[Niall C]

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.

Pete


You are assuming that the rock is for aiming at rather than just to give you your bearings. For instance if you drive up the left of a fairway with a pole in the fairway for the approach you will know, or at least should be able to work out, that the line is left of the pole. It's just there to give you your bearings.
At Prestwick, and I'm not a member, the members will likely know what line to take relative the tee position and the rock.
Niall

Your assumption is not correct. I have known for decades that not being in the center means you need to account for angles.
Plus, the 5th at Prestwick is a par 3 with a not too wide tee. My caddie said to aim over the rock, I hit it over the rock, the caddie gave me my putter to carry and I was in the right side bunker. This was 44 5/12 years ago and I remember it well. Maybe my caddie wasn't paying attention, or the rock had not been moved.

so, what exactly is your gripe ? That the rock was in the wrong position (which it wasn't based on it being to give a bearing rather than being the line) or that your caddy gave you duff info ? It seems to me, from reading your last post, that it is the latter. There was nothing wrong with the placement of the rock.


Niall

[John Mayhugh]

Pete
Sounds like an indifferent caddie issue to me.


With something like a rock on a hill, it's a reference point. I wouldn't expect the staff to move the rock around to correspond with tee markers. Players would need to know where the green was relative to the rock. Besides, with multiple tees, do you have multiple rocks?

I only played Prestwick for the first time last year. No rock - they now have boards painted to correspond with the tee one is hitting from. If the tee moves around, then you still have to mentally adjust the line. Or your caddie would be expected to. The staff does give you an indication of hole position (note the simple solution on the tee box).

DSC00040 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
DSC00042 by john mayhugh, on Flickr

Worth dealing with a blind shot to crest the hill and see this.
DSC00044 by john mayhugh, on Flickr

[Ira Fishman]

I have not played Prestwick, but at Number 5 at Lahinch, don’t they actually move the stone every day? I remember reading that they did not want to do so for the Irish Open so they used a pole on the ground instead.


Ira

[herrstein]

We love our bullseye post on the 6th (Alps/Punchbowl) at Black Creek. It was a direct lift from Scotland.

[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.

Pete
You are assuming that the rock is for aiming at rather than just to give you your bearings. For instance if you drive up the left of a fairway with a pole in the fairway for the approach you will know, or at least should be able to work out, that the line is left of the pole. It's just there to give you your bearings.
At Prestwick, and I'm not a member, the members will likely know what line to take relative the tee position and the rock.
Niall

Your assumption is not correct. I have known for decades that not being in the center means you need to account for angles.
Plus, the 5th at Prestwick is a par 3 with a not too wide tee. My caddie said to aim over the rock, I hit it over the rock, the caddie gave me my putter to carry and I was in the right side bunker. This was 44 5/12 years ago and I remember it well. Maybe my caddie wasn't paying attention, or the rock had not been moved.

so, what exactly is your gripe ? That the rock was in the wrong position (which it wasn't based on it being to give a bearing rather than being the line) or that your caddy gave you duff info ? It seems to me, from reading your last post, that it is the latter. There was nothing wrong with the placement of the rock.
Niall

Niall,

not getting what I paid for. And a misreading of your for instance. Sorry.      I know that teeing from the left side of a teeing area is different than teeing from its right side,  as far as aiming is concerned. 

[Jim Moeller]

Corey, starting at the beginning, I think there should be an aiming pole when the landform gives you no indication where to hit and the shot is fully blind.

This is the case with the 5th at Cape Arundel, which features a blind tee shot on a severe dogleg left. You are dead if you go left, which appears to be the natural aiming point without the pole. Thus, the aiming pole really helps to guide you. I believe the aiming pole is 150 from the green, but I could be wrong. I've now played the course a number of times and know where to hit my tee shot, but I continue to find the aiming pole helpful. For first timers, it's a must.

What's more, it doesn't favor the short hitter over the long hitter. Since there is a gully between the end of the fairway and the green, long hitters don't bother to cut the proverbial corner. So even they (of which I am not one) aim generally towards the aiming pole.

I haven't seen many aiming poles, but this particular one exemplifies its proper use IMO.

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