two par 5s. 

[Kalen Braley]

A few aiming poles/stones and bells are plus marks in my book, along with old stone walls and ruins in play.  I don't like aiming poles on holes that are not blind, which for some reason are sometimes found on US resort courses.  My home course has mirrors for blind tee shots on two par 5s.

Bernie,


When I've seen these at US courses they're usually 150 out in the middle of the fairway. 

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